1/5/01
1:29:04 PM

N.Y. Nuclear Plant Restart Violates Regulations

NRC Allows Reactor to Restart Without Emergency Planning Drill

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Consolidated Edison this week restarted the Indian Point 2 nuclear plant in New York in violation of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations requiring the company to conduct a biennial emergency drill.

Emergency preparedness is particularly important at Indian Point 2, located 24 miles north of New York City, because it has the highest population within 10, 30 and 50 miles of any nuclear power plant in the U.S. At 50 miles, its population is more than double any other nuclear reactor in the country. Further, in a February 2000 accident, a steam generator tube burst, releasing radiation into the environment and leading to the reactor's shutdown for the rest of the year.

"The NRC's priorities are misplaced," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "The restart of Indian Point 2 proves that the NRC treats emergency planning as secondary in importance to electricity production."

In the required emergency drill, plant workers must go through the steps they would take to evacuate nearby towns in the event of a nuclear accident. The last time such a drill was performed at Indian Point 2 was June 1998. NRC regulations require such drills to be done every two years.

In the wake of the February accident, Public Citizen petitioned the NRC to prohibit the restart of the nuclear reactor until Consolidated Edison, the reactor's owner and operator, successfully completed the emergency exercise. The NRC denied the petition, stating that "the licensee will remain in compliance with the biennial requirement until December 31, 2000. . . . Since the licensee plans to restart before December 31, 2000, an emergency preparedness exercise is not required prior to restart of IP2."

"Consolidated Edison has repeatedly bungled emergency planning at Indian Point, and the NRC has done nothing about it," said James Riccio, senior policy analyst for Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "The NRC ignored its own regulations and allowed the reactor to resume operations this week without showing that the public will be protected in the event of another accident."

1/5/01
12:34:12 PM

Ford, Firestone Officials Took Narrow View When Recalling Tires, Ignoring Key Data While Admitting Tires Lacked Strength

Unsafe Firestone Tires Are Still on the Road, Should Be Recalled Immediately

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Ford and Firestone company officials ignored crucial information when deciding which Firestone tires to recall last year, and as a result, potentially dangerous tires are still on the road and should be recalled immediately, according to a report released today by Public Citizen and Safetyforum.com.

Now a top Ford official has admitted in a deposition that the Wilderness AT tires are not "robust," meaning that they are not as strong and durable as they should be, and that they are susceptible to failure with variations in inflation pressure, operating conditions, load and speed.

Last year's recall focused on ATX and ATX II tires and only some Wilderness AT tires -- specifically those 15-inch Wilderness AT tires made in Decatur, Ill. But Wilderness AT tires made elsewhere for the Ford Explorer have the same flawed design that could cause the tread to separate, the report concludes.

In deciding which tires to recall, Ford analyzed only one narrow database and ignored information about tire failures that spawned major litigation claims, consumer complaints and adjustment records that show replacement of equipment under warranty, the report says.

"Ford and Firestone officials are focused on protecting their bottom line instead of the people whose lives are literally riding on these tires," said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook. "For the sake of highway travelers everywhere, all Firestone Wilderness tires that were made for the Ford Explorer should be recalled from the market, not just those made in Decatur. These tires on Ford Explorers cause catastrophic crashes resulting in horrible injuries and death."

The recall should be expanded to include all Wilderness AT P235/75R15 and P255/70R16, the two groups concluded. If the companies refuse to do it, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) should require it, they said.

"Company officials have no foundation in fact to be claiming that last year's recall has solved the problem and that everything is fine now," said Ralph Hoar, director of Safetyforum.com. "It's not. There are seriously deficient tires still on the road."

As of December 2000, NHTSA's database had consumer reports of 4,308 Firestone tire tread separations or other tire failures. Of the incidents where enough information was available to make a distinction, 1,060 -- or 97 percent of -- incidents of failure involved non-recalled Wilderness tires, and 34 incidents involved recalled tires. "Predictably, that number will increase as Wilderness tires accumulate the exposure that produced the epidemic of ATX and ATX II failures, injuries and deaths," Hoar said.

In a Dec. 21 deposition, Tom Baughman, engineering director for Ford's truck operations, stated that the 15-inch Wilderness AT tires "are not robust against variations and inflation pressure and in operating condition, load and speed."

According to NHTSA, tread separations involving Firestone tires have resulted in 148 deaths and more than 500 injuries. In December, Firestone issued a report citing a variety of reasons for the tread separations, including the design of the Explorer, Ford's recommendation for a relatively low inflation pressure of 26 pounds per square inch, manufacturing problems in Decatur, the tire's design and customer misuse of the tires.

Ford, meanwhile, concluded that the tire's design created stresses in certain areas, and that manufacturing processes in Decatur compounded the problem, allowing cracks to form between the steel belts.

Today's report also notes that the companies narrowed the scope of the recall even before determining the cause for the tread separations.

"It seems odd that Ford and Firestone could be so sure that the problem with Wilderness AT tires was limited to those made in Decatur, when company officials still weren't sure what was causing the problem," Claybrook said.

Although Ford has conceded that non-recalled Wilderness AT tires are susceptible to failure in hot climates, the company has defended the decision to keep the tires on the market.

The report notes that the Wilderness AT tire recall in the U.S. was limited to 15-inch tires, even though NHTSA data show significant failures in 16-inch Wilderness tires, and even though the company recalled 16-inch Wilderness tires in other countries, such as Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.

1/5/01
12:33:27 PM

A Deal is a Deal: Utilities' Attempts to Break Rate Freeze Should be Blocked

Investor-owned Utilities Want Rewards, Not Risks from Deregulation

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) should reject a request by Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric to rewrite the rules of electric utility deregulation by raising consumers' electric bills as much as 76 percent over the next two years. The PUC is scheduled to rule on the request Thursday.

"California consumers have been lied to," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy & Environment Program. "They were told that their electric rates would go down and that utilities would assume the risks of a free marketplace. This bailout plan shows that the utilities believe in the 'free-market' only when they profit. It is now clear that deregulation is a failure and should be repealed."

When deregulation legislation was sold to the California public in 1996, the rates consumers pay for electricity were frozen at 1996 levels until 2002. Utilities, which supported this rate freeze when they helped draft the law, now seek to end it, claiming that the price they are paying to buy their power from out-of-state suppliers far exceeds the rate cap they are allowed to charge consumers. It remains unclear, however, if the utilities are really strapped for cash.

"While California residents face the possibility of skyrocketing electric bills in the New Year, Edison International (parent of Southern California Edison) and Pacific Gas & Electric have enjoyed over $6 billion in combined after-tax profits since deregulation began," said Tyson Slocum, senior researcher at CMEEP. "Since their shareholders were first in line to benefit from deregulation, they -- not consumers -- should be first to bear the risks."

Public Citizen urges the California Public Utilities Commission, Gov. Gray Davis, and the California Assembly to reject this attempt to stick consumers with deregulation's tab. "The investor-owned utilities whispered promises of lower rates to consumers under competition," Slocum said. "But all deregulation has given ratepayers are power shortages and rate hikes, with no end in sight."

If the utilities cannot find the credit they need after slashing costs at their parent companies and suspending the million-dollar bonuses lavished on their executives, Public Citizen advocates allowing the utilities to declare bankruptcy. "If bankruptcy is declared, the state should acquire the utilities' assets, Hauter said. "Instead of spending billions to line the pockets of CEOs and shareholders, Californians would be making an investment in controlling their own power, as in Los Angeles and 30 other communities."

If the rate freeze is repealed, Public Citizen notes that this wouldn't be the first time consumers have bailed out the utilities. Utilities were allowed to add a surcharge onto electric bills, charging consumers more than $18 billion, to cover debts for the utilities' past investments in nuclear power. This billion-dollar bailout meant consumers have been paying artificially high electric rates. "It's like deja vu all over again," Slocum said. "Any rate freeze repeal must be offset by the $17 billion consumers have already bailed out the utilities for their bad investments in the past."

1/5/01
12:03:37 PM

The Counter-Inauguration

George Bush is forging ahead with Cabinet appointments, policy forums and political pronouncements designed to help him push his agenda quickly through Congress. But the shock troops of the movements for social justice, environmental protection and economic equality are already mobilizing. Civil rights groups and others will take to the streets of Washington and other cities starting on January 15, Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, and continuing through the inauguration on January 20, to raise questions about the legitimacy of Bush's election, and to press for reforms that will guarantee more representative results in the future.

To encourage these efforts, we've launched the Counter-Inauguration Calendar, which highlights many of the groups organizing the wide range of expected protest activities. Available at:

http://www.thenation.com/special/counterinauguration.mhtml

There are also a number of new editorials, commentaries and articles looking at the quickly-assembling Bush Administration currently at http://www.thenation.com

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Powell's Secret Coup http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010122&s=hitchens

JESSE JACKSON, JR.: George Bush's Democrats http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010122&s=jackson

BURT NEUBORN: Block Ashcroft - I http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010122&s=neuborne

BRUCE SHAPIRO: Block Ashcroft - II http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010122&s=shapiro

JOHN NICHOLS: Bush's Phony "Bipartisanship" http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010122&s=nichols

1/5/01
12:01:32 PM

Clinton Moves to Protect Forests

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Clinton is declaring nearly a third of the country's federal forest land off limits to most logging, but some Republicans already are urging incoming President-elect Bush to scuttle the plan. The president, who was announcing the massive forest protection plan Friday, is determined to establish a legacy for protecting public lands as he completes the final weeks of his presidency.

In recent months he has proclaimed a number of new national monuments to further protect federal lands and was expected to designate several more before he leaving office on Jan. 20. But his forest protection rules, covering nearly 60 million acres of roadless forest lands in 38 states, have been even more controversial.

``The president pledged more than a year ago to protect these places, and this action fulfills that commitment,'' White House spokesman Elliott Diringer said. ``It restores balance to our national forests and ensures strong protection of these extraordinary lands for future generations.''

But the forest plan, largely intact from a proposal unveiled in November, has come under intense attack from mostly Republican Western lawmakers, and from energy, timber and mining industries as being too restrictive. Last week, Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, the new chairman of the House Resources Committee, urged Bush to work with Congress to roll back the expected forest regulation.

In a letter to Bush and Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, Hansen called the ban on road building and the logging restrictions ``one of the most egregious abuses by the Clinton administration.'' Hansen also outlined other Clinton-era environmental actions that ought to be overturned - from banning snowmobiles in parks to the president's string of monument designations.

Under the forest plan, the Forest Service will ban road building in 58.5 million acres of federal forests where no roads currently exit, including 9.3 million acres in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

The regulations also will limit future logging in those areas to only activities that ``restore and preserve'' the forest, although commercial timber contracts already in the government pipeline will be allowed to go through. In some cases that could amount to continued logging for another six to seven years at today's harvesting rates, officials acknowledged.

Some environmentalists had wanted the timber sales stopped immediately. Still, environmentalists applauded Clinton's decision, while at the same time voicing concern that Bush may blunt its implementation or work with its opponents in Congress to reverse it.

Any efforts to overturn it ``would come with a great deal of political liability for Bush. This has huge public support,'' maintained Kenneth Rait of the Heritage Forest Campaign, an Oregon-based environmental group.

Despite an outcry from some Western lawmakers, Clinton has all along been determined to complete the forest plan before he leaves office. One senior adviser characterized it as largely a question of leaving an environmental legacy.

The vast majority of roadless federal forests are in the West, including parts of Idaho's Bitterroot range and Alaska's Tongass, viewed by environmentalists as North America's rain forest. Smaller sections are scattered across the country from Florida's Apalachicola National Forest and Virginia's George Washington National Forest to New Hampshire's White Mountains.

Clinton advisers have argued that the impact on the timber industry would be minimal because the roadless areas - although 31 percent of all federal forests - account for only a small percentage of all timber taken from government-owned land.

Still, Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the plan ``fatally flawed'' and predicted it likely will be overturned by the courts. He has complained that the road-building restrictions would prevent the development of large reserves of natural gas, especially in the intermountain West. Timber, mining and energy industries already have threatened lawsuits against the forest plan. Another of the plan's most vocal critics, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, has promised ``to leave no stone unturned'' to find a way to block the Clinton regulation. Several senators have said they will use a never-been-invoked 1996 law that allows Congress to rescind a regulation within 60 days.

But rescinding the regulation may not be easy. A coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans increasingly has opposed road-building in federal forests, said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. As to those who want to overturn Clinton's plan, ``they better bring their lunch to that fight'' because it will be intense, said Miller.

1/5/01
12:00:56 PM

EcoNet Alerts: January 5, 2001

Call on Bush to Unite Nation by Protecting Environment

Call on President-elect George W. Bush to rise above partisan politics and to act as "chief steward of America's environment to protect our air, water and wild lands and wildlife." Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978545995/index_html

Three Activists Block Road to Bison Trap Site; Two Arrested

Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers occupied Forest Service road 610 early this morning, blocking access to a bison capture facility site on the Horse Butte Peninsula. One activist sat in a platform suspended from a tripod while another attached herself to a locking device which was buried in the road. A third perched in a tree and videotaped as law enforcement personnel worked to remove the protesters and dismantle the blockade. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978666522/index_html

Anti-FTAA Tour and Caravan to the Northeast U.S.

Here is more information about the proposed anti-FTAA awareness-raising and organizing tour of the Northeast USA that will be undertaken by members of the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC) of Montreal, and the Summit of the Americas Welcoming Committee (CASA) of Quebec City. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978666903/index_html

NRDC Earth Actions: Cabinet Appointments, Riders, Snowmobiles, Salmon

On December 29, 2000, President-elect George W. Bush announced Gale Norton as his nominee for secretary of the interior. Many environmental organizations (including NRDC) believe this appointment is a slap in the face to the great majority of Americans who, time and time again, have said they want our parks and public lands protected from exploitation by well-financed, politically connected oil companies and other businesses.

Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978667297/index_html

EcoNet Headlines: January 5, 2001

U.S. Energy Demand, Greenhouse Emissions to Rise

As California's electricity grid is stressed by high demand, scant reserves, skyrocketing fuel prices and power shortages, the federal government has issued a 20 year energy forecast warning Americans to brace for more of the same across the country. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978663544/index_html

Global Warming May Trigger Greater Cooling of North Atlantic

Buried deep in the last section of a report from the Pew Center on Global Climate Change is a report by Steven Schneider about the possible effects of global warming on the Thermohaline Circulation. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978663702/index_html

Russian Forest Update

Russia contains nearly a quarter of the World's remaining forest areas - including massive "frontier forest" wildernesses. The Russian NGOs Forest Club and Socio-Ecological Union Informational Coordination Center put out a regular Russian forest update that you can subscribe to for free. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978664292/index_html

Gene-Altered Catfish Raise Environmental, Legal Issues

Some warn that genetically modified plants and animals could move into the wild and breed disruptive traits into local species, similar to the way African "killer bees" escaped a Brazilian research facility in 1957 and spread their aggressive traits. Others fear an opposite scenario: that instead of thriving, the modified plant or animal could interbreed with its natural cousins in ways that would destroy the species entirely. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978664655/index_html

Study Shows Pesticide Combination Leads to Parkinson's Disease

A combination of two commonly used agricultural pesticides, when injected into mice, causes the same pattern of brain damage seen in Parkinson's disease, researchers said on Thursday. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978664811/index_html

Global Coalition Urges China to Control Sales of Methyl Bromide

Fourteen consumer, health and environmental organizations from around the world have called on the government of the People's Republic of China to end the rapidly increasing production and consumption of the toxic, ozone-depleting pesticide methyl bromide. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978665070/index_html

NRDC Expected to Oppose Arsenic-Laced Water Fluoridation Chemicals

At the onset of 2001, many scientists expect the National Resources Defense Council to change their stance and oppose the use of water fluoridation chemicals which contribute significant arsenic levels to the drinking water. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978665320/index_html

GATS and the U.S. Position on Energy

It is a neo-liberal article of faith that deregulation increases "choice" and reduces prices. In practice it is doing neither, but when the medicine fails, the prescription is to give even stronger medicine. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978665626/index_html

GREEN/Defenders: Critical Pygmy Owl Habitat Under Attack, California Ravens May Be Separate Species

After approving mitigation measures, the USFWS, EPA, and Corps have given developers permits to begin destroying critical habitat for the endangered pygmy owl in southern Arizona's Pima County. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978665942/index_html

1/5/01
11:48:46 AM

World Environment News - January 5th, 2001 from Planet Ark

Here are today's Reuters 'World Environment News' headlines, proudly brought to you by Planet Ark.

Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm

Americans relearn how to cope with bitter winter - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9438

FACTBOX - Depleted uranium weapons blamed for post-war deaths - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9446

UK salmon farmers hit back at toxin allegations - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9447

Sweden posts record high power consumption in 2000 - SWEDEN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9434

A little seal oil may do you good - researcher - NORWAY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9436

Nutreco tumbles on salmon dioxin fears - NETHERLANDS http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9441

Italy fishermen worry uranium bombs dumped in sea - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9439

Indonesian population rising at slower rate - INDONESIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9432

India to study impact of proposed Bombay airport - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9431

Indian wildlife group alarmed by elephant deaths - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9443

Girl trampled to death by elephants in east India - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9440

Greece asks NATO for information on depleted uranium - GREECE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9444

Two new German mad cow cases suspected in Bavaria - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9437

German utilities look to move nuke waste in March - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9445

US asked to block Canadian mine on Alaska border - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9435

Australia had cool, wet La Nina year 2000 - Bureau - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9442

TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

International Paper and The Nature Conservancy Announce Historic Conservation Agreement for the Adirondacks

ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 04, -/E-Wire/-- International Paper (NYSE: IP) and The Nature Conservancy today announced a historic agreement that will conserve the forested character of the Adirondack Park, protect important ecological resources, create significant new outdoor recreation opportunities, and maintain the economic benefits of the region's working forest.

/Web sites: http://www.internationalpaper.com

/Web sites: http://www.tnc.org/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/04Jan0103.html

TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS: Arbor Day Foundation Hosts Vote for America's National Tree

NEBRASKA CITY, NE, Jan. 04, -/E-Wire/-- Now, for the first time, the American public has the opportunity to vote for a national symbol. The National Arbor Day Foundation is hosting a process that makes it possible for people to vote for America's National Tree, either by visiting the Foundation's website, arborday.org, or through the mail.

/CONTACT: Gary Brienzo, Information Coordinator, The National Arbor Day Foundation, (402) 474-5655, gbrienzo@arborday.org/

/Web site: http://www.arborday.org/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/04Jan0102.html

TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Little Ha-Ha, Ecologically Friendly Children's Book Now Available at Major Book Stores

SANTA MONICA, CA, Jan. 04, -/E-Wire/-- Kissing Deer Press, LLC. Christopher Boyce, author of the Little Ha-Ha series of children's books and read-a-longs announced the distribution of his first title through Ingram Book Distributors, Lavergne, Tennessee. Both the book and the book & CD, featuring Irene Bedard, the voice and visual inspiration for Disney's Pocahontas, will be available.

/CONTACT: Kissing Deer Press, LLC 1223 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 897,Santa Monica, CA 90403-5400 (310)288-1655ph (310)451-5921fx/

/Web site: http:www.littlehaha.com/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/04Jan0101.html

1/5/01
11:44:23 AM

Environment Made Headlines Over Past 30 Years

By Cat Lazaroff

WASHINGTON, DC, January 4, 2001 (ENS) - Oil spills, chemical poisons and toxic wastes were among the top environmental stories of the past 30 years, according to a new list compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But just as newsworthy are the actions taken by the U.S. government to counter these environmental threats, the agency concluded.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) turned 30 years old in 2000. To mark this anniversary, the EPA's Pacific Southwest regional office has compiled a timeline of 30 of the top national environmental news stories of the past 30 years, and 30 of the top regional stories.

Former Senator Gaylord Nelson started the enduring annual tradition of Earth Day, first celebrated in 1970 (Photo courtesy The Wilderness Society)

The stories range from the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 to the completion in 2000 of a program to destroy chemical weapons stored at the U.S. Army's Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System.

EPA's choices for the top environmental news include oil spills like the 1971 tanker collision beneath the Golden Gate Bridge that spilled 840,000 gallons of oil, a Shell Oil refinery spill that sent 365,000 gallons of crude oil spills into Carquinez Strait in 1988, and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill that spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound.

Other environmental disasters made the list along with the new legislation they inspired. For example, the 1984 explosion at a chemical plant in Bhopal, India led to the closure of many U.S. hazardous waste dumps, and to the 1986 passage of the Toxics Right-To-Know Law.

In 1974, scientists learned that certain chemicals can damage the ozone layer. In 1985, a hole in the ozone layer over Antartica was discovered. This image shows the ozone hole as of October 3, 1999 (Photo courtesy NASA)

The 1974 finding that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) damage the earth's stratospheric ozone layer led to several national and international actions, including a 1978 ban on CFCs in aerosol cans, the 1985 discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole, and the 1987 signing of the Montreal Protocol, which orders the phase out of CFCs in the U.S. and 23 other nations.

The 1978 discovery of toxic wastes buried beneath the community of Love Canal, New York, made the list, as did the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The 1973 passage of the Endangered Species Act provided protections for creatures like the northern spotted owl - and headaches for the timber industry (Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Several major legislative actions are on the list, including the 1972 passage of the Clean Water Act, the 1973 passage of the Endangered Species Act, and several updates and strengthenings of the 1955 Clean Air Act. In 1980, the Superfund Law provided new funding for hazardous waste cleanups.

Many wildlife species, including the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon, have made a dramatic recovery since the EPA banned the use of the pesticide DDT in 1972. This long lived chemical, which builds up to toxic levels as it passes up the food chain, continues to poison birds and animals that eat fish from contaminated waters.

A number of the pro-environmental actions that made EPA's list were taken by President Bill Clinton's administration. In 1994, Clinton signed an Environmental Justice executive order, requiring all federal agencies to abolish and prevent policies that led to a disproportionate distribution of environmental hazards to low income communities of color.

The Brownfields Program, which provides funds to remediate and revitalize abandoned industrial sites, was launched by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1994.

Birds like this peregrine falcon benefited from the 1972 ban of the pesticide DDT (Photo by Craig Koppie courtesy USFWS)

In 1996, the Safe Drinking Water Act and Food Quality Protection Act mandated use of stricter new standards to limit contaminants in water and food. That same year, the EPA, eight western governors and four tribal government chairs reached agreement on a 40 year plan to restore clear skies over the Grand Canyon.

The Clinton administration took several actions to clean up the air around the country. In 1997, the EPA adopted stricter health standards for ozone and particulate matter, known popularly as the smog and soot rule. Opponents have delayed implementation of this rule, and the U.S. Supreme Court began hearing challenges to the rule in November 2000.

In December 1999, the EPA ordered tougher emission standards for sport utility vehicles, and just last month, the agency approved new emission standards for new heavy duty trucks and buses, intended to cut their pollution by 95 percent by the year 2010. The rule also requires that cleaner diesel fuel, with 97 percent less sulfur, must be sold by 2006.

An estimated 250,000 seabirds and thousands of other animals were killed when the Exxon Valdez ran aground in 1989, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound (Photo courtesy Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council)

The automotive and trucking industries are expected to challenge these rules.

More of the national stories have been posted on EPA's national Web site, at http://www.epa.gov/history/timeline/

The EPA's regional office has posted its summary timeline at: http://www.epa.gov/region09/features/top30/

1/5/01
11:42:31 AM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com

"We Cover the Earth For You"

ENVIRONMENT MADE HEADLINES OVER PAST 30 YEARS

By Cat Lazaroff

WASHINGTON, DC, January 4, 2001 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) turned 30 years old in 2000. To mark this anniversary, the EPA's Pacific Southwest regional office has compiled a timeline of 30 of the top national environmental news stories of the past 30 years, and 30 of the top regional stories.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-04-06.html

ENVIRONMENTALISTS HAIL SETTLEMENT IN MANATEE LAWSUIT

By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, January 4, 2000 (ENS) - A coalition of environmental groups today announced a landmark legal settlement that could help to pull back the imperiled Florida manatee from the brink of extinction.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-04-15.html

EUROPE TO LAUNCH NEW EARTH MONITORING SATELLITES

GENEVA, Switzerland, January 4, 2001 (ENS) - A powerful new European weather satellite to be launched early next year will strengthen environmental monitoring in Europe and 45 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-04-03.html

NORWAY TURNS ITS BACK ON HYDROPOWER

OSLO, Norway, January 4, 2001 (ENS) - Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg has created a mini-sensation in Norway by declaring in his traditional New Year's Eve national address that "the era of large-scale new hydropower development is over" and that several big hydro projects are to be abandoned.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-04-02.html

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JANUARY 4, 2001

Coast Guard Violated Oil Pollution Act, Judge Rules

California Governor Calls Special Legislative Session on Energy

Solar Energy to be Standard Feature in New Homes

4000+ Communities Targeted for Enhanced Fire Protection

Limits Placed on Crab Fishing Vessels in Bering Sea

California Poachers Busted in Colorado

Energy Secretary Names Head of Office of River Protection

Washington State Seeks Public Input on Water Quality

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-04-09.html

TO CITY, BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

John Elkington and Paul Gilding to Headline 'GEMI 2001: An Odyssey to Environmental Excellence'

WASHINGTON, DC Jan. 04, -/E-Wire/-- The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) today announced two of its key speakers for its Annual Conference that will take place March 19-20, 2001 at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, MD.

/CONTACT: Amy Goldman of the Global Environmental Management Initiative, 202-296-7449/

/Web site: http://www.gemi.org/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/04Jan0105.html

TO CITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Chester County Watershed Protection Forum Announced by the Delaware River Basin Commission and Chester County Water Resources Authority

WEST CHESTER, Pa., Jan. 4 -/E-Wire/-- A discussion on integrating water resources protection in land use planning will take place January 8 in West Chester, Pa.

/CONTACT: Clarke Rupert of the DRBC, 609-883-9500, ext. 260, or crupert@drbc.state.nj.us/

/Web site: http://www.chesco.org/water / /Web site: http://www.state.nj.us/drbc /

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/04Jan0104.html

1/5/01
11:32:33 AM

Blessings

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...... you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation....... you are ahead of 1 billion people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death..…. you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep...... you are richer than 75% of the world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace...... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful...... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder...... you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch and give love to someone.

If you can read this message...... you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than the 3 billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Have a good day, count your blessings, and pass this along to remind everyone else how blessed we all are.

1/5/01
11:29:04 AM

EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY After a decade of debate, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released final standards for labeling organic foods last month, siding with environmentalists and the organic farming industry on nearly every contentious issue. The standards, which will become fully effective in 2002, ban the use of irradiation, biotechnology, and sewer-sludge fertilizer for any food labeled organic. All three methods would have been allowed under the standards proposed by the USDA in 1997, but the department did an about-face after receiving nearly 300,000 public comments protesting their inclusion. The final standards also ban the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in growing organic foods, and the use of antibiotics in organic meats. Sales of organic foods in the U.S. have increased by 20 percent each year since 1990, reaching $6 billion in 1999.

New York Times, Marian Burros, 21 Dec 2000 http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/21/science/21ORGA.html

BALKAN DEATH GRIP Italy on Wednesday became the latest European country to ask NATO to be more open about the depleted uranium weapons used in past Balkan conflicts. Six Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans have died of leukemia, leaving some wondering whether the deaths might be tied to exposure to the DU ammunition. France, Spain, Portugal, Finland, and Belgium have also begun looking into the matter, and European Commission President Romano Prodi has also expressed his concerns. The DU weapons are made of low-level nuclear waste material and leave toxic and radioactive debris. DU bullets were used for the first time against Iraqi tanks in 1991, but their use in the Balkans is thought to be the first time they've been employed in a populated area.

BBC News, Alex Kirby, 03 Jan 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1098000/1098858.stm

BBC News, 04 Jan 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1100000/1100332.stm

Check also "Euro-scare grows over NATO uranium projectiles and cancer" at: http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/world/article.html?s=asia/headline s/010104/world/afp/Euro-scare_grows_over_NATO_uranium_projectiles_and_cancer .html

AND ANOTHER RELATED 30 YEAR OLD HORROR STORY FROM EAST GERMANY

"Spies trailed with radioactive spray" at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,417688,00.html

1/5/01
11:23:00 AM

Impeach George W. Bush Petition

The link below is a petition to impeach George W. Bush for usurping democratic processes. Please sign

http://www.petitiononline.com/ddc12/petition.html

1/5/01
11:22:10 AM

Election Anger Fuels Inaugural Protesters

Washington Post Thursday, December 21, 2000; Page A10

The raw wounds left by the presidential election finale have created enough irritation to unleash one of the largest inauguration protests in years, according to veteran organizers and police officials.

"This will be by far the biggest counter-inauguration since the 1973 Nixon counter-inauguration," predicted Brian Becker, co-director of the International Action Center in New York, who has demonstrated at numerous presidential swearing-in events. "We organize protests not infrequently, and we know when something has legs and when it doesn't have legs. This one does."

At the second inauguration of President Richard M. Nixon, police estimated there were 25,000 to 100,000 demonstrators, including some who threw fruit and stones at Nixon's car. The total crowd was about 300,000.

D.C. police are expecting about 750,000 people on Jan. 20 when President-elect Bush is sworn in, and they said they think many demonstrators will be content to voice their displeasure peacefully.

Becker's group, like several others hoping to flood parts of the city on Inauguration Day, had been planning to be in Washington no matter who won the election. But enough people think the outcome was illegitimate, he said, that it has cranked up protest passion. Within hours of the Dec. 12 U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking Vice President Gore's effort to recount votes in Florida, Becker and other organizers said, their Web sites were deluged with inquiries.

"There's a tremendous amount of spontaneous organizing going on," said Becker, 48.

A rainbow of left-leaning groups had planned to rally on the Mall to vent outrage at a variety of demons [notice how Washington Post usees the term 'demons' to put down what are actually injustices and outrages -ed], including racism, the death penalty and the corporate influence on politics. But complaints that some Florida votes were not counted, including those of many African Americans, have given demonstrators powerful common issues.

Unlike the street protests against the World Bank in April, no civil disobedience has been planned, organizers say. They said the demonstrations will feature signs, chants, giant puppets, skits and a squad of radical stilt walkers being trained in Philadelphia.

"We are not planning to shut down the inauguration," Becker said. "We are planning to make it plain that the inaugural route is not the private property of those who support the death penalty, so we're going to be well-represented on that parade route."

D.C. police aren't taking any chances with protesters' intentions, according to Executive Assistant Chief Terrance W. Gainer. He said he expects fewer than 5,000 unruly demonstrators might try to disrupt the inauguration, along with thousands of peaceful demonstrators.

In addition to the D.C. force, thousands of suburban and federal officers will participate in what officials described as an unprecedented level of security.

CLIP

On Monday, several dozen people attended a Justice Action Movement meeting. Most were students or young members of progressive organizations and unions, but several were old enough to have protested Nixon's inauguration. Justice Action Movement has dubbed Jan. 20 the "InaugurAuction," a reference to members' belief that the major parties buy the White House with corporate funds. [More like, the White House is being auctioned off to corporations.. but Washignton Post couldn't allow itself to undertsand that not just the two Parties, but corporations themselves, are being criticized, given that Post itself is a large corporation -ed]

"Because of a corrupt political system, we now have a president who is going to be threatening the lives of many innocent people because of his support for the death penalty, military policies abroad and free trade," said Adam Eidinger, 27, a movement organizer.

At the meeting, the group voted not to use violence, vandalism, weapons, alcohol or drugs. They also decided to remain in small groups scattered all over the Mall, employing creative visual effects and stilt walkers to make their points.

After the meeting, several organizers said they suspected a police infiltrator was in their midst. A man with a goatee looked just like a plainclothes officer who figured prominently in confrontations with World Bank demonstrators, according to organizers who said they have videotapes.

Before ending a brief telephone interview with The Washington Post, the man denied he was an undercover officer. A police spokesman said there is no one on the force with the name the man used at the meeting. Gainer confirmed that the police have infiltrated the protesters, but he didn't identify anyone.

"They're looking for excuses to shut us down," Eidinger said.

This week, a few members of Justice Action Movement held a practice InaugurAuction in front of the White House, offering to auction the building for $10 to carpenters building bleachers for the parade.

"I don't feel this particular election demonstrates ideally what the presidency is for this country," said Elizabeth Croyden, 30, an actress and film producer who participated. "It exposes a lot of flaws in the system, and I'm upset about it. If you don't get involved, how can you make a difference?"

1/5/01
11:14:32 AM

DIFFICULT TO UNITE BEHIND NATION'S CHIEF EXECUTIONER

Despite calls for unity by national leaders, it will be difficult for many Americans to support George W. Bush as President.

It isn't just that Al Gore won the national popular vote and probably would have become President if Bush and company had not prevented all the votes in Florida from being counted.

Nor is it just because Bush is backed by right-wing interests that care little for the poor, minorities, the environment, or even democracy.

No, many people will have a difficult time supporting Bush because he is the nation's Chief Executioner with over 150 notches on his belt since he became Governor of Texas in 1995. Personally, he reminds me of some South American dictators who are now on trial for human rights abuses.

Although Bush has claimed that he was merely carrying out Texas laws, it is very clear that he embraced the death penalty with fervor.

* He supported bills to shorten the appeals process and speed up executions.

* He supported the execution of mentally-ill and mentally-retarded people.

* He supported the execution of youthful offenders who had been horribly abused and neglected as children.

* He vetoed a bill that would have improved the legal defense for the poor.

* He did not intervene in executions even when it was clear that a defendant's legal defense was inadequate and flawed, when international treaties and laws were violated, when a prisoner was clearly rehabilitated, or even when there were strong indications of innocence.

Bush did not tell the truth when he said that the death penalty "saves lives". The death penalty has no deterrent value and Bush knows that.

He did not tell the truth when he asserted that the criminal justice system in Texas was fair to all defendants and that an innocent person had never been executed. Numerous studies have shown this to be not true.

He also did not tell the truth when he asserted that he could do nothing to intervene in an execution unless he received a recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Bush appointed this Board and could have his way with it any time he wanted.

Would other civilized nations elect their Chief Executioner to their highest office as has happened in the USA? Hopefully not, but of course most civilized nations no longer execute their citizens.

David Atwood Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty December 15, 2000

1/5/01
10:59:51 AM

A GOVENMENT PLOT AGAINST HERBS

02 January 2001

Thanks to Jacques Allrich, Jr., a terrible scheme has been brought to our attention.

A bill is being drawn up which will be appended to a complicated HMO bill which WILL NOT SEEM to be controversial. Both sides of the aisle want to reign in some of the abuses of the HMO's. So far, so good. However, if this bill slips through, the F.D.A. will then be empowered to regulate natural (herbal) products. Thus you would need a prescription to get your Echinacea, Vital Nutrition, etc.

It would devastate the health food industry while lining the pockets of physicians.

The email addresses of all of the Senators and Congressmen are currently available. Also, some unique software has been written which can send an email to each legislator. The email appears to have come from you. It is tempting to just go ahead and use it but, without your permission, that would be deceptive and downright unethical. With our large subscriber base we can probably stop this outrage in it's tracks. Imagine a legislator receiving 30+ thousand emails demanding that this nefarious appendage be removed from what is otherwise a good bill!

WILL YOU SPEND 30 SECONDS TO HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD?!

If you share our conviction that herbs remain unregulated then all you must do is:

1: Send an email to jon5454@yahoo.com

2: Type "Herbs - A prescription item?" in the subject box.

3: Type "OK" in the text box. The OK will give John your permission to send an email to all senators and congressmen asking them to remove the clause in the new bill that will require us to have a prescription to buy herbs.

If you will take a few minutes and forward this to your friends, or post it on a news/discussion group we will gain thousands of new voices.

The alternative for not responding would be to resign yourself to paying $50 or more for your favorite herbal remedy. Not to mention a visit to the doctor every time you need anything and of course obtaining his or her permission to purchase the herbs.

Thank you,

Ron Radstrom, Founder Health Freedom Resources, Inc. 611 - South Myrtle Ave, Clearwater Fl 33755 Ph: (727) 443-7711 Fax: (727) 442-4139 healthfree@healthfree.com

TIRJAH ALSO SENT THIS:

Subject: Codex Petition Here - The FDA Only Gives To 1-16-01 To File Comments http://www.sightings.com/general6/vomm.htm

1/5/01
10:49:29 AM

http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-03-15.html Environment [ENS -- Environment News Service]

U.S. Agencies Seek to Turn Radioactive Metals into Consumer Items

By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, January 3, 2001 (ENS) - The manufacture of consumer products out of radioactively contaminated materials discarded from commercial nuclear power plants and government bomb factories could become a fact of American life. In an extraordinary move, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission today asked the National Academy of Sciences to sanction the controversial practice.

Dr. Richard Meserve, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), made the request during the public portion of a special National Academy of Sciences committee meeting in Washington.

[Meserve] Dr. Richard Meserve(Photo courtesy NRC) Meserve asked the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel to examine the practice of releasing radioactively contaminated solid waste materials into everyday commerce. He said this type of recycling is necessary to insure the continued viability of the commercial nuclear power plant industry and the Cold War decommissioning activities of the U.S. Department of Energy.

"There has basically been no guidance as to how those problems should be addressed," Meserve said to the panel of NAS scientists. "It is our hope that we will get your findings and recommendations as to how we should proceed in a timely manner."

Meserve's request of the NAS panel is the latest development in a long standing government and industry led effort to establish a consistent system governing the release of solid materials from NRC licensed facilities.

The nuclear power industry and the Department of Energy (DOE) are currently saddled with tens of thousands of tons of solid materials contaminated with low levels of radioactivity, which they once disposed of in specially designed nuclear waste disposal facilities.

That practice changed beginning in the 1970s, when the NRC, its licensees, and the DOE began searching for a more cost effective method of disposing of the enormous volume of steel girders, pallets, machinery and other solid materials tainted with tiny amounts of radioactivity.

The NRC and the DOE now allow their licensees and contractors to recycle some solid materials, but there is currently no national health based standard or generallyapplicable criteria governing the release of solid materials from commercialnuclear power plants or government nuclear weapons facilities.

[waste] Radioactive scrap ready for sale (Photo courtesy Environmental Assessment Division Argonne National Laboratory U.S. Department of Energy) Meserve said that the current "ad-hoc" recycling system is not sufficient for the NRC and its licensees, which he noted must spend large amounts of money to dispose of their low level solid wastes.

Meserve said that the DOE has encountered the same costly solid waste disposal problem "in spades" as it proceeds with decommissioning a number of Cold War nuclear weapons facilities.

"That's why we're here - to seek your advice on these matters," Meserve told the NAS panel.

At the NRC's request, the National Academy of Sciences' panel has agreed to examine the question of whether or not there are sufficient technical bases to establish a consistent system for controlling the release of what it is terming "slightly contaminated" solid materials.

The panel is expected to evaluate a number of factors in making its recommendations regarding the release of these materials, including studies of critical groups, exposurepathways and scenarios, and individual and collective doses.

Meserve asked the panel to consider a number of other factors in reaching its conclusion, including rulemaking actions taken by federal agencies, states, and the European Union.

Meserve outlined four conclusions that he said the NAS panel could reasonably reach.

Permitting the release of radioactively contaminated solid materials if the potential dose is less than a specified level. Restricting the release of such materials for only certain authorized uses, which could prohibit recycling. Prohibiting the release of materials that were stored in areas where radioactive materials were present. Segregating reused materials for public and nonpublic use.

Meserve added that his list of alternatives was not intended to "constrain [the NAS panel] from being more inventive" in its recommendations.

Meserve acknowledged the controversial nature of the solid waste recycling initiative, which environmental and public health groups have vehemently criticized.

[processing] Processing radioactive materials (Photo courtesy Manufacturing Sciences Corporation) "This is a difficult issue where the emotional currents run strong," he said.

Still, Meserve implored the NAS panel to resist putting a "spin" on its findings to address - or to avoid - the controversial nature of the NRC's solid waste recycling initiative.

"Call it the way you see it - we'll worry about the political fallout," Meserve said. "We want your best advice - give it to us straight."

Some members of the NAS panel did just that, as they wasted little time in peppering the NCR chairman with a host of probing questions.

Dr. Robert Budnitz, president of the California based Future Resources Associates, wanted to know why the NRC had requested the panel's recommendations at all.

"Where did this come from? What's going on?" Budnitz asked Meserve.

Budnitz, a former NRC official, said he suspects the request came about because the agency could no longer deal with the myriad individual recycling cases that it is currently juggling.

Meserve acknowledged the point, saying that "it's a licensee need," and that it is "extraordinarily expensive" for nuclear power plant operators to dispose of their radioactively contaminated solid materials through other means.

[pallet] Radioactive metal pallets (Photo courtesy DOE Oakridge Operations) Meserve added that, "There's a lot of decommissioning underway [at DOE nuclear weapons facilities] that we need to deal with somehow."

Bunditz pressed the point, asking Meserve if the Energy Department has "formally or informally" approached the NRC about pushing for a national standard for the recycling of contaminated solid materials.

"Is that part of this or not?" Bunditz asked.

Meserve acknowledged that he did "personally meet" with Energy Secretary Bill Richardson about this problem, and that Richardson had encouraged the National Academy of Sciences' involvement in the matter.

Andrew Wallo, director of the DOE radiation division's office of environment, safety and health, was on hand Wednesday to report the agency's perspective on the contaminated solid materials disposal problem.

Wallo noted that there are hundreds of tons of metals and other slightly contaminated materials at DOE nuclear weapons facilities that must be removed if the sites are to be cleaned up and closed down.

"It's a valuable commodity excepting the radioactivity in it," Wallo said of the materials.

Wallo told the panel that most of the scrap metal that has been released from DOE facilities is either not contaminated at all, or has surface contamination well below the agency's current standard. However, the pubic and the steel industry has not been accepting of those very low exposure risks, Wallo acknowledged.

Wallo recalled the furor that erupted when the DOE allowed contractor British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) to release 110,000 tons of radioactive metals - including 6,000 tons of volumetrically contaminated nickel - from the DOE's K-25 nuclear weapons plant at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Public health and environmental groups vehemently objected to the contract, saying that there was no law prevent the metals from being used to make silverware, orthodontic braces, hip joint replacements, and even intrauterine devices.

The steel industry also opposed the release of the contaminated scrap metal, saying that it would erode public confidence in the industry and cost steel companies tens of million of dollars should radioactive materials somehow find their way into production furnaces.

[Richardson] Energy Secretary Bill Richardson (Photo courtesy DOE) The public outcry forced Energy Secretary Richardson to block the sale of the radioactive nickel. Richardson later issued a moratorium restricting the release of such materials until a national policy could be devised.

Gary Visscher, vice president of the American Iron and Steel Institute, watched with interest on Wednesday as the NRC and the DOE asked the National Academy of Sciences to sanction the practice of recycling radioactively contaminated metals.

"Anything that diminishes the public's confidence in the safeness of steel is going to hurt our companies," Visscher told ENS.

Lisa Gue, a policy analyst with the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, was also on hand on Wednesday to keep tabs on the two federal agencies and their industry contractors.

"We have an ongoing concern with federal agencies that appease industry by setting rules that facilitate the release of radionuclides into the environment," Gue said. "If the nuclear industry cannot afford to protect the public and the environment from its waste products, then it's not a viable industry."

Gue and other observers said they are concerned with the large block oftime that was devoted to closed sessions during the three day meeting. According to the official agenda, a total of 12 and a half hours of meeting sessions are to be closed to the public, though officials pledged to post a summary of the private sessions on the Internet.

For more information on this week's meeting, log on to: http://www4.nas.edu/cp.nsf/Projects+_by+_PIN/BEES-J-00-02-A?OpenDocument

1/5/01
10:39:40 AM

Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting

Media analysis, critiques and news reports

ACTIVISM UPDATE: Turmoil at WBAI Attracts Media Attention

January 4, 2001

New York Pacifica station WBAI 99.5 FM has been the subject of some media scrutiny since FAIR's December 26 action alert (http://www.fair.org/activism/wbai-lockout.html ). Stories about the lockout and firings have appeared in the New York Times (12/28/00), New York Daily News (1/3/01, 12/29/00, 12/27/00, 12/24/00), Long Island Newsday (1/4/01, 12/24/00) and on the Associated Press wire (1/4/01).

To stay up-to-date on this story, please visit: http://www.savepacifica.net http://www.fair.org/activism/pacifica-history.html

The e-mail address FAIR provided for Pacifica executive director Bessie Wash is apparently no longer accepting mail. A better address is:

Bessie Wash, Executive Director Pacifica Foundation 2390 Champlain Street N.W. Washington, DC 20009 phone: (toll free) 888-770-4944 x348 mailto:bmwpacifica@aol.com

Should this address stop accepting mail, please check Save Pacifica's list of contact information for the best way to reach Wash: http://www.savepacifica.net/addresses.html

1/4/01
1:48:31 PM

Shadow of 'Illegitimacy' Stalks US President-Elect USA, Florida - Trailing his opponent by nearly a half-million popular votes in the national election, US president-elect George Bush is poised to move into a White House whose foundation may prove to be quicksand. As mounting evidence from a media sponsored vote recount in Florida indicates that Bush also failed to win the popular vote there, question marks continue to pile up. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_1.html

US Doctor Champions Humor & Love In New Medical Model USA, West Virginia - Patch Adams was initially the subject of ridicule and excommunication by the medical establishment, followed by praise and ultimately a popular movie based on his life. His affinity for unbridled humor & humanness set him on an early collision course with the traditionally stuffy medical school curriculum that taught that you should always maintain a professional distance from patients. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_2.html

Three Hundred Attend First International Youth Parliament Australia - "And A Little Child Shall Lead Them." The words of the prophet seemed to find fulfillment in the recent gathering in Sydney, Australia of more than 300 young delegates, age 14 to 28, from 150 countries who came together for the first International Youth Parliament. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_3.html

Monetary Experiment Challenges Debt-Based Banking Italy - Guardiagrele, a town in central Italy, recently gained worldwide attention by issuing it's own currency as a move toward implementing the bold economic theories of local resident and retired law professor, Giacinto Auriti. Auriti contends that Italy's Central banks have been robbing the public by fostering a debt-based economy which decreases spending value by at least half. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_4.html

US Congress Passes "One Day In Peace' Resolution USA, Washington, D.C. - In the midst of the election turmoil which gripped the USA in late October, a resolution was quietly, and unanimously passed by the US Congress, declaring the first of January each year as "One Day In Peace." Co-sponsored by 8 senators and 27 members of the House Of Representatives, Senate Resolution 138 brings into focus the growing concern that many Americans feel for peace. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_5.html

Two Million Russians Call For Environmental Referendum Russia - On October 24th the final procedure for launching a nationwide environmental referendum was completed with the collection of 2,561,268 signatures. The move signaled a new era of citizen participation in the 'New Russia' democratic process. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_6.html

Arizona Donors Tackle Social Change USA, Arizona - On a recent Sunday in Phoenix, about 100 philanthropists and community leaders gathered at an elegant home on the north side of the city to celebrate 'Possibility Sunday,' an event sponsored by the Arizona Social Change Fund and held on each month that includes a fifth Sunday. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_7.html

Summit Launches Earth Charter For New Millennium Netherlands - After eight years of deliberation with more than 100,000 people in 51 countries, the Earth Charter has been launched at a ceremony at the Peace Palace in The Hague.

Born out of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, the Earth Charter was hammered out over the past two years by committees in more than 40 countries. It contains 216 main principles and 59 supporting principles that outline an integrated vision for human rights and sustainable development. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_8.html

Four Hundred Attend Iberian-American Light Conference Mexico - Monterrey, Mexico recently hosted the first IberAmerican network gathering of Spanish & Portuguese speaking 'lightworkers' from Spain and Latin America. The two-day meeting took place in the picturesque ashram of the 'Gran Fraternidad Universal' in suburban Monterrey, and included a host of activities that ranged from meditations, ceremonies, lectures, exhibits and performances. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_9.html

Intentional Community Hosts European Peace Initiative Portugal - "Possibilities of Global Peace Work" was the theme of a twelve day conference held last August under the auspices of The Institute for Global Peace Work in Tamera, Portugal. Tamara, which is both an intentional community and a conference center, was founded five years ago on a site of 330 acres in southern Portugal. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_10.html

'Heart Flame' Circles Globe With Message Of Peace United Kingdom - In 1945 the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan brought the pacific theater of World War II to a close and ushered in the nuclear age. As the story goes, a young man who had lost most of his family in the inferno, lit a flame from the burning embers. To him it was a symbol of his hatred for America for perpetrating such a terrible act. But to his grandmother it was a flame of love through which she remembered her deceased son. Fifty fives years later it has become internationally known as 'The Peace Flame." Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_11.html

Dutch Apologize To Jews, Gypsies & Indonesians Netherlands - In a bold and - some would say - long overdue move last spring, the Dutch government apologized to Jews, Indonesians and Romas (Gypsies) for its initial "chilly Response" to claims for restitution of property seized during World War II. The apology carried an offer of $300 million in compensation. Full Story: http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_12.html

Global Resources

Click Here To See A Brief Description Of Each Listing http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_13.html

Animal Rights Animals Agenda Magazine http://www.animalsagenda.org/

Business Home Business Central http://www.home-business-central.com/

Communities Zegg Center For Experimental Cultural Design http://www.zegg.de/

Consciousness Solara & 11:11 http://www.nvisible.com/

Earth Mysteries Sacred Sites Of The World http://www.sacredsites.com/explore.html

Environment & Ecology Perelandra Center For Nature Research http://www.perelandra-ltd.com/

Lifestyles Center for the new American Dream http://www.newdream.org/

Peace The Peace Room http://www.peaceroom.org/

Science & Technology The Institute for Appropriate Technology http://www.i4at.org/

Spiritual Dance Of The Soul http://www.danceofthesoul.com/

Youth & Elders Psychic Kids http://www.psykids.net/

Editorial Guest Editorial By The Israeli Women of 'Bat Shalom.'

'Let The Women Speak!!!'

Click Here for full text http://www.savesite.net/gvnr/articles/010100_14.html

1/4/01
1:37:53 PM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com

"We Cover the Earth For You"

U.S. AGENCIES SEEK TO TURN RADIOACTIVE METALS INTO CONSUMER ITEMS

By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, January 3, 2001 (ENS) - The manufacture of consumer products out of radioactively contaminated materials discarded from commercial nuclear power plants and government bomb factories could become a fact of American life. In an extraordinary move, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission today asked the National Academy of Sciences to sanction the controversial practice.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-03-15.html

COMBINATION OF PESTICIDES LINKED TO PARKINSON'S DISEASE

ROCHESTER, New York, January 3, 2001 (ENS) - A combination of two widely used agricultural pesticides - but neither one alone - creates in mice the exact pattern of brain damage that doctors see in patients with Parkinson's disease. The research offers the most compelling evidence yet that everyday environmental factors may play a role in the development of the disease.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-03-06.html

SOUTH AFRICA TO SET EMERGENCY FISHING LIMITS

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, January 3, 2001 (ENS) - The severe depletion of at least 20 species of fish has been recognized by the South African government. Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Valli Moosa will soon announce "emergency measures" aimed at rebuilding the numbers of these fishes, a government spokesman said today.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-03-03.html

COURT SINKS FRENCH ENERGY TAX PLAN

PARIS, France, January 3, 2001 (ENS) - The French government's program of ecological tax reform was dealt a serious blow on December 28 when the country's constitutional court rejected a planned industrial energy tax that was due to take effect on January 1.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-03-02.html

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JANUARY 3, 2001

EPA Sets Water Quality Criteria for Nutrients, Methylmercury

Ancient Underground Fractures May Threaten Ground Water Supplies

Mercury Research Strategy Unveiled

Clinton Bounces Japan Whaling Issue to Bush

Sierra Club Calls on Bush to Protect Environment

South Pole Snowpack Reveals Century's Air Quality

Critical Habitat Proposed for 32 Hawaiian Plants

EPA Issues Guidelines for Environmental Economics

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-03-09.html

TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Thermal Oxidizer Removes VOCs from Process Exhaust. . . Heat Recovery Adds Even Greater Efficiency

PATERSON, NJ, Jan. 03, -/E-Wire/-- This direct fired recuperative thermal oxidizer, designed and manufactured by Glenro Inc., is being used to clean a manufacturing exhaust stream that contains organic hydrocarbon contaminants. The oxidizer system not only processes 21,000 scfm of exhaust, but also uses primary and secondary heat recovery subsystems to recapture a large amount of heat energy for reuse in the process.

/CONTACT:Jim Alimena Glenro, Inc. jimva@glenro.com or info@glenro.com Voice: 1-888-GLENRO1 (1-888-453-6761)/

/Web site: www.glenro.com/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/03Jan0105.html

TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

EarthCare Completes Acquisition of Solid Waste Company

DALLAS, TX, Jan. 03, -/E-Wire/-- EarthCare Company (Nasdaq: ECCO) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of EarthCare Florida (formerly Liberty Waste, Inc.). EarthCare Florida is located in Tampa, and owns a construction and demolition landfill in Ruskin, Florida, near Tampa, and has transfer stations in Clearwater and Tampa. Currently, EarthCare Florida has annual revenues of approximately $19 million and services commercial, industrial and residential customers in the Tampa area. There are also plans to expand its operations into other cities in Florida. EarthCare Company issued approximately 490,100 shares of its common stock to acquire the remaining 56% interest in EarthCare Florida it did not previously own.

/CONTACT: Lew Nevins, Vice President, Investor Relations of EarthCare Company, 972-858-6025/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/03Jan0106.html

TO MEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Aethlon Medical Confirms HIV Treatment Presentation

SAN DIEGO, CA, Jan. 03, -/E-Wire/-- Aethlon Medical, Inc., (OTCBB: AEMD) confirmed today that it has accepted an invitation to present its HIV-Hemopurifier(TM) treatment technology at Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Seventh Annual Blood Product Safety Conference on Tuesday, February 6, 2001.

/CONTACT: Investors: The Investor Relations Group, Inc., New York Dian Griesel, Ph.D., 212/736-2650 or Corporate Contact: James A. Joyce, Chairman, 858/456-5777 jimjoyce@aethlonmedical.com/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/03Jan0104.html

TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

The Copano Institute Announces an Agricultural Breakthrough

AUSTIN, TX, Jan. 3, -/E-Wire/-- Mr. Guy McGowen, President of Biozome, (an agricultural research and development company founded in 1998), is please to announce a breakthrough in a revolutionary new way of helping plants grow.

/CONTACT: Guy V. Mcgowen, Phone: (512) 282-2087

/Web site: http://www.biozome.com/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/03Jan0103.html

TO NATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Environmental and Animal Protection Groups to Make Major Announcement on Federal Manatee Protection Lawsuit

WASHINGTON, DC, Jan. 03, -/E-Wire/-- PRESS CONFERENCE:

WHO: Helen Spivey, co-chair, Save the Manatee Club (SMC) Eric Glitzenstein, attorney, Meyer & Glitzenstein Patrick Rose, director of governmental affairs, SMC Dr. Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist, Humane Society of the U.S., and representatives from 19 national environmental and animal protection groups

/CONTACT: Howard White/Humane Society of U.S.: (301) 258-3072 D'Arcy Kemnitz/Wildlife Advocacy Project: (202) 588-5206 Judith Vallee/Save the Manatee Club: (407) 539-0990/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/03Jan0102.html

TO POLITICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:

Environmental Issues in the Bush Administration Website offers resources, background on urgent issues

WASHINGTON, DC, Jan. 03, -/E-Wire/-- Reporters covering President-elect Bush's environmental policy and appointees should make http://www.EMS.org their first stop for background, analysis and links to additional information.

/CONTACT: Jan Vertefeuille at EMS, 202/463-6670,

/Web site: http://www.EMS.org/

For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/03Jan0101.html

1/3/01
7:51:40 PM

World Environment News - January 4th, 2001 from Planet Ark

Here are today's Reuters 'World Environment News' headlines, proudly brought to you by Planet Ark.

Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm

Metuchen, N.J. sues to stop trash transfer station - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9428

Stop plundering earth-Canterbury Archbishop plea - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9430

Sweden says EU mass killing to combat BSE wasteful - PORTUGAL http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9426

Sweden says cannot burn all suspect animal waste - PORTUGAL http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9427

Rice output must keep pace with population - FAO - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9429

German farmers protest to save condemned cows - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9425

Elyo wins $57 mln power deal in New Caledonia - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9424

Woodside buys 5 pct of US wave power firm - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9423

1/3/01
7:50:24 PM

World Environment News - January 3rd, 2001 from Planet Ark

Here are today's Reuters 'World Environment News' headlines, proudly brought to you by Planet Ark.

Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm

S.Africa plans emergency measures to save linefish - SOUTH AFRICA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9422

INTERVIEW - Statkraft frustrated as Norway PM says no more hydro - NORWAY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9418

POLL - Most Greeks would gladly pay a green tax - GREECE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9420

German opposition campaigns against "ecology" tax - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9421

Renewable energy a hot sector for Australia stocks - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9419

1/3/01
7:49:24 PM

Sen. Frank Murkowski had a column in last Sunday's Outlook Section of The Washington Post, calling for opening up the glorious Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration. Bush says this is going to be one of his priorities.

Even though Clinton is president for only a few more weeks, he can still designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be a National Monument which would forever protect that pristine wilderness from oil drilling and other commercial development. Bush has already stated that he will turn the Refuge over to big oil. Clinton is on his way out and is sympathetic to this cause and has already protected more wildlands since Teddy Roosevelt was president. All he needs is a push from the public.

Call the White House hotline at (202) 456-1111 press "0" when prompted from 8:30-5:00 EST and tell the comments-line operator that you want President Clinton to declare the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be a National Monument as the last great environmental act of his presidency. This one action may result in the protection of more animals than almost anything else you can do.

You may also send the president an email at: president@whitehouse.gov

or

fax: 202-456-2461

Your message or phone call can simply say:

Dear Mr. President,

As the last environmental act of your presidency, I am asking you to designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be a National Monument.

Please culminate your presidency with this great environmental legacy.

Thank you, (your name)

Please send this message along!

1/3/01
7:46:51 PM

BUSH'S ENERGY SECRETARY CALLED AN ENVIRONMENTAL ZERO

WASHINGTON, DC, January 2, 2001 (ENS) - Spencer Abraham, an Arab-American, has been nominated as Secretary of Energy by President-elect George W. Bush, immediately drawing objections from environmental leaders. Abraham was elected to the U.S. Senate to represent Michigan in 1994 and was defeated in his November re-election bid. Regarding energy policy, Abraham said there are vast resources in the United States that are crucial to the nation's security. "We can make good use of them while at the same time, I believe, meeting our responsibilities as good stewards of the land, the air, and the water. This is the duty of the next Secretary of Energy and I am very eager to take up the task," he said.

But Friends of the Earth president Brent Blackwelder said the nomination is a disaster for the environment. Abraham's record is entirely composed of anti-environmental votes in the last congress, particularly in the area of energy, Blackwelder said. Abraham voted to increase special subsidies to the oil industry, and took positions against renewable energy and fuel efficiency standards. Consistently siding with the oil and coal industries, Abraham voted to open up the Arctic National Wildlife refuge to oil exploration and to continue mining mountains for coal in ways that Blackwelder said were in violation of the Clean Water Act. "The Bush cabinet is shaping up as a jobs program for recently defeated anti-environmental zealots and recycled Reagan and Bush era industry friendly operatives," Blackwelder said. "We are stunned by President-elect Bush's appointment of Abraham, a member of LCV's 2000 Dirty Dozen list, and our number one target for defeat last year," said League of Conservation Voters president Deb Callahan. "He even co-sponsored a bill to abolish the very department he's been nominated to lead," she said.

1/3/01
7:42:44 PM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com

"We Cover the Earth For You"

U.S. Energy Demand, Greenhouse Emissions to Rise

WASHINGTON, DC, January 2, 2001 (ENS) - As California's electricity grid is stressed by high demand, scant reserves, skyrocketing fuel prices and power shortages, the federal government has issued a 20 year energy forecast warning Americans to brace for more of the same across the country.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-02-01.html

China to Create First National Tiger Reserve

CHANGCHUN, China, January 2, 2001 (ENS) - A Chinese nature reserve that is inhabited by four to six Siberian tigers is about to be upgraded to a national park, according to the Chinese state information service.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-02-02.html

Surf Videos Could Help Fight Erosion

COLUMBUS, Ohio, January 2, 2001 (ENS) - Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a new way to map the ocean currents that erode beaches, cost coastal towns millions of dollars in annual property losses, and threaten a tourist industry worth billions of dollars.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-02-04.html

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE: AMERISCAN JANUARY 2, 2001

Bush's Energy Secretary Called an Environmental Zero

Buffalo Protectors Rally at Inauguration of Montana's Governor

Ford Presents Hollywood Stars on National Geographic Telecast

New York to Assess Impact of Mosquito Control Pesticides

Vieques Bombing Protesters Rip Down Navy Fence

Four New Long Island Homes Destroyed by Arson

Apply Now for Environmental Justice Small Grants

California University First to be Designed to Green Standards

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-02-09.html

1/3/01
7:40:30 PM

The Butterfly Effect

by John H. Lienhard

http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi652.htm">www.uh.edu/engines/epi652.htm

Today, our notion of cause and effect changes forever. The University of Houston's College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.

Author James Gleick tells about MIT meteorologist Edward Lorenz. In 1960 Lorenz tried to model the weather. He wrote simplified equations and solved them on a primitive computer. Sure enough, his output did behave a lot like real weather. His colleagues watched over his shoulder. They were fascinated.

One day, Lorenz tried to continue a run he'd done the day before. He restarted it halfway through. He put in a number from the first run. The output started out just the way it had the day before. Then it began to diverge, crazily.

The equations were the same. The starting point was the same. But the results diverged. Lorenz checked his computer. He checked his arithmetic. Nothing had changed. Same equations, but on subsequent days the results diverged.

There was one difference, but how could it matter? Lorenz rounded off the fourth decimal place of the starting number on the second day. So he stopped to consider. All weather predictions do what his program just did. You can predict the weather for the day after tomorrow. Stretch that to a week, and your prediction always departs from reality.

The implication was staggering. We've always presumed that if you barely change a cause, you'll barely change the effect. Suddenly, Lorenz saw that the weather would change utterly if you started things out just a little differently.

No wonder real weather is so unpredictable! Weather obeys physical laws. But if you change one breath of air, those laws will spin out in a wholly differen story.

Meteorologists began talking about something they called the Butterfly Effect. The idea was that if a butterfly chances to flap his wings in Beijing in March, then, by August, hurricane patterns in the Atlantic will be completely different.

Not long after that day in 1960, the scientific world began changing. Perhaps all kinds of nasty problems we can't solve are nasty just because we can never state them accurately enough.

Lorenz had taken the first step on the road to showing that our world is far more chaotic than we dreamed. For generations engineers and scientists have been predicting things. But we've only predicted those things that are predictable - the breaking load on beams - the thrust of a rocket.

And weather, of course, is just one face of the larger thing we all want to know, but which we never shall predict. Somewhere in the world, a butterfly will always flap its wings and thwart our age-old craving to predict -- our own future.

I'm John Lienhard, at the University of Houston, where we're interested in the way inventive minds work.

Gleick, J., CHAOS: Making a New Science. New York: Penguin Books, 1987.

1/3/01
7:37:39 PM

Imagine- A Post Election Reflection

1. Imagine that we read of an election occurring anywhere in the third world in which the self-declared winner was the son of the former prime minister and that former prime minister was himself the former head of that nation's secret police (CIA).

2. Imagine that the self-declared winner lost the popular vote but won based on some old colonial holdover (electoral college) from the nation's pre-democracy past.

3. Imagine that the self-declared winner's 'victory' turned on disputed votes cast in a province governed by his brother!

4. Imagine that the poorly drafted ballots of one district, a district heavily favoring the self-declared winner's opponent, led thousands of voters to vote for the wrong candidate.

5. Imagine that members of that nation's most despised caste, fearing for their lives/livelihoods, turned out in record numbers to vote in near-universal opposition to the self-declared winner's candidacy.

6. Imagine that hundreds of members of that most-despised caste were intercepted on their way to the polls by state police operating under the authority of the self-declared winner's brother.

7. Imagine that six million people voted in the disputed province and that the self-declared winner's 'lead' was only 327 votes. Fewer, certainly, than the vote counting machines' margin of error.

8. Imagine that the self-declared winner and his political party opposed a more careful by-hand inspection and re-counting of the ballots in the disputed province or in its most hotly disputed district.

9. Imagine that the self-declared winner, himself a governor of a major province, had the worst human rights record of any province in his nation and actually led the nation in executions.

10. Imagine that a major campaign promise of the self-declared winner was to appoint like-minded human rights violators to lifetime positions on the high court of that nation.

None of us would deem such an election to be representative of anything other than the self-declared winner's will-to-power. All of us, I imagine, would wearily turn the page thinking that it was another sad tale of pitiful pre- or anti-democracy peoples in some strange country elsewhere.

1/3/01
7:36:50 PM

Department of Peace Introduced by Congressman Kucinich

Date: 12/21/2000 7:21:54 PM Pacific Standard Time From: litezap@yahoo.com (Empress Empress)

Hi Alan Today I received an invitation to the ceremonial swearing-in of Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Included was a card with a dove that says "May we create a New Year with Peace and Goodwill toward all" on the front and on the back...

Imagine a Department of Peace

Next year legislation will be introduced in Congress to create a cabinet-level Department of Peace to help make non-violence an organizing principle in our society.

On a domestic level, the Department will create new approaches to resolve school and gun violence, racial and ethnic conflict, domestic abuse and police-community relations challenges and make sure all may enjoy their inalienable human rights. Internationally, it will strive to prevent war.

We can create a better, more courageous nation together. Plese help. Call 216-252-9000 or see our web site at www.kucinich.net for more information about the concept. Imagine.

Namaste, The Empress Jan

Please see Jan's fractal butterfly art at <A HREF="http://members.tripod.com/~artenergy/fractal_butterflies1.htm"> http://members.tripod.com/~artenergy/fractal_butterflies1.htm</A> . I would also suggest adding the image of the butterfly lady sitting on the moon to your computer screen background. Go to <A HREF="http://members.tripod.com/~EmpressEmpress"> http://members.tripod.com/~EmpressEmpress</A> and right click your mouse on that image, then select background picture.

Subj: Department of Peace Endorsed by Musicians & Fine Artists Date: 12/25/2000 1:43:41 PM Pacific Standard Time From: Bflyspirit To: kucinich@mail.house.gov To: Souheila.Al-Jadda@mail.house.gov

Dear Congressman Kucinich:

We have unilateral and with great enthusiasm endorsed your effort to establish a Department of Peace and please consider that we are at your disposal. I have many ideas and suggestions on how to help promote the idea for a Department of Peace if you would like to hear them. I believe you know that I am also a friend of Jan LeComte. We apparently all have this same deep respect and appreciation for butterflies, art, and the role nonviolence must play in helping to create a new culture for world peace on Earth.

The following cover letter from Musicians and Fine Artists for World Peace makes mention of your campaign, so please read it and let me know what you think. If our organization may be of service to you, please give me a call.

I would also like to thank you for endorsing the Earth Proclamation. You were the first Congressman to have done so.

May Peace Prevail on Earth!

Alan Moore / Member-Peace and Justice Commission/City of Berkeley Butterfly Gardeners Association & Project Chrysalis/Director Musicians and Fine Artists for World Peace/Director

1/3/01
7:32:04 PM

Bush Taps Watt Protege for Interior By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, December 29, 2000 (ENS) - In a move that sent shock waves through the environmental community, President elect George W. Bush today nominated Gale Norton to head up the Department of the Interior in his incoming administration. Norton, who served as attorney general for the state of Colorado for eight years, is a protege of James Watt, President Ronald Reagan's highly controversial Interior Secretary.

Announcing his pick at the presidential transition office in Washington, Bush said that the nation needs an Interior Secretary who will "respect the land and honor our national commitment to conservation." Bush praised Norton as someone with a reputation for "building consensus on divisive issues," and said that his Interior Secretary will have a "clear charge" in his administration.

"We will restore our national park system, we will develop partnerships with states and local governments and private citizens to conserve our lands and resources, and to protect the endangered species of America," Bush said.

President-elect George W. Bush's nominees for the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency have both been sharply criticized by the conservation community.

Bush added that he will work with Norton to "find ways to develop our nation's resources in a balanced and an environmentally friendly way."

But the president elect's remarks did not evoke confidence among the nation's environmental leaders, who feared that Norton's appointment will usher in a return to the types of policies put forth during the tumultuous Watt era.

"Gale Norton was a close deputy to James Watt, who was the most notorious anti-environmental Interior Secretary in history," said Bruce Hamilton, the Sierra Club's national conservation director. "I have yet to hear anything from Gale Norton's lips that would indicate that she doesn't agree with those kinds of policies."

Norton, in her brief remarks at the Friday morning ceremony, said nothing about her ties to Watt, a man viewed with horror by most environmentalists. Norton said she looks forward to tackling a host of "challenging and important" issues if she is confirmed as Interior Secretary by the U.S. Senate.

"I welcome the opportunity to work with President elect Bush to preserve our wonderful national treasures, to restore endangered species, and help Americans enjoy the great outdoors," Norton said.

INTERIOR SECRETARY WIELDS POWER OVER A THIRD OF THE NATION

One of the oldest Cabinet level positions in the U.S. government, the Interior Secretary is saddled with myriad responsibilities, such as managing millions of acres of federal lands and enforcing laws that protect endangered species.

As the nation's principal conservation agency, the Interior Department governs a host of federal agencies, including the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Minerals Management Service, the Office of Surface Mining, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Norton noted that a full third of the nation's land is owned by the federal government. She said that she will work with all of the federal land management agencies to insure that America's public land is "used in an environmentally responsible way."

Echoing a principle frequently articulated by Bush, Norton said that the Interior Department "must build strong partnerships ... with states, local governments and private citizens to make thoughtful decisions about natural resources."

Norton said that as Colorado Attorney General, she worked with other policy makers in a "bipartisan way" to find common ground on difficult issues. She spoke about her affinity for Colorado's Rocky Mountains, where she said she frequently hikes with her dog, watches wildlife, and skis.

"In fact, if it were not for a call from the Bush transition team, my husband John and I would be skiing in those mountains today," Norton said.

NORTON APPOINTMENT A SURPRISE

Norton's nomination as Interior Secretary came as a surprise for many political observers. For weeks, the front runner for the post was thought to be Colorado Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a Democrat turned Republican and the only Native American in the U.S. Congress.

But with the Senate split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, it could have been a political blunder for Bush to tap Campbell for the Cabinet post, sources tell ENS.

Norton served as Colorado Attorney General from 1991 to 1999. During her tenure, she litigated state and federal constitutional issues, defended the state of Colorado against federal mandates, and chaired the environmental committee of the National Association of Attorneys General, according to a biography distributed by the Bush administration.

Norton was appointed to the Western Water Policy Commission by President elect Bush's father, former President George Bush. She currently serves as the environment committee chair for the Republican National Lawyers Association, as well as general counsel of the Colorado Civil Justice League.

Norton is employed as senior counsel at Brownstein, Hyatt & Farber, P.C., a politically influential Denver law firm.

Prior to being elected Colorado Attorney General, Norton worked in Washington as an associate solicitor for the Interior Department, as well as an assistant to the deputy secretary of the Agriculture Department. In 1979, Norton went to work for the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a Denver based legal center whose leaders describe it as being "dedicated to individual liberty, the right to own property, limited government and the free enterprise system."

Others describe the organization differently.

"The Mountain States Legal Foundation is a right wing, anti-environmental organization that is primarily set up to thwart environmental laws," said the Sierra Club's Hamilton. "Whenever there is a dollar to be made off of the public lands, the Mountain States Legal Foundation supports those people that want to make that dollar, regardless of whether it impacts wilderness, wild rivers, wildlife, clean air or clean water."

"This is a group that promotes exploitation over preservation," Hamilton added.

TIES TO JAMES WATT RAISE RED FLAGS

Norton was hired at the firm by James Watt, the organization's founding president. Watt later became President Ronald Reagan's Interior Secretary, but was later forced to resign because of his extremist beliefs regarding the stewardship of the nation's public lands.

The Mountain States Legal Foundation has been a major thorn in the side of the Clinton administration, which many environmental groups maintain has compiled one of the best environmental records in the nation's history. The foundation currently has a lawsuit pending against Clinton for his use of the federal Antiquities Act, which the outgoing president has used to create a host of national monuments throughout the American West.

William Perry Pendly, the group's current president, said in August that Clinton "thumbed his nose at the West, at the Constitution, and at Congress" when he used the Act to designate the monuments. President elect Bush has also been critical of the Clinton administration's initiative, and he has hinted that he might take steps to return the lands to their previous management status.

Norton, asked today if she would recommend such a move, said, "the West was concerned about those decisions in large part because there was no consultation with the people whose lives were most affected by land withdrawals by the Clinton administration. I will be discussing those issues with the Senate as part of my confirmation hearings, and at this time I have no position on what the incoming administration will be doing as to those designations."

Norton was also asked about opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuse to oil and gas exploration, an initiative decried by environmentalists and hundreds of the nation's most eminent scientists. Norton worked to open the refuge during her previous tenure at the Interior Department, and the initiative was a central plank of Bush's campaign platform.

"That is an issue ... that I cannot comment on in terms of my own actions on that, but I do support the president in the positions that he has taken during his campaign," Norton said Friday.

Susan Lefever, director of the Sierra Club's Rocky Mountain Chapter, said that Norton was "not very strong in enforcing environmental laws as [Colorado] attorney general." Levefer noted that Norton was a strong supporter of the state's "self audit" law," which grants prosecutorial immunity to industries that voluntarily disclose their pollution laws violations to state regulators.

"That doesn't bode well for a Secretary of the Interior," said Lefever, who noted that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has vigorously objected to the Colorado statute.

REPUBLICAN ENVIROS CRITICAL OF NORTON

Norton also once chaired an organization known as the Coalition for Republican Environmental Advocates (CREA), which even Republican environmentalists have denounced as an environmental fraud. Anne Callison, a Colorado resident and a board member of the group Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP), called CREA "the original greenscam."

"From my perspective, CREA was a front for a 'wise use' group," Callison said. "They've done nothing to protect human health, the environment, or to conserve a single acre of wilderness in this country."

CREA was founded in 1998, and according to its mission statement, was "dedicated to fostering environmental protection by promoting fair, community based solutions to environmental challenges."

The group held a fundraising event that year in Washington, where the keynote address was delivered by then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Other noted Republican lawmakers who were associated with the organization included Alaska Congressman Don Young, and Idaho Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth.

According to the League of Conservation Voters, the environmental voting records of the CREA members were among the worst on Capitol Hill.

CREA was funded by corporations and lobbying organizations that have long been the bane of the environmental movement, such as the Coors Brewing Company, the American Forest Paper Association, the Chemical Manufacturers Association, the National Mining Association, and a host of petroleum companies.

The organization has also drew a sharp rebuke from Congressman Theodore Roosevelt IV, whose great-great grandfather is often heralded as the nation's most important environmental president. Congressman Roosevelt once declared that he was "not amused" that CREA had modeled its environmental "Teddy" award on his great-great grandfather.

Norton's affiliation with CREA, as well as her positions on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, were very troubling for Martha Marks, the president of Republicans for Environmental Protection.

"She does not have a good image among environmental organizations, including ours," Marks said. "We are going to give her a chance as Interior Secretary, but we have not bee encouraged by President elect Bush's environmental positions on many things."

More information about Norton and Bush's other Cabinet nominees is available on the incoming administration's website at: http://www.bushcheneytransition.com.

1/3/01
7:30:34 PM

World Environment News - January 2nd, 2001 from Planet Ark

Here are today's Reuters 'World Environment News' headlines, proudly brought to you by Planet Ark.

Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm

Columbia River runoff seen below normal in 2001 - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9407

Consumer groups question Calif. utilities rate hike demands - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9411

US environmentalists wary of Bush's Interior pick - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9412

UPDATE - Clinton delays new sanctions on Japan over whaling - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9413

Power outages persist in icy US heartland - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9414

Wildfire burning on snowless Alaska tundra - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9415

Saudi Arabia to introduce unleaded fuel from Monday - UAE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9417

Spain's 2000 electricity use jumps six percent - SPAIN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9409

FEATURE - Sacred river doubly dammed by pork-barrel Japan - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9410

INTERVIEW - Indian firm setting up 217-tonne gold refinery - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9416

Rautaruukki to cut Norwegian mercury air emissions - FINLAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9408

1/3/01
7:22:39 PM

RESPECT THE LAW FOUNDATION

RESTORING THE RIGHT TO VOTE ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS USE

"We have guided missiles and misguided men." Martin Luther King

Hello and welcome,

If you feel your vote didn't really count for president, make it count on another important issue on January 20th, 2001. That's when we hold our candlelight protest at the Pentagon against the power of the Commander-and-Chief to begin nuclear war without a vote from Congress first as required by Article I of the Constitution. On the evening of the inauguration, we are going to rise up and demand that the rule of law be respected when it comes to the most important decision a free people can ever make, when and if to go to atomic war. Because right now, not only won't your vote be counted against the start of that war, no one is even going to ask what you or Congress think about the matter.

But there is a plan to make our voices heard again on this issue and enforce the law of the Constitution to our favor. Demonstration Permit #0528 allows us to peacefully and legally gather at the Pentagon to bring national attention to Colorado Proposition #3, "The Citizen's Right To Review All Nuclear Weapons Use." If approved by the voters in the November 2001 election, it would require the state attorney general to begin a class-action lawsuit against the power of the president to start nuclear war on his word alone.

For the first time ever, the military establishment would have to justify their fossilized nuclear war fighting policy in the court of public opinion as well as a court of law. But the best part is that the lawsuit would question only the president's ability to instantly launch land-based missiles while leaving the bombers and submarine-based missiles still under his control. This allows for a slow and gradual legal inspection of a policy that is no longer in touch with the defense realities we face in the 21st Century and do so without leaving us vulnerable to potential attack. You can click here <initiative.html> to read Proposition #3 and learn that these missiles are not only still on hair-trigger alert despite the end of the Cold War, but that many are hidden inside Colorado right near our homes.

However, in order to get the word out to as many people as possible about the Pentagon protest, we need your help on January 6th, 2001 at noon. That's when we begin our signature drive at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder in front of the courthouse to get enough people to sign our petition to make it on the ballot for the fall. Even a small group of citizens showing up could convince the media to cover this event. Without this initial boost, we probably won't get any news coverage and our efforts will stall. And without that coverage, the hard truth is that our Pentagon protest will fail as well.

Now this may not be the best plan for restoring the rule of law and the voice of the citizens when it comes to nuclear war fighting systems left over from last century, but it is a workable plan with a set timetable. If you ever want your opinion to matter about the most import decision a free people can ever make, when and if to go to nuclear war, now is the time to take a stand. You might not get another chance, ever.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We sure would like to hear that we have some support for this effort. Thanks for your valuable time. Sincerely,

Mr. Page Penk Citizen and founder

RESPECT THE LAW FOUNDATION 641 Eldorado Blvd. #812 Broomfield, CO 80021 ppenk@indra.com

1/3/01
7:05:52 PM

Find out what this early critic had to say in A Far-Off Dream? d.. e.. http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,245366-412,00.shtml f.. A Far-Off Dream?

g.. Critics Sound Off On Missile Defense Program h.. Defense Contractor Under Fire From Former Employees i.. Many On Capitol Hill Support The Program

Dec. 26, 2000

CBS MIT's Ted Postol is critical of the missile defense program.

(CBS) Building an effective missile defense system will apparently be a top priority of the incoming Bush Administration.

When President-elect Bush announced he would nominate General Colin Powell to be secretary of state, one of Powell's first statements was that the country needs a missile defense to thwart the "blackmail" of enemies who have long-range missiles.

But as the Bush foreign policy team plans its dream defense, it might want to talk to MIT Professor Ted Postol, who says the whole system currently being tested by the Pentagon is fatally flawed. And he says the Defense Department and the Justice Department have known that for years.

"When I talk fraud, I'm being careful about the use of the word," said Postol. "I'm not saying there are people who have made a mistake, and I disagree with them....I'm saying that there are people who know that this system will not work and are trying to cover it up. That's what I'm saying here. So I am making a serious charge, I know that."

And Postol said Nira Schwartz provided him with the documents and data that prove it. In 1996, Schwartz was a senior staff engineer at TRW, a major defense contractor on the missile defense program. "That's when I saw that the technology will not perform to the level that TRW reported to the government," she said.

And Schwartz said she is still certain it will not work. "I did more and more tests, which confirmed that the technology does not work and will not work with the technology of today."

Schwartz, who was born in Israel, is an American citizen. She has a doctorate in physics and engineering and was hired by TRW to test the critical computer programs used to discriminate between warheads and decoys.

"The tests that I performed validated the level of performance of TRW to be only 10 percent of what they reported to the government," said Schartz. "They reported to the government 99.9 probability to differentiate the warhead out of the decoys and the replicas."

But when she tried to bring the discrepancies to her superiors' attention, Schwartz was let go, she said. "I say to my boss, 'It is wrong, what we are doing; it is wrong.' And the next day, I was fired."

Schwartz eventually sued TRW on behalf of the U.S. government, accusing the contractor of committing fraud and saying it "knowingly made false test plans, test procedures, test reports and presentations to the United States government...to remain in the...program."

The Justice Department could have joined the lawsuit, but, at the urging of the Defense Department, did not. In court documents, TRW rejected all of Schwartz's assertions. The company declined a request for an interview, but did send a written statement: "TRW scientists and engineers devoted years to this complex project, while Ms. Schwartz, in her six months with the company, worked a mere 40 hours....Her understanding of the decisions made about this program is insufficient to lend any credibility to her allegations."

But Roy Danchick believes Schwartz is very credible. Danchick is a mathematician who worked at TRW for 16 years. "She was fired because she pointed out to her superiors that the software, that the computer programs that they were building would not do the job of discrimination," he said.

Before retiring, Danchick worked in the aerospace industry for 40 years. At TRW, he worked on missile defense projects.

"I actually worked in the laboratory, in the computational laboratory, with the people who were doing discrimination," recalled Danchick. "And I watched them struggle and trying to massage the data, and that's scientifically, statistically, mathematically impermissible."

When the Pentagon started to look into these charges, it asked Danchick to contribute to an investigative report. "It is not a crime in the research and development process to build...a failed computer program," he said. "That's part of the process. What is a crime is to claim that a failed computer program actually works, does the job. That's fraud."

A Pentagon criminal investigator did extensive interviews with Danchick and Schwartz. For three years after she was fired, Schwartz was allowed to keep her security clearance so that she could monitor the work at TRW with the criminal investigator. That criminal investigator concluded and reported back to the Department of Defense that there is "absolute irrefutable scientific proof that TRW's discrimination technology does not, cannot and will not work." He accused TRW of "knowingly covering up its failure."

"I think Nira's telling the truth, and I think that the contractor, TRW, and the government, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, the Pentagon, for whatever reasons - and I, I've thought long and hard about it - I think they are not telling the truth," said Danchick.

The criminal investigator, who is now retired, complained to the Pentagon repeatedly that it was ignoring his findings against TRW. CBS News asked Lt. General Ron Kadish - the man now in charge of the missile defense program - about that investigation.

"We take every accusation of that nature very seriously, and this happened in 1996, I believe," said Kadish. "And my predecessors put a team together of experts to make sure that we understood the nature of the allegations."

That team of experts concluded that TRW's computer programs for the infrared sensors were "well designed and work properly" provided that the Pentagon does not have wrong information about what kind of warheads and decoys an enemy is using.

The reports that came out from that investigation concluded there was no merit to the allegations being made at the time.

TRW also said it was cleared by a second review panel, but CBS News has been unable to obtain that report.

Now TRW is no longer working on the infrared sensor project. But Postol says the proof that the Pentagon has not solved this basic problem is that it has had to change the way it uses balloon decoys in its tests. "What they've done is remove the decoys that are most capable from the test series, substituted objects that are easily identified as decoys. And then they're going about creating what I consider to be a deception, that they can tell the difference between warheads and decoys," said Postol.

The Pentagon has shifted its position in the Schwartz matter and now says it is not closed, that there is an ongoing investigation of defense contractor TRW. The General Accounting Office has also launched an investigation and interviewed witnesses. At the urging of more than 50 congressmen, the FBI has begun a preliminary inquiry.

But the missile defense program also has hundreds of supporters on Capitol Hill - none more outspoken than Congressman Curt Weldon, R-Pa. "If we don't build a new aircraft carrier, we have older ones. If we don't build a new fighter plane, we have older ones. If we don't build a new tank, we have older ones. If we don't build missile defense, we have nothing," said Weldon.

Weldon responded to Postol's allegations that the anti-missile defense system will not work. "There are also Flat Earth Society people who also believed that the Earth was flat years ago, and there were scientists who made the case against John Kennedy that it was crazy, we'd never land on the moon. And I characterize Ted Postol now as one of those people," said Weldon.

But it isn't just Postol who holds this view. Fifty Nobel Prize winners signed a letter to the president calling the system ineffective and a grave danger to the nation's security.

"Well, I don't know any of them that's come to Congress or to me," responded Weldon. "I've not seen one of their faces. I mean, you know, it's easy to get anyone to sign a letter. I sign letters all the time."

Kadish conceded there is a lot of pressure for this project to succeed and much of that comes from politicians. "I have to say that this is a very passionate subject for many years," said Kadish. "Certainly the drive for missile defense has a political dimension to it. But that's our system. We have to decide as a country what it is we want for a defense."

"There are a lot of ways to try to solve a missile defense program in particular that we need to try because it's unprecedented technology. Right now, from what I see, there's no reason to believe that we can't make this work. But there's a lot more testing to be done. There's a lot more effort to be expended," he said.

The next test is scheduled for the first half of next year. Critics say the missile defense system would violate a major arms treaty with Russia.

Just last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that building the system would lead to a collapse of international security.

1/3/01
7:05:00 PM

"60 Minutes II" Transcript On NMD Fraud, Lies http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,245328-412,00.shtml

America's Dream Defense

a.. Critics Say The Missile Defense System Is Flawed b.. Claim Contractors Fraudulently Covered Up Failures c.. 60 Minutes II Observes Latest Missile Test, A Failure

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2000

CBS A rocket carrying a kill vehicle stands by during the latest missile defense test.

(CBS) With the election of George W. Bush as president, the top brass at the Pentagon have high hopes that their dream defense may be closer to reality.

For years now, the military has been trying to develop a shield-over-the-nation missile defense system, one that could destroy incoming warheads in space - warheads with nuclear or biological weapons. The Clinton administration has been lukewarm about the $60 billion-plus system.

But President-elect Bush and Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell believe even more resources should be spent on this missile defense.

As 60 Minutes II initially reported in October, the Pentagon allowed it to watch the most elaborate test yet of its latest system - a test using real rockets. The Pentagon was so confident that this new system would work, it agreed on July 8 to let Dan Rather watch its most elaborate test yet - one using real rockets and sophisticated computer technology. The plan was to launch a real rocket over the Pacific carrying a mock warhead similar to one an enemy would use to attack and destroy Los Angeles or Chicago or New York.

But there is also a group of leading scientists who believe the whole plan is fatally flawed and a bit of a fraud. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- To the Pentagon, this missile defense system would be America's dream defense: a shield that would withstand virtually any strike, with more countries developing nuclear and biological weapons. The intelligence community believes a rocket carrying a nuclear or germ warhead could be shot at the United States within five years by North Korea or Iran, and a few years later by Iraq.

Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish is in charge of building a ballistic missile defense system to defend the country against such potential enemies. The test July 8 was intended to be similar to a real missile attack. "It simulates all the things that have to happen in a combat situation," Kadish said.

The Pentagon's sophisticated and highly classified secret weapon for a real combat situation is called a "kill vehicle." It is designed to find and destroy the enemy warhead high above the surface of the Earth.

In the event of a missile assault, Pentagon radar systems are supposed to track the enemy warhead. Then the United States would launch the defensive rocket. In space, it would eject the kill vehicle, which would close in on the enemy warhead at a combined speed of 15,000 mph. It is called hitting a bullet with a bullet.

Kadish knew there was a lot riding on the July demonstration. "The test is about $100 million so we want to make sure that it counts," he said.

In an earlier test last year, the Pentagon destroyed a warhead in space, but critics claim that one was oversimplified and inconclusive.

And a previous test was a failure. The kill vehicle missed its target, providing more ammunition for the Pentagon's critics that this is an expensive, unworkable boondoggle.

The most outspoken critic, Ted Postol, said Kadish's system is doomed to fail. "Spending resources on doing serious scientific work on problems that are related to the ballistic missile defense problem is a perfectly appropriate thing for the United States to be doing," said Postol before the July 8 test.

"But we're not doing that. We're building things that have no chance of working instead," noted the physicist and MIT professor who was formerly a top U.S. Navy scientist.

The White House has called Postol arrogant, and even his colleagues say he is blunt and in your face.

But Postol does have a track record. In 1991, during the Gulf War, the Pentagon was claiming that its Patriot missiles were 90 percent effective in shooting down Saddam Hussein's crude but deadly SCUD missiles. After the war, Postol was the one concluding that the Patriots were nearly a complete failure.

"We analyzed at MIT the Patriot performance," explained Postol. "And our analysis indicated that the Patriots probably did not destroy a single SCUD warhead. Probably, the performance was zero."

After Postol's analysis, the Pentagon sharply lowered its estimate on the Patriot's performance.

According to Postol, the Defense Department is misleading the public again about missile defense. He said the stakes are much higher this time.

"Because if this system doesn't work, millions of people would die. This is a system that's supposed to defend people from nuclear attack. And if it doesn't work, lots of people would die," Postol said.

Since the early 1980s, said Postol, the Pentagon has accomplished very little in its effort to destroy enemy warheads in space - an effort that intensified when President Reagan talked about the initiative nicknamed "Star Wars."

During the Reagan years, the U.S. Defense Department went on a spending spree, trying to build a shield in space to defend against a massive Soviet nuclear attack. There were gadgets called brilliant pebbles to smash enemy warheads and ground-based lasers. Billions of dollars were spent on research but no effective missile defense system was ever built.

Now the Pentagon wants to funnel billions more into the new "kill vehicle" program. But there are reasons the system may not work. Before launching a rocket, an enemy can pack deflated balloons into it; later they are inflated and deployed with the warhead. The balloons camouflage the warhead or hide it; they can even be designed to completely enclose the warhead, making it virtually disappear.

"And these decoys are designed to make it difficult, or impossible, for the defense to understand where the warhead is relative to the decoys," Postol said.

And Postol believes if another country's military forces can reach the point where they can manufacture intercontinental ballistic missiles and the nuclear warheads to put on their tips, then it's safe to assume they can manufacture the decoys.

Out in space, the decoys and warheads look much the same, like distant points of flickering light, Postol said. And the infrared sensors on the kill vehicle couldn't be depended upon to tell them apart, he added.

"Although I can't see any feature, they're just a point of light, they might look a little brighter or dimmer," said Postol. "But the balloons are going to fluctuate in a way that's very similar to the way the warhead fluctuates. So the warheads and decoys all look roughly alike."

The professor said the Pentagon can do the difficult job of shooting down a warhead in space - of hitting a bullet with a bullet - but not if the warhead is surrounded by decoys. "If it can't tell the difference between warheads and decoys with a very, very high confidence, the system will collapse catastrophically."

Kadish wanted to prove that Postol was wrong with the July 8 test.

After midnight on July 8, at the underground command center at the Pentagon, it was almost time to launch a simulated nuclear attack on the United States.

And Kadish's job was to shoot that target down. If this had been a real attack the response time would be short, he said. "The decision makers...would probably have five to eight minutes to decide to enable the system."

Twenty-one minutes after the launch of the enemy rocket, it was time for Kadish's team to launch the second rocket, the defensive rocket with the kill vehicle.

"The interceptor launched and got off pretty good. So it's off to intercept. There it's going. And so we want to see it at a point in space where that 'kill vehicle' can open its infrared sensors and find the target and intercept," said Kadish as he monitored its progress.

The infrared sensors had to tell the difference between the warhead and the decoys. In earlier tests, several balloon decoys were used. But in this test there was only one decoy. "It's more than zero," said Kadish. "And just as we don't go supersonic on our first flight test of an airplane; we want to take this a step at a time."

The Pentagon's critics say the sensors are so essential to this system that tests are useless unless Kadish can prove the sensors can discriminate between the decoy and the warhead.

But as things turned out, Kadish was not able to even test those much-criticized sensors. First, the one balloon decoy, designed to confuse the kill vehicle, did not inflate properly.

"So the decoy is not going to look exactly like what we expected. It presents a problem for the system that we didn't expect," said Kadish.

The general wasn't happy, but a few minutes later, he had an even bigger problem. The kill vehicle was still attached to its booster rocket - unable to separate for some reason - and therefore was unable to even try to intercept the enemy warhead.

If this had been a real attack, the warhead would have continued on to its target.

The July 8 test failed more fundamentally than even Postol could have imagined. But to him, the missile system is just another in a long list of failures dating back to tests in the Reagan years.

"In Star Wars we were talking about X-ray lasers and they didn't work," said Postol. "We were talking about deuterium fluoride space-based lasers. They didn't work. We were talking about hydrogen fluoride lasers in space, and they didn't work. We were talking about neutral particle beams, and they didn't work. We were talking about charged particle beams, and they didn't work, just went on and on and on. Now we're down to interceptors, and they don't work."

And Postol said the Defense Department has known that for years. One woman was warning the Pentagon back in 1996 that a major defense contractor was lying when it said the infrared sensor technology did work, Postol said.

1/3/01
7:03:57 PM

To view the entire article, go to http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64231-2000Dec29.html

From Missile Defense to a Space Arms Race? By Walter Pincus Washington Post Staff Writer December 30, 2000

Donald Rumsfeld, President-elect Bush's nominee for secretary of defense, is a leading proponent not only of national missile defenses, but also of U.S. efforts to take control of outer space by developing technology to attack and defend satellites in orbit. Together, these initiatives could bring a dramatic militarization of space over the next two decades, a prospect that some defense experts have long urged and others have passionately condemned. The Pentagon is using national missile defense "as a wedge to accelerate our activities in space," charged Bruce Blair, head of the nonprofit Center for Defense Information. "It is inevitable," countered Richard Haass, a National Security Council staff member in the first Bush administration and now head of national security programs at the Brookings Institution. The combination of missile defenses and America's growing dependency on satellites "means space is no longer a sanctuary and is too central that we won't be challenged" by other countries developing anti-satellite weapons, Haass said. The system that the Clinton administration was developing to protect the 50 states from ballistic missile attack would have been strictly land-based, with interceptor missiles launched from Alaska. It was to include some satellites for tracking enemy missiles, but no weapons based in space. President-elect Bush, on the other hand, has said his administration will strive for a far more ambitious shield, possibly using space-based weaponry. Such weapons do not yet exist, but the United States has been working for years on powerful lasers that might someday be mounted on aircraft or satellites. Rumsfeld chaired a commission that helped build political support for national missile defense by issuing a 1998 report warning that Iran and North Korea were closer than previously believed to having missiles that could reach the United States. Now, another congressionally mandated commission headed by Rumsfeld is finishing a report on threats to U.S. satellites, which are increasingly vital to military and civilian communications. The report, expected in mid-January, will endorse "U.S. control of space, including defending our own satellites and engaging those of any enemy," according to a colleague of Rumsfeld. In a press conference announcing his nomination Thursday, Rumsfeld himself listed "defense of our space assets" as one of his top priorities. John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a defense research organization, said some members of Congress pushed for the latest commission because they think the United States should be working harder to develop "anti-satellite weapons, lasers and other space weapons" and should consider establishing "a separate space force, much as we have a separate air force." In Pike's opinion, however, putting weapons in space would be "a singularly misguided track when we are the only nation with satellites worth shooting at." Other countries -- particularly Russia and China, but also many U.S. allies -- oppose the U.S. missile defense effort and warn that it could set off an international arms race in space. If the United States builds a missile shield, "space will become a new weapons base and battlefield," Sha Zukang, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's disarmament department, said in June. "Since other big powers will not sit and look on unconcerned, this will inevitably mean the extension of the arms race into space." The Outer Space Treaty, signed in 1967 by the United States and other major powers, prohibits placing nuclear weapons in orbit. The 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which Bush wants to change or discard, outlaws space-based lasers to attack strategic intercontinental missiles, and a side agreement signed in 1997 in Helsinki carries that concept over to theater missiles. But no treaty bans anti-satellite weapons, which both the United States and Russia have been researching and testing for more than 20 years. The original impetus for developing these so-called ASATs was the prospect of space-based missile defense systems. When President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, or "Star Wars," plan was dropped by the first Bush administration, the race to develop ASATs receded back to research. Last August, the Army used a ground-based chemical laser to hit an aging U.S. military satellite in an apparent ASAT test that officials claimed had not been cleared in advance by the White House or State Department. When the test was publicized, the Pentagon said its purpose was to develop defenses for U.S. satellites. Russian diplomats, however, complained that the United States was preparing for war in space. The fiscal 2001 Defense Department budget contains funds for numerous Army and Air Force ASAT programs, including $20 million for the Army's ground-based kinetic energy anti-satellite technology program, which began more than 20 years ago. An additional $5 million is marked "for the development of space control technologies that emphasize reversible or temporary effects." Some $30 million is allocated to prepare Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico as the central management point for the Pentagon's directed-energy laser programs. The Air Force's Satellite Assessment Center, which studies satellites and their vulnerabilities, already is located at Kirtland. The budget also contains $73.2 million for a space-based laser program and $37.5 million for high-energy laser tests similar to the one last August. A classified $3 million research program called Big Crow could lead to devices that could "impede" enemy satellite operations, according to a congressional source. Some experts contend that if there is an arms race in space, it will be far cheaper to develop offensive weapons than defensive ones. "Chinese strategists consider U.S. reliance on communications, reconnaissance and navigation satellites as a potential Achilles' heel," Maj. Mark A. Stokes, a Pentagon expert on China who was assistant air attache in Beijing from 1992 to 1995, wrote last year. Stokes said Chinese aerospace officials have argued that an anti-satellite capability is "easier to develop than ballistic missile defense systems." The cost to China, he estimated, would be about $30 million for ground facilities and roughly $4 million per interceptor that could destroy a $1 billion U.S. missile defense satellite. The Soviet Union, which first tested an ASAT in 1968, developed a workable version by the mid-1980s, although it was limited to attacking low-orbit satellites. A comparable American ASAT, launched from an F-15 fighter, consisted of a miniature homing device on a two-stage rocket that used ground-based radar directions to hit the target satellite. As recently as in the 1980s, scientists were also considering so-called space mines -- satellites containing explosives that could be placed in orbit, maneuvered and detonated from Earth. Air Force Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart, head of the U.S. Space Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee last spring that "the dependence of our national security on orbiting satellites" makes them "a tempting target for terrorism and adversarial military operations." Eberhart's predecessor at Space Command, Gen. Richard B. Meyers, also said last year that several countries were developing satellite-blinding lasers, missiles capable of dispersing shrapnel in the path of satellites and jammers to foil the U.S. Global Positioning Satellite system, which has both military and commercial uses. "We are going to have to protect our assets in space," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael E. Ryan told reporters last summer. "In the next 25 years, I see us moving into a substantial defensive requirement in space."

1/3/01
6:58:48 PM

http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/00.12/ferencz-lettertoclinton.html Letter to President Clinton from Nuremberg Chief Prosecutor Ben Ferencz

President William Jefferson Clinton The White House, Pennsylvania Ave. Washington D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

Over 53 years ago, I was the Chief Prosecutor in a trial brought by the United States in Nuremberg against 22 SS leaders who were convicted of murdering over a million people in cold blood. I fought in every campaign in Europe in World War II and gathered evidence in Nazi death camps. Since then, my life has been dedicated to making this a more humane and peaceful world. On this, "Veteran's Day" I appeal to you as President and Commander-in-Chief, to exercise your constitutional authority by signing the Rome Treaty for the creation of an International Criminal Court (ICC).

I recall how thousands cheered at the Dodd Center in Connecticut in 1995, when you said: "Nuremberg was a crucial first step... Now it falls to our generation to make good on its promise..we have to do it,... we must do it...We have an obligation to carry forward the lessons of Nuremberg. " When you addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations on Sept.22, 1997, you told the world:...: "before the century ends, we should establish a permanent international court to prosecute the most serious violations of humanitarian law."

After you sign the treaty, it will be up to your successor to determine whether further measures may be warranted before submission of the treaty to the Senate for its consent before it can be ratified. There will be ample time to debate the details. Your signing now will be an important affirmation that you have not abandoned principles you have so eloquently enunciated. It will help allay fears of small States that feel threatened by misguided Congressional proposals to impose sanctions against any nation that dares to support the ICC. It will uphold the integrity and reputation of our government as a leading champion of the rule of law.

I am mindful and respectful of objections raised by some members of Congress and the Pentagon. As a 1943 Harvard law graduate and author of countless books and articles on this subject (See my web-site,) it is my considered judgment that such fears are exaggerated and misplaced. The treaty has been found acceptable by many of our staunchest allies. A comprehensive American Academy of Arts and Sciences study, including leading U.S. military and academic experts, concluded that failure to sign now "will miss an opportunity of serious dimensions. And the loss will have an impact on U.S. national interests far beyond the work of prosecuting war crimes." With every good wish,

Sincerely,

Benjamin Ferencz

For more information on Benjamin Ferencz visit his web site http://members.aol.com/BENFEREN and read our Peace Hero Essay on his life.

1/3/01
6:54:56 PM

JOHN HAGELIN'S NEW YEAR MESSAGE

I wish to thank all my dear friends for your hard work, generosity, and moral support during our historic 2000 Campaign. While clearly our work has just begun, I think we should all feel proud of our achievements.

Millions of voters cast their ballots for our Natural Law Party/Independence Party candidates, and many of these candidates were within striking distance of victory, with vote totals up to 30%. We raised over $4 million and built a network of 30,000 activists and volunteers. Most important, we set the example for true coalitional politics--and thus laid the foundation for a powerful, broad-based movement that represents millions of independent voters.

Having toiled in the trenches of independent politics for more than eight years, I can personally attest that these are remarkable achievements.

While my heroic friends and colleagues in the Natural Law and Independence Parties are striving to consolidate our gains, expand our coalition, and prepare for the future, I will rededicate myself for the next few years to foundational research--laying the foundations in the deep knowledge of natural law and natural-law based solutions that will offer Americans a new and higher form of leadership.

Natural law is universally nourishing. Government truly in accord with natural law can, through win-win solutions that transcend partisan politics, balance and fulfill the diverse needs of all citizens. An intrinsic weakness of our winner-take-all democracy is that leaders are elected with as little as 51% of the vote. These elected leaders, who lack our win-win solutions, are ready to sacrifice the interests of the minority for the sake of their 51% majority. Still worse, in the recent U.S. election, only 49% of voters cast ballots for George W. Bush--which was only 25% of eligible voters. We elected a leader who is poised to sacrifice the majority for the sake of a small but financially powerful minority.

So I will work with the elected leadership and will continue to promote win-win solutions that are life-supporting and sustainable. In addition, under the auspices of my Brain Research Institute, I will resume my research in the vital field of human consciousness and its full development. America's problems are human problems, born of the tragic underutilization of our full mental and emotional potential. To survive and progress in this new millennium, we must better harness this, our most precious, national resource--the full creativity and intelligence our 281 million citizens.

The final frontier of scientific research is consciousness. As a physicist and brain researcher, I must report that our scientific understanding of consciousness is quite primitive. Indeed, there is no physical explanation of "mind" in terms of the known particles and forces, causing many physical scientists to deny the very existence of consciousness.

I am excited to have embarked on the development of a true physics of mind, because of its potentially profound implications for education, crime prevention, and other areas of public policy. I feel fortunate to have assembled a superb team of world-class physicists, physiologists, and neuroscientists to tackle this traditionally thorny subject.

For those who are interested in following our progress, there will be periodic updates posted on my website, http://www.hagelin.org.

Please stay in close touch! I treasure our friendship and, of course, remain deeply, dynamically committed to the crucial democratic work we have begun. Despite my global travels, you will find me generally more accessible now than during our hectic campaign. I am also available to speak, from time to time, should a suitable forum arise.

Wishing you the greatest success and happiness in the New Year,

John Hagelin

1/3/01
6:52:25 PM

STUDY DISPROVES "JOBS VS. ENVIRONMENT" MYTH; STATES RANKED ON ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

States with the best environmental records also offer the best job opportunities and climate for long-term economic development. That's the conclusion of a study released today by the Institute for Southern Studies, a non-profit research center in Durham, North Carolina."In the 2000 elections, political leaders were still debating about whether protecting the environment will cost jobs," says Chris Kromm, a co-author of the report and Director of the Institute. "What this study finds is that the trade-off myth is untrue. At the state policy level, efforts to promote a healthy environment and a sound economy go hand-in-hand."The study, entitled Gold and Green 2000, uses two separate lists of indicators to evaluate each state's economic performance, and the stresses on the natural environment. The 20 economic indicators include annual pay, job opportunities, business start-ups, and workplace injury rates; the 20 environmental measures range from toxic emissions and pesticide use, to energy consumption and urban sprawl. [For complete results, please visit www.southernstudies.org] Keith Ernst, J.D., Research Director at the Institute, and Jaffer Battica, a research associate, were the other co-authors.The report ranks states on each indicator, and the sum of ranks produces a state's final score. Comparing the two lists reveals remarkable correlations: Seven states rank in the top 15 for both economic and environmental health. Vermont, Rhode Island and Minnesota rank in the top six on both lists. Other "top performers" with high marks on both scales are Colorado, Maryland, Maine, and Wisconsin. Conversely, 10 states - mostly in the South - are among the worst 15 on both lists. For example, Louisiana ranks 48th on economic performance and 50th on the environment. Others in the cellar are: Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina.

Gold and Green 2000 is an updated version of a similar study authored by the Institute in 1994. The original study had similar findings, and the authors observe that comparisons of the 1994 and 2000 reports offer a useful yardstick for gauging which states are improving - or falling behind - on their environmental and economic records. For example:*** While there was some jockeying among "bottom performers" - those ranking in the lower 15 on both environmental and economic scales - since the 1994 edition of the study, only two states managed to escape from the bottom of the barrel in 2000: Ohio and Oklahoma.Since 1994, the list of environmental and economic "top performers" - those with high environmental and economic scores - has seen more turn-over, with Rhode Island and Maine adding themselves to the honor role. While New Hampshire and Massachusetts continue to post strong economic numbers, greater environmental threats removed them from the top of the list. Similarly, the strong environmental records of Hawaii and Oregon could not offset these states' sub-par economic performance."Now we have two similar studies that point to the same conclusion: states can have a strong economy and protect the environment," co-author Ernst says. "And states that sacrifice their natural resources for quick-fix development aren't improving their long-term economic prospects."

The study comes at a time when bitter battles have broken out over the supposed conflict between jobs and the environment. For example, in June of this year, national African-American and Latino labor leaders released a widely-reported study - commissioned by the coal industry-backed Center for Energy and Economic Development - opposing the Kyoto global climate treaty due to a perceived threat to "Black and Hispanic jobs." Across the country, local conflicts have pitted environmentalists against logging businesses, chemical companies, and other industries, who in turn raise the specter of job losses due to environmental standards.But Gold and Green 2000 joins a growing chorus of experts who argue that, while businesses may invoke the "jobs versus the environment" trade-off to resist regulation, the myth is unfounded. For one, environmental regulation comes at a small cost."Even in the most highly regulated industries, the cost tops out at two to three percent of total operating costs," says Dr. James Barrett, environmental economist at the Economic Policy Institute. "Clearly, when industry says its going to shut down or move, it's not the environmental laws that are causing this."Barrett also observes that steps can easily be taken to prevent economic dislocation. When environmental standards do impact industry - most frequently, companies that are already in decline - the answer is not to prolong the life of polluting or unsustainable businesses, but to ensure a "just transition" of workers to new jobs."Many people are talking about 'just transition' today, but there's been little effort to devise policies that work," Barrett says. As a model, he points to the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act, enacted in the 1960s and designed to assist workers laid off due to trade agreements. The Act has been little-used by workers, mostly because it provides no income support to supplement the training it offers to employees seeking new jobs - an oversight that could be easily fixed."This study shows that sustainable development is a matter of political will," says Kromm of the Institute. "States that protect their natural resources also cherish their human resources. And states seeking quick-fix, unsustainable development end up sacrificing both workers and the environment."Founded in 1970, the Institute for Southern Studies is a non-profit research, education and publishing center dedicated to constructive change in the region. The Institute flagship journal, Southern Exposure, has earned a national reputation for its coverage of politics and culture, and is a winner of the National Magazine Award, George Polk Award, among other honors..

For final Gold and Green rankings, state-by-state profiles, and annotated sources, please visit www.southernstudies.org Copies of "Gold and Green 2000" are available online, or by sending $25 to: ISS Reports, PO Box 531, Durham, NC 27702.

1/3/01
6:51:31 PM

By KIM MURPHY, Times Staff Writer

RICHLAND, Wash.--For five years during the 1960s, researchers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation took spent fuel from the plant's bomb- making reactors and conducted a series of radiochemistry experiments. Once the work was finished, the fuel--so radioactive it couldn't be handled except by remote control--was buried in three underground trenches. And there it remained, largely forgotten. Until last year, when routine surveys found tritium--known to cause birth defects--at concentrations 90 times the federal drinking water standard in a nearby well. By last month, the level of tritium in the ground water had increased fourfold. The well lies 3 1/2 miles from the Columbia River, the greatest river of the American West, the waterway that irrigates 1 million acres of prime farmland in two states and nurtures 80% of the fall chinook salmon harvested in Alaska and British Columbia. Tests of other wells have shown that the potent tritium seep hasn't moved more than a quarter-mile from the burial site. Still, Hanford officials say that the contamination could reach the river in as little as three years. What's more disturbing is what may follow. Tritium is one of the fastest-moving radionuclides and may merely be the scout. Far more deadly nuclear wastes likely are not far behind. Nowhere has the Cold War's legacy lingered so poisonously as it has at the 560-square-mile Hanford reservation, operated by the federal government for more than 40 years to produce plutonium for nuclear bombs. It is the most contaminated place in North America, with 80% of the spent nuclear fuel in the Department of Energy's inventory--2,100 metric tons in all--stored in a pair of aging basins, some of their fuel canisters crumbling and corroded. Deteriorating underground tanks a few miles away hold 54 million gallons of radioactive soup that over the years has made its way into the ground water....

excerpts:

How far has it leaked? There is already some tritium in the Columbia River, measurable in Richland's drinking water supply--although at well below federal safety standards. Mulberry bushes measured along the Hanford shore also have shown substantial amounts of strontium-90 and thorium, in addition to other toxic contaminants such as chromium. None of it, federal officials believe, is enough to jeopardize public health. The Columbia's vast flows so far have diluted the contamination to well within federal standards. But imagine what it will be like in 10 or 20 years, say Washington state officials, who are pushing for increased cleanup efforts. Under the most optimistic scenario, the Energy Department says it can clean up 10% of Hanford's leaky tanks by 2018. The rest of the waste won't be hauled away for 40 to 50 more years. What of removing the tanks themselves? No plan. Target date for completely removing contamination around the tank farms and plutonium processing plants? Never. The magnitude of cleaning up the plants that manufactured America's atomic weapon arsenal--facilities such as the Idaho National Laboratory, the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, Rocky Flats near Denver and Hanford--only recently has begun to be understood. While the DOE expects to spend at least $186 billion over the next 70 years cleaning up 53 sites across the country, there is a growing realization that many of them will never be completely safe. In fact, there are more than 100 sites nationwide with contamination that will require long-term stewardship. At places such as Hanford and Savannah River, it means keeping some of the gates locked forever. At a number of other sites, it means setting up agreements with local governments to make sure that, maybe half a century down the road, somebody doesn't unwittingly decide to build a housing tract or dig a well atop a buried store of poison. "As the years go by, people are starting to realize that the non- cleanup cleanup is all there's going to be. The fact is that we don't know how to clean up some things," said Katherine Probst of Resources for the Future, a nonpartisan group in Washington, D.C., that studies environmental issues. ...

The DOE has awarded a $6.9-billion contract to British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. to build a plant to treat the first 10% of the radioactive wastes. But scientists for the National Research Council already have expressed doubts. Retrieving the waste from the damaged tanks, they warn, could end up spilling just as much as already has leaked into the ground over the years, about 1 million gallons. It would be hard to imagine a more treacherous chemical stew: An estimated 190 million curies of radioactivity (2-millionths of a curie of plutonium is deadly if it gets in a person's lungs) mix with various highly toxic compounds within the giant steel-lined tanks buried up to 30 feet underground. Most of the cement shells are 30 years beyond their design life. Inside, the waste has curdled and boiled, forming volatile gas deposits and toxic crusts atop the liquid. A total of 149 of the 177 tanks were built with a single steel shell. Of those, 69 already have leaked. For the rest, Hanford officials admit, it is probably only a matter of time. Some progress has been made. More than half of the 77 million gallons in the most hazardous single-shell tanks has been pumped into relatively safer double-shell vessels. "We will have all the liquids we can get out of the single-shell tanks by 2004," said Jon Peschong of Hanford's office of river protection. But that may be scant reason for relief. At least one of the double-shelled tanks has shown signs of deterioration. And none of the tanks should be considered safe storage, Hanford officials say. Only in the last few years have scientists begun to understand how serious a threat Hanford poses to the Columbia River, thanks in large part to a pair of engineers who resisted the government's long-held assertion to the contrary. ... . The first thing he did was put Brodeur to work examining the soil below the storage tanks. Brodeur and Ruud started on the 15 tanks at the SX farm, probing 130 feet into the ground. "What we found . . . was contamination so hot it swamped our equipment. We couldn't even read it," Ruud recalls. Not until two years later, in November 1997, did Hanford's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory officially admit that "mobile" tank waste appeared to have reached the ground water 10 miles from the Columbia River. And there was more: Two contaminants, tritium and nitrate, which move as rapidly as water through the soil, already had reached the river. So far, ground-water manager Mike Thompson says, there is no indication that the worst stuff--radionuclides such as uranium, technetium-99 and cobalt-60--have made it as far as the river. The worst tank waste is probably still 20 years away, he believes. But a disturbing alarm was sounded in October, when the highest ground-water level of technetium-99 ever found at Hanford--38 times the federal drinking water standard--was discovered near one of the leaky single-shell tanks. Technetium-99 is one of the compounds that moves fastest through the soil. And then came last month's finding that tritium in the well near the old research and development disposal trenches was at the highest levels ever recorded on the Hanford site. The fact that other wells nearby showed only slight levels of contamination was a relief, but only a temporary one. Norm Buske is an oceanographer and physicist who has conducted radiation surveys all along the Columbia shore for the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit group that supports whistle- blowers. He says his data show that the Hanford contamination may be moving much more quickly toward the river than previously believed, through a series of fast-track underground channels. Already, Buske's Geiger counter readings have documented elevated levels of strontium-90 in mulberry bushes along the river, and near salmon nesting areas on the river bottom. The government's preliminary studies have shown no negative effects on young salmon hatchlings so far. They say the strontium-90 found in mulberries along the river most likely came from contaminated soil and not migrating ground water. "It gets into the river and it's into everything: the fish, the food chain. The grapes, the apples, the cherries, the potatoes," warned Tom Carpenter, the Government Accountability Project's specialist on Hanford. "But there's a deep sickness in the whole system out there. The whole purpose of the apparatus at Hanford is not to find the problem. It's not to fix the problem. It's to assure the public that there isn't a problem."

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1/3/01
6:49:04 PM

Instructions for Life in the new millennium from the Dalai Lama:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self, respect for others responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

1/3/01
6:33:53 PM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com

"We Cover the Earth For You"

BUSH TAPS WATT PROTEGE FOR INTERIOR

By Brian Hansen

WASHINGTON, DC, December 29, 2000 (ENS) - In a move that sent shock waves through the environmental community, President elect George W. Bush today nominated Gale Norton to head up the Department of the Interior in his incoming administration. Norton, who served as attorney general for the state of Colorado for eight years, is a protege of James Watt, President Ronald Reagan's highly controversial Interior Secretary.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-29-15.html

NEW MILLENNIUM BRINGS SEARCH FOR NEW LIFE ON EARTH

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, December 29, 2000 (ENS) - What do Costa Rican caterpillars, West African arthropods and the Yucatan's flooded inland marine caves have in common? The answer is that scientists know next to nothing about any of them.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-29-10.html

PEURTO RICO RESORT FINED FOR DUMPING SEWAGE INTO SEA

By Cat Lazaroff

GUÁNICA, Puerto Rico, December 29, 2000 (ENS) - The owner of the Copamarina Beach Resort in Guánica, Puerto Rico, and one of the corporations that operated the hotel, have pled guilty to felony violations of the Clean Water Act for discharging sewage into the Caribbean Sea.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-29-06.html

JAPANESE REACTOR RISKS CATASTROPHE, WARNS REPORT

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, December 29, 2000 (ENS) - Plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel produced in Europe and intended for a Japanese reactor will increase the risks of a catastrophic nuclear accident if used, says a report released in The Netherlands this week.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-29-11.html

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE: AMERISCAN DECEMBER 29, 2000

Personal Watercraft Industry Fighting Jet Ski Ban

Puerto Rico Health Clinic Fined for Air Pollution

Ten Worst Corporations of 2000 Named by "Multinational Monitor"

Animals Win Big in 2000

National Park Service Releases 2000 "Management Policies"

Record Number of Rare Plants Found in Ohio

Nitrous Oxide Concentrations Increasing in High Plains Aquifer

"Pole To Pole" Spending New Year's Eve at South Pole

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-29-09.html

1/3/01
6:32:24 PM

Subject: Fwd: Support 3 lawsuits against Pacifica Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 12:13:14 -0500

Friends, from Carol Spooner:

There are currently 3 lawsuits pending against Pacifica Foundation and its directors:

UMBRELLA FUND -- Tax Deductible contributions (in any amount) that will be divided equally between all 3 lawsuits can be sent to: Free Pacifica Legal Action/Vanguard Fund 383 Rhode Island Street, Suite 301 San Francisco, CA 94103.

You can also contribute to the lawsuits separately if you wish by sending contributions as follows:

1) 21 LAB members from 4 of 5 Pacifica local station boards, Adelson et al v Pacifica Foundation, et al. Non-Tax deductible contributions can be sent to: Siegel & Yee Trust Account 499-14th Street, Suite 220 Oakland, CA 94612 for more information contact Dave Adelson dadelson@ucla.edu

2) 2 Pacifica Directors, Rob Robinson (WPFW) and Aaron Kriegel (KPFK), Robinson et al. v Pacifica Foundation, et al. Non-Tax deductible contributions can be sent to: Kenneth N. Frucht Trust Account 660 Market Street, Suite 300 San Francisco, CA 94104 for more information contact Rob Robinson robrobin@erols.com

3) 12 Pacifica Station listener-sponsors from all 5 Pacifica stations, People ex rel Spooner et al. v Pacifica Foundation, et al. Non-Tax deductible contributions can be sent to Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board 1136 Wild Rose Drive Santa Rosa, CA 95401 for more information contact Carol Spooner wildrose@pon.net web page http://home.pon.net/wildrose/remove.htm

Tax deductible contributions to listeners' suit of $500 or more can be sent to Marin Health Fund/Public Media Project P.O. Box 5402 Mill Valley, CA 94942 for more information contact Linda Remy lremy@well.com

1/3/01
6:29:42 PM

Boise Cascade Mounts Attack on Academic Freedom

Global timber cartels operating like mafia thugs are using heavy- handed tactics to ensure they can commercially liquidate the World's remaining forests.... Boise Cascade has found it necessary to stifle academic freedom, seeking to suppress an already published academic article entitled "The Critical Need for Law Reform to Regulate the Abusive Practices of Transnational Corporations: The Illustrative Case of Boise Cascade Corporation in Mexico's Costa Grande and Elsewhere", that was published in the Denver Journal of International Law and Policy. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978042162/index_html

FBI Targets Proactive Oregon Activists

A remarkable memorandum of understanding between the FBI and the Portland OR police states that the Portland Joint Terrorism Task Force will "identify and target for prosecution those individuals or groups who are responsible for Right Wing and/or Left Wing movements, as well as acts of the anti-abortion movement and the Animal Liberation Front/Earth Liberation Front." Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978042586/index_html

BLM ORV "Strategy" Fails to Protect Public Lands

On December 4th, BLM's long-awaited National Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Management Strategy hit the streets. Unfortunately, it offers virtually nothing in the way of meaningful, on-the-ground protection. Instead, it's a mish-mash of vague and unenforceable suggestions, with the focus on maintaining opportunities for off-road vehicles (ORVs) at the expense of reining in the growing damage to our public lands. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978043103/index_html

Cyber Jukebox Benefit for the Rainforests

Some of Australia's finest musicians have donated their songs to help save the rainforests. At www.rainforestjukebox.org, you can hear 40 tracks of music stream forth to benefit Ecuador's jungle: the monkeys, dolphins, jaguars, mighty trees & indigenous people. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978043391/index_html

International Day of Action Against Dams March 14

We urge you to join us on March 14th as part of the International Day of Action Against Dams and for Rivers, Water & Life. Over the last year, the anti-dam movement has gained huge momentum -- from the release of the highly critical World Commission on Dams report to unprecedented networking in Latin America, Asia and Africa to promising dam removal efforts in Asia, Europe and North America. Let's keep this momentum growing. Plan an event on March 14 as part of the Day of Action. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enalerts/978046584/index_html

Snowmobiles Banned from Yellowstone

The National Park Service (NPS) has published its Record of Decision to phase out recreational snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway, and, with some exceptions, in Grand Teton National Park. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978041447/index_html

U.S. Spawns Final Columbia/Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan

A coalition of nine federal agencies on Thursday unveiled a final long term strategy designed to recover threatened and endangered salmon throughout the Columbia/Snake River Basin in the Pacific Northwest. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978044039/index_html

Bush Sees More Pipelines and Drilling on Public Land

Former oil driller and now President-elect Bush signaled yesterday that his national energy policy will focus on exploration and production, including opening public lands to more drilling. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978044187/index_html

Russian "Christmas Gift" of Foreign Nuclear Waste

In an unlikely Christmas gift to the nation, Russia's lower house of parliament has removed a legal ban on the long-term storage of foreign nuclear waste on Russian soil. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978044339/index_html

Activists Target Investors of U.S. Company Drilling in Colombia

Having had no luck convincing a US oil company to halt drilling on land in Colombia claimed by an indigenous tribe, opponents to the project are now declaring some success in targeting investors of the corporation. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978044479/index_html

Fishermen Sue Jamaican Government for Trying to Protect the Conch

A legal battle that has been going on now for more than a year has led to the cancellation of Jamaica's 1999/2000 conch harvesting season and is putting the 2000/2001 season at risk. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978044653/index_html

Ecuadorean Indians Applaud Biosphere Reserve Listing

Kichwa Indians in the Amazon jungle provinces of Napo and Orellana in northeastern Ecuador are pleased with the recent declaration of the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978044861/index_html

RACHEL: Global Warming Opportunity

As opportunities to misrepresent the science diminish, opponents of precautionary action have stirred economic fears, arguing that curbing greenhouse gases will create economic disaster. But according to a new study funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and carried out by five U.S. national laboratories, the opposite is true. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978045415/index_html

GREEN: Listing Moratorium Further Challenged, Chorus of Voices for Dam Breaching

Seven U.S. Senators lead by California's Barbara Boxer have now joined the growing chorus asking President Clinton to include in his Northwest salmon recovery plan "the presumption that removal of the four lower Snake River dams will be necessary" says American Rivers 12/21. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/978045752/index_html

1/3/01
6:26:26 PM

World Environment News - December 29th, 2000 from Planet Ark

Here are today's Reuters 'World Environment News' headlines, proudly brought to you by Planet Ark.

Doing environmental research? Search our news archives at: http://www.planetark.org/searchhome.cfm

San Francisco police recover pair of stolen koala bears - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9399

Southern Peru Copper sued for alleged pollution - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9403

Studies divided over cancer and mobile phone usage link - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9404

Mobile phone firms face fresh suits over tumours - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9405

Many drivers told to stay home as Britain freezes - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9406

Spain mulls appeal of toxic spill ruling - SPAIN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9396

Cyclone lashes south India, causes little damage - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9400

Indian police seize 800 turtles, gang arrested - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9402

Natural disasters at record level in 2000 - insurer - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9401

Rare pink dolphins still grace - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9395

Chile alarmed by ship carrying nuclear waste - CHILE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9397

Quebec in talks on farm for genetically modified cows - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9398

1/3/01
6:23:39 PM

ONE SOURCE OF L.A. SMOG TAKEN TO (BANK) ACCOUNT

AES Alamitos LLC, a California electric utility, has agreed to pay $17 million to settle air quality violations at the company's Alamitos power plant in Long Beach. The settlement package will insure that the company's Alamitos power plant fast tracks full compliance with all air quality regulations as of January 1, 2001.

The Southern California utility exceeded its year 2000 nitrogen oxide emissions allocation by about 685,000 pounds for the third quarter of 2000 and may exceed its fourth quarter allocations by about 500,000 pounds. Nitrogen oxides are emitted by power plant boilers and other combustion sources and are a key pollutant contributing to ozone and fine particulates.

HEV'S ON STEROIDS

New York City 's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has approved an order for 200 hybrid electric transit buses worth $77 million.

"This order for 200 hybrid electric buses is the largest order of its kind in North America," said Governor George Pataki. "As New York leads the way with clean buses, we are hopeful that other transit agencies will follow, creating additional bid opportunities for New York State suppliers. Built in New York, by New Yorkers, these state of the art vehicles will provide clean, efficient transportation for commuters who use the nation's largest transit system each day."

DISPOSABLE CAMERAS AREN'T WHAT YOU THINK

Disposable cameras. We buy them at drugstores and supermarkets. We point. We click. And when we're finished, we deposit them at the photo finisher. Presto: instant memories.

But, there's more to these little cameras than meets the eye. For starters, the durable paper and plastic cameras are anything but disposable; they're recycled and resold several times. You don't buy the camera, you buy the use of it, which many economists say is a fairly accurate snapshot of our future economy.

The future, say the experts, lies less in the power of private ownership than in the wisdom of leasing product and services.

Consider Eastman Kodak's successful "single use" camera. After the consumer hands over the camera to a photo finisher, the paper-and-plastic box is shipped to Kodak, where it is stripped, cleaned, fitted with a new lens, and re-housed with paper. Once reloaded with film, the camera is ready for a new lease on life.

Kodak currently recycles 77 percent to 86 percent of the material used to make these little cameras. And single-use cameras that make it back to the factory will be refurbished and resold as many as 10 times.

1/3/01
6:20:56 PM

Real Goods

TREE EXPERTS SHORE UP THE INJURED LUNA

After the ancient redwood tree Luna was chain sawed by a saboteur, tree experts including world renowned arborists, canopy biologists, foresters and engineers worked to devise lasting solutions to keep the symbolic tree living and standing tall. Canopy biologists attached a collar 100 feet high in the tree and shot cable to trees that have similar collars and will act as anchor points to stabilize the tree. The non-invasive cabling system attaches Luna's massive trunk to three other trees in the protected grove. For more of this article, go to www.ens.lycos.com. To find out more on the history of Luna since Julia Butterfly Hill began her effort to save it and the Headwaters from loggers, go to http://www.circleoflifefoundation.org.

ENERGY INDUSTRY WANTS NO WILDERNESS ROAD RESTRICTIONS

The energy industry contends that the nation's growing reliance on natural gas means that some 49 million acres of national forest should not be closed off by the U.S. Forest Service under a proposal that would ban the construction of roads through wilderness areas that hold sizable reserves of gas and oil.

The Forest Service last week announced that the agency's preferred conservation plan for so-called "roadless" wilderness areas was to ban road construction on 49.2 million acres of forest.

While the plan was aimed at the protection of endangered species and preserving pristine forest lands, leading energy trade associations on Dec. 15th sent a letter to President Clinton requesting that his administration give more weight to the benefits that the oil and gas reserves beneath the roadless forest land has to offer to the U.S. public.

The letter stated that some 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 500 million to 1.2 billion barrels of oil were estimated to be buried beneath the roadless areas. (There's a lot of money to made exploiting those resources... on public land!)

Energy industry leaders and sympathetic Washington lawmakers have declared that increasing access to energy reserves on federal lands was the best, if not the only, (Ever hear of renewable energy, folks?) answer to the growing energy crunch.

The incoming Bush administration has said it favors increasing such access, however, it doesn't take the helm until January while Clinton's agriculture secretary, Dan Glickman, is set to decide on the roadless area plan this month. Go to http://www.enn.com to get more on this.

It's time to write/fax/email the White House and let them know it's NOT O.K. to destroy wilderness to pursue lopsided energy policies.

1/3/01
6:01:14 PM

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com

"We Cover the Earth For You"

EPA TIGHTENS LEAD EXPOSURE STANDARD

WASHINGTON, DC, December 28, 2000 (ENS) - The outgoing Clinton administration this week took yet another step to fortify the nation's environmental regulations before relinquishing power, as it authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to unveil a new standard for identifying "dangerous" levels of lead in paint, dust and soil.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-28-16.html

GOOD NEWS BAD NEWS IN WORLD FORESTRY REPORT

WASHINGTON, DC, December 28, 2000 (ENS) - The authors of a landmark report released Wednesday say the world should be thinking of forest quality, not just forest quantity.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-28-10.html

CLOCK TICKING FOR PROPOSED OFF ROAD VEHICLE STRATEGY

WASHINGTON, DC, December 28, 2000 (ENS) - Environmentalists and motorized recreation advocates are racing against the clock to score points with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The agency is taking public comments on its newly proposed national off highway vehicle strategy through next Monday.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-28-15.html

DECEMBER BRINGS HAWAII A NEW NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

By Cat Lazaroff

OAHU, Hawaii, December 28, 2000 (ENS) - Hawaii got an early Christmas present this year. The Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge, the 17th National Wildlife Refuge to be established in the Pacific, was established last week to protect some of the last remaining native forest in the Koolau Mountains.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-28-06.html

ECO-FRIENDLY LABELING COULD HELP EU FISHERIES CRISIS

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 28, 2000 (ENS) - Europe's fishermen should be given financial incentives to adopt less damaging catch techniques says an independent report into the current fisheries crisis.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-28-11.html

GOA’S TOURIST BOOM BACKFIRES WITH AN UGLY SMELL

GOA, India, December 27, 2000 (ENS) - Once glad of the livelihood tourism brought them, the villagers of Calangute, in the former Portuguese colony of Goa, are fed up with the pollution and uncontrolled sewage that accompany the foreign hordes.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-27-12.html

U.S. SEEKS TO CURTAIL DUKE ENERGY EMISSIONS

GREENSBORO, North Carolina, December 27, 2000 (ENS) - The U.S. government has taken legal action against Duke Energy company, charging that eight of the electric utility's coal fired power plants for years illegally released massive amounts of air pollutants.

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-27-16.html

ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE: AMERISCAN DECEMBER 28, 2000

Voters Want Tougher Clean Air Standards

Clean Water Act Violations Could Cost Alaska Companies

Environmental Education Funded in Alaska

Critical Habitat Designated for Endangered Texas Plant

$17.2 Million Funds Cleaner Vehicles in Southern California

Dogs Chasing Wildlife Can Be a Serious Problem

National Tree Trust Cloning America's Champion Trees

Genes Drive Cliff Swallows In Group Choice

For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-28-09.html

1/3/01
5:58:46 PM

Though the rate of executions and the number of crimes punishable by death has been steadily increasing in the US, evidence is mounting that the coming twelve months may hold the best opportunity for a fundamental change in death-penalty politics since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. You wouldn't know it from the recent electoral campaign, in which Bush and Gore's shared penchant for the death-penalty squelched the topic as a campaign issue, but public attitudes toward capital punishment have been steadfastly shifting.

Thanks in part to the Illinois death-penalty moratorium imposed last January by Governor George Ryan, a majority of Americans now seem ready to consider whether capital punishment might be, as Robert Sherrill writes in the latest issue of The Nation, a bad bargain in every way. You can read Sherrill's exhaustive essay in its entirety currently at:

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010108&s=sherrill

And check out other recent death-penalty reporting from America's oldest journalistic critic of capital punishment, including:

NATION EDITORS: Executioners' Swan Song http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010108&s=editors

BRUCE SHAPIRO: A Talk with Governor George Ryan http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010108&s=shapiro

MARION GROSS: Thou Shalt Not Kill http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010108&s=gross

STEPHEN B. BRIGHT: The Killing Machine http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20001009&s=bright

In an attempt to highlight the U.S.'s continued reliance on what most of the rest of the world considers cruel and unusual punishment, we began compiling death-row information this year in a monthly online feature that we call Death Row Roll Call. The idea is to remind people how often this macabre form of retribution is still practiced in our name and encourage folks to use the links we provide to blast off informed letters of protest to the appropriate state governors presiding over these monthly executions. You can always access the current month's calender and related information at:

http://www.thenation.com/deathrow/

And, for further information, The Nation Directory offers a full collection of related links to many of the fine groups actively involved in anti death-penalty organizing. These Directory listings are a great way to get involved and to find out more. The Directory is available at the following address, then just click on the capital punishment link for our full listings:

http://www.thenation.com/directory