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DEFENDING ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA
February 5
"When environmentalists would bring up an issue, the Salt Lake Olympic Committee would say, 'It's too early to do anything,' and then at some point later would say, 'It would have been nice, but it's too late now."
Ivan Weber, head of the Sierra Club's Utah Chapter and a member of the Environmental Advisory Committee for the Olympics, on the organizers' approach to green issues
(1) THE OLYMPICS: No Medals for Salt Lake Organizers on Green Issues
(2) CLEAN WATER: EPA Stays the Course on Cleaning up the Hudson River
(3) ENERGY: Michigan Poll Shows Auto Workers Want Cleaner Cars and SUVs
(4) TAKE ACTION: Help Farmers Help the Environment
1. No Medals for Salt Lake Organizers on Green Issues
They're billed by organizers as the "greenest games ever", but are they? The Olympics open Friday in Salt Lake City after slashing the budget for environmental concerns to a quarter of its original amount, reneging on a pledge to provide public transportation for attendees, and instead acquiring 40,000 gas-guzzling SUVs to ferry athletes and others between venues.
Eight years ago, the International Olympic Committee touted the environment as one of the three pillars of the Olympic movement - along with sport and culture. The percentage of the budget that the Salt Lake organizers allotted for environmental issues? One tenth of one percent!
Looks like whichever athletes win gold in the next two weeks, the environment will be the big loser.
For more information on the environmental failures of the Salt Lake games, go to https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A2=ind0202&L=ce-scnews-releases&D=1&T=0&H=1&O=D&F &S=&P=220
2. EPA Stays the Course on Cleaning up the Hudson River
In a major victory for advocates of cleaning New York's Hudson River, the EPA finalized its plans Friday to clean up tons of toxic PCBs. The chemicals, dumped in the river over decades by General Electric, have badly damaged the once-vibrant ecosystem of the Upper Hudson, and pose grave risks to human health.
There's still a long way to go before the upper Hudson is clean, but as Chris Ballantyne of the Sierra Club said, "This decision means that the real hard work of cleanup and restoration begins."
In moving forward with the plan, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman resisted a multi-million dollar advertising campaign and high-powered corporate lobbying efforts by GE. Maybe she could teach the rest of the Bush Administration a thing or two
For more information on this victory, go to https://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/substory.asp?storyKey=76045&BCCode=HUDR&SubCategory=HU
3. Michigan Poll Shows Auto Workers Want Cleaner Cars and SUVs
An astonishing new poll shows that an overwhelming majority of voters in Michigan - hotbed of the American auto industry - favor making America's cars, SUVs and light trucks go further on a gallon of gas. And support is even higher amongst United Auto Worker members!
The survey, conducted by the nationally respected pollsters Lake, Sneer, Perry, and Associates shows that 77 percent of Michigan voters favor increasing fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon - a figure backed by the Sierra Club - over the next ten years. That number rises to a stratospheric 84% amongst households with a United Auto Worker member.
The poll found that a significant reason for the result is the belief amongst Michigan voters that raising fuel economy standards will create jobs and help the economy. Seems like voters in the Wolverine state understand something the Bush Administration doesn't!
For more information on this poll, go to https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A2=ind0201&L=ce-scnews-releases&D=1&T=0&H=1&O=D&F &S=&P=1210
4. Take Action to Help Farmers Help the Environment
The fight to ensure that farmers are equipped to care for the environment enters a crucial phase tomorrow, when the Senate takes up the Farm Bill, which would double funds available to help farmers protect water, wetlands, wildlife habitat and open spaces.
And you can help ensure that this important legislation passes. Click here to send a message to your Senators, urging them to support the Farm Bill - along with the Wellstone amendment, which would stop the proliferation of huge, polluting new factory farms. Senators should oppose any amendments which would weaken environmental protections, in particular the Smith (OR) amendment.
There's a draft letter provided. Just click here: https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=58&rf=-58999
"The biggest challenge is going to be how to best utilize taxpayer dollars to the benefit of industry, in my opinion." Mike Smith, newly named Assistant Secretary for Fossil Fuels, U.S. Dept. of Energy
(1) ENERGY: Sierra Club Refutes Cheney's Claim on Enron Energy Plan
(2) GOVERNMENT: New Fossil Fuels Official Shows where his Loyalties Lie
(3) FAIR TRADE: Watch Bill Moyers: Trading Democracy this Tuesday 10pm on PBS
(4) WILD LANDS: National Monument for Southern Utah?
(5) TAKE ACTION: Urge your Senators to Choose a Cheaper, Cleaner, Safer Energy Future
1. ENERGY: Club Refutes Cheney's Claim on Enron-Energy Plan
Lately, Vice President Cheney has been trying to use the Sierra Club to make his Enron-influenced energy plan seem a little greener. Twice this week, Cheney has taken to the airwaves to claim that his plan incorporates 11 of 12 Sierra Club "recommendations". And that theme has been echoed in recent appearances by Vice Presidential adviser Mary Matalin and Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.
But it hasn't taken long for people to notice that the Vice President's claim is off base. ABCNews.com highlighted the White House's skewed logic Tuesday, pointing out one obvious example among many: the Sierra Club wants a 40 mile-per-gallon standard for vehicles, while the White House energy plan advocates "studying" the issue of fuel efficiency. Yet the Vice President considers these to be the same thing. Dick Cheney should know: you can put your boots in the oven, but that doesn't make them biscuits!
For more information on the Sierra Club's response to the Vice President, go to the following:
https://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/Cheneysierra_020129.html
https://lists.sierraclub.org/SCRIPTS/WA.EXE?A2=ind0201&L=ce-scnews-releases&D=1&T=0&H=1&O=D&F &S=&P=926
2. GOVERNMENT: New Fossil Fuels Official Shows where his Loyalties Lie
Mike Smith, the newly named Assistant Secretary for Fossil Fuels at the U.S. Department of Energy, wasted no time this week in letting the polluting oil and gas industries know that they had another well-placed friend. "The biggest challenge is going to be how to best utilize taxpayer dollars to the benefit of industry, in my opinion," Smith told an audience in Charleston, West Virginia. Smith also declared his support for drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, despite the fact that destroying the Refuge would produce only six months worth of oil, which would not be available for ten years. He gave short shrift to environmentalists' concerns about the Refuge. "It's simply a non-issue with me," Smith said. "It looks like a desert covered in snow."
For more information on this story, go to: https://www.wvgazette.com/news/Other+News/2002013084/
3. FAIR TRADE: Watch Bill Moyers Reports: Trading Democracy this Tuesday, 10pm on PBS
Did you know that the North American Free Trade Agreement allows foreign companies to sue U.S. taxpayers if our environmental protections stand in the way of corporate profits? It's true, and a Canadian company has already used NAFTA to try to scrap a Califonia clean water law, and to sue U.S. taxpayers for $1 billion! Now the White House is pushing "Fast Track" legislation, which would prevent Congress from fixing future global trade deals, even when they threaten our hard-won environmental protections.
It's the subject of a PBS Special by Bill Moyers airing this Tuesday February 5th at 10pm. The Senate will be voting on Fast Track in the next few weeks, so don't forget to watch.
For more information on Trading Democracy go to: https://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/files/013102.html
4. WILD LANDS: National Monument for Southern Utah?
The Bush administration may establish its first national monument in southern Utah, but how far will the protections really go? The proposal would set aside 620,000 acres of desert canyons, rock formations and Indian carvings as the San Rafael National Monument. But the Sierra Club has serious concerns as to how strong protection for the proposed monument might be, as well as for the hundreds of thousands of acres of potential wilderness that would be excluded from the monument.
The area that would be set aside in the monument proposed by Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who generally opposes real wilderness protection, would be less than half the area that actually qualifies for wilderness in the San Rafael region. And there is a strong possiblity that the monument designation would allow destructive activities, like off-road vehicle use, to carry on unchecked.
Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope explained that the Utah congressional delegation has made several efforts to pass what he called "bogus wilderness protection" to allow activities that would not be allowed in other wilderness areas.
"This may be the real thing. But given our previous history of bait-and-switch with the San Rafael Swell, the devil is in the details," Pope said
For more information on this story, go to: https://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-000007302jan29.story?coll=la-news-science
5. TAKE ACTION: Urge your Senators to Choose a Cleaner, Cheaper, Safer Energy Future
The White House is pushing an Enron-influenced energy bill, which would open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, do nothing to reduce our dependence on oil, and increase global warming pollution. It's already passed the House, and the Senate will be voting on it soon.
America deserves a cleaner, cheaper, and safer energy future. By making cars and SUVs go further on a gallon of gas, by investing in renewable energy such as wind and solar power, and by introducing conservation measures, we could address our energy needs, ensure that Americans save money at the gas pump, create jobs, and save our remaining wild places. It's a win-win!
Click here to send a message to your Senators, urging them to oppose the White House's "Enron-Energy" plan and instead support the Daschle Senate energy bill, which ensures a cleaner, cheaper, and safer energy future for our nation:
https://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=57&rf=-57999
To take action on all your favorite Sierra Club issues, please visit: https://www.sierraclub.org/action
"If the Bush administration thinks they've got 11 of our 12 points in their energy plan, then Arthur Andersen must be checking their math." --Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director
(1) ENERGY: Vice President Can't Escape the Sierra Club
(2) CLEAN WATER: Illinois One Step Closer to Clean Water
(3) DEMOCRACY: Campaign Finance Reform is On the Move
(4) WILD LANDS: Take Action to Protect Our National Forests
1. Vice President Can't Escape the Sierra Club
A day after the Sierra Club filed suit against Vice President Cheney and the members of his energy task force, Club volunteers in Cincinnati, OH found a creative way to let the Vice President know how they felt about his Enron-influenced energy plan. When Cheney arrived at the Aronoff Center for a fund-raiser, he was met by over 80 impassioned citizens, who had prepared the following chants just for the occasion:
Clean, safe energy keeps our country proud and free!
Dirty coal! Filthy rigs! Give our kids alternatives!
Energy efficiency means national security!
Then, volunteer leader Marti Sinclair, standing with her two children who suffer from asthma, gave an impassioned talk about the real harm of dirty coal, and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine professor and doctor George Leikauf warned of the health impacts of weakening anti-pollution measures. The event was covered by print and television outlets (see below). Sounds like the Club got out its message loud and clear!
https://enquirer.com/editions/2002/01/26/loc_cheney_surfaces.html
For the video anticipating Cheney's visit, go to: https://real.scripps.com:8480/ramgen/cincinowrs/2002/01/25_cheney.rm
2. Illinois is One Step Closer to Clean Water
Environmentalists in Illinois took a major step toward victory last week when a state board rejected attempts by industrial polluters to weaken new clean water protections proposed by the administration of Gov. George Ryan. Local Sierra Club activists and other environmentalists mounted an intense campaign in support of the rules and are working hard to ensure they are put into place to protect Illinois waters.
The rules are crucial in keeping Illinois' water a clean, safe resource for recreation and for drinking water. They require regulators to scrutinize proposals for increased pollution into Illinois waters, to ensure that they will not degrade the river, lake, or stream involved. They also establish a process for designating very high quality waters as "Outstanding Resource Waters", which would receive a higher degree of protection due to their unusual quality and value to the State.
"These stream protection rules will be important new safeguards for our drinking water and for wildlife, and we applaud the Board for moving forward with them," said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. "We hope legislators will approve the proposal rather than bowing to pressure from industrial polluters."v For more information, contact Jack Darin at 312-251-1680
3. Campaign Finance Reform is on the Move!
The drive to reduce the influence of corporate money in politics got a big boost last week: House supporters of real campaign finance reform got the 218th and final signature on their discharge petition, forcing Speaker Dennis Hastert to at last bring CFR legislation to the House floor for a fair and open vote.
The fight is not over -- opponents of reform still have many roadblocks to throw in the way -- but the Enron scandal, which highlighted the ability of wealthy corporations to buy access to government, may have turned the tide in favor of reform. And that's good news for the environment, because less influence for private industry in our political system means a cleaner environment for everyone. The Sierra Club is urging House lawmakers to bring the Shays-Meehan bill to the floor as soon as possible, and to pass meaningful campaign finance reform legislation.
For more information, contact Deanna White at deanna.white@sierraclub.org
4. Take Action to Protect our National Forests
On the down side, the Forest Service recently bowed to pressure from the mining and logging industries, issuing 2 new directives that significantly weaken protections for our National Forests. It continues to ignore over 2 million comments in support of protecting our wild forests that were used to draw up the popular Roadless Area Conservation rule under the Clinton Administration.
Specifically, the new directives:
1) Eliminate the requirement that there must be a "compelling need" for road construction in roadless areas,v 2) Eliminate the requirement to prepare an environmental impact statement prior to building roads in roadless areas,
3) Eliminate any special protection for uninventoried roadless areas greater than 1,000 acres that are adjacent to inventoried roadless areas or wilderness areas, and
4) Create a new loophole for logging old-growth forests in roadless areas.
The Forest Service should work to protect and restore our National Forests, not increase destructive commercial logging and road construction. Currently, there are 440,000 miles of roads in the National Forests. Only 20% of these roads get regular maintenance. Logging roads fragment wildlife habitat, dump dirt and sediment into streams and create public safety hazards.
The Forest Service has instituted a public comment period, until February 19th. They need to hear from you. Click on the following link to send a message directly to the Forest Service. There's a draft provided!
https://whistler.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=53&rf=-53999
To take action on all your favorite Sierra Club issues, please visit: https://whistler.sierraclub.org/action/actionindex.jsp
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