6/16/01
4:51:31 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
EU SUSTAINABILITY PLAN HEADING FOR A FALL
GOTHENBORG, Sweden, June 15, 2001 (ENS) - European Union leaders are preparing to substantially weaken a sustainable development strategy presented to them for adoption by the European Commission. At their summit now underway in Gothenborg, heads of state are likely to decide on overall objectives for sustainability without setting concrete targets or deadlines for action.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15-03.html
CHINA BEATS U.S. IN GREENHOUSE GAS CUTS
WASHINGTON, DC, June 15, 2001 (ENS) - Despite White House claims that China will soon become the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, a new report has found that China reduced its carbon dioxide emissions 17 percent since 1997 while its economy grew 36 percent. By comparison, carbon dioxide emissions in the United States have jumped 14 percent since 1997.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15-06.html
BUSH RETAINS PARTS OF MINE CLEANUP RULE
WASHINGTON, DC, June 15, 2001 (ENS) - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced today that it will retain a new requirement that hardrock mining companies post bonds sufficient to cover cleanup expenses after mining is complete. The decision helped allay fears that the Bush administration would discard the Clinton era rule, which aimed to reduce the environmental impacts of mining on public lands.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15-07.html
PHENOL, DIESEL SPILL FROM STRICKEN INDONESIAN TANKER
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 15, 2001 (ENS) - A tanker that capsized in the straits between Malaysia and Singapore has spilled a large amount of diesel fuel and the industrial solvent phenol. The spill has poisoned seafood farms and breeding grounds along the shores of the Tebrau Straits.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15-01.html
POLITICAL WILL TO STOP SPREADING DESERTS IS MISSING
ROME, Italy, June 15, 2001 (ENS) - More than 100 countries in all climatic regions on all continents are seriously affected by desertification, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today in a statement marking the UN's World Day to Combat Desertification on Sunday.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15-02.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JUNE 15, 2001
Conservationists, Fishers Seek New Direction in Fisheries Management
10,000 People Homeless After Tropical Storm Allison
Website Calculates Rainfall Needed to End Nation's Droughts
Polluted Clouds Might Cause Patchy Cooling
Restoration Partnership Benefits Chesapeake Bay Wetlands
California Students Design Winning Green SUV
Scientists Build a Better Enzyme
Shrimp Decline May Hurt Great Lakes Fish
International Rallies Highlight Sonar's Effects on Whales
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15-09.html
HEALING OUR WORLD: WEEKLY COMMENT
By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
Let Solar Power See the Light of Day
Is it really a lack of the right technology that is keeping solar power off the mass market? Or is the light from our nearest star, the Sun, being held hostage by an economy that is devoted to using up the Earth's last drops of fossil fuel at all cost?
Using the light from the Sun, our ultimate energy source, is not a new technology at all, but has been around for thousands of years. Passive solar heating, orienting a dwelling to take advantage of the sun, has influenced the design of communities from the times of ancient Greece. Fuel wood supplies quickly dwindled as cities grew and an energy crisis was soon at hand. In the 4th century B.C., merchants rose to power by controlling wood supplies and cornering export and import markets. Greed is not a modern invention.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-15g.html
6/15/01
5:25:29 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
BEYOND THE CALL
Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, said yesterday that it hoped to develop a phone with biodegradable parts within a few years. Nokia's Salla Ahonen said that cell phone waste is increasing, with many people changing cell phones every two years and throwing out their old ones. The company has already tested biodegradable clip-on covers for cell phones, but their ability to withstand heat was not good enough (although they made excellent compost!). Nokia would also like to use more reusable or recyclable parts in its phones.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, Anna Peltola, 15 Jun 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11209>
HITTING HARD-ROCK BOTTOM
In a small victory for environmentalists, the Bush administration is expected today to endorse tougher environmental rules for hard-rock mining on federal land. The rules, which were finalized at the end of the Clinton administration, set new groundwater and surface-water standards, and allow the feds to turn down a permit if the mining would cause "substantial irreparable harm." They also require mining companies to put up enough money to pay for cleanup of sites they abandon. Enviros had expected Bush to water down, or even repeal, the rules. Earlier this month, 14 moderate Republicans in Congress asked President Bush not to toss out the rules, and Congress next week is scheduled to debate still more stringent rules.
straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Robert McClure and Jennifer A. Dlouhy, 15 Jun 2001 <http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/national/27585_mine15.shtml>
OINK, OINK, OINK, OINK. WHO LET THE HOGS OUT?
The Quebec government said yesterday that it would limit hog production to protect the environment in the province, which is one of the world's largest producers of pork. Hog production will be capped in 165 rural towns throughout Quebec -- an area four times the size of France. The government said it would also clamp down on hog waste entering rivers. The hog industry surged in Quebec in the 1990s, with huge hog production facilities replacing smaller operations. Angry about all the pollution from the facilities, citizens have been calling for tougher regulations for years.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 15 Jun 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11197>
LONG DIVISIONS
The wide divide between the U.S. and the European Union on climate change was clear yesterday, even though U.S. President Bush claimed to reporters that there was a "spirit of cooperation" on the issue. After Bush and the 15 leaders of E.U. nations met behind closed doors, European Commission President Romano Prodi emerged to announce that the E.U. would soon begin a more concerted drive to ratify the 1997 Kyoto treaty on climate change, which Bush has rejected.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Edwin Chen and Robin Wright, 15 Jun 2001
<http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20010615/t000049820.html>
PEKING OUR INTEREST
U.S. President Bush has often pointed fingers at China's greenhouse gas emissions problems when explaining why he rejected the Kyoto treaty on climate change. Kyoto would require the U.S. to cap its carbon dioxide emissions, but places no such constraints on developing countries like China. However, China's CO2 emissions have actually dropped in the last four years, even as its economy has rapidly expanded, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Energy. Gao Feng, a senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official, said, "We've done what we can to reduce emissions, and we'll continue to do so."
straight to the source: New York Times, Erik Eckholm, 15 Jun 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/15/world/15CHIN.html>
GOOD G-REEF
Australian Environment Minister Robert Hill announced yesterday that Australia would phase out commercial coral harvesting on the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest living reef formation. Tourists and private individuals are forbidden from taking coral from the reef, but licensed commercial scuba divers are allowed to chip away at the coral, using hammers and chisels to harvest up to a couple hundred tons of coral a year. In other Great Barrier Reef news, the producers of the T.V. show "Survivor" issued a public apology earlier this year because two cast members took coral from the reef as souvenirs during filming.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 15 Jun 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11198>
Also in GRIST MAGAZINE today:
Pump up the natural gas -- a day in the life of Michelle Knapik, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/knapik061401.stm>
Mr. Green Beans -- he's all abuzz about socially responsible coffee -- in our Out on Limb column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/limb/limb081100.stm?source=daily>
Nary a drop to drink -- a review of "Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource" in our Books Unbound section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/books/books010901.stm?source=daily>
6/15/01
5:10:39 PM
EcoNet Alerts
Encourage Reps to Sign On against Fast Track
There's a great new tool in the fight against Fast Track. Two House Democrats who have "come back home" after voting for NAFTA and PNTR have sponsored a tough Dear Colleague sign-on letter drawing a line in the sand on Fast Track. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/992561687/index_html
Arizona's Ironwood Monument Threatened
Multi-national mining giant ASARCO/Grupo Mexico is seeking boundary changes that would remove of 400+ acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands from the Ironwood Forest National Monument.... Now that conservationists have learned the exact location of the land ASARCO wants to acquire, they are concerned about the threat to this habitat, as it is critical to the reproduction and survival of the last viable desert bighorn sheep population near Tucson. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/992561896/index_html
Sign-On Letter re Nukes and Climate Change
We urge you to sign the following letter regarding nuclear power and the Kyoto protocol. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/992562161/index_html
Urgent Follow-up Action: Stop Oil Development in Kirthar National Park/Pakistan
Environmental groups in Pakistan are on a roller-coaster ride: first UP, when we learned that Shell Oil Company decided to withdraw from an oil/gas exploration project in Kirthar National Park, then DOWN, when the governor of Sindh Province signed a second amendment to the Sindh Wildlife Protection Ordinance of 1972. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/992562303/index_html
Send a Fax Today to Kyrgyzstan!
Please take a few minutes TODAY to help allies in Kyrgyzstan. Flying in the face of national laws and public outrage, the Kyrgyz government is about to conclude a secret contract with an Italian weapons manufacturer to build a large municipal waste incinerator. Our allies want us to flood the government with faxes from around the world to show that there is international opposition to this project. Please send your faxes in as soon as possible! Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/992562600/index_html
EcoNet Headlines
Bush Fails Climate Change Talks, per Leaked Docs
The final conclusion on climate change leaked to Greenpeace of the EU/US summit shows that George W. Bush has failed the American people and walked away from the USA's commitment to save the climate by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992557963/index_html
Kyoto Protocol to Dominate EU-US Summit
Sweden, which heads the rotating European Union (EU) Presidency, says the most difficult issue at Thursday's EU-US meeting will be Washington's unwillingness to observe the Kyoto Protocol, the international treaty designed to reduce the greenhouse gases believed to contribute to global warming. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992558102/index_html
Greenpeace Activists Arrested on Bush Arrival in Brussels
Thirty Greenpeace activists from 12 countries have now been arrested after carrying out a series of protests to US President George W. Bush's plans to deploy a star wars missile system and that government's rejection of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992558280/index_html
Climate Change Affecting Even Remote Arctic Environment
"Many scientists or groups of specialists have looked at parts of the Arctic or at different species, but until now no one has taken a comprehensive look at the state of the entire Arctic," said Sune Sohlberg of Sweden, who chairs the CAFF working group. "Thanks to this report, we now have a better idea of conservation needs around the circumpolar region." Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992558699/index_html
Arctic Development Seen as Threatening Wildlife, Communities
The Arctic region risks being overrun by roads, ports, mines and oil fields, United Nations researchers warned Tuesday. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992558834/index_html
New Coral Record Connects Climate Change in Three Oceans
Coral extracted from a remote central Pacific island has helped scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, construct a valuable new record of climate conditions during the 20th century. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992559041/index_html
World's Fifth Biggest Oil Company to Join in Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reductions
Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) has become the first Latin American company to announce that it will reduce greenhouse gases and joins seven of the world's major industrial players, whose joint carbon dioxide emissions place them among the top 15 industrialised countries, in a joint action. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992559209/index_html
Pesticides Caused Apopka Bird Kill
Three years after 1,000 birds died near Lake Apopka, Florida, a federal investigation has concluded that pesticides were the mystery killer. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992559496/index_html
Brazil's Landless Peasant Movement Embracing Organic Farming
After winning land for the people it represents, Brazil's landless peasant movement has now taken the important step of switching from chemical farming to organic farming. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992559643/index_html
Brasilia's Water Supply Threatened
The abundance of water in Brazil's geographical centre was one of the reasons the new national capital was established there 41 years ago. But no one predicted the rapid increase in the local population.... Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992560265/index_html
U.S. Timber Program Posts Record Losses
A new report by Taxpayers for Common Sense shows that America's National Forests continue to be logged at a substantial financial loss. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992560455/index_html
Corporate Codes of Conduct Deemed Insufficient
Companies worldwide have signed on to voluntary codes of conduct in a bid to mitigate globalisation's harmful aspects. Activists and executives agree the firms are falling short but disagree on the reasons and remedies. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992560576/index_html
GREEN: Property Rights Strike Back
Developers are suing the USFWS over its designation of over 400,000 acres in California's East Bay as critical habitat for the Alameda whipsnake. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992560769/index_html
Report on April Int'l Day of Action for Forests
This report provides a unique look at a global day of simultaneous actions, and reflects a real diversity of organizing methods, structure, and tactics toward a number of common goals. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992563441/index_html
Report on April Int'l Day of Action for Forests, Continued
This is Part 2 of the preceding posting, on worldwide actions for forests and against free trade, April 19-20. Read More...
http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/992563698/index_html
6/15/01
5:00:57 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
Sludge disasters cast shadow over coal revival - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11205
US watchdog group assails genetic field testing - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11212
Green groups reject US govt report on StarLink bio-corn - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11210
Calif. enlists army of kids in conservation crusade - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11207
Drop in Calif. sea otter population worries scientists - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11200
Idaho seeks haying and grazing on conservation lands - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11206
Polluted clouds may give patchy cooling to world - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11196
UPDATE - Shell extends clean energy push - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11203
UPDATE - Bush gives final thumbs-down to Kyoto treaty - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11211
UPDATE - Bush, EU seek common ground on global warming - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11204
Norway has significant wind power potential - NVE - NORWAY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11202
No wildlife died in NZ rat poison spill - official - NEW ZEALAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11199
Organic food booms in Italy but sales still modest - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11213
Nokia hopes for biodegradable phones in few years - FINLAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11209
Quebec to impose limits on pork production - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11197
Bulgaria sets up insurance pool against N-plant risk - BULGARIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11201
Australia to end commercial coral harvest on Reef - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11198
FEATURE - Argentine farmers bet on biotech - ARGENTINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11208
6/15/01
4:29:33 PM
UTNE WEB WATCH
The Best of the Alternative Web
SHOW ME YOUR STINKING BADGE
by Gwendolyn Albert, Freezerbox
The inner mechanics of a fascist state die hard, even when that state is reformed into a democracy. At last September's IMF/WB conference, Czech authorities resorted to their old bag of dirty tricks.
SO THE DARKNESS SHALL BE LIGHT: GREENLAND'S UNKNOWN ISLAND
by Gretel Ehrlich, Shambhala Sun Online
People weary of the rat race often talk about "getting away from it all," then make a beeline for a bustling vacation spot like Miami Beach or Las Vegas for R&R. If you really want to get "away" you might try Greenland's remote Ubenkendt Eyland.
ROMANCING THE REPUBLIC: DISNEY AND PENTAGON WHITEWASH PEARL HARBOR
by Chisun Lee, Village Voice
-- Disney's newest blockbuster, Pearl Harbor, portrays war more like "a computer-enhanced adventure than a personal, grim experience." The Pentagon, in the hopes of a recruiting boon, worked closely with the filmmakers.
...Sponsor's Message Fight Hunger in America! Everyone deserves a life with dignity and access to the basic necessities for human growth and development. Adequate nutrition is one of these basic necessities. Yet over 7.5 million Americans live in households that suffer from chronic hunger. This is a national disgrace. In a nation as prosperous as the U.S., we have a moral obligation to reduce hunger. E-mail your senators and ask them to support the Nutrition Assistance for Working Families Act.
www.actforchange.com/utneaction2
Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch
6/15/01
4:21:25 PM
EUROPE PROPOSES TRADE ADVANTAGES FOR GREEN NATIONS
BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 14, 2001 (ENS) - The European Commission is holding out a carrot to entice developing countries into making environmental sustainability a pillar of their international trade programs.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-14-04.html
6/15/01
4:18:55 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
CLIMATE DIVISIVE AT TRANS-ATLANTIC SUMMIT
GOTHENBORG, Sweden, June 14, 2001 (ENS) - Leaders of the European Union and U.S. President George W. Bush did not bridge the wide gap between their positions on global warming and climate change during a one day summit meeting today. While thousands protested in the streets, the leaders agreed to disagree about limiting the emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-14-01.html
U.S. TO STOP BOMBING PUERTO RICAN ISLAND OF VIEQUES
WASHINGTON, DC, June 14, 2001 (ENS) - The U.S. Navy will stop live fire training on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, President George W. Bush said today.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-14-02.html
ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO STARLINK CORN
WASHINGTON, DC, June 14, 2001 (ENS) - A new report from the Centers for Disease Control has found no evidence that eating corn products contaminated with an unapproved genetically engineered variety can make people sick. The report on the health effects of StarLink corn, which was licensed only for animal feed, met heavy criticism from environmental and public interest groups who say the engineered corn has been linked to severe allergic reactions.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-14-06.html
FLOODING, LANDSLIDES KILL 39 IN ECUADOR
QUITO, Ecuador, June 14, 2001 (ENS) - Ecuador's Amazon region has been hit hard by 10 days of heavy rains that have filled rivers to overflowing and set off deadly landslides.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-14-03.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JUNE 14, 2001
Salmon Recovery Act Passes the House
Bleaching Could be Hidden Strength for Corals
Funding Panel Shortchanges Agriculture Conservation
Kellogg Grant Targets Eco-Friendly Agriculture in South Florida
EPA Orders Companies to Provide Safe Drinking Water
Five Bank Branches Attacked on Long Island
EPA Seeks Fines from Navy for Landfill Fire
Explosives Found at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
Updated List of Nuclear Compensation Sites Released
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-14-09.html
6/15/01
4:08:16 PM
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) Calls for a Tax on Meat
NEW YORK -- According to David Brubaker of the Henry Spira/GRACE Project on Industrial Animal Production at Johns Hopkins University's Center for a Livable Future in the School of Public Health, America's systematic disregard of corporate accountability for the devastating consequences of contemporary industrial animal farming must be immediately and substantially addressed.
* In 2001, Industrial Animal Producers (IAPs) are the source for most of the meat Americans eat at home and in restaurants every day-though the public is little aware of exactly what this means.
* IAPs-termed Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) by the EPA-are officially defined as having at least 1000 "animal units," equivalent to 700 dairy cows or 2,500 hogs, though they often contain many times those numbers, crammed into cages, boxes, and vegetation-less outdoor pens.
- The USDA reports that animals in the U.S. meat industry produce 61 million tons of waste each year, which is 130 times the volume of human waste generated in the same period. One IAP alone yields the waste equivalent to the output of a 12,000-person town, though they exist on a fraction of the land.
* Consolidated meat processing firms are the driving force behind the IAPs. Comprising suited executives, remote stockholders, and hapless, transient employees working under notoriously hazardous conditions, the industry imposes a system that spews pollution and chemicals into our rivers, streams, and bodies, all in the name of farming. The industry uses legal loopholes, massive government lobbies, and charismatic subterfuge to evade pollution responsibilities while garnering the lion's share of federal and state subsidies nominally intended to aid American farmers-all paid with hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars per year.
* "Today, 20 feedlots feed 50 percent of the cattle and are directly connected to the four processing firms that control 81 percent of beef processing, either by direct ownership or through formal contracts," reported researchers from University of Missouri, at the beginning of this year. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, similar figures apply to poultry and hog production, where four corporations control half of the chicken market, and four processing firms control 75 percent of the hog business.
* In 1998, while independent farmers were receiving the lowest prices since the great depression, Smithfield Foods, IBP, and Hormel Foods (first, second and fifth largest hog packers, respectively) announced record profits gained via the processing-rather than the raising-of livestock.
* Economists and environmentalists alike report, over and over, that the IAP-based model shifts the processes and burden of food production into a rigid and precarious structure designed to make a very small percentage of people very wealthy - at a cost to the environment, public health, and taxpayers that far outweighs the perceived efficiency of the IAP institution.
* Amid the prevailing furor over mad cow or Bovine Spongiform Encephaly (BSE) and foot-and-mouth diseases, Americans are fast being forced to look beyond tidy packages and cheap prices on grocery store shelves.
* The unregulated, overuse of subtherapeutic antibiotics by IAPs has caused The World Health Organization (WHO), The Center for Disease Control (CDC), The Union of Concerned Scientists (USC), and many other national and international health agencies to issue alerts to the acute possibility that antibiotic abuse will render crucial, life-saving drugs useless within the next ten years. Approximately 13.5 millions pounds of antimicrobials prohibited in the European Union are used for nontherapeutic purposes every year by U.S. livestock producers.
- Food-borne illnesses, specifically Salmonella and Campylobacter, are on the rise in the U.S. while the occurrence in humans of formerly treatable infections that resist traditional antibiotic therapy have increased in the last decade.
* What economists call "hidden" or "external" costs thoroughly saturate the production and sale of meat in this country. Loss of skilled farmers' livelihoods, termination of free markets, crumbling community structures, suffering animals, mass-scale environmental degradation, and untold health risks all amount to an enormous cost that must be quantified to a degree that the American public will recognize.
Ideally, Americans will one day realize that we rely far too heavily on meat in our national diet, to our health and economic detriment. It is necessary now to address the demand that drives supply. We propose an excise tax levied on IAP-produced meat to help balance the scheme that protects the current system from experiencing any meaningful alteration.
Justification for the tax would follow a line similar to that by which recent cigarette tax legislation succeeded, whereby the product is identified as both an economic burden and a harm to human health. While our government behaves as though its hands are tied when called upon to enforce environmental and anti-trust laws in the farming industry, a clear-cut excise tax could definitively untwist the knot. "Excise taxes are usually easier to enact and enforce," economist Bill Weida explains, "because they hold out the promise that if the taxed entity cleans up its act (literally) it can avoid the tax. Further, they can be enacted in stages, which give the taxed entity time to rectify the problem before the full tax hits. The hooker here is that if the factory farms did clean up their acts, the increased cost would make them non-competitive with conventional farms." The portion of the tax cost that IAP processors transfer to retail prices at any stage would raise the cost of the meat, making conventionally raised, free-range, organic meat competitively priced on grocery store shelves. Consumers would therefore encounter a tangible distinction between IAP meat and organic, free-range meat.
The window of opportunity in which to purposefully enact this tax is narrow. Traditional farmers are a vanishing resource. Environmental and water-reserve losses, accompanied by the impending antibiotic crisis, pose irretrievable losses. As corporate hegemony overtakes retail outlets, the grocery stores that sell meat will be owned by the same parent companies that process the meat, thereby ensuring a retail freeze-out of independent farmers.
A change in prices via an excise tax is sure to speak to Americans through our most sensitive receptor: our pockets. It has worked to curb teenage smoking, it could certainly work for customers provided with a better alternative. When customers alter their spending habits, the industries are quick to respond in suit. Let's make it one that truly fits the needs of our country.
We call for a national dialogue on the development of this tax to encourage a fair and healthy American food supply.
For details on how you can get involved, contact David Brubaker by phone at (717) 627-7789 or email DBRUBAK@aol.com.
For more information on industrial animal production systems and GRACE,
visit http://www.FactoryFarm.org
For more information, contact David Brubaker Project Director Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
717-627-7789
dbrubak@aol.com
Web site: http://www.gracelinks.org
6/15/01
4:03:14 PM
Skinned is Skinned - There is no Correct Leather
Hello,
Rationalizations. Without them, many of us probably couldn't get through the day. They are comfortable and convenient, but many of them may be resulting in continued suffering of the Earth's creatures and delay in our own reconnection with the natural world.
Many people labor under the erroneous assumption that leather products are acceptable because they are a necessary byproduct of the food industry. The reality of the leather trade trashes these comfortable notions and leather production may be the cruelest, most unnecessary of all evils perpetrated upon our animal neighbors, causing more suffering than any other issue.
Leather results in huge environmental impacts to our air, water, and earth and many people suffer needlessly each year being poisoned from byproducts of this industry. And it takes 3,000 cows to supply the National Football League (NFL) with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs, even though a number of alternatives are available.
Leather is a symbol of success and affluence in the U.S. Having the means to wear the skin of something that has been killed is a deeply rooted sign of power over the natural world. But leather symbolizes our distance from nature as well as the cruelty of its production.
Learn about alternatives to leather and ways to eliminate it from your life. Doing so will remove one more obstacle that keeps us from experiencing a deep connection to the natural world. I think it's all about compassion. What things can we do in our life to make our actions statements of compassion?
I wish you peace.
Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
http://www.healingourworld.com
6/15/01
3:59:52 PM
MOST CRITICAL GLOBAL PRIORITY FOR THE NEW SENATE LEADERSHIP IMMINENT SONAR THREAT TO ALL MARINE LIFE AND OCEANS
Dear Senator
As you set the new priorities for the Senate Committee, I want to call your personal attention to one of the most serious issues that needs immediate attention: the imminent full-scale deployment of a new Navy technology (LFAS) that threatens all marine life, the entire ocean ecosystem and subsequently all organic life. Its likely ramifications pose a threat to the well-being of our domestic food supply, the global environment, our international relations, foreign trade and our economic and social system. Although you may think that sounds preposterous, please read on.
As my book Listening to Wild Dolphins was going to press I became aware of the new military sonars planned for deployment in 80% of our world’s oceans. I intuitively knew this high risk technology posed perhaps the most serious threat to the chain of life since the mass extinctions of species millions of years ago. Knowing that massive deaths in ocean species could very well threaten our own, I spent the next few months studying the new sonars in order to better understand why I had experienced this premonition.
I learned that it is an extremely complex subject deliberately made more confusing by a lack of media coverage and apparent efforts by the Administration to cover-up[ the data on the effects of their tests. I also learned a number of things as listed in my Appendix that revealed preliminary aspects of why my premonition of an undersea holocaust would come true if this high risk technology was allowed to continue.
My belief that the new brand of sonars would not only kill cetaceans but all marine life and the ocean itself was deemed a rash overstatement by the small environmental group looking into this issue at the time I became involved, and they were concerned that my assertion of this possibility might undermine their credibility.
Yet my knowing was so strong that I refused to be politic and relentlessly suggested that if the environmentalists would intercept the NMFS practice of destroying stranded cetacean carcasses in order to hide evidence of sonar exposure, that they would be able to prove my theory.
Perhaps not coincidentally, in March of 2001 a number of sonar exposed whales in the Abacos stranded on the beachfront property of two environmental scientists who were able to work outside of the NMFS jurisdiction and assure that these whales receive independent autopsies. As expected, the results of these tests offered proof that the military sonar activity in the area had indeed killed the whales. This got the attention of other environmentalists, and they have coalesced their efforts to make you aware of this more serious danger of the sonar program.
Now the second half of my premonition that the sonar can destroy all marine life is being explained by increased awareness of such things as the use of time-mirrored techniques, combining multiple range and frequency of exposure, and the role of resonance in regard to cavity and tissue explosion in fish and other marine life. Thus it is becoming increasingly apparent that this high risk technology offers a power that would not only wipe out the cetacean species, but could trigger the most far-reaching destruction yet wrought on this planet.
Yet in spite of the broadly lethal nature of this program, NMFS has been doing all it can to pave the way for the Navy to rush to full deployment before those who are in a position to block it understand the full impact of this most critical issue now facing our world.
With no opposition to this pell-mell rush to deployment from the former Senate leadership, it seemed that we were destined to destroy our oceans and then be faced with absorbing the horror, pain, and regret over what we had done. But now there is a new opportunity for reason to prevail, and I am hopeful that your group will awaken in time to stop the insanity of this self-destructive force.
Please read the material in the Appendix and let me know if I may be helpful to committee staff in any follow-up you deem appropriate.
Sincerely,
Bobbie Sandoz
6/15/01
3:50:00 PM
The Nation
The federal execution of Timothy McVeigh on Monday was the first killing in two generations on behalf of "all of us." However, as Bruce Shapiro observes in an editorial now available on The Nation's website, a majority of us no longer support the death penalty.
In another reflection on McVeigh's execution, Nation columnist Patricia Williams writes, "If one really wants to test the commitment of a civilization to its expressed principles of justice, the McVeigh case is exactly the right case to debate. There was little question as to his guilt ... his crime was inexpressibly reprehensible and he maintained a demeanor of controlled, remorseless calculation to the end. In other words, it is precisely the dimension of his evil that presses us to consider most seriously the limits of state force."
You can read these writings currently at:
BRUCE SHAPIRO: McVeigh: Done to Death
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010702&s=shapiro
PATRICIA WILLIAMS: No Vengeance, No Justice
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010702&s=williams
Other new articles, editorials and columns, including a selection from the July 2 issue of The Nation, are also available:
DAVID CORN: Elliott Abrams: It's Back!
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010702&s=corn
KIM PHILLIPS-FEIN: Yale Bites Unions
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010702&s=phillips-fein
JANE MANNERS: Joe Hill Goes to Harvard
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010702&s=manners
DOUG IRELAND: Same-Sexers Under Siege
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010702&s=ireland
ERIC ALTERMAN: "Dead Again"
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010702&s=alterman
GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ, SUBCOMANDANTE MARCOS: A Zapatista Reading List
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010702&s=marcos
STOP THE NEW ARMS RACE!
Journalist Matt Bivens attended the recent anti-nuke citizen actions on Capital Hill and filed a report just posted on The Nation's site. You can also read recent articles by The Nation's peace and disarmament correspondent Jonathan Schell and Russian scholar Stephen F. Cohen.
MATT BIVENS: Star Wars Foes Hit DC (WEB ONLY)
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=bivens20010613
JONATHAN SCHELL: The New Nuclear Danger
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010625&s=schell
STEPHEN F. COHEN: Russian Nuclear Roulette
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010625&s=cohen
6/15/01
3:46:51 PM
Subject: Sign-on: Nukes / Climate Change
From Michael Mariotte of NIRS
Dear Friends,
We urge you to sign the following letter regarding nuclear power and the Kyoto protocol. George W. Bush recently released his climate change plan for the United States which includes, among other environmentally hazardous policies "Promoting new construction of nuclear capacity that could significantly reduce future greenhouse gas emissions." The administration is threatening to expedite license extensions and licenses for "advanced" reactors at the expense of safety. It is important that the rest of the world ignore this US position and find real, environmentally stable solutions to climate change, even if that means this current US administration rejects the Protocol. This letter will be presented to country delegates, press and other interested parties.
To sign on, e-mail us at nirsnet@nirs.org With your name, city/state, and organization (if one) Or you can fax to 202-462-2183.
Thank you Michael Mariotte http://www.NIRS.org
For more info, contact Cindy Folkers 202 328.0002 cindyf@nirs.org
Last day for sign-ons: July 10, 2001.
The undersigned US peace, environment and anti-nuclear groups are writing to urge you to exclude nuclear power from the Flexible Mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol at the Bonn meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP) this July. We note that at COP6 in The Hague last November the majority of Parties wanted to keep nuclear power out of the Kyoto Protocol, and a final decision to do so was only prevented by the collapse of the talks.
We particularly urge you to resist any US pressure to drop anti-nuclear language from the text as a condition of its involvement in further negotiations. Nuclear power gives rise to enormous environmental and social problems such as production of radioactive waste, the risk of catastrophic accidents and the threat of nuclear proliferation. The history of nuclear power in the US bears this out - the mounting piles of spent nuclear fuel and the Three Mile Island accident being the most notable examples. If nuclear power is subsidized through the Kyoto mechanisms it will destroy the environmental integrity of the Protocol, and divert resources from those clean, safe technologies that are the real solution to climate change. This is too high a price to pay for US involvement.
We look forward to a nuclear-free Kyoto Protocol emerging from the July talks in Bonn.
Signed
6/15/01
3:12:58 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
GRAIN OF TRUTH
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday that it had found no evidence that genetically engineered StarLink corn causes allergic reactions in humans. Blood tests of 17 people who had complained of reactions after eating corn taco shells and tortillas last fall failed to turn up any signs of antibodies to the protein in Starlink, indicating that none of the people had experienced an allergic reaction. Starlink has spread through the U.S.'s food supply, even though it hasn't been approved for human consumption. The developer of the corn, Aventis, has asked the U.S. EPA to permit small amounts of Starlink to be present in food without requiring massive, costly recalls. The EPA might cite the CDC's conclusion as a reason to go ahead with the permit. But critics of genetically engineered foods said the study was too small to be meaningful.
straight to the source: New York Times, Andrew Pollack, 14 Jun 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/14/business/14STAR.html>
straight to the source: Washington Post, Marc Kaufman, 14 Jun 2001 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62890-2001Jun13.html>
straight to the source: Monarchs for a day -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha032601.stm?source=daily>
do good: Take action to slow the spread of genetically engineered corn <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/food.stm?source=daily#bt>
SWEDEN LOWDOWN
Police estimate that between 10,000 and 25,000 demonstrators will gather today in Gothenburg, Sweden, where U.S. President Bush will be called upon by European Union leaders to defend his rejection of the Kyoto treaty on climate change. The 15 E.U. leaders are kicking off a two-day summit, with the environment at the top of the agenda. European Commission President Romano Prodi wants the leaders to back a sustainable development strategy he drafted last month, which include tough targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, limiting the growth of transportation infrastructure, and controlling the use of hazardous chemicals.
straight to the source: CNN.com, 14 Jun 2001 <http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/06/14/bush.sweden/index.html>
catch it only in Grist Magazine: How the police count protesters in three easy steps -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha042301.stm?source=daily>
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 14 Jun 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11187>
SEND US THE BILL
Former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson was elected late last week to serve on the board of trustees of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Karen Golembeski, Richardson's spokesperson, said he was drawn to the group "primarily for its work on global climate change." Some folks in the know expect Richardson to run for governor of New Mexico next year. Richardson served in the House and as the U.S.'s ambassador to the U.N. before becoming Energy secretary under former President Clinton. Since January, he has also joined the boards of two Texas-based oil companies.
straight to the source: Albuquerque Journal, Jennifer McKee, 12 Jun 2001 <http://www.abqjournal.com/news/357628news06-12-01.htm>
Also in GRIST MAGAZINE today:
Alternative fuels showcase showdown -- a day in the life of Michelle Knapik, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/knapik061301.stm?source=daily>
The best thing since sliced bread -- organic bread: a life -- in our Main Dish section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/foster041601.stm?source=daily>
Coffee bean counting -- fun with stats -- in our Counter Culture column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/counter/counter041300.stm?source=daily>
6/15/01
1:24:53 PM
Dear Governor Davis,
In recent documents I have written and placed at my web site, I show that various state and federal agencies are failing to follow their charters to protect the public simply because the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has hoodwinked these other agencies into thinking they are not allowed to consider safety issues at sites which the NRC regulates.
It is outrageous that California does not take better control of the safety of its citizens.
Nuclear Power is dangerous, dirty, and inefficient. Please help us to switch immediately to clean, renewable energy solutions. I request the opportunity to outline, in person, a reasonable energy plan for California, which will ensure the safety and prosperity of its citizens, and to explain at that same time the dangers of the current plan, to you and to members of your staff.
Below are several links to material I have written regarding a serious "capital loss" at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station on June 1st, 2001. Several members of the California Coastal Commission lamented, at the Public Hearing they held in Los Angeles yesterday, that their hands were tied by NRC regulations which prevented them from considering safety issues regarding, as far as I could tell, any issues at the plant, and specifically regarding Dry Cask Storage, which they unfathomably approved of by a vote of six to nothing (several members were not permitted to vote on this issue, for one reason or another).
But the attached materials make it plain that they only thought their hands were tied, because the NRC has taken an UNCONSTITUTIONAL amount of authority away from other government agencies, at the local, state, and federal level. The NRC must be stopped. They lie, they obfuscate, they confuse, and by their lack of attention to the scientific facts, they kill. They kill and they kill and they continue to kill, but you haven't seen anything like what we'll see if we don't change things and allow the citizens to make the right energy choices. Nuclear power is a disaster waiting to happen, as I outline in the documents I've written and posted at the URLs given below.
Please immediately mandate that each and all of the various appropriate State of California agencies immediately begin to assert their entitled authority over all things nuclear which occur within the state, to ensure the safety of California's citizens.
I believe it will result in these plants being immediately shut down on the grounds that they are unsafe, dangerous, and prone towards eventual catastrophe by a hundred different routes.
And absolutely, Governor Davis, please overrule yesterday's absurd and dangerous Coastal Commission ruling, and do not allow Dry Fuel Storage of spent reactor fuel in California!
In my written submission to the California Coastal Commission yesterday, I start by comparing the crimes of the NRC, and by extension those of the CCC, to the crimes of the Nazi butchers, except in scale, being far larger (the crimes of the Nazis being limited "merely" to the 6 million Jews and approximately 30 million other war victims who are already dead). They weren't even indignant. What's wrong with these people? Are they so coldly unaware of what they are doing that they can brush off such language as being merely misdirected (after I spoke several of them noted that they wished they had more control, but the NRC (they thought) covered those issues (basically, anything relating to safety))?
I am requesting that you step in immediately, Governor Davis, and execute the powers of your position to save this State from the dangers it is heading towards. I know that California is heading for a purported energy crises, but citizens of California must also care about the environment.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Hoffman
Carlsbad, CA
Letter to North County Times (written [June 14th, 2001]):
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/cass2001/nct2001f.htm
Submission to California Coastal Commission, June 13th, 2001:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/cass2001/ccc2001a.htm
Energy solutions for the planet, and the need for a global energy grid:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/geni/rh2000ge.htm
Recent essays and correspondence by the author:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/cass2001/index.htm
All the above documents were written by Russell Hoffman.
6/14/01
2:30:16 PM
Demilitarization
The US Navy must case immediately and permanently the bombing our land and waters. The people of Vieques demand the removal of all military personnel and war artefacts installed in Vieques, including the ROTHR radar. Our people have hope that future generations of Viequenses may have the chance to live on an island of peace and not war. That is why our principal slogan is: Navy out! Navy out!
Decontamination
The contamination from more than half a century of bombing and other military practices must be cleaned from our lands and waters and the Navy must leave our house as clean as they found it sixty years ago.
The EPA and Puerto Rican government agencies responsible for the protection of our natural resources and for enforcing environmental laws, have permitted the destruction of Vieques & acute; flora and fauna both on land and sea and the contamination of water, air and land by the US Navy. Get out and clean up your mess!
Return of Lands
Every inch of Vieques lands must be returned to the Viequenses. We need the land for our homes, schools, hospitals, agriculture, tourism development, fishing and for the future generations. During the 1940's the US Navy expropriated 26 thousand of Vieques 33,000 acres. The rescue of our lands is indispensable for the development of Vieques for future generations. For Vieques to progress, we must get the Navy out!
Development
The people of Vieques have a vision for the development of a Vieques freed from the US Navy. With ample community participation - together with the Municipal Government and our Technical and Professional Team in Support of Vieques Sustainable Development - we will promote a new economy based on peace. Eco-tourism, agriculture, fishing, marine biology investigations and projects related to Vieques archaeology, among other projects generated by the creativity of our people, will provide work for our population. Vieques has the natural resources and the human capacity to create a healthy economy and end half a century of social and economic crisis caused by the military presence.
For more information: http://www.viequeslibre.org
6/14/01
2:29:30 PM
Statement from the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques
Our people are getting ready to face the bombings announced by the US Navy to start on June 13. Just like in April, when our forces held up the naval exercises at several moments, during the upcoming maneuvers we will also resist this military force that enslaves us in the name of "freedom", violates our human rights while "defending" democracy.
There is no turning back for us. The mayor, the parish priest, our women, youth and fishermen. In short, our people have decided that the US Navy will not fire any more bombs without the community resisting through pacifist civil disobedience. Neither threats from two hundred Puerto Rican police members, nor tear gas, nor rubber-bullet shotguns can tame these people who have taken control of their future to ensure a free and healthy Vieques for the next generations.
For the past three weeks there have been workshops and orientations about civil disobedience on the main island [Puerto Rico] and in Vieques. The PR Bar Association, Todo Puerto Rico con Vieques, el Congreso Nacional Hostosiano, the Caribbean Project for Justice and Peace, and Law Students with Vieques, along with the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques, have all prepared a handbook for Practical Workshops for Civil Disobedience in Vieques.
Several comrades from the main island, including our Luz Nereida Pérez, gathered at the Justice and Peace Camp last Friday to discuss the handbook and the workshop's procedures. Six members of the Juventud Viequense Unida (Vieques Youth United) shared information about their own acts of civil disobedience last August, about the arrest, and about a pamphlet that they put together in order to train the next civil disobedient actions.
Juan Vera, Bishop of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, was a special guest at this Saturday night's vigil, and so were a great number of officials of the Church who participated this week in the celebration of the centenary of the Methodist Church in Vieques. Bishop Vera read a resolution, that was unanimously accepted by the Methodist Assembly, which supports civil disobedience and the struggle for peace in Vieques.
The full list of names of the prisoners for the peace of Vieques is available
at http://www.viequeslibre.org or via our email: bieke@coqui.net.
The CRDV covers costs and coordinates transportation for family members of Vieques prisoners so they can get to the federal prison for weekly visits and return to Vieques the same day. Also, we deposit funds for Vieques prisoners needing aid in their prison account for purchases in the prison store and for phone calls.
Our Committee also maintains a support camp outside the federal prison next to camps set up by the PIP and the University Students / Friends of Vieques and the Carolina Giants. Maintain the CRDV camp in support of our prisoners, transport people from Vieques to participate in activities at the camp represents another cost for the struggle. Therefore, we ask for your donation in funds or materials for the Peace and Justice Camps.
R. Rabin, CRDV
6/14/01
2:27:10 PM
Navy will give up Vieques bombing range
CNN.com
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Navy will end controversial bombing exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in May 2003, according to a Bush administration official traveling with the president in Europe.
That is the date an agreement with the Puerto Rican government allowing use of the Vieques bombing range expires.
One senior administration official told CNN that senior Navy officials met Wednesday with Karl Rove, a top Bush adviser, "to receive the Navy's guidance" on its needs and plans for Vieques.
Rove is Bush's top political adviser, policing how major policy decisions could impact target political constituencies.
Pentagon sources had told CNN's Jamie McIntyre Wednesday night that the White House was ready to announce that use of the bombing range would end, but that the plans were put on hold in the face of angry reaction from Capitol Hill and the Navy.
Congressional conservatives see such plans as betrayal of the U.S. Navy by an administration that professed support for the military.
Georgia Republican Bob Barr expressed concern Wednesday night about halting the exercises. "There is no other place that we have where we can use live fire as we do in Vieques. That would put a serious hole in our ability to conduct training to protect our troops," Barr said on "CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports."
The U.S. military has conducted exercises on Vieques since 1941. Controversy over use of the island for bombing practice has grown since October 1999, when an errant bomb killed a civilian security guard. In late April, about 180 protesters were arrested at the main gates of the Navy facility on the island during the Navy's resumption of exercises.
Demonstrators claim that the island's 9,000 residents are at higher risk of cancer and are exposed to dangerous levels of noise. They want the bombing stopped permanently.
Under an agreement negotiated during the Clinton administration, Vieques residents will vote in November on whether to accept a package of economic incentives in return for allowing the Navy to continue using the range after May 2003. Until then, the Navy is using only non-explosive "inert ordnance" in its exercises.
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its escort ships are scheduled to begin training exercises at Vieques this weekend, and demonstrations are expected.
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/06/14/vieques.halt.02/index.html
6/14/01
12:34:08 PM
TomPaine.com...
CENTERING THE HOUSE
Without switching parties, GOP moderates could take control of the U.S. House... with a little help from the Democrats.
by Steve Cobble
http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2001/06/13/index.html
TIMOTHY MCVEIGH'S TEACHERS
The Oklahoma City bomber took a lesson from U.S. "foreign policy." Despite his execution, individual acts of terrorism will continue, and they will be called -- rightly -- fanaticism. Government terrorism, on a much larger scale, will also continue, and will be called "foreign policy."
by Howard Zinn
http://www.tompaine.com/history/2001/06/13/index.html
REFLECTIONS ON EXECUTION AND MEDIA
"There isn't enough news in this country to fill twenty-four hours a day, every day. There is only metanews -- the carnival folderol and pseudo-thought that cable channels use to eat up their time."
by Michael Ryan
A TomPaine.commentary -- AUDIO and TEXT -- produced by Sharon Basco.
http://www.tompaine.com/news/2001/06/12/index.html
IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST
We Scan the Internet for Tips, Leads and Links: President Bush gets the science he's been asking for... Gouging at the gas pumps... Gouging at the pharmacist... And more!
by Andrew Werbrock
http://www.tompaine.com/news/2001/06/13/index.html
6/14/01
12:18:16 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
CALIFORNIA STUCK WITH ETHANOL, EPA SAYS
WASHINGTON, DC, June 13, 2001 (ENS) - The Bush administration has decided not to grant the state of California's request to waive the federaloxygen content requirement for reformulated gasoline. The state will be required to use ethanol, a grain based additive, to clean up its fuels, a decision that critics say could result in additional air pollution and skyrocketing gasoline prices.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-13-07.html
CAVIAR EXPORT BAN COULD SAVE CASPIAN SEA STURGEON
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 13, 2001 (ENS) - Officials from Caspian Sea states are meeting in Nairobi today to discuss the development of a regional management plan for restoring sturgeon populations to safe levels. The states are facing new restrictions on their lucrative exports of caviar from Caspian Sea sturgeon as populations of the big fish plummet.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-13-06.html
AFRICAN ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADERS RAIDED
DJIBOUTI-VILLE, Djibouti, June 13, 2001 (ENS) - Traders in the city center marketplace openly selling wildlife products restricted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) were raided Friday by government authorities on a mission.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-13-01.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN JUNE 13, 2001
Industrialization Poses Growing Threat in Arctic
Wildlife on Military Bases Under Siege
Radon in Blue Ridge Among Highest In Nation
House Approves Millions to Help Elephants
Critical Habitat Proposed for Great Plains Piping Plovers
Website, Ads Support Hudson River Cleanup
Public Comments Needed on Nuclear Worker Discrimination
Online Forum Addresses EPA Public Input
Discover Magazine Honors Landmine Detector, Microscope
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-13-09.html
6/14/01
12:11:30 PM
AlterNet Headlines
BUSH FOREIGN POLICY: SPEAK SPANISH, PUT FOOT IN MOUTH
Jason Vest, The American Prospect
With his stances on global warming, Colombia, missile defense and many other issues, George W. Bush is horrifying our allies.
SEX, SCANDAL AND ANDREW SULLIVAN
Michael Bronski, Boston Phoenix
The news that gay, conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan cruised the Web for unprotected sex with HIV+ men has set off a ferocious debate about privacy, hypocrisy and morality.
THE GOOD NEWS FROM HIGHTOWER
Jim Hightower, AlterNet
Despite the bleakness of the 2000 election, political rabble-rouser Jim Hightower celebrates the good news: vibrant and steadily expanding grassroots movements.
BUSH'S HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA AND OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS LIES
Lara Riscol, AlterNet
Last year President Clinton designated June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. This June President Bush discontinued it.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11032
ONE OF YOU MUST DIE
Geov Parrish, Seattle Weekly
How much is a dying person's life worth? A double organ transplant survivor says it depends on how much wealth you've accumulated, how many friends you have and who they are.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10998
SARAFEM: THE PIMPING OF PROZAC FOR PMS
Alicia Rebensdorf, AlterNet
Sarafem, a new FDA-approved treatment from Eli Lilly, promises to make you "more like the woman you are."
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11004
40 ACRES AND A MULE, PLUS INTEREST
Akilah Monifa, AlterNet
It's 2001 and African Americans still haven't received the reparations they were promised in 1865.
http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=22
AIDS AND BLACK DENIAL
Mike Males, AlterNet
Young, gay, black men are taking the heat from their elders for increasing HIV infection. But the virus is spreading fast among blacks over 35.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11013
VIEQUES: 100 YEARS OF UNCERTAINTY
Kristina Cañizares, AlterNet
As the Navy prepares to resume bombing Vieques on June 13, the stand off is forcing Puerto Ricans to question their still undefined relationship to the U.S.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11028
THE ALTERNATIVE CANCER THERAPY THAT COULDN'T
Kenny Ausubel, Tikkun Magazine
After 75 years, Uncle Sam is finally giving a state nod to what is arguably the most notorious alternative cancer therapy in American history.
http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=18
THE HEMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Ann Harrison, AlterNet
In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative, what's the next legal strategy for medical marijuana reform?
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11030
THE WHIZZINATOR LIBERATES YOUR PEE!
Jim Washburn, OC Weekly
It is indeed a weakened republic when the only thing standing between the Fourth Amendment and totalitarianism is The Whizzinator -- a 3 1/2-inch prosthetic penis.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11024
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL: BUSH LOST, DEMOCRACY LOST
Steve Cobble, AlterNet
The "neutral observers" who tallied votes in Florida's election debacle seemed to miss the fundamental point -- no matter how you slice it, Bush really did lose.
http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=19
INDEPENDENT MUSIC'S RIGHT TO FIGHT
Judith Lewis, LA Weekly
The record industry sued Napster and has just inhaled MP3.com. Is there a future for music on the Internet? Analog Pussy thought so ... until got a scary e-mail...
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11011
MAKE YOUR HOME A GEEK HOUSE
Damien Cave, Salon
A new device called X-10 can turn your house into a "smart home" -- where the temperature, lights, music and appliances are controlled by your voice commands or presence in a room.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11022
WORLD LEADERS DESERT U.S. DRUG WAR
Russ Kick, Village Voice
The American drug war may yet grind on, but one by one, high ranking troops and former allies are hiking out.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10996
NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY: SOOO 20TH CENTURY
Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch
She's cute, she's wholesome, she's All-American. And now, the poster girl of a Nuclear Energy Institute ad has been honored by an award.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11033
GLOBALIZATION AND CREOLE PIGS
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, TowardFreedom.com
For Haiti, globalization is a trail of broken promises, especially in the saga of Creole pigs.
http://www.alternet.org/?IssueAreaID=21
And from our regular columnists --
CORN: Trade a Senator for Several Trillion Dollars
David Corn, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10993
EHRENREICH: Faith-based Backfire?
Barbara Ehrenreich, The Progressive
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11008
CYBERPUNK: The Godfather of Artificial Intelligence
Joab Jackson, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11009
WEISBROT: What New Economy?
Mark Weisbrot, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11016
REICH: Why Bush is Winning
Robert B. Reich, The American Prospect
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11027
DURST: Bush Does Europe
Will Durst, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10997
HUFFINGTON: A WWII Monument to Distorted Priorities
Arianna Huffington, OverthrowTheGov.com
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11005
MAD DOG: How to Survive an Energy Crisis
Mad Dog, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11007
DRUG WAR BRIEFS: Supreme Court Fails to Set Back Medical Pot
Kevin Nelson, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=10994
HIGHTOWER: Reformulating Nestle
Jim Hightower, AlterNet
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11026
6/14/01
11:47:05 AM
Planet Ark World Environment News
Special Report - Mountaintop battle in coal country - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11184
Cheney pushes Bush energy plan - more nuclear power - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11175
UPDATE - CDC says StarLink corn did not cause human allergies - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11176
Meat inspectors say USDA ignores Humane Slaughter Act - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11179
House Republicans rebuff bid for more energy money - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11180
ISO New England urges Conn. veto of emission bill - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11181
GM in deal to develop fuel cell infrastructure - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11182
US nuclear plants squeeze power as critics fret - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11174
FEATURE - Prehistoric humans blamed for mass extinctions - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11186
Ireland challenges Britain over nuclear plant - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11177
UK BNFL hopes to restart Wylfa nuke this summer - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11191
UK farm group, greens demand agricultural shake-up - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11188
EU's Persson pessimistic on U.S. climate talks - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11183
Sweden seeks strong Europe ahead of EU-Bush summit - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11178
Sri Lanka plans radical revamp of national parks - SRI LANKA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11190
Want to adopt? Peru zoo has the animal for you - PERU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11194
GM soy in U.S. needs 10 pct less herbicide - study - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11185
Japan group urges govt to stamp out tiger products - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11189
India's Punjab says 'no' to nuclear plant - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11192
UPDATE - EU summit to focus on environment, enlargement - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11187
Berlusconi says Italy committed to Kyoto accord - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11195
Czech Tesco says branded products do not use GMO's - CZECH REPUBLIC http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11193
6/13/01
8:31:52 PM
MediaChannel.org
MEDIA READER
The best media about the media. MediaChannel's international, biweekly, multimedia magazine * Nepal's "Femme Fatale" * Antiabortion Journalism Or Terrorism? * World Culture On Japanese TV And much, much more... Plus: Streaming audio and video
http://www.mediachannel.org/news/mediareader
NEWS DISSECTOR: THE SOURCE OF NEWS
Last year, Danny Schechter noted that most Internet news comes from just two sources. Now his company is launching the Globalvision News Network to offer diverse perspectives from around the world.
http://www.mediachannel.org/views/dissector/lessnews.shtml
THE JOURNALISTS' TOOLKIT
*Bookmark this!* The essential bookmark for any journalist. Research tools, interview tips, Web writing guides and more!
http://www.mediachannel.org/getinvolved/journo
DAILY MEDIA NEWS
Breaking news stories about the international media, from mainstream and alternative sources.
http://www.mediachannel.org/news/today/
**FROM OUR AFFILIATES**
DEATH: THE RIGHT TO WATCH
The execution of Timothy McVeigh last Monday has renewed the debate over broadcasting executions.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#death
DISNEY'S WORLD
As Disney's latest movie, "Atlantis," opens this week, "Mickey Mouse Monopoly," an educational video, raises disturbing questions about the cultural giant's views of race, gender and class.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#disney
THE POLITICS OF BROADBAND
Jeff Chester talks about his campaign to protect open access to the Internet, while Nathan Newman weighs in on the current broadband bill on Capitol Hill.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#broadband
COVERING BUSH'S ENERGY PLAN
As the Bush administration spins its energy plan, Democrats, industry groups and environmentalists wage their own press campaigns. EMS offers analysis of the coverage and resources for journalists.
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#energy
WHO OWNS WHAT: THE PROJECT ON MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Maps, charts and a comprehensive database to track the increasingly concentrated ownership of the "culture industries."
http://www.mediachannel.org/front.shtml#promo
6/13/01
7:46:00 PM
UTNE WEB WATCH
The Best of the Alternative Web
DYNCORP IN COLUMBIA: OUTSOURCING THE DRUG WAR
by Jeremy Bigwood, CorpWatch
-- "American taxpayers are unwittingly funding a private war with=20 private soldiers." Does this statement reek of state-sponsored=20 terrorism and the long, shady tentacles of the Military-Industrial=20 Complex?
CONSCIOUSPLA.NET: A GUIDE TO "LIFE-ENHANCING" MEDIA
review by Leif Utne
-- A refreshing alternative to TV Guide, this handy bi-weekly e-zine=20 scours the broadcast listings to point readers to TV, radio, and=20 Internet programming that "enriches, educates and inspires, even as=20 it entertains."
THE 13 SCARIEST WHITE GUYS IN AMERICA
by Don Hazen, AlterNet
-- Who are the the 13 scariest white guys in America and what havoc=20 are they wreaking on our country? Don Hazen reports.
Links to the above articles: http://www.utne.com/webwatch
6/13/01
6:42:00 PM
GM takes steps towards fuel cell vehicles
by Michael Ellis
WARREN, Mich. - General Motors Corp. yesterday announced an investment in a hydrogen-storage company that the automaker said would speed up the development of vehicles using cleaner-burning fuel cells instead of gasoline-powered engines.
GM, the world's largest automaker, said it will take a 20 percent stake in Quantum Technologies, a unit of alternative fuel technology specialist Impco Technologies Inc.. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
GM and other automakers have invested billions of dollars in fuel cell research, even though the technology is years away from practical use. Several technical problems remain unsolved, especially with handling and storing hydrogen, which is several times more flammable than gasoline and burns without a flame.
Despite those problems, GM has said it expects to offer its first fuel cell vehicle for sale to the retail public by the end of the decade, and has set a goal of becoming the first automaker to sell one million fuel cell vehicles.
The deal boosted shares shares in IMPCO, which closed up $2.80 at $39.83 yesterday on the Nasdaq. GM's shares ended up 25 cents at $59.39 on the New York Stock Exchange.
Fuel cells use an electrochemical process to create electricity by mixing hydrogen and oxygen, with distilled water as the only byproduct, avoiding the noxious gases that other power sources emit.
With governments and environmentalists pressuring automakers to reduce pollution created by their products, fuel cells are seen as the ultimate solution.
THE HOLY GRAIL
Larry Burns, GM's vice president for research and development, said that Quantum's hydrogen storage tanks help solve the issue of vehicle range.
Current vehicles with fuel cells storing hydrogen at a pressure of 2,500 to 3,000 pounds per square inch (psi) can travel about 100 to 150 miles before refueling, compared to 350 to 400 miles for a vehicle with the traditional gas-powered internal combustion engine.
But Quantum has developed a hydrogen storage tank, coated with a shell similar to the material used in bulletproof vests, that can safely store hydrogen at 5,000 psi, extending the driving range to 175 to 250 miles, said Quantum Chief Executive Syed Hussain.
By the end of the year, the company will have available a tank that stores hydrogen at 10,000 psi, increasing the range to 300 to 500 miles.
"This will move up the timetable," for fuel cells, Burns said. "Getting up to this kind of range is sort of the Holy Grail that we're reaching for," Burns said. "Cost is (still) an issue."
Fuel cell propulsion systems are now about 10 times more expensive than an internal combustion engine, making them prohibitively expensive, but the costs are coming down, Burns said.
GM and Quantum will also work on other means of storing hydrogen, such as in liquid form or metal and chemical hydrides.
The automaker is also collaborating with rival Toyota Motor Corp. and oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. on fuel cell research.
6/13/01
6:23:14 PM
FAIR
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
ACTION ALERT: "Political Dynamite" Fails to Explode
Extreme proposals of Treasury's O'Neill mostly unreported
When a high-level government official calls for drastic changes in U.S. law, it ought to be big news. But in an interview reported by the Financial Times' Amity Shlaes (5/19/01 & 5/22/01), treasury secretary Paul O'Neill called for sweeping changes in U.S. tax and social policy, and some three weeks later, those statements have made hardly a ripple in the U.S. media. Most Americans have probably not heard a word about them.
In the interview, O'Neill called the current U.S. tax system "an abomination" that required changes to its "very structure." His preferred changes? O'Neill "absolutely" supports the elimination of taxes on corporations-- and the shifting of the tax burden to individuals, saying government would work better if it "collected taxes in a more direct way from the people."
He also called for the abolition of Social Security and Medicare, on the grounds that "able-bodied adults should save enough on a regular basis so that they can provide for their own retirement, and, for that matter, health and medical needs." In fact, O'Neill believes the U.S. should reconsider the whole purpose of taxation: "National defense is a federal responsibility," Shlaes paraphrases O'Neill as saying, "but all other outlays need review."
And O'Neill assured Shlaes he was not speaking only for himself: "Not only am I committed to working on this issue, the president is also intrigued about the possibility of fixing this mess."
The Financial Times described O'Neill's comments (approvingly) as "radical" and "political dynamite." Yet the story has so far failed to take hold in the U.S. press.
Three columnists at New York's Newsday noted O'Neill's remarks: Robert Reno (who said the Treasury Secretary "comes across as a man who has paid a lot of taxes and clearly resents it"-- 5/27/01) Marie Cocco (5/31/01) and Paul Vitello (5/24/01). An obviously irked Vitello took it the furthest, actually calling O'Neill's spokesman at Treasury to confirm that these were not "made-up quotes":
"The secretary didn't really mean to say that no matter how old, no person who has paid into the Social Security system all his or her life would be entitled to benefits until he or she is physically no longer able to work? He didn't really mean to say that ExxonMobil and Time Warner should be treated as we treat the church-- as tax exempt?
"'Yes,' said the spokesman, 'that is our position. The quotes were all accurate.'"
Thomas DeFrank of New York's Daily News also reported O'Neill's comments (5/22/01), but he apparently got a different response from the Treasury Department. "Treasury spokesman Rob Nichols said O'Neill's comments on Social Security reflected his personal views, not the Bush administration's," he noted.
Outside of local New York papers, the story was harder to find. Cox wire service reporter Scott Shepard filed a story (5/20/01), which noted only O'Neill's description of the tax system as an "abomination" and the claim that the president was "also intrigued" about major changes, including cutting corporate taxes. A short piece in the May 22 Investor's Business Daily ("A Whiff of Reform in the Air") did the same, and was echoed in its approving tone by a column in the May 23 Washington Times ("Signals for Tax Repair?").
O'Neill has made several television appearances since the Financial Times interview, but a search of the Nexis.com database turned up just two TV references to the remarks, neither on a Big 3 network. The Financial Times' own Robert Thomson teased his paper's interview at the end of a May 18 appearance on CNNfn's "The N.E.W. Show" whose main subject was the Lucent/Alcatel merger. And Fox News Sunday host Tony Snow asked O'Neill about the idea of "getting rid of the corporate income tax" on June 3. (O'Neill declined to answer, saying only that "we need to fundamentally look at the way our tax code works.")
What about the country's major outlets, the place one would look for a story of such import? So far, O'Neill's radical statements have made it into the New York Times only in an op-ed by Democratic partisans James Carville and Paul Begala (5/27/01). USA Today ran an Associated Press column (5/22/01) that placed O'Neill's calls for eliminating taxes on corporations at the end, after discussion of estate taxes and "simplification" of the tax system, and noted only that the Treasury Secretary has plans for "reform" of Social Security. (AP's original headline on the piece: "O'Neill: Further Tax Relief Coming," 5/21/01.)
Washington Post columnist John O. Fox used O'Neill's "abomination" quote to shore up his own argument about the U.S.'s "monstrously complicated" tax code, but ignored the rest of his statements. And the Post's David Broder made no reference to the Financial Times interview in his June 6 column, which referred to Bush administration plans to "open [Social Security and Medicare] up to market forces."
Broder did note congenially that "as Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill...reminded me the other day, what makes the task so difficult is the need to educate people about the current system, before they can be persuaded that it needs to be changed as the administration proposes."
Indeed, the American people could use "educating" about just what the Bush administration and its Treasury Secretary propose. But where will they get it if not from the mainstream news media?
ACTION: Please write to national and local media outlets and ask them why Paul O'Neill's calls for eliminating corporate taxes and Social Security were not a major news story.
Some suggested contacts include:
ABC World News Tonight
Anchor and Senior Editor
Peter Jennings
mailto:PeterJennings@abcnews.com
NBC News
DC Bureau Chief & Host, "Meet the Press"
Tim Russert
New York Times
Toll free comment line: 1-888-NYT-NEWS
Washington Post
Deputy National Editor (Domestic Policy)
Leonard Bernstein
mailto:bernsteinl@washpost.com
Los Angeles Times
DC Bureau Chief
Doyle McManus
mailto:doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com
Feel free to respond to FAIR. We can't reply to everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate documented example of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of your email correspondence with media outlets, including any responses, to us at: fair@fair.org
6/13/01
6:16:27 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
TAKE A CHILL PILL
Between 50 to 80 percent of the Arctic ecosystem could be seriously damaged by 2050 if industrial development there doesn't slow down, according to a new report published yesterday by the U.N. Environment Programme. As much as 15 percent of the region is already affected by development. The report focuses on development and doesn't take climate change into account; other research by the U.N. has found that the Arctic will experience dramatic effects from global warming. On a related note, the eight nations that surround the Arctic launched an international university yesterday that is meant to help counter threats to the region's environment and cultures.
straight to the source: Toronto Globe and Mail, Alanna Mitchell, 13 Jun 2001 <http://www.globeandmail.com/gam/Environment/20010613/UWARMN.html>
do good: Take action to save the Arctic refuge <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/climate.stm?source=daily#arctic>
DRIVING RANGE
General Motors announced that it would take a 20 percent stake in a California company that has found a way to triple the driving range of hydrogen-based fuel-cell vehicles to 500 miles. Larry Burns, GM vice president for research and development, said, "Getting up into this kind of range is really the holy grail we were looking for, so it's pretty exciting." GM has said it wants to become the first automaker to sell 1 million fuel-cell cars. It is also working with Toyota and ExxonMobil on fuel-cell research.
straight to the source: MSNBC.com, Martin Wolk, 12 Jun 2001 <http://www.msnbc.com/news/586532.asp>
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, Michael Ellis, 13 Jun 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11158>
read it only in Grist Magazine: A week in the life of an alternative-fuels fan, Michelle Knapik, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/knapik061101.stm?source=daily>
ANGUS BEEF
Maine Gov. Angus King (I) told a National Academy of Sciences panel yesterday that the feds erred when they listed Atlantic salmon in eight of the state's rivers as endangered last year. King and the state's senators hope the panel will find that distinct populations of wild salmon no longer exist in Maine rivers because the fish became watered down (so to speak) when hundreds of million of salmon from Canada and elsewhere were introduced to the rivers over the past 130 years to try to boost numbers. King said the question at hand was whether the remaining fish were "Maine salmon or salmon in Maine." An endangered listing would not be warranted if a line of native salmon no longer existed. The National Marine Fisheries Service believes that stocking programs weren't successful and native populations have persisted.
straight to the source: Bangor Daily News, Susan Young, 13 Jun 2001 <http://www.bangornews.com/cgi-bin/article.cfm?storynumber=36114>
read it only in Grist Magazine: The coast is clear -- Atlantic salmon are even worse off than their Pacific cousins -- in our Main Dish column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/curtis041200.stm?source=daily>
CHAIN GANG
About two dozen Greenpeace activists chained themselves together to block a side exit at a military airfield when U.S. President Bush arrived for a NATO meeting in Brussels today. They held up the sign, "George W. Bush -- Wanted for crimes against the planet." The side exit had been used by former President Clinton when he landed there, but Bush's motorcade left the airport by the main exit, away from the protesters. Some 300 protesters collected outside NATO headquarters as country delegations arrived. Yesterday, Greenpeace activists in Norway boarded an oil tanker headed for the U.S., in the second such protest by the group this week. Greenpeace's Steve Sawyer said, "We're going after all the American oil we can get our hands on."
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 13 Jun 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11166>
THEY GET THE GOLDMINE, WE GET THE SHAFT
Mining regulations approved by former President Clinton and now under review by President Bush would give the federal government the right to reject a mining proposal on federal land if it would cause "substantial irreparable harm." But the Bush administration is expected to repeal the rules next month or water them down, meaning mining companies will continue to get pretty much the same deal they've gotten for the last 129 years, reports the Seattle Post- Intelligencer in a four-part series on mining in the West. The General Mining Act of 1872 lets miners extract a fortune from public land, paying almost nothing to the government and often leaving taxpayers to clean up the environmental mess left behind.
straight to the source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Robert McClure and Andrew Schneider, 11 Jun-14 Jun 2001 <http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/specials/mining/>
Also in GRIST MAGAZINE today:
Just say no! -- a review of Arctic Refuge -- in our Books Unbound section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/books/books041101.stm?source=daily>
Commander in grief -- the latest in the comic adventures of Zed, last of his species <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/zed/zed060801.stm?source=daily>
Growth me out -- The state of the planet is grim. Should we give up hope? -- by Donella Meadows <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/citizen/citizen042001.stm?source=daily>
6/13/01
12:38:53 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE
"We Cover the Earth For You"
TINY AIR POLLUTANTS LINKED TO HEART ATTACKS
DALLAS, Texas, June 12, 2001 (ENS) - As few as two hours after being inhaled, tiny, invisible air pollutants can penetrate the lungs' natural defenses and may trigger a heart attack, says a new report. The study, which appears in today's "Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association," warns of particular problems for people who are already at risk for heart disease.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-12-07.html
PRONK INJECTS NEW LIFE INTO KYOTO PROTOCOL
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, June 12, 2001 (ENS) - Dutch Environment Minister Jan Pronk has issued what could become the basis for world agreement, even without America, on how to implement the United Nations Kyoto climate protocol.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-12-03.html
U.S. TIMBER PROGRAM POSTS RECORD LOSSES
WASHINGTON, DC, June 12, 2001 (ENS) Waste in the federal timber sale program is at an all time high, even as logging levels have hit a record low, according to a new report by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a national budget watchdog group. The report found that the federal timber program cost taxpayers $407 million dollars more than it received for its timber sales in 1998.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-12-06.html
EUROPEAN POLL SHOWS SUPPORT FOR CLIMATE TREATY WITHOUT USA
BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 12, 2001 (ENS) - More than 80 percent of respondents to a new public opinion poll in four European countries want their governments to go ahead with the Kyoto climate change protocol whether the United States is involved or not.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-12-01.html
VANUATU VOLCANO SPEWS ASH OVER PACIFIC ISLANDS
PORT VILA, Vanuatu, June 12, 2001 (ENS) - Vanuatu officials and the Red Cross are racing to help about 1,600 people affected by a volcanic eruption on the remote Pacific island of Lopevi Friday.
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-12-02.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JUNE 12, 2001
Tax Bill Benefits Conservation Grants
Climate Change Affecting Remote Arctic Environment
Asbestos Exposure Claims Could Cost $200 Billion
Prescribed Fire Restores Natural Springs, Native Grasses
California Sea Otters in a Population Rut
Effort to Pull Zebra Mussels at Lake George Looks Promising
Center Targets Environmental Leadership in Business
Florida to Kick Off Water Conservation Initiative
Great Outdoors Weeks Lands at National Mall
Environmental Defense Mourns Death of Founder
For full text and graphics visit:
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-12-09.html
6/13/01
12:35:36 PM
Under Our Radioactive Noses - Nuclear Plants Relicensed
by Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
The 40-year licenses of the nation's 103 nuclear reactors, many of them aging and dangerous, are all coming due in the next few years. With the stricter building codes and earthquake hazard rules, many of these plants could not be legally built today. Also, considerable proof exists of the flaws in the construction of many of these plants.
But the Bush administration has created a new reality that we all must face: most of these nuclear plants, whether they would be judged unsafe by today's standards or not, will likely be relicensed, bringing us all closer to another nuclear disaster like Three Mile Island or worse, Chernobyl.
Now is the time to mobilize public opinion to force these accidents in the making to shut down. I discuss this troubling reality in this week's Healing Our World Commentary, "Under Our Radioactive Noses - Nuclear Plants Relicensed," on the Environment News Service at
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-01g.html.
At the end of the commentary are links to help you use your voice.
We have to stop this madness before it escalates. We must demand that safe,alternative forms of energy be developed rather the dirty nuclear and fossil fuels that represent the personal interests and investments of the U.S. Presidential administration. The people must demand that reason return to energy policy. The "American Way" that President Bush seeks to protect is unsustainable and has disastrous consequences for the ecosystem and every woman, man and child alive.
As I look at our new son's face, barely three weeks old, I wonder how many devastated areas that once were nuclear reactor sites he will know of when he grows up. Let's all work together to try to minimize that horror.
Take care and I wish you peace.
Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
http://www.healingourworld.com
6/13/01
12:18:16 PM
Sarasota County Green Party Local Action
We are planning a Local Action this Sat. June 16, at the Farmer\'s Market,Sarasota, Main Street, from 9 am til 1 pm. This Action is to get the word out about the June 21 Roll Your Own Blackout Event, a worldwide effort focusing on the promise of conservation as the way out of our current energy crisis. There will be costumes, banners, puppets and informational leaflets available at the market. All we need is you!
We will assemble at 9 am Sat. morning across the street from the Gator Club. Come hold a banner, pass out leaflets, speak Truth to oil and help make this an effective, fun and creative action.
Please contact Pam or Wayne at pamar@home.com and let them know you will be there so that we can plan accordingly.
6/13/01
12:02:14 PM
Bill Moyers Reports: Earth On Edge
PBS Environment Special Tuesday, June 19, 2001 at 8pm (check local listings)
I want to share with you some information about an upcoming television broadcast that the World Resources Institute, is collaborating on with acclaimed journalist Bill Moyers.
Bill Moyers Reports: Earth on Edge is the latest in a series of Moyers' broadcasts with an environmental focus. It will showcase new data depicting the scale of human impact on the planet's life-support systems and explore one of the most important questions of the new century:
What is happening to the Earth's capacity to support nature and civilization?
The film brings to life many of the findings in WRI's report "World Resources 2000-2001: People and Ecosystems: The Fraying Web of Life."
The two-hour broadcast will premiere across the nation on PBS on Tuesday, June 19, 2001 at 8pm (check local listings).
The broadcast will be augmented by an extensive educational website providing in-depth information about ecosystems as well as updates on their status and information about how concerned citizens can take action.
The website, www.pbs.org/earthonedge, will debut on June 12. A preview site is up now. In addition, WRI will be launching EarthTrends, an informational portal to give free, global access to the vast amount of case histories, maps, and other scientific information from "World Resources 2000-2001."
EarthTrends will make key information accessible and useful to those who influence environmental policy - in governments, in international organizations, in academia, in corporations, and in think tanks and other civil society organizations. EarthTrends will also be available to educators, students, and the public at large to fill their information needs and satisfy their curiosity.
Features on this portal will include a section on environmental conditions and trends:
1) overviews and short pieces for users who want interpretative assistance to accompany their data analysis;
2) more detailed interpretation of select trends and data sets. EarthTrends will be an ongoing component of WRI's website and will continue far beyond the broadcast. Earthtrends.wri.org will debut on June 12.
We believe this broadcast is a great opportunity for all of us who are concerned about the rapidly deteriorating global environment to help reinvigorate a national recommitment to these issues. That is why I am seeking your assistance. Specifically, I would like you to consider distributing some information about the broadcast to your members and friends, through your newsletters, listserves, and on your websites. would be delighted to talk with you in more detail about this.
Sincerely,
Rich Barnett
Director of Strategic Marketing and Outreach
World Resources Report
World Resources Institute
10 G Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone 202.729.7647
Fax 202.729.7775
richb@wri.org
Visit us online at http://www.wri.org
6/12/01
8:48:28 PM
Planet Ark World Environment News
UPDATE - Calif. forced to switch to ethanol for cleaner air - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=11164
Heart attack risk seen in tiny pollution particles - USA