1/15/01
3:05:07 PM
I have written a rock opera called, "The Nihilistic Camel." It is intended to turn the hearts of the children of men towards the meaning of the earth. Some of the music has been recorded at Sea West Studios by Rick Keefer. I could sure use a hand, comments, suggestions, a finger in the right direction (no pun inplied).
MirroredEclipse@yahoo.com
1/13/01
12:56:37 PM
SAVED! 58.5 Million Acres of America's Forests
You can take action on this alert either by email or preferably on the web at: http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=1137877A14613B0112091008C223
Alert expires on January 21, 2001
Here's what this alert is about:
SAVED! 58.5 Million Acres of America's Forests
Congratulations!
It is rare that conservationists have something to cheer about, but one of those rare moments is upon us.
On January 5, 2001, President Clinton signed the final Roadless Area Protection Policy. The policy protects what President Clinton called the "final frontiers of America's forests," 58.5 million wild roadless acres in our National Forests from Florida to Alaska.
Your voice has played an important part in the making of this moment in conservation history.
Thanks to your input throughout the process, the policy has gotten stronger and stronger, and now protects these areas not only from road building, but all logging except for extremely rare circumstances, and includes protections for the Tongass Rainforest in Alaska as well.
The strength of the final policy demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that YOUR PARTICIPATION MATTERED!
The Roadless Policy is not just the keystone of President Clinton's land legacy, it is also your legacy. Because of your involvement, these last wild forests will be protected for generations to come.
Thanks are due to you, and thanks are due to President Clinton for signing this policy.
Just as it is not often that we get to celebrate, it is not often that we have something to be so thankful for.
Please take a moment and thank President Clinton for protecting these lands and their wildlife for generations to come. A copy of your message will also be sent to your U.S. representative and senators.
You are receiving this alert because you sent an email to the Clinton Administration from www.ourforests.org or by responding to our message through the Juno Online Services. For more information, please visit our website, http://www.ourforests.org.
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB: If you have access to a web browser, you can take action on this alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=1137877A14613B0112091008C223
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL: Just choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program, and edit the letter below as you wish. You must include the whole letter in your response including "-YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END OF LETTER-". Please do not add your name and address to your letter. Action Network automatically does this for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to our sample letter below, and put the alert talking points into your own words. An individualized letter is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course, hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large impact, so please reply even if you don't have time to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to: Senator Bob Graham President Bill Clinton
I am writing to thank you for your bold and historic actions in protecting America's last wild forests. Your Roadless Area Protection Policy places you amongst America's great conservation heroes.
Thank you for listening to the public's voice calling for the protection of their priceless Heritage Forests. Countless generations will thank you for your actions.
1/13/01
12:53:29 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We Cover the Earth For You"
GREEN GROUPS TARGET BUSH PICK FOR INTERIOR
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 12, 2001 (ENS) - A coalition of environmental, public health, labor and civil rights groups today launched an all-out campaign to derail the U.S. Senate's confirmation of attorney Gale Norton, President-elect George W. Bush's nominee for Secretary of the Interior.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-12-01.html
CLINTON ORDERS FEDERAL AGENCIES TO PROTECT MIGRATORY BIRDS
WASHINGTON, DC, January 12, 2001 (ENS) - President Bill Clinton issued a landmark Executive Order on Thursday that requires all federal agencies to avoid or minimize the impacts of their actions on migratory birds, and to take active steps to protect birds and their habitat.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-12-06.html
AUTO FIRMS' CO2 PACT WITH EU LACKS TEETH
BRUSSELS, Belgium, January 12, 2001 (ENS) - The voluntary agreement between the European Commission and vehicle manufacturers to reduce cars' carbon dioxide emissions is weak, unambitious and unenforceable, said a scathing study released today by Europe's largest environment coalition.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-12-11.html
GREEK OLYMPIC ROWING PLANS IN TROUBLED WATERS
BRUSSELS, Belgium, January 12, 2001 (ENS) - Greece will violate European Union law if it builds a rowing and canoeing center for the 2004 Olympics at a coastal wetland, warned a conservation group Thursday.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-12-10.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JANUARY 12, 2001
Report Finds Rise in U.S. Global Warming Emissions
Ancient Extinctions May Mirror Global Warming Impacts
New York Proposes Record Environmental Budget
Pennsylvania Aims to Prevent Great Lakes Pollution
Shipping Company Pleads Guilty in Environmental Case
Research Isotopes to be Produced in Tennessee
Computer Recycling Aided by Computer Model
Green Internet Service Provider Opens for Business
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-12-09.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WestStart-CALSTART Seeks Blue Sky Award Nominations for 2000
Deadline for Nominations is Feb. 16, 2001
PASADENA, CA, Jan. 12, -/E-Wire/--WestStart-CALSTART is seeking nominations of individuals, companies or organizations for its Blue Sky Award(TM) and Charles R. Imbrecht Blue Sky Innovation Award for 2000.
/CONTACT: WestStart-CALSTART, Pasadena, Susan Romeo, 626/744-5600/
/Web site: www.calstart.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/12Jan0105.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Environmentalists, Labor and Civil Rights Groups Announce Opposition to Gale Norton
Nominee's extremist views conflict with American public opinion
WASHINGTON, DC, Jan. 12, -/E-Wire/-- More than 20 non-governmental organizations - environmental, civil rights, labor, conservative and liberal - announced their campaign to defeat Gale Norton's nomination as Secretary of Interior at a news conference this morning.
/CONTACT: Jon Corsiglia, EMS, 202/463-6670; Lisa Magnino, Fenton Communications, 202/822-5200/
/Web site: http://www.ems.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/12Jan0104.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BAD INDOOR AIR, TOXIC MOLD TO BE BIG STORIES IN 2001
CHICAGO, IL, January12, -/E-Wire/-- What do stachybotrys, asthma, carbon monoxide, law suits, moisture, candles, legionella, leaking windows, potting soil, house dust, carpets, airplanes, latex gloves and office equipment have in common? They are all elements of major news stories appearing this past year on indoor air quality (IAQ), and 2001 looks to be a year when the quality of indoor air will continue to be a hot topic to follow.
/CONTACT: For more Chelsea Group information contact BJ Spanos, 770-631-1395 or 1-800-626-6722, Fax: 770-631-2768 e-mail: bjspanos@chelsea-grp.com
Chelsea Group image: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/12Jan0102.html
/Web site at www.chelsea-grp.com
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/12Jan0102.html
TO NATIONAL, STATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Fund for Animals Reports That $25,000 Reward Is Now Offered For Information Leading to Arrest and Conviction of Wild Horse Slayers
JACKSON, Wyo., Jan. 12 -/E-Wire/-- As nineteen more wild horses were found dead this week, The Fund for Animals announced that a $25,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shooting deaths of 34 wild horses on public lands in southwest Wyoming. BLM law enforcement officials are investigating the cruel shooting deaths of 30 wild horses near Rock Springs and four near Rawlins.
/CONTACT: Andrea Lococo of The Fund for Animals, 307-859-8840/
/Web site: http://www.fund.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/12Jan0103.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONVERTING WASTE INTO RESOURCES
IBR Announces Groundbreaking for New Plant
Environmental Solution to Organic Waste Disposal Implemented on Vancouver Island
VANCOUVER, BC., Jan. 12 -/E-Wire/-- International Bio-Recovery Corporation (IBR) is pleased to announce plans for the groundbreaking of a new organic waste processing plant in Ladysmith. The official groundbreaking ceremony will take place January 19, 2001, at 11:00 a.m. on site in Ladysmith, BC.
/CONTACT: Ross MacLachlan, ross@ibrcorp.com Daniela Louie, dlouie@ibrcorp.com Director of Corporate Communications Corporate Communications & Investor Relations International Bio Recovery International Bio Recovery Corporation Tel: 604.924.1023 52 Riverside Drive Tel: (604) 924-1023 North Vancouver BC Fax: (604) 924-1043 Canada V7H 1T4
/Web site: http://www.ibrcorp.com
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/12Jan0101.html
1/13/01
12:51:20 PM
FAIR-L Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting Media analysis, critiques and news reports
FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting) presents:
"HAIL TO THE CHIEF: The Media Crown Their King,"
with
Peter Hart and Steve Rendall, FAIR media analysts and co-hosts of CounterSpin
Thursday, January 18, 6:30 PM, Housing Works Used Book Cafe. 126 Crosby St (between Prince and Houston), New York.
*Free and Open to the Public*
According to many polls, more than 30 percent of the public does not believe that George W. Bush legitimately won the presidency. Nevertheless, big media are rolling out the red carpet to "heal" the nation and welcome Bush to the White House. Join FAIR for some frank discussion of the press's love affair with the presidency, and hear about some of the plans afoot for alternative Inaugural ceremonies in Washington.
For more on FAIR's election coverage, see: http://www.fair.org/issues-news/election.html http://www.fair.org/issues-news/wbush.html
**CORRECTION: In FAIR's 1/12/01 Media Advisory, the brackets appearing in a quote from John Ashcroft were misplaced. Here is how the quote should have read:
"Your magazine also helps set the record straight. You've got a heritage of doing that, of defending Southern patriots like [Gen. Robert E.] Lee, [Gen. Stonewall] Jackson and [Confederate President Jefferson] Davis. Traditionalists must do more. I've got to do more. We've all got to stand up and speak in this respect, or else we'll be taught that these people were giving their lives, subscribing their sacred fortunes and their honor to some perverted agenda."
--John Ashcroft, Southern Partisan magazine interview (Second Quarter/1998)
----------
Feel free to respond to FAIR ( fair@fair.org ). We can't reply to everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate documented example of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of your email correspondence with media outlets, including any responses, to us at: fair@fair.org .
FAIR ON THE AIR: FAIR's founder Jeff Cohen is a regular panelist on the Fox News Channel's "Fox News Watch," which airs which airs Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 11 am (Eastern Standard Time). Check your local listings.
FAIR produces CounterSpin, a weekly radio show heard on over 120 stations in the U.S. and Canada. To find the CounterSpin station nearest you, visit http://www.fair.org/counterspin/stations.html .
Please support FAIR by subscribing to our bimonthly magazine, Extra! For more information, go to: http://www.fair.org/extra/subscribe.html . Or call 1-800-847-3993.
FAIR's INTERNSHIP PROGRAM: FAIR accepts internship applications for its New York office on a rolling basis. For more information, please e-mail Peter Hart (phart@fair.org)
You can subscribe to FAIR-L at our web site: http://www.fair.org , or by sending a "subscribe FAIR-L enter your full name" command to LISTSERV@AMERICAN.EDU . Our subscriber list is kept confidential.
1/13/01
12:50:03 PM
Oregon Introduces Hemp Legislation
On Monday, January 8, 2001 the opening day of the 2001 Oregon Legislature, Senate Bill 89 (SB89) was introduced. This bill would permit production and possession of industrial hemp at the state level.
Complete text of Senate Bill 89 <http://www.leg.state.or.us/01reg/measures/sb0001.dir/sb0089.intro.html>
71st OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2001 Regular Session
Senate Bill 89
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure.
Permits production and possession of industrial hemp and trade in industrial hemp commodities and products. Authorizes State Department of Agriculture to administer licensing and inspection program for growers and handlers of industrial hemp. Authorizes civil penalty not exceeding $2,500.
Measure history:
Printed pursuant to Senate Interim Rule 213.28. (at the request of Joint Interim Judiciary Committee) -- Relating to industrial hemp; appropriating money. 1-8-2001 (S)
Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk. 1-9-2001
Referred to Natural Resources, Agriculture, Salmon, and Water, then Ways and Means.
1/13/01
12:48:49 PM
EcoNet Headlines
Argentine Court Bans Japanese Nuclear Waste Shipment
A Federal Court of Appeal in Buenos Aires ruled yesterday afternoon that the government must take steps to prohibit a British-flagged nuclear freighter from transiting Argentina's 200 mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters. The court ruling sets the stage for a direct confrontation between Argentine authorities and the Japanese, French and British governments who are involved in the controversial nuclear waste transport. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979257249/index_html
WWF Condemns Norwegian Wolf Slaughter Plan
WWF today urged the Norwegian government to drop its imminent plan to cull between 25 and 40 per cent of the total wolf population in South Scandinavia. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979257383/index_html
Endangered Turtles Slaughtered Again in India
BHUBANESHWAR, India (AP) - Thousands of endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles are scooting onto the beaches of India's eastern Orissa coast for their mass winter nesting. Yet once again, they are being slaughtered. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979257485/index_html
India Farmers Again Burn Genetically Engineered Cotton Fields
As planned, the farmers here on Wednesday, destroyed the trial Bt Cotton crop grown in Savalanga, 20 km from here, in the presence of a police posse, as part of their struggle against the use of the genetically modified seeds. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979257884/index_html
Australian Researchers Create Killer Supervirus
A virus that kills every one of its victims, by wiping out part of their immune system, has been accidentally created by an Australian research team. The virus, a modified mousepox, does not affect humans, but it is closely related to smallpox, raising fears that the technology could be used in biowarfare. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979258148/index_html
Study Shows Bt-Spliced Food Damages the Intestines of Lab Rats
The article below provides disturbing evidence that regulators in US and Canada select evidence supporting safety of GM crops and ignore good evidence of injury. Bt Cry 1 is used in millions of acres of food crops approved for human consumption. The evidence below that the Bt Cry 1 damages the ileum is very clear and should not have been ignored. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979258512/index_html
Livestock Antibiotics Fuel Bacterial Resistance
Farm animals get eight times as many antibiotics as people do in the United States, and this may be fueling the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, an environmental group said on Monday. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979258710/index_html
ORV Users Win Legal Fight in Utah
On December 22 a federal judge gave pro-access recreation advocates a stunning victory when he ruled against a national preservationist group's legal effort to ban off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on millions of acres in Utah. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979258972/index_html
Motorized Recreation May Rule in Bush Interior Department
The whine of internal combustion engines rallied to a roar at the nomination of Gale Norton for U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The former Colorado attorney general is expected to give off-road vehicle users greater access to public lands. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979259145/index_html
Canada Condones Anti-Environmental Violence
Five loggers convicted for their part in a violent attack on an environmentalists' protest camp in 1999 will serve no jail time in sentences handed down by a Canadian judge last week. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979259279/index_html
Conservationists Appeal to U.S. to Halt Canadian Border Mine
Environmental organisations claim that the Tulsequah Chief mine, located in the Canadian province of British Columbia on the border with Alaska, and an accompanying 160-kilometre access road, would harm essential habitat for protected species, including woodland caribou and grizzly bear. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979259430/index_html
North Slope Oil Development Has Affected Wildlife
Scientists got an earful Tuesday on which issues deserve study as they review the cumulative impact of oil development on the North Slope. Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979259569/index_html
GREEN/Defenders: Extinction Waiting List Released
The USFWS's annual review 1/8 of 248 candidate species found that "21 species continue to warrant listing but are precluded by the need to take higher-priority listing actions first." Read More... http://headlines.igc.apc.org:8080/enheadlines/979259813/index_html
1/13/01
12:46:56 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE <http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. YOU GREEN, O'NEILL? Don't look now, but once you get past President-elect Bush's dubious nominees to head the Interior and Energy departments, there may be a wee bit of light for enviros in Dubya's cabinet, in the person of -- who knew? -- Paul O'Neill, Bush's choice for Treasury secretary. As CEO of Alcoa, O'Neill voiced remarkably progressive views (for a big-time corporate guy, anyway) about U.S. responsibility for reducing global warming. Among his comments over the years: "People with money are going to have to pay. ... You're not going to be able to tell people in China, 'Pay your fair share of this.'" Read more about the curious O'Neill and cast your vote for the top climate stories from 2000 -- all on the Grist Magazine website.
read it only in Grist Magazine: This just in -- the latest climate change news -- in our Heat Beat section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/heatbeat/thisjustin011101.stm#oneill>
2. ARGWINGS AND A PRAYER Kenyan journalist Argwings Odera was arrested and tortured last month for his attempt to report on protests against the Sondu-Miriu Dam being built on a river that drains into Lake Victoria. Locals and environmentalists, including the Africa Water Network, say land for the hydro project has been taken without fair compensation and the dam will devastate the local ecosystem. The project has received significant support from Japan, but funding for the second phase of construction was been put on hold last month after the Japanese parliament learned of human rights abuses at the project site. Odera has been accused of inciting protests and resisting arrest. He endured a broken finger and a bullet in his arm, and is now out on bail. He says the police are demanding that he compensate them for the rounds of ammunition fired at his car when he was in it.
straight to the source: allAfrica.com, Panafrican News Agency, 08 Jan 2001 <http://allafrica.com/stories/200101080028.html>
3. ANTI-NORTON VIRUS National environmental leaders held a press conference this morning in Washington, D.C., to announce their formal opposition to Gale Norton, President-elect Bush's choice for Interior secretary. Enviros earlier this week sent a letter to all senators and urged them not to appoint her, saying that she held "extreme" views on property rights and that confirming her would represent "a momentous shift backwards" in conservation policy. The Center for Responsive Politics yesterday released data showing that one-third of the money Norton raised for an unsuccessful run for Senate in 1996 came from extractive industries that deal extensively with the Interior Department. Alaska Democrats, meanwhile, are questioning whether Norton should have billed the state of Alaska $60,000 last year for help she provided to the conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation. In other confirmation news, 11 of 20 members of New Jersey's Legislative Black and Latino Caucus yesterday criticized Bush's choice for U.S. EPA administrator, New Jersey Gov. Christine Whitman (R), saying she had a poor record on racial and environmental issues.
straight to the source: New York Times, Douglas Jehl, 12 Jan 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/12/politics/12NORT.html>
straight to the source: Denver Post, Mike Soraghan, 12 Jan 2001 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/election/pol0112.htm>
straight to the source: CNN.com, Associated Press, 12 Jan 2001 <http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/12/norton.legalwork.ap /index.html>
straight to the source: Bergen Record, Paul H. Johnson, 12 Jan 2001 <http://www.bergen.com/region/reactpj200101121.htm>
do good: Take action to keep Norton out of the Cabinet <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/politics.stm>
4. PEOPLE FOR CHAPTER 11 People for the USA!, the national nonprofit wise-use group, is closing shop later this month, due to a lack of funding and a decline in membership. The group began with a different name in 1988 as a mouthpiece for "rural Americans" who were up in arms over enviros' efforts to stop old-growth logging in the Northwest, growing its base with such memorable bumper stickers as "Hungry? Out of Work? Eat a Spotted Owl." Over the next decade, the PFUSA! sought to weaken the Endangered Species Act, block reform of the 1872 Mining Act, and otherwise fight the good fight for property rights advocates and extractive industries. But things have been pretty much downhill for the group since President Clinton took office. Executive Director Jeff Harris wrote in a recent newsletter, "It's quite a challenge to bring together a large group when you are essentially opposing something that is wildly popular. Americans have embraced the environmental ethic."
straight to the source: High Country News, Heidi Walters, 18 Dec 2000 <http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=10162>
5. SWAN SONG An Argentine court ordered the government this week to prevent a British ship, the Pacific Swan, from carrying spent nuclear fuel into the country's "jurisdictional" waters. The country's Foreign Ministry said those waters extend about 12 nautical miles from the shore. But Greenpeace, which calls the ship's cargo the "the equivalent of a floating Chernobyl," said the waters stretch 200 miles from the shore, which is about where the ship was spotted earlier this week. The ship left France in the middle of last month with the goal of reaching Japan next month.
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 11 Jan 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9494>
Suffering succulents! -- a day in the life of Corinna Riginos, Fulbright scholar <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/riginos011101.stm>
Burning rubber -- fun with stats on tires -- in our Counter Culture column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/counter/counter101300.stm>
As the worm turns -- or: how I learned to start vermicomposting and love the worm -- in our Main Dish column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/ness101100.stm>
1/13/01
12:45:05 PM
This Week In The Nation
John Ashcroft's nomination as Attorney General is the first installment on George W. Bush's enormous political debt to the radical right. Ashcroft's fondness for the Confederacy and honorary degree from Bob Jones University have been well-publicized but the list of things he's on record opposing is a catalogue of American social progress: contraception, school desegregation, solar energy, government assistance for women- and minority-owned businesses, fuel efficiency standards for cars, work place discrimination protection for gays, campaign finance reform and the nuclear test ban treaty are only some of the most striking examples of programs, projects and ideas that Ashcroft has vigorously fought against. This is why a broad coalition of citizen and activist groups is gearing up to fight the confirmation of Bush's Attorney General designate.
You can find extensive related coverage currently at http://www.thenation.com
LEON FRIEDMAN: Questions for Ashcroft http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=friedman0129
BURT NEUBORNE: 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
And use our ActNow feature to blast off an informed letter of protest against Ashcroft's nomination to the Senate Judiciary Committee at:
http://www.thenation.com/alert/actnow/
There's also lots of other new and recent material from the pages of The Nation looking at the quickly-assembling Bush Administration currently available at http://www.thenation.com
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON: Bush's Black Faces http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010129&s=dyson
DAVID CORN: Questions for Powell http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010108&s=corn
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Powell's Secret Coup http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010122&s=hitchens
DOUG IRELAND: Whitman: A Toxic Choice http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010129&s=ireland
MICHAEL KLARE: Rumsfeld: Star Warrior Returns http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010129&s=klare
JOEL ROGERS: The Man from Elroy http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010129&s=rogers
DAVID HELVARG: The Three Horsemen http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010129&s=helvarg
JESSE JACKSON, JR.: George Bush's Democrats http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010122&s=jackson
THE COUNTER-INAUGURATION CALENDAR:
As George Bush forges ahead with his Cabinet appointments the frontline troops of the movements for social justice, environmental protection and economic equality are planning a nationwide series of protests 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
1/13/01
12:43:18 PM
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER Springfield, Illinois January 12, 2001 Editorial
OUR OPINION
Industrial hemp is not a drug
SENATE BILL 1397 received final approval from the General Assembly this week and now sits on Gov. George Ryan's desk. Depending on whom you talk to, the bill would do one of two things.
* Either it would allow the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University to grow and research industrial hemp in order to determine whether it might be another way for Illinois farmers to make a buck.
* Or it would send the message to Illinois' young people that it's OK to smoke dope.
UNLESS THE governor signs the legislation, we won't know if hemp can be a viable cash crop for Illinois farmers. But we do know that the opponents of this bill are being ridiculous with their "the sky is falling" drug warnings about the hemp study bill.
The governor has said he will study the bill, but he let it be known this week that he's leaning more against it than for it. Don't get us wrong. We are certainly not advocating drug use. But this bill has nothing to do with drugs.
True, hemp is a biological relative of marijuana with extremely low levels of the psychoactive drug THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Hemp, however, is not marijuana, and it is not grown as a drug.
OF COURSE, you would not know that from listening to this bill's opponents. The rhetoric, especially that from members of the Illinois Drug Education Alliance, has warned over and over again that allowing farmers to grow hemp is sending a mixed message about drugs.
That statement, which has been echoed by the Illinois State Police in its opposition to the bill, is nonsensical. What possible mixed message on drugs is being sent by allowing the study of a crop that is not a drug?
The real concern of these opponents is that allowing farmers to grow hemp would somehow lead to the legalization of marijuana. That's a leap of logic as wide as the Grand Canyon.
Surely the Illinois Drug Education Alliance opposes young people drinking alcohol. Using the group's same logic concerning hemp, its members might also want to push for legislation to outlaw the planting of corn in Illinois. After all, some of that corn eventually ends up being distilled into alcohol.
HEMP IS GETTING a black eye simply because it is related to marijuana. Rest assured, Illinois legislators were not garbed in tie-dyed T-shirts and voting under the glare of black lights when they passed this bill. Illinois, as one of 16 states contemplating the study of hemp as a legitimate crop, is in the mainstream on this matter.
Hemp will not be the salvation of Illinois' struggling agricultural economy. Neither are farm-raised catfish, Illinois wine grapes or blueberries, but today's farmers are looking for any and all advantages. To take hemp out of that mix based on illogical concerns over drug use makes no sense.
Even if this bill becomes law, the universities would need to obtain permits from the federal government and funding for the study before any hemp could be grown. The U of I and SIU would be under great scrutiny on how they carry out this study, which should help calm people's fears.
DEMONIZING HEMP will do nothing to battle drugs in Illinois. In fact, most kids will see right through the convoluted logic of banning a potentially beneficially crop simply because of worries over its biological cousin.
We appreciate the fact that Gov. Ryan wants to educate himself on this bill before he takes action. We trust that once he is fully educated, he won't have a problem allowing two of the state's top universities to study the potential benefits of hemp as a value-added crop for Illinois farmers. (END)
<http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/01/01/12/editorial.htm>
1/13/01
12:42:10 PM
FAIR-L Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting Media analysis, critiques and news reports
MEDIA ADVISORY: Southern Partisan: "Setting the Record Straight" Attorney general nominee praised white supremacist magazine
January 12, 2001
"Your magazine also helps set the record straight. You've got a heritage of doing that, of defending Southern patriots like [Gen.] Robert E. Lee, [Gen.] Stonewall Jackson and [Confederate President] Jefferson Davis. Traditionalists must do more. I've got to do more. We've all got to stand up and speak in this respect, or else we'll be taught that these people were giving their lives, subscribing their sacred fortunes and their honor to some perverted agenda."
--John Ashcroft, Southern Partisan magazine interview (Second Quarter/1998)
When Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft praised the neo-Confederate magazine Southern Partisan, he was endorsing a publication that defends slavery, white separatism, apartheid and David Duke; a publication that celebrates the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, while delivering a "mixed review" of Lincoln's assassin (Southern Partisan, Second Quarter/1990).
Though Southern Partisan is the leading magazine of the neo-Confederate movement, it really is much more than a "gumbo of racist apologias," as the New Republic put it last year (1/31/00). Southern Partisan's bigotry targets virtually anyone who isn't a straight white male neo-Confederate. Southern Partisan practices equal-opportunity bigotry. Here's a sample of opinion from the magazine John Ashcroft says "set[s] the record straight":
On Slavery
"Neither Jesus nor the apostles nor the early church condemned slavery, despite countless opportunities to do so, and there is no indication that slavery is contrary to Christian ethics or that any serious theologian before modern times ever thought it was." --Samuel Francis, Southern Partisan, Third Quarter/1995
"Slave owners . . . did not have a practice of breaking up slave families. If anything, they encouraged strong slave families to further the slaves' peace and happiness." --First Quarter/1996
On Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is a "consummate conniver, manipulator and a liar." --Southern Partisan cited in Legal Times, 2/26/1996
The Spring 1984 issue refers to "the sinister Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln--an invitation to the slaves to rise against their masters."
On John Wilkes Booth: "His behavior was not only sane, but sensible. His background, loyalties, beliefs, and experiences had led him to that end." --Mark Brewer, Second Quarter/1990
For years Southern Partisan has celebrated the murder of Abraham Lincoln by selling T-shirts with Lincoln's image over the words "sic semper tyrannis" ("thus always to tyrants")-- John Wilkes Booth's cry just after shooting Lincoln. Timothy McVeigh was wearing this T-shirt when he was arrested for the Oklahoma City bombing. --New York Times, 6/3/1997
On the Klan
The Ku Klux Klan's first Grand Wizard, Civil War Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, cited as evidence that "the Confederacy was full of super heroes." --Fourth Quarter/1996
Praised former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke as "a candidate concerned about 'affirmative' discrimination, welfare profligacy, the taxation holocaust ... a Populist spokesperson for a recapturing of the American ideal." --Fourth Quarter/1990
On South African History
"God led [Afrikaners] into the Transvaal, it was with God that they made their prayerful covenant when they were besieged by bloodthirsty savages on all sides." --Fall/1986-Winter/1987
On Feminism
Feminism is a "revolt against god." --First Quarter/2000
"Feminists, ethnic minorities, sodomites and other 'victims' of majority culture are demanding special recognition and privileged status." --Second Quarter/1992
On Homosexuality
The University of Georgia "promotes perversion" by sponsoring programs for Gay men and Lesbians. Same-sex marriage is a "vile act of blasphemy." --First Quarter/1997
"The acts of sodomy are probably the most repulsive desecrations in the sexual order.... The terrible swift sword of the dread AIDS disease is surely what in other ages would be acknowledged a sign of God's wrath. It is only the least subtle notice of divine displeasure with the swinishness of our age." --Reid Buckley, Winter/1986
On Everyone but "Us"
"Newly arrived in New York City, I puzzled, 'Where are the Americans?' for I met only Italians, Jews, Puerto Ricans." --Patrick Brophy, Second Quarter/1991
"What Southerner feels at home in Miami these days, a city 56 percent Spanish-speaking that includes not only Cubans but numbers of cocaine-pushing trigger-happy Colombians?" --Allan Charles, Summer/1982
"Melting Pot: An instrument by which distinct forms of distinct material are melted into a common sludge." --"The Partisan Dictionary," Spring/Summer 1981
"The tides of immigration turned negative: were characterized by the losers of political history...the Italians and the Irish... the dull-spirited and pagan, such as the Scandinavians... and by peoples to whom the tenets of our republic were altogether alien, such as the hieratic Jews....
"Negroes, Asians and Orientals (is Japan the exception?); Hispanics, Latins and Eastern Europeans; have no temperament for democracy, never had, and probably never will...
"As the genetic racial pool in the United States from which the democratic government originally derived is dissipated in successive tides of immigration, our country is being overwhelmed." --Reid Buckley, Summer/1984
A Summer 1983 article denounced the "deliberate lies" of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, including "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
Until the late 1990s, Boyd Cathey was listed alongside Pat Buchanan as a senior advisor to Southern Partisan. As late as 1992, Cathey was an editorial advisor to The Journal of Historical Review, the leading journal of Holocaust denial. --Legal Times, 2/26/1996
On Secession
"The best hope, perhaps the only hope, for the South lies in an independent Southern nation, where we can at last be free to pursue the life we desire."
Third Quarter/1997
The public rely on media to expose cabinet nominees to tough scrutiny, but so far the mainstream media hasn't seriously taken up the question of whether Americans will be well-served by an attorney general who sees Southern Partisan's bigotry and revisionist history as patriotic "straight" talk.
1/13/01
12:39:21 PM
Public Citizen press release Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 11:20:29 -0500 From: "Angela Bradbery" <ABRADBERY@citizen.org>
Jan. 12, 2001
Norton Wrong Choice for Interior Secretary
Statement of Wenonah Hauter, Director Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program
We have made much progress over the past three decades in cleaning up our environment, but President-elect Bush's nomination of Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior would turn back the clock. Norton has long advocated free-market solutions to environmental problems, which are not successful in keeping our rivers clean and our forests pristine. The "free market" did not help clean up our environment in past years -- the government did.
In fact, protecting our environment is one area where government regulation has been a demonstrable success. Americans want leaders who are on their side, promoting environmental policies that make our nation and our world safer, cleaner and healthier. They do not want their leaders to kowtow to wealthy corporate special interests, which Norton likely will do.
Norton was serving as Colorado's attorney general in 1992 when one of the worst environmental disasters in the state's history occurred. The Summitville Consolidated Mining Corporation spilled cyanide and acidic water that killed a 17-mile stretch of the Alamosa River. The company declared bankruptcy, its executives fled the country, and taxpayers were left with a clean-up bill of $150 million.
Although she witnessed this tragedy first hand, Norton still maintains that corporations should be given the right to police themselves - instead of having the government do it. She was a strong advocate of Colorado's "self-audit" law, which allows corporations to perform voluntary audits to determine if they are complying with federal environmental regulations. This law also gives companies immunity from fines and lawsuits if they report and correct violations. To Coloradans who used to enjoying fishing in the Alamosa River, it is clear that this sort of fox-guarding-the-hen house strategy for protecting the environment does not and cannot work.
Other highlights of Norton's career do not bode well for the future of our environment. They include:
· A stint lobbying on behalf of NL Industries of Houston (formerly National Lead Co.), a lead paint manufacturer responsible for 75 Superfund and other toxic-waste sites, and which faces a dozen lawsuits involving children whose parents claim they were poisoned by lead paint;
· Four years working under former Interior Secretary James Watt at the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a far-right, "wise-use" group that views environmental regulations as "property takings" and fights regulations in court with the sponsorship of large corporate donors, such as Coors. Norton has been a member of several other "property rights" organizations, including the Legal Advisory Council for Defense of Property Rights, which view basic environmental protection rules as a violation of the rights of property owners;
· Working as a lawyer in Reagan's Interior Department from 1985-1987, where she fought to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Our environmental resources are being destroyed faster than we can preserve them. Our environmental policies must continue to move forward, not back to the time when dilution was the solution to pollution, and when our resources were routinely destroyed to further corporate profits. America's forests, public lands, waterways, parks and wildlife refuges must be preserved for future generations - including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which Norton still wants to open for oil and gas exploration. Doing so could destroy a fragile habitat and likely wouldn't provide a substantial amount of oil.
Norton's philosophy is doubly disturbing. Not only does she want to clear-cut our environmental regulations, but she believes that whatever government regulations are left standing should be pruned back to the nub.
1/13/01
12:38:28 PM
World Environment News - January 12th, 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
California power talks run on, utilities flag - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9497
POLL - Only 20 pct of US farmers plan to segregate crops - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9498
USDA offers extension on conservation acreage - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9500
UPDATE - Clinton not making Arctic refuge national monument - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9503
DuPont launches new insecticide - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9506
Major disasters killed 17,000 people and caused about $38 billion - SWITZERLAND
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9504
Japan rebuffs US, stands firm on whale hunt - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9505
Germany's MVV takes stake in US solar tech firm - GERMANY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9496
Fortum sells 39 pct of solar power firm - FINLAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9495
ANALYSIS - China eyes shift to gas on security fears - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9502
UPDATE - Alcan to cut back Kitimat output - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9499
Canadian climate shows continuing warming trend - CANADA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9501
Court blocks nuclear ship from Argentine waters - ARGENTINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9494
1/13/01
12:37:22 PM
Secret New Invention to Change the World? What is 'IT'?
In what may turn out to be the first part of one of the most important stories of the century, Harvard Business School Press executive editor Hollis Heimboch has paid $250,000 for a book about 'IT'. What is IT? Don't ask Heimboch, he doesn't know! Neither does agent Dan Kois of The Sagalyn Literacy Agency. One of the few things that they do know is IT is the invention of 49-year-old scientist Dean Kamen and is code-named Ginger.
The book about IT will be written by journalist Steve Kemper. Kemper has been published in "Smithsonian", "National Geographic" and "Outside." Kemper's proposal states that IT will change the world.
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer Corporation, says the invention would be as significant as the PC. He also said, "If enough people see the machine you won't have to convince them to architect cities around it. It'll just happen." Kemper added that the invention will "sweep over the world and change lives, cities and ways of thinking."
Kamen's most tantalizing clue came when he said that the "core technology and its implementations" will "have a big, broad impact not only on social institutions but some billion-dollar old line companies." And IT will "profoundly affect our environment and the way people live worldwide, It will be an alternative to products that are dirty, expensive, sometimes dangerous and often frustrating, especially for people in cities."
Other clues found in the proposal are just as intriguing. A Ginger can be assembled in 10 minutes using a screwdriver and hex wrenches and can fit in a couple of large duffel bags and some cardboard boxes. There may be two Ginger models named Metro and Pro. The Metro may cost less than $2,000 and apparently, the device has a fun element to it.
IT will be a mass-market consumer product that is, according to Kemper, "likely to run afoul of existing regulations and or inspire new ones." And, IT may require "meeting with city planners, regulators, legislators, large commercial companies and university presidents about how cities, companies, and campuses can be retro-fitted for Ginger.
Ginger won't be revealed until 2002. Nobody has seen It except Kamen, Kemper, the engineers and the investors. Some of the major investors include Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr and managing director of Credit Suisse First Boston, Michael Schmertzer. Minor investors who have seen the invention and signed confidentiality agreements include Paul Allaire, CEO of Xerox and Vern Loucks, recently retired CEO of Baxter. Credit Suisse Boston expects IT to make more money in its first year than any other start-up in history.
Kamen, Ginger's inventor, was recently awarded the National Medal of Technology which is the country's highest such award. He is also the inventor of the iBot, a wheelchair that can climb stairs, traverse over sand or gravel and rise to balance on two wheels. Kamen dropped out of college in his 20s and also is the inventor of the first drug infusion pump and the first portable insulin pump and dialysis machine.
One of the most ominous quotes came from Kamen. He explained the unprecedented secrecy by saying that "huge corporations" might find out about Ginger and "use their massive resources to erect obstacles against us or worse, simply appropriate the technology by assigning hundreds of engineers to catch up to us and thousands of employees to produce it in their plants." He didn't elaborate on who those "huge corporations" might be.
Technology visionary Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon.com, said that IT "is a product so revolutionary, you'll have no problem selling it. The question is, are people going to be allowed to use it?"
My question is where can I invest in IT?
1/13/01
12:36:17 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We Cover the Earth For You"
SECRETARY BABBITT BIDS FAREWELL TO INTERIOR STAFF
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 11, 2000 (ENS) - Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt bid a public and emotional farewell today to several hundred members of his staff, taking them on a "voyage of nostalgia" that fused anecdotal humor and institutional pride to highlight his eight year stint as one of the top environmental policy makers in the outgoing Clinton administration.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-11-15.html
KENYAN DAM PROTESTER ARRESTED, SHOT
KISUMU, Kenya, January 11, 2001 (ENS) - A Kenyan activist working with dam affected people has been arrested, beaten and faces criminal charges for holding meetings and trying to share information about the Sondu Miriu hydroelectric dam project in southwestern Kenya.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-11-01.html
PRESSURE GROWS FOR GMO FREE ZONES IN EUROPE
BRUSSELS, Belgium, January 11, 2001 (ENS) - A campaign to create a network of areas in Europe free of genetically modified (GM) crops was launched in Brussels today at an international conference on the legal and technical issues behind the concept.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-11-01.html
THIS LAND IS OUR LAND, BRAZIL TELLS SQUATTERS
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, January 11, 2001 (ENS) - The Brazilian government's investigation of illegal land occupancy has uncovered fraud on a massive scale. The Agrarian Reform Ministry suspects more than 100 million hectares of land - an area bigger than Central America - is illegally occupied through phony land titles.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-11-10.html
URANIUM CONTAMINATION SEALED OFF IN KOSOVO
PRISTINA, Kosovo, Yugoslavia, January 11, 2001 (ENS) - More than 18 months after NATO stopped firing shells containing depleted uranium on Serb troops in Kosovo, civilians there are being protected from possible ill effects from the ammunition.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-11-11.html
U.S. TIGHTENS LOOPHOLE IN WETLANDS PROTECTIONS
WASHINGTON, DC, January 11, 2001 (ENS) - In the wake of a Supreme Court decision restricting wetland protections, the federal government moved this week to close a major regulatory loophole in the Clean Water Act. The new rules could save thousands of acres of wetlands.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-11-06.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JANUARY 11, 2001
No Arctic National Monument, White House Says
Paducah Radiation Study Released
Los Angeles Cited for Sewage Overflows
New Technology Could Reduce Vehicle Pollution
World's Largest Wind Farm Coming to Northwest
Northeast Faces Heightened Flood Threat
Georgia Protects Sawnee Mountain
M'Clintock Channel Polar Bear Trophies Banned
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-11-09.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
EARTH Shareholders Give Overwhelming 'Yes' to Management
MONTREAL, CANADA, Jan. 11 -/E-Wire/-- At the Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders of EARTH (Canada) Corporation (CDNX:EAR - news) held in Montreal yesterday, the company's shareholders voted an overwhelming 87% in support for Management and its various resolutions.
/CONTACT: Edward Akkawi, 514/522-5550 or 877/4RPA-TEC, investor@earthcanada.com/
/Web site: www.earthcanada.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0111.html
TO BUSINESS, ENVIRONMENTAL AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:
Blue292 Announces Comprehensive Restructuring Program
DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 11 -/E-Wire/-- Blue292, the world's leading provider of environmental, health and safety (EHS) eBusiness application software, today announced a comprehensive program that repositions the company as an enterprise software provider, streamlines its corporate structure, and significantly reduces operating costs.
/CONTACT: Anita Bose for Blue292, 212-484-7699, abose@rlmnet.com/
/Web Site: http://www.blue292.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0109.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Ingersoll-Rand's Thermo King Unit Signs Agreement To Supply Truck Refrigeration Systems to the U.S. Air Force
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Jan. 11 - /E-Wire/-- Ingersoll-Rand Company (NYSE: IR - news), a leading diversified industrial firm, announced today that its Thermo King unit has signed a five-year agreement to provide transport refrigeration systems for the United States Air Force.
/CONTACT: Ingersoll-Rand Company, Woodcliff Lake Media contact: Paul A. Dickard, 201/573-3120 Analyst contact: Joe Fimbianti, 201/573-3113/
/Web site: www.irco.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0110.html
The Browner Administration At The EPA: A Perspective On The Past Eight Years
ARLINGTON, VA, Jan. 10 -/E-Wire/-- The American Chemistry Council believes that the transition to a new year and a new administration provides an appropriate time to look back at both the progress and pitfalls of environmental policy during the past eight years and to identify some important lessons that can be applied in the future.
/CONTACT: Terry F. Yosie 703-741-5800/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0107.html
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Rotary Volunteers from the United States and Japan to Join Massive Effort to Immunize Over 150 Million Children Against Polio in India
Part of Global Effort to Eradicate Polio Worldwide by 2005
EVANSTON, IL, Jan. 11 -/E-Wire/-- Seventy (70) Rotary volunteers from the United States and Japan will leave for New Delhi, India the week of 15 January 01 to prepare for a nationwide polio immunization campaign - India's final push against the disease.
/CONTACT: Rotary International, Vivian Fiore, 847/866-3234, fiorev@rotaryintl.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0108.html
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Hydro-funded project begins long journey towards reversing the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon's decline
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 11 -/E-Wire/-- BC Hydro has committed $1.2 million over the next two years to the Upper Columbia River White Sturgeon Recovery Project to help restore the white sturgeon population on B.C.'s portion of the Columbia River. The multi-stakeholder project is designed to look into the reasons for the decline and explore alternatives to reverse the trend.
/CONTACT: Elisha Odowichuk BC Hydro Media Relations (604) 623-4099 Elisha.Odowichuk@BCHydro.bc.ca/
/Web site: http://eww.bchydro.bc.ca/environment/0101_sturgeon.html/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0106.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
NYCO Adopts PaperClick Enterprise
Chemical Manufacturer Wants Material Safety Data Information Available 24/7 to End Users and Emergency Agencies
FORT MYERS, Fla., Jan. 11, -/E-Wire/-- NeoMedia Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:NEOM) and NYCO Products Company of Countryside, IL, today announced the adoption of PaperClick Enterprise print-to-Internet enabling technology for the company's product information. This application is targeted at the $839 Billion chemical manufacturing marketplace (U.S.). According to the 1997 Economic Census Report, there are 27,026 chemical manufacturers in the United States subject to OSHA regulations, and therefore potential users of this PaperClick application.
CONTACT: Virginia Small, 941/337-3434, vsmall@neom.com/
/Web site: www.nycoproducts.com, www.neom.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0105.html
TO MEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
PacificHealth Laboratories, Inc. Initiates Clinical Trial Evaluating The Use of Satietrol with Orlistat
WOODBRIDGE, NJ, Jan. 11 -/E-Wire/-- PacificHealth Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ: PHLI) announced today that they have initiated a clinical trial evaluating the potential therapeutic synergies between Satietrol, the Company's new weight loss product and orlistat, a leading prescription product.
/CONTACT: Robert Portman at 732-636-6141, Mark Beal at Alan Taylor Communications, 212-714-1280 or Bruce Gmahle at Viking Financial Group, 732-901-5218/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0104.html
TO POLITICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Possible Bush Environmental Council Pick Criticized by Inspector General
BATTLE GROUND, WA, Jan. 11, -/E-Wire/-- One of the candidates in the mix for Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) was the subject of an Inspector General report critical of use of taxpayer funds for personal travel.
/CONTACT: Michael Hardiman, lobbyist, American Land Rights Association, 202-251-3473, mike@hardimanconsulting.com/
/Web site: http://www.landrights.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0103.html
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Millennium Plastics Announces Deployment and Sales of Solplax(TM) Plastic Products for the Oil and Gas Industry
LAS VEGAS, NV, Jan. 11, -/E-Wire/-- Millennium Plastics Corporation (OTCBB: MPCO) announced today the deployment a new line of Solplax(TM) plastics products for use in the oil and gas industry. The first product in this line of water soluble and biodegradable Solplax(TM) plastics is a "perforation ball sealer."
/CONTACT: Investor Communications Co., 800/550-5165 or 800/419-0611/
/Web site: http://www.millenniumpolymers.com /Web site: http://www.solplax.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0102.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Environmental Digital Services, Inc. (EDSi) Enters Joint Venture Agreement
JUPITER, Fla., Jan. 11 -/E-Wire/-- Environmental Digital Services, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: EVDS), Florida-based provider of electronic monitoring hardware and Internet-based data processing for underground petroleum storage tanks and environmental remediation services, has announced that it has concluded an agreement with Terra Block Incorporated, Orlando, Florida, to create a joint venture between EDSi and that company.
/CONTACT: William Wolters of Environmental Digital Services, Inc., 561-630-8009, or fax, 561-630-0150/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/11Jan0101.html
1/13/01
12:18:36 PM
MSNBC Poll on Oil Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge
MSNBC is taking a poll on whether we should allow oil drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. You can vote by just clicking on the link below, scroll down a bit in the article, and you'll see the poll on the left-hand side of the screen. Right now, it's 64% no votes, to 35% yes votes (it is updated every 60 seconds). Forward this on freely to your friends that would be interested in this. Go to:
>http://www.msnbc.com/news/500606.asp?0nm=N22A
You can also call the White House Hotline at 202-456-1111, or fax the White House at 202-456-2461.
Please let your voice be heard regarding this important issue! The next 4 years can be devastating to our environment unless enough of us take the time to inform ourselves and take action.
1/13/01
12:17:46 PM
"So I will continue to stand for what I believe in, and I will continue to refuse to back down and go away. No person, no business, and no government has the right to destroy the gift of life. No one has the right to steal from the future in order to make a quick buck today. Enough is enough. It's time we as humans return to living only off the Earth's interest instead of drawing from the principal. And it's time we restored some of the capital investment that we've already stolen."
Julia Butterfly Hill
1/13/01
12:13:36 PM
Hemp Resolution Urges KY Bill
CITY OF MIDWAY
A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE CITY OF MIDWAY'S SUPPORT FOR THE REINTRODUCTION OF THE PRODUCTION OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP IN KENTUCKY; ENCOURAGING LEGISLATORS IN THE KENTUCKY GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO ENACT LEGISLATION ENABLING FARMERS TO RE-ESTABLISH KENTUCKY'S HISTORIC INDUSTRIAL HEMP INDUSTRY; AND DIRECTING THE CITY CLERK TO SEND A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION TO THE LEGISLATORS IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY REPRESENTING MIDWAY AND TO THE MEMBERS OF THE KENTUCKY HOUSE AND SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEES.
WHEREAS, Kentucky farmers were producing hemp in 1775 before Kentucky was State and
WHEREAS, in 1942 Kentucky was the largest supplier of hemp for the War effort; and
WHEREAS, because of its climate, Kentucky historically produced hemp seed for planting in the other United States; and
WHEREAS, Canadian farmers are now producing hemp for US car manufacturers; and
WHEREAS, it is now legal to grow hemp in Hawaii, Minnesota and North Dakota; and
WHEREAS, 16 other states have pending legislation for hemp production; and
WHEREAS, Kentucky farmers have lost 65% of their tobacco base in the last two years; and
WHEREAS, our farmers are in need of support for the diversified agriculture.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MIDWAY KENTUCKY.
Section 1 - That the City of Midway hereby expresses its support for the reintroduction of the production of industrial hemp in Kentucky.
Section 2 - That Legislators in the Kentucky General Assembly are hereby encourage to enact legislation enabling farmers to re-establish Kentucky's historic industrial hemp industry.
Section 3 - That the Clerk of the City of Midway is hereby directed to send copies of this Resolution to the legislators in the General Assembly representing Midway and to the members of the Kentucky House and Senate Agriculture Committees.
Section 4 - That this Resolution shall become effective upon the date of its passage.
Dated: Dec 11, 2001
Becky Moore (signed) Mayor
ATTEST: Marlene Riddle (signed) MIDWAY CITY CLERK
1/13/01
12:11:28 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE <http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. ANWR SEDATE The White House said yesterday that President Clinton will not designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as a national monument because he believe that the area is already protected from oil and gas drilling. President-elect Bush and his nominees for Interior and Energy secretaries vigorously support drilling in the refuge. Enviros have been pressing Clinton since the presidential election to add protections to the 19 million-acre area. But a White House spokesperson said that the current status of the refuge means that it would already take an act of Congress to allow drilling and that a monument designation wouldn't give the area any more legal protection. The Clinton administration thinks that the divided Congress would be unlikely to vote to allow drilling, but that conferring monument status on the refuge would needlessly energize conservatives who want to repeal the 1906 law granting presidents the power to name monuments in the first place.
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Kim Murphy, 11 Jan 2001 <http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20010111/t000003007.html>
catch it only in Grist Magazine: How many licks does it take to get to the center of the Arctic Refuge? -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha082500.stm>
2. WE'RE NUMBER 5! The year 2000 is expected to rank as the fifth warmest globally since record keeping began in 1880, just slightly hotter than last year. The only warmer years were 1998, 1997, 1995, and 1990, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 1990s were the warmest decade on record, and the 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1983. Read more on the Grist Magazine website.
read it only in Grist Magazine: How's the Weather -- in our Heat Beat section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/heatbeat/weather011101.stm>
3. THE BEST DEFENSE IS A BAD OFFENSE Enviros have taken offense at a 1989 speech by Gale Norton, President-elect Bush's choice for Interior secretary, in which she suggested that property owners have a "right to pollute." Worse, in a 1996 speech to the same audience, the Independence Institute, a conservative think tank on whose board she has served, Norton compared conservatives' attempts to preserve states' rights to the cause of the South in the Civil War. She said, "We lost too much" when the Confederacy was defeated. Norton did not endorse slavery, but used the example of the Civil War to draw attention to her belief that the federal government has overreached and grabbed too much governing power at the expense of states. She complained that when she was Colorado attorney general, the feds required that auto emissions be restricted in Denver and that a renovation to the statehouse include a wheelchair ramp. Norton also serves on the board of the Defenders of Property Rights, which is involved with three lawsuits filed against the Interior Department for enforcing environmental laws.
straight to the source: Denver Post, Mike Soraghan, 11 Jan 2001 <http://www.denverpost.com/news/election/pol0111.htm>
straight to the source: Washington Post, John Mintz, 11 Jan 2001 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44658-2001Jan10.html>
straight to the source: Denver Rocky Mountain News, Burt Hubbard and M.E. Sprengelmeyer, 11 Jan 2001 <http://InsideDenver.com/news/0111nort1.shtml>
do good: Take action to keep Norton out of the Cabinet <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/politics.stm>
4. WITH A "WHOOSH WHOOSH" HERE AND A "WHIR WHIR" THERE The border of Washington and Oregon will soon be home to the world's largest wind farm, producing enough power for 70,000 homes in 11 Western states. The wind-power company FPL Energy of Florida is beginning construction of the 450-turbine, 300-megawatt project next month and hopes to have it on-line by the end of the year. Oregon-based PacifiCorp has pledged to buy power from the farm for at least 25 years. Enviros, some of whom helped site the project to avoid bird flyways, are giving the project a big thumbs up.
straight to the source: Seattle Times, Associated Press, Gillian Flaccus, 11 Jan 2001 <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SeattleTimes.woa/ wa/gotoArticle?zsection_id=268448406&text_only=0&slug=windy11&document _id=134259428>
read it only in Grist Magazine: There's something in the wind -- farmers are reaping rewards from wind energy -- by Lester Brown in our opinions column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/imho/imho082100.stm>
catch it only in Grist Magazine: Turbine time -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha032700.stm>
5. NEAT-O RESEARCH TOPIC: THE EFFECTS OF HARPOONING ON WHALE MORTALITY The U.S. and Japan have teamed up to ask the International Whaling Commission to evaluate whether killing whales to study them produces better research findings than studying them using non-lethal means. The IWC banned whale hunting in 1986, but Japan has continued to hunt the mammals, saying that the hunts are for scientific research allowed under the ban. This year, over many international objections, Japan expanded its whale hunt. Critics contend that Japan's research program is merely a front to provide restaurants in Tokyo with whale meat.
straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner, Associated Press, 10 Jan 2001 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2001/01/ 10/international1101EST0565.DTL>
do good: Take action against Japanese whaling <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/species.stm#whaling>
Dung deal -- a day in the life of Corinna Riginos, Fulbright scholar <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/riginos011001.stm>
Slow down, you move too fast -- an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure -- by Donella Meadows <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/citizen/citizen010901.stm>
That'll do, babe -- Kris Williams is saving sea turtles in Georgia -- in our Out on Limb column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/limb/limb120100.stm>
1/13/01
12:09:55 PM
World Environment News - January 11th, 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
FEATURE - New England fishermen fear red crab in danger - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9484
Reports show decline in erosion of US wetlands - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9487
WRAPUP - Auto show focuses on environment, safety - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9489
US high court limits federal regulation of ponds - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9492
INTERVIEW - Renault aims to speed delivery, slash inventory - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9493
UK green power company signs up London authorities - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9490
Shell says spill shuts in 46,000 bpd Nigeria crude - NIGERIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9491
EU sets guidelines for environmental checks - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9488
W.Australia charges Apache over oil spill - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9486
Argentina says nuclear ship won't enter its waters - ARGENTINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9485
1/13/01
12:08:30 PM
Best Bet for a Sustainable Future.
Greetings: It gives me great pleasure to announce this new page on our web site.
The 20th Century witnessed several prescriptions for managing human activity. Fascism was rejected; Communism was unable to stand in competition with Capitalism; and the growth dependent system of Capitalism has now brought us to the point where the ecological balance of our planet is threatened.
Of the world views promoted in the last century, only the life-based ideals embodied by M.K. Gandhi have not been seriously applied. Perhaps, as we witness social malaise and face the problems of resource depletion and pollution, and as we start to recognize that perpetual growth may not solve all the related problems, we might look again at the advice of this 20th Century luminary.
"Best Bet for a Sustainable Future" offers materials explaining this possibility. It includes, among others, a link to a study of the Indian State of Kerala where a population the size of Canada has achieved literacy and fertility rates comparable to those in Europe while living at an income level similar to the rest of India.
I hope you enjoy what I see as the greatest hope available for the human family.
Yours, Mike Nickerson
"One who is content with little has much"
the late George Mully quoting an older sage.
http://www.cyberus.ca/choose.sustain
Sustainability Project - 7th Generation Initiative P.O. Box 374, Merrickville, Ontario K0G 1N0 (613) 269-3500 e-mail: sustain@web.net
1/13/01
12:06:31 PM
Public Citizen Petitions NRC to Shut Down NY Reactor
Regulator Allowed Reactor Restart Without Conducting Required Emergency Planning Drill
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Public Citizen today petitioned the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to halt the operation of the Indian Point 2 nuclear plant in New York until Consolidated Edison, the owner and operator of the reactor, has conducted a full participation emergency planning exercise as required by federal regulations.
"The NRC has stated that 'the licensee will remain in compliance with the biennial requirement until December 31, 2000,'" said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "If the NRC is to be taken at its word, then they must acknowledge the fact that the Indian Point 2 is now in violation of those requirements."
Emergency planning is especially important because Indian Point 2 is located 24 miles from New York City and 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. The nuclear reactor has been idle since last February, when a steam generator tube rupture released radiation into the environment and forced the plant to shut down.
"The NRC could have assured compliance with regulations had it merely required that the licensee conduct the required emergency planning drill at any time during the last 300 days that the reactor has been shut down," said James Riccio, senior analyst for Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "However, it appears that NRC senior managers were more concerned with restarting the reactor than ensuring that the public will be protected in the event of an accident."
When conducting an emergency drill, plant workers must practice the steps they would take to evacuate nearby towns in the event of a nuclear accident. NRC regulations require such drills to be done every two years. However, the last time such a drill was performed at Indian Point 2 was June 1998. Other groups signing on to the petition include the Citizens Awareness Network, Environmental Advocates, Nuclear Information & Resource Service, PACE Law School Energy Project and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
1/13/01
12:04:22 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We Cover the Earth For You"
UNEP: GREEN ENERGY COULD SAVE CLIMATE, FORESTS, WILDLIFE
PARIS, France, January 10, 2001 - Accelerating the introduction of environmentally friendly energy such as solar, wind and wave power is one of the most pressing issues of the new millennium, the head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will tell a meeting of the G-8 countries on renewable energy today.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-10-01.html
EPA LOWERS LEAD REPORTING THRESHOLD
WASHINGTON, DC, January 10, 2001 - Americans may soon be able to find out more about the amounts and sources of toxic lead emitted into their communities near homes, schools and playgrounds. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week proposed a new rule that will expand the information available to the public about lead emissions.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-10-15.html
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL CONQUERS BIBLICAL PLAGUE
By Andrew Darby
CANBERRA, Australia, January 10, 2001 (ENS) - The plague locust is being halted in its devastating path. Evidence is emerging of successful biocontrol of the insects that have been the scourge of farmers and agro-industrialists since biblical times.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-10-02.html
GREECE STARTS TO PAY HUGE TOXIC WASTE DUMP FINE
BRUSSELS, Belgium, January 10, 2001 (ENS) - Greece has finally begun paying the first ever fine imposed by the European Union on one of its member states, an official of the European Commission's environment directorate told Members of the European Parliament in Brussels Tuesday.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-10-03.html
CAMPAIGN GROWS AGAINST INDIA BOUND MERCURY SHIPMENT
By Neville Judd
BANGOR, Maine, January 10, 2000 (ENS) - Maine's worst mercury polluter is proving to be as controversial in liquidation as when the company was manufacturing caustic soda and chlorine from its Orrington plant on the Penobscot River.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-10-10.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JANUARY 10, 2001
Look Alike Fish May Get Special Protection
Ford Plans Higher Mileage Explorer SUV
$10.9 Million Supports Energy Efficient Research
U.S. Aids in Vietnamese River, Flood Forecasts
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Reviewed for Possible Endangered Listing
Lawsuit Threatened Over Bison, Eagles
Luxury Resort to be Powered by Solar Energy
Winter Wonderlands at National Wildlife Refuges
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-10-09.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dole Food Co. Inc. to Offer Organic Bananas
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. Jan. 4 -/E-Wire/-- Dole Fresh Fruit Co., a subsidiary of Dole Food Co. Inc. (NYSE:DOL - news), today announced that it will begin offering certified organic bananas to consumers beginning in January 2001.
/CONTACT: Dole Food Co. Inc., Westlake Village, Marta Maitles, 818/874-4956
/Web site: www.dole.com
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/10Jan0105.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GreenMan Technologies, Inc. Announces Commitment Letter for New $7 Million Credit Facility With Coast Business Credit
LYNNFIELD, Mass., Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/ -- GreenMan Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:GMTI - news; BSE:GMY) today announced that it has executed a commitment letter with Coast Business Credit, a division of Southern Pacific Bank, for a five-year, $7 million credit facility. The new credit facility includes a $4 million working capital line of credit and approximately $3 million of term debt, with $1 million earmarked to be utilized for implementing GreenMan's first waste wire processing equipment line. The transaction is anticipated to be completed on or before January 31, 2001.
/CONTACT: GreenMan Technologies Bob Davis, CEO or Chuck Coppa, CFO 781-224-2411
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/10Jan0106.html
TO SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATIONAL EDITORS:
Nearly 2000 Scientists to Attend American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting
WASHINGTON, DC, Jan. 10 -/E-Wire/-- Atmospheric effects of large forest fires like New Mexico's Los Alamos disastrous blaze last spring, the socio-economic impact of heavy precipitation in the United States and a look at advancements in weather forecasting in the future are among the topics to be discussed during the 81st annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), which opens in Albuquerque, N.M. next week.
/CONTACT: Stephanie Kenitzer of American Meteorological Society, 202-682-9006, or 410-672-6750, or kenitzer@mindspring.com/
/Web site: http://www.ametsoc.org/ams/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/10Jan0104.html
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Video Series to Focus on Maritime Environmental Issues
NEW ORLEANS, LA, Jan. 10, -/E-Wire/-- The Maritime Environmental Resources & Information Center (MERIC) has begun pre-production on a 4-part video series dealing with environmental regulations and their impacts on U.S. shipbuilding.
/CONTACT: Dr. Kenneth McManis, Executive Director at 504.280-6668/
/Web site: http://www.uno.edu~engr/meric/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/10Jan0103.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Environmental Certification for Entire Skanska Group
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 10 -/E-Wire/-- All of Skanska's operations - from head office to subsidiaries - have now introduced environmental management systems that are certified in accordance with the international standard ISO 14001. Skanska is the first global company in the construction-related services and project development sector to environmentally certify all operations within the entire group.
/CONTACT: Skanska AB, Axel Wenblad, +46 8 753 8998/
/Web site: http://www.skanska.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/10Jan0102.html
TO BUSINES AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Shell to Receive 2001 World Environment Center Gold Medal for International Corporate Environmental Achievement
NEW YORK, NY, Jan. 10 -/E-Wire/-- The World Environment Center's Seventeenth Annual WEC Gold Medal for International Corporate Environmental Achievement has been awarded to Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies ("Shell"). The WEC Gold Medal is awarded by an independent Jury of distinguished international environmental experts to a corporation that demonstrates preeminent industry leadership and contributes to worldwide environmental quality.
/CONTACT: Isaac Skelton, Program Manager of World Environment Center, 212-683-4700, ext. 241, isaac@wec.org; or Mike Hogan, Head of Media Relations, +44-0-207-934-6238, Mike.A.Hogan@si.shell.com, or Kitty Borah, Media Relations, 713-241-4654, both of Shell/
/Web site: http://www.wec.org/wecgm.htm/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/10Jan0101.html
1/13/01
12:00:32 PM
FAIR-L Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting Media analysis, critiques and news reports
MEDIA ADVISORY: Depleted Coverage of NATO's Depleted Uranium Weapons
January 10, 2001
Concern has been mounting rapidly throughout Europe over the effects of depleted uranium (DU) munitions used by NATO in Bosnia and Yugoslavia during the 1994-95 and 1999 wars. At least 12 soldiers-- six Italian, five Belgian and one Portuguese-- who served in the Balkans have died of leukemia or other forms of cancer; several Italian, Spanish, French and Dutch soldiers are being treated for cancer; and several other European countries are currently testing their soldiers for signs of illness.
Other soldiers and aid workers have experienced symptoms including "chronic fatigue, hair loss and various types of cancer" (New York Times, 1/7/01), ailments which have collectively come to be known as "Balkans War Syndrome," much like Gulf War Syndrome.
Italy, Belgium, France, Portugal and Germany have all demanded that NATO conduct a thorough investigation into the health and environmental impacts of DU, and have expressed distrust of Pentagon and NATO reassurances (Agence France Presse, 1/8/01). Reports in the European press suggest that the situation is causing serious divisions within the alliance, with the conservative London Times asserting that the soldiers' "Deaths Threaten the Unity of Nato" (1/6/01). Germany has called on NATO to ban the toxic and radioactive metal (The Independent, 1/9/01), while the United Nations' war crimes tribunal has offered to make available all relevant records on the Kosovo war, raising the question of the legality of NATO's use of DU (Agence France Presse, 1/8/01).
Since the new year, stories about the DU controversy have been running almost daily in every major British newspaper, with the Guardian (1/8/01) and Independent (1/6/01) each running editorials calling for a NATO investigation into DU's health effects. Altogether, the London Independent has run 14 original articles; the London Times has run 12; the Daily Telegraph has run 10; and the Guardian and its Sunday paper, the Observer, have run eight.
Meanwhile, in the U.S.-- the country most responsible by far for DU contamination-- newspapers have relegated most of their coverage to news briefs and short wire stories. The only U.S. newspaper in the Nexis media database to have run an editorial on the current controversy is the Seattle Times (1/6/01). Big picture questions about the extensive use of DU since the Gulf War, its lasting impact on civilian populations and the record of official deception around DU have been largely ignored in both print and broadcast reports.
Apart from small wire stories, the New York Times has run only three original pieces on the current DU controversy. The Washington Post and Chicago Tribune have each run two original stories on the topic, while the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Christian Science Monitor have run one apiece.
Besides a sprinkling of news briefs and short wire service stories in papers across the country (one of the most widely used was the Associated Press' January 5 piece noting "many medical experts" who are "skeptical" of DU's dangers), these few articles represent the extent of U.S. print coverage of the current controversy.
Television coverage has also been limited. CNN has aired two reports on DU (1/7/01, 1/10/01), while the three networks' evening news broadcasts each did one story (NBC, 1/7/01; ABC, 1/8/01; CBS, 1/8/01).
Only three of the mainstream U.S. media reports about the current controversy have referred in any detail to the parallels between Balkans War Syndrome and the illnesses alleged to have resulted from use of DU during the Gulf War-- the Los Angeles Times article (1/6/01, which also ran the next day in Newsday), one Chicago Tribune article (1/9/01) and the Christian Science Monitor's excellent January 9 piece. Though richer in background than other U.S. reports, neither the L.A. Times nor the Tribune articles addressed the growing evidence that the U.S. military has long known about and attempted to conceal the dangers of DU. (For more information on this point, see the resources listed below.)
Nor was the larger question about DU raised: Is it legal? In a December 18 draft recommendation that went largely unremarked, the Environment Committee of the Council of Europe found that during the Kosovo war, NATO countries violated provisions of the Geneva Conventions intended to limit environmental damage.
Among other things, the committee cited "the use of depleted uranium in warheads" as a violation that had "dramatically worsened" Yugoslavia's environment "with long-lasting effects on the health and quality of life for future generations." The committee further found that this damage "can be presumed to have been deliberate."
According to a search of the Nexis database, no major U.S. newspaper, magazine, television show or wire service has reported on the COE's suggestion that NATO countries deliberately violated international law.
Despite questions raised by veterans, health researchers and international organizations like the UN, NATO's use of DU in Kosovo has received almost no sustained media attention, either during or after the war. One wartime report on ABC's Nightline (4/1/99) criticized Serbian state media's coverage of the conflict, highlighting what it described as "this astonishing claim" from a Belgrade news report: "They [NATO forces] even use radioactive weapons...which are forbidden by the Geneva Convention."
Astonishing, perhaps, but true; at the time, the Pentagon had already admitted using DU in Kosovo. As for the possibility that NATO violated the Geneva Conventions, ABC has never returned to it.
For more information about depleted uranium, see:
The Military Toxics Project's page on DU: http://www.miltoxproj.org/DU/DU_Titlepage/DU_Titlepage.htm
The National Gulf War Resources Center's DU Link: http://www.ngwrc.org/Dulink/du_link.htm
See also FAIR's April 1999 alert on DU in Kosovo: http://www.fair.org/activism/depleted-uranium.html
1/13/01
11:59:01 AM
2 "Clearly Bizarre" Planetary Systems Found In Orbits Of Distant Stars
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/010109/18/new-worlds Planet Hunters Find Bizarre Worlds
Updated 6:50 PM ET January 9, 2001 By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) - Two "clearly bizarre" planetary systems found in the orbits of distant stars are puzzling astronomers and raising new questions about how planets form.
Planet hunters at the University of California, Berkeley reported Tuesday that a star 123 light years away is being circled by two objects, one of which may the biggest planet ever found outside the solar system. Around another star, the astronomers found two planets moving in lockstep, gravitational harmony.
The astronomers announced their discoveries at the national meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
Geoffrey Marcy, leader of the planet-searching team, said a star called HD168443 is being circled by a planet about 17 times more massive than Jupiter. It is by far the largest planetary-like object yet found beyond the solar system.
"This is more massive than a planet and it defies the conventional definition for a planet," said Marcy.
The object is big enough to be called a brown dwarf, which is sometimes called a "failed star." Brown dwarfs are usually defined as stellar objects that did not collect enough mass to ignite the nuclear fires that causes a star to shine. Generally, an object must acquire a mass greater than 13 times that of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, to start the fires burning. Yet, the object orbiting HD168443 is larger.
"We have never seen anything like this," said Paul Butler, a Carnegie Institution of Washington astronomer who is a member of the planet-hunting team. "To call it a brown dwarf sweeps the mystery under the rug. It is a mystery system."
"This defies explanation," said Marcy. "We don't know if it is a brown dwarf or some type of hybrid."
The team has discovered more than 30 planets outside the solar system. Other teams have found about 20 additional ones. Most such planets are two to three times more massive than Jupiter. No Earth-sized planets have been found.
"This is one of the most exciting discoveries yet," said Douglas N. C. Lin, a planetary formation expert from the University of California, Santa Cruz, who is not a member of the Marcy team. "This discovery has profound theoretical implications."
Although the planetary object is 17 times more massive than Jupiter, Lin said, "it is possible that it formed in the same way that Jupiter formed in our solar system."
Planets are thought to form by gravitationally attracting gas and dust in a cloud surrounding a developing star. But planets that become too large can destabilize a planetary system. Butler said the HD168443 system is "extremely stable."
Marcy said a second planet in the HD168443 system has seven times the mass of Jupiter and orbits closer to the central star. He said both planets are probably huge gas balls, much like Jupiter and Saturn.
"If you could fly a space ship by it, you would see an object very much like our Jupiter," he said.
The second discovery announced Tuesday is of two smaller planets in closely linked orbits around a star called Gliese 876, a small star 15 light years from Earth.
Debra Fischer, a member of the Marcy team, said one planet is about half the mass of Jupiter and the other is 1.9 times more massive.
Fischer said the planets are gravitationally locked in a what is called a resonate orbit. One circles the star every 30 days, and the other takes 60, forming a near perfect 2-to-1 ratio.
"We don't know how they could have gotten into that configuration," said Marcy.
"These two resonate planets seem to be humming in harmony," said Fischer. "They are like two harmonic notes on a stringed instrument."
Lin said that once such planets are in resonance, they "move as a pair," responding to the gravitational tug of the companion.
On the Net:
Extra solar planets: http://www.exoplanets.org
1/13/01
11:56:24 AM
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS & RIBBON PROJECT
FIRST ITEM - CALL FOR LITERARY SUBMISSIONS
EARTH ARTS Performance & Productions, Seattle, WA, is seeking submissions of original work in three categories--poetry, drama, short fiction--for a new anthology to be published between late Spring & mid Summer, 2001. The title of the colleciton will be PRIMITIVE SANITY: A Global Anthology of Green, Ecosophic & Creation Spirituality Writing for the New Millennium. The volume will be edited by Seattle Playwright David Sparenberg, author of PLAYING WITH PURPOSE: dramas & ritual performances for a green theater. Interested persons can preview this title through the Author's Page at www.xlibris.com/PlayingWithPurpose.html.
Further information on the anthology can be obtained by going to the following web page: http://hometown.aol.com/nwrenaissance/myhomepage/books.html, or by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to Renaissance c/o Earth Arts, 4213 S. Lucile St. Seattle, WA 98118 USA.
Cut off date for submission is March 1, 2001. Early submissions are encouraged. There is a $15 reading fee (US$), payable to Earth Arts, for each cagegory in which submissions are made. Poets may submit up to 15 pages of original work. Story authors may submit one or more titles, up to 20 pages. Playwrights may submit one or more one act dramas or dramatic skits, up to 25 pages.
SECOND ITEM - RIBBON PROJECT
HELP END THE CANCER EPIDEMIC THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION!
You are invited to learn about the RIBBON PROJECT--the People's Campaign for Cancer Prevention & Cure--by going to the following web page: http://hometown.aol.com/ribbonproject/myhomepage/memorial.html.
If you appreciate what you read there, please tell others and create a link. Your help will add to the success of this project of compassion, healing and planetary detoxification.
Also, you might want to check out the Author's Page for the recently published PLAYING WITH PURPOSE: www.xlibris.com/PlayingWithPurpose.html and www.xlibris.com/David Sparenberg.html. The book contains work for the theater, including two plays dealing with cancer as an environmental epidemic. The second of these two combines the cancer theme with the WTO protests in Seattle last year and premiered on Earth Day 2000. Purchasing the book will help support the Ribbon Project.
1/13/01
11:54:31 AM
THE OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
BILL TO LEGALIZE HEMP GROWING INTRODUCED AGAIN IN LEGISLATURE
By Jake Bleed
LINCOLN -- The Nebraska Legislature may take another look at legalizing the growing of industrial hemp a year after time ran out on a similar bill.
Sen. Ed Schrock of Elm Creek, who introduced Legislative Bill 273 Friday, said the bill was a copy of last year's, which was approved by the Agriculture Committee but failed to be adopted by the Legislature.
"There's no urgency on it because it's against (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) regulations," Schrock said, referring to the ban by the federal agency on the production of industrial hemp.
Schrock said members of this year's Agriculture Committee, except for one who was ill, co-sponsored the bill.
Despite the strong showing of support, Schrock said he expects some opposition in and out of the Legislature.
"I personally think most of that opposition will come from people who are not well informed," he said.
Passage of the bill would provide Nebraska with another cash crop, Schrock said. Three states - Minnesota, North Dakota and Hawaii - have adopted similar laws, Schrock said.
Schrock said that, unlike its widely known cousin, marijuana, industrial hemp cannot be used as a narcotic. (END)
Website: http://www.omaha.com/
1/13/01
11:51:36 AM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE
<http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. SLOW DOWN, YOU MOVE TO FAST What do you do when you want to move fast but the way ahead is dark, maybe dangerous, and almost entirely unknown? Accelerate? Proceed with moderation? Slow way down? Stop? That question underlies most environmental regulations. For example, we aren't sure what pesticides are doing to ecosystems or ourselves. We have only a faint idea what rising greenhouse gas levels will do to the climate. So should we go ahead? How fast? U.S. policy has ranged from acceleration to moderation. Increasingly, though, other governments are saying it makes more sense to slow down or stop. Read more on the Grist Magazine website.
read it only in Grist Magazine: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure -- by Donella Meadows <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/citizen/citizen010901.stm>
2. HOLE LOTTA LOVE Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said earlier this week that the feds would research new ways to dispose of nuclear waste instead of incinerating the waste in southeastern Idaho. He formally accepted the recommendations of a panel that was appointed a year ago to study the matter after enviro groups, ski bums, Harrison Ford, and others in Jackson Hole, Wyo., raised a stink about the incineration plans in nearby Idaho. Berte Hirschfield, president of Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free, said the movement not to incinerate nuclear waste should be expanded beyond Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana: "If incineration does not belong here, it does not belong anywhere."
straight to the source: Chicago Tribune, Judith Graham, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.chicago.tribune.com/news/nationworld/article/0,2669,SAV-01 01090256,FF.html>
straight to the source: Billings Gazette, Associated Press, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?section=wyoming&display=cont ent/wyoming/1energy.inc>
3. HONKLESS KONG Hong Kong plans to create car-free zones in parts of its central business district to improve the city's air quality. Just this week, high pollution levels prompted government officials to urge people with respiratory and heart problems to stay indoors. Late last year, the city legislature more than doubled the penalty placed on dirty cars to $128. Elsewhere on the Hong Kong enviro radar, the city's high court sided with the government and ruled yesterday that a 145-acre valley that is home to more than 70 species of dragonflies should be kept off-limits to development.
straight to the source: CNN.com, Reuters, 08 Jan 2001 <http://www.cnn.com/2001/NATURE/01/08/environment.hongkong.reut/index.html>
straight to the source: Planet Ark, Reuters, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9477>
4. TURTLE DOVE A T-shirt sparked Kris Williams's passion for saving turtles on Georgia's Wassaw Island. The so-called Turtle Babe is head of the Caretta Research Project, a shoestring effort that is the oldest turtle conservation project in North America. Read more on the Grist Magazine website. In other turtle news, it seems that Williams's counterparts in India have their work cut out for them. Despite government protections, about 2,000 Olive Ridley sea turtles trying to nest on India's eastern Orissa coast have been killed by fishing nets and fishers this season.
read it only in Grist Magazine: Saving sea turtles in Georgia -- in our Out on a Limb section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/limb/limb120100.stm>
straight to the source: Nando Times, Associated Press, Archana Mishra, 07 Jan 2001 <http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/0,1080,500297105-500473 654-503219956-0,00.html>
5. MARSHING TO THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUMMER Federal conservation laws have cut the rate of wetland loss in the U.S. by about 80 percent, according to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Between 1986 and 1997, the report said, the lower 48 states lost an average of 58,500 acres of wetlands a year, compared to 290,000 acres a year from the mid-1970s to '80s (when there were many more wetlands acres left to destroy). The report noted that the goal of no net loss of wetlands has yet to be met. It said development, farming, and forestry projects accounted for most of the remaining loss of wetlands. (The U.S. Supreme Court did its part for wetland loss yesterday, siding against the feds in their efforts to protect a wetland area in Illinois.)
straight to the source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Associated Press, Philip Brasher, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.star-telegram.com/news/doc/1047/1:POLITICS32A/1:POLITICS32 A0109101.html>
straight to the report: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <http://wetlands.fws.gov/bha/SandT/SandTReport.html>
do good: Take action to save the edge of the swampy Everglades from development <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/land.stm#Airport>
Grazed and confused -- a day in the life of Corinna Riginos, Fulbright scholar <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/riginos010901.stm>
Coffee bean counting -- fun with stats -- in our Counter Culture column <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/counter/counter041300.stm>
Watership down -- the world is running low on H20 -- by Lester Brown <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/imho/imho091900.stm>
1/13/01
11:46:40 AM
"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!"
Ralph Waldo Emerson
1/13/01
11:45:42 AM
If you are interested to read about a Calendar of GMO Calamities compiled by the Rural Advancement Foundation International for the year 2000, check it at http://www.rafi.org
HERE IS AN EXCERPT TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT IT IS...
CALENDAR OF CALAMITIES - 2000
Biotech's "Generation One" - Travails of a Misspent Youth
The RAFI Revue ("tongue-in-cheek") of the scientific, political and media disasters that struck the Agbiotech industry since the BioSafety Protocol was adopted in January.
January, 2000
- Soiled reputation: As delegations readied for the Montreal biosafety meeting, US and Venezuelan researchers confirmed that the Bt toxin in transgenic maize could (contrary to industry expectations) escape into the soil killing larvae up to 25 days after the break-out.(1)
February, 2000
- Hard to resist: Canadian scientists acknowledged that Monsanto's Roundup, Cyanamid's Pursuit, and Aventis's Liberty herbicides lost their effectiveness against weeds only 2 to 3 years after an Alberta farmer planted the companies' GM canola seeds. (2)
March, 2000
- Vowel language: A long-suppressed U.S. Government memo dating to 1993 revealed an experiment in which 4 of 20 female rodents fed the FlavrSavr (a GM tomato now owned by Monsanto) suffered gross stomach lesions.(3)
- "Play possum" plot: New Zealand scientists proposed to develop GM carrots engineered to sterilize possums when eaten. Possums are threatening the country's crops.(4) Scientists pooh-poohed concern that the carrots might have the same effect on people, and insisted the carrots could be kept separate from the human food chain if necessary.
- The "Which Blair Project": Tony Blair reversed his position of a year earlier ("the Prime Minister is very strongly minded that these [GM] products are safe.") and told readers of The Independent that "there is no doubt that there is potential for harm from GM food."(5) Further flip flops are widely predicted.
April, 2000
- Weevil wars: It was found that GM cotton that "volunteered" in GM soybean fields may be bringing the dreaded cotton boll weevil back into the USA as a major pest.(6)
- A-maize-ing pace:, American maize growers were shunning GM seeds because their 1998/99 exports to Europe had dropped to 137,000 tonnes from 2 million tonnes one year earlier.(7) The announcement came on the heels of media reports that major potato processors and fast-food chains were warning growers to avoid GM potatoes.
May, 2000
- "Safe" wherever they are? GM seeds were routinely - though accidentally - shipped to Europe by U.S. and Canadian seed companies who couldn't seem to keep their conventional seeds separate from their GM lines.(8) In the following days, the sloppy inventory management problem spread throughout Western Europe as country after country found their fields contaminated with illegal and unwanted GM crops. (New Zealanders were assured that such stock management problems could never occur with carrots.)
1/13/01
11:41:33 AM
The 10 Worst Corporations Date: Tue, 02 Jan 2001
The Ten Worst Corporations of the Year appears in the December 2000 issue of the "Multinational Monitor," founded by consumer advocate and two time Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader. The companies appearing on this year's list earned their spot for the following reasons:
1/ Aventis: Contaminating the food supply with genetically engineered crops not approved for human consumption.
2/ BAT: Promoting and facilitating cigarette smuggling on a global scale.
3/ BP/Amoco: Multiple fines for environmental violations and failure to pay royalties to the federal government.
4/ Doubleclick: Rubbing against the edge of Internet privacy protections.
5/ Ford/Firestone: Placing the lethal combination of Ford Explorers and Firestone tires on the road.
6/ Glaxo Wellcome: Blocking efforts to distribute cheap, generic AIDS drugs in poor African countries.
7/ Lockheed Martin: Testing a toxic component of rocket fuel on humans.
8/ Philipps Petroleum: Multiple fatal accidents at a petrochemical facility in Houston.
9/ Smithfield Foods: Consolidating the meat packing business to the detriment of family farms, and spreading factory farms that are polluting rural America.
10/ Titan International: Ongoing strikebreaking attempt against about 1,000 members of the United Steelworkers of America
"The Ten Worst Corporations of the Year" is posted at: http://www.essential.org/monitor/mm2000/00december/enemies.html.
1/13/01
11:38:20 AM
What will those wacky radioactive recyclers think of next?
Here is a collection of links for the dubious ...
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/radmetal/radioactive_recyclingindex.htm
Making the connections http://www.gasp-pgh.org/hotline/win98_3.html August 11, 1999: One Hundred Eighty-Seven Organizations Call on Vice President Gore to Stop Radioactive Recycling into Consumer Products (use above link to visit site)
http://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,146650-412,00.shtml
http://mims.inel.gov/faq/ Questions about low level waste
A collection of links http://google.yahoo.com/bin/query?p=Radioactive+Waste+recycled+into+Consumer +products&hc=0&hs=0
1/13/01
11:37:04 AM
More on the `cube'
The company is real: http://www.sunpowercorp.com/
And appears to have done the flight stunt before:
http://www.cnnsf.com/newsvault/output/solarflyer.html http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/10/31/solar.fuel.cell/
--___ __o -- _ \<,_ -- (_)/ (_) Mark Graffis
1/13/01
11:35:54 AM
New Technology May Run Fossil Fuels Into the Ground
This showed up at ABC's site after i requested they post something on it, don't know but that they might have anyway. It was a feature segment yesterday on ABC World News.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/WorldNewsSaturday/altpower010106.html
By Jim Goldman ABCNEWS.com
Jan. 6 - There's an excitement going on in the environmental movement over the development in solar energy- a development that some hope will eventually run rings around fossil fuels.
Technicians have developed a solar powered flying wing that will be able to stay aloft for six months at a time.
The airplane generates all of its own energy, and stores its own energy, which has been the problem for solar up until now, and can exist completely independently of outside energy sources.
Engineers say the technology that powers the aircraft could solve some of the energy industry's biggest challenges - generating and then storing solar energy and making it cost-effective.
A working prototype of a fuel cell coupled with this new, high-tech solar panel made from silicon or refined sand. The flat silicon solar panels are arranged in a cube - and that with the fuel cell ends up being about the size of a Rubik's cube. Just 10 of those cubes would be enough to generate enough electrical power for an entire house.
According to Dick Swanson, CEO of Sun Power, they're talking about the future of power being sunlight, which is free, and sand, which is probably the most prevalent material on the planet.
This is how it works: The sun's energy splits water into hydrogen and oxygen during the day. Then, a fuel cell then brings the two gases back together to make electricity at night. "This energy storage system is actually a fairly elegant, simple system, we think," says John Delfrate of NASA.
Simple and Effective - So Far The flying wing is one example which some day could be used to monitor the environment and relay telecommunications data.
Power plants will be next, using thousands of solar cell cubes. "We can produce this for less than $200 for 200 watts, making it the first approach that we believe can truly compete with fossil fuels," Swanson says of the cubes. In the future, far fewer cubes could be used for personal power plants.
"It takes about 10 of these to power one house," Swanson says. For now, solar power still costs three times as much as oil and gas. Analysts say that is the final challenge the industry needs to overcome before it comes a realistic energy alternative.
1/13/01
11:34:16 AM
Flying gyroplanes with hydrino energy
It will eventually be possible to fly gyroplanes with hydrino energy, but it may, take a few years before that kind of flight is avialable. For "those who tuned in late" gyroplanes are a new type of autogyro far simpler to fly and more economical than helicopters, yet they land and take off vertically and are totally safe in event of engine failure.
By flying at all times in an autorotation mode, they simply descend slowly if power is lost, and can land anywhere. They will be coming out in early 2002. Presently five are already flying and you can watch on a video or computer CD ROM. A photo is at http://www.gyroplane.cjb.net Contact Art at Aquarian for more info.
Peace and Love,
Art Rosenblum <artr@juno.com>
Note from Jean: Interesting flying machine indeed. To find out more about hydrino energy, pay a visit at www.blacklightpower.com - describing Dr. Randell Mills' invention about which Hal Fox, *the* expert reference with regard to new energy devices, wrote the following a couple days ago (to get a copy of the new energy journal he publishes, contact him directly at <halfox@slkc.uswest.net>:
"I can testify that Dr. Randell Mills has a working new-energy device that provides thermal energy. At least the several papers and data that I have had from Dr. Mills over the years (beginning in 1989) lead me to believe that he is a man of principle. In my judgment, his company will make money both from the development and sales of new types of chemical compounds and also from the sale of thermal energy devices.
There are four other devices being commercialized. Three of them put out direct electrical energy and one puts out a reported 20 times as much thermal energy as input electrical energy."
AND IN ANOTHER RECENT EMAIL. HAL ALSO WROTE:
There are new-energy devices that will be available commercially during 2001-2002 (my best estimate) that will be considerably better than motor-generator sets fueled by gasoline or diesel. Also they will not have a polluting exhaust, not be noisy in operation and will be able to be installed in homes, offices, and greenhouses.
For the latest developments in new-energy devices, subscribe to the Journal of New Energy.
Best personal regards,
Hal Fox, Editor, J. New Energy
P.S. Here is some information on solar energy (also sent by Hal Fox):
On a cloudless day, the sun's energy is about one kilowatt per square meter (a little larger than a square yard) if the flat surface is perpendicular to the sun's rays. Up to the most recent developments in solar panels, the efficiency of converting sunlight to electricity is less than twenty percent. On cloudy days, or when the sun's rays are not perpendicular to the solar panels, the overall efficiency is less. As we progress and use more electrical energy in our homes and offices, it is evident that we will need new sources of energy. Fortunately, the vast amount of energy that is everywhere present in the universe can now be used as one of our energy sources. This energy is enormous but, until very recently, there has not been found a method for tapping this energy source. (This energy source is known by various names, vacuum energy, space energy, zero-point energy, ZPE, etc.) To get an idea of some scientist's estimates of the incredible amount of space energy: If you could transfer all of the space energy in one cubic foot of space into thermal energy, you could boil the Atlantic Ocean!
1/13/01
11:28:31 AM
Petition for Peace
Please help to spread the information about the petition to make the birthday of John Lennon, a day of peace. From 2005 on all Radio TV and Online-Stations will play John Lennon's "Imagine" on Oct. 9th at noon.
To sign go to:
http://www.John-Lennon.com/Petition
1/13/01
11:18:13 AM
VOTE!! Battle resumes over drilling in Arctic refuge
Please vote NO at this website.... Why we have to continue to fight for these irreplaceable natural areas is beyond me...
http://www.msnbc.com/news/500606.asp?0nm=N22A
1/13/01
11:17:08 AM
A way to comment on Bush's cabinet choices
Dear Friends,
George Bush has begun to turn back the clock for our nation's ecosystems, social programs, and species. His appointments to key cabinet posts send a clear message that our nation's life support systems are at risk from those who would put greed above all else.
The Act For Change website, a project of Working Assets, has set up an easy method for you to email your congresspeople to express your concern over Bush's appointments. Remember, Senate confirmation is required for his appointments, so we still do have a voice.
Click on the links below and you will be taken to the Act For Change site where you can voice your opinion on these appointments or on many other important issues.
Thanks for your time.
Jackie
FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS
From: "ActForChange" <takeaction@actforchange.com>
Happy New Year from ActForChange!
You are receiving this update because you previously sent an e-mail through ActForChange.com. Your continued engagement is needed to challenge two particularly controversial nominations to President-Elect Bush's cabinet, the nominations of Senator John Ashcroft to serve as Attorney General and Gale Norton to serve as Secretary of the Interior.
Throughout the 2000 election, candidate Bush promised to be a "uniter" for our country, not a "divider." When a partisan Supreme Court narrowly awarded the election to George W. Bush by a slim 5-4 decision, President-elect Bush pledged to bring the country together.
His nomination of Senator Ashcroft -- one of the right wing's leading lights -- to serve as Attorney General exposes Bush's obligation to the fundamentalist activists who propelled him to the Republican nomination.
His nomination of Gale Norton -- who the League of Conservation Voters calls a "throwback to the James Watt era -- one of the darkest periods of natural resource exploitation" -- exposes Bush's obligations to the mining, grazing, tree-cutting and drilling industries who seek unfettered access to public lands.
Please add your voice to this effort by joining us in our campaign to reject the Ashcroft and Norton nominations -- this year's first critical fights for justice and the environment.
Click here to urge your Senators to join the Block Ashcroft Campaign. http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?itemid=10494
Click here to urge your Senators to join the Block Norton Campaign. http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?itemid=10495
There is strength in numbers! So once you take action, please forward this e-mail to friends and associates so they can speak out too. Confirmation hearings are expected to be completed soon after the Inauguration on January 20, so time is of the essence.
The next few weeks are also our last opportunity to urge President Clinton to enact some critical new policies. Here are just a few of the Activism Alerts currently posted on ActForChange that we want President Clinton to complete in the weeks before he leaves office. He does respond to public pressure, and the thousands of messages sent to him via ActForChange already helped convince him to protect the Steller Sea Lion, clean up dirty diesel engines, and enact the roadless area protection plan.
Click on these links to make your voice heard on these remaining issues:
Support International Treaty to Ban Land Mines http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=1211
Protect Arctic Wildlife Refuge From Oil Drilling http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=1244
Help Rape Survivors Get Needed Treatment http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?ItemId=10448
With appreciation,
Michael Kieschnick President, Working Assets
1/13/01
1:16:26 AM
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Setting aside drug warnings, lawmakers vote to study hemp's uses
By Christopher Wills Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD -- Setting aside warnings that they might encourage drug use, state lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve a study of industrial hemp and its potential as a crop for Illinois farmers.
The legislation calls on the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University to study how well hemp — a close cousin of marijuana — grows in Illinois and whether it could become a profitable crop.
The Illinois House approved the study 67-47. It had already passed the Senate, so it now goes to Gov. George Ryan.
Supporters hope hemp, which can be used to make fabric, flour and oil, could someday be an alternative for farmers hit by declining prices for their crops.
Rep. Charles Hartke, D-Teutopolis, compared hemp to the once-exotic soybean, now a mainstay on Illinois farms.
"It has potential. To get to that potential, we have to do a lot of research and study," Hartke said.
But others -- including the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy -- worry that any move in the direction of legalizing hemp production will lead to increased marijuana use.
The Illinois State Police oppose the study because it's a step toward legalizing hemp, which would send young people the wrong message about marijuana and make life more difficult for police, said Capt. Dave Sanders, a spokesman for the agency.
If hemp production were legalized, police would have trouble identifying illegal marijuana fields, Sanders said. And people arrested for possession could claim they simply had hemp, overloading police labs.
"The only way you're going to discern that is through the lab test," he said.
Sanders said any study of hemp should also examine the potential impact on law enforcement.
The governor has not taken a position on the study and will review the legislation when it reaches his desk, a spokesman said. (END)
chicagotribune.com
1/13/01
1:14:46 AM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We Cover the Earth For You"
Good News, Bad News for U.S. Wetlands
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 9, 2001 (ENS) - Two federal government reports released today show that there has been a dramatic slowdown in the last decade in the loss of environmentally sensitive wetlands, which provide a host of ecological, economic and social benefits for fish, wildlife, and people. But a decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court today could undermine that trend, and subject millions of acres of wetlands to draining and development.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-09-16.html
Forest Service Chief Urges Halt to Old Growth Logging
DURHAM, North Carolina, January 9, 2001 (ENS) - In a historic speech that conveyed a clear challenge to the incoming Bush administration, outgoing U.S. Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck on Monday unveiled a new initiative that calls for the protection of the nation's remaining old growth forests.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-09-15.html
Report Links Race, Income, Environmental Hazards In Massachusetts
By Cat Lazaroff
BOSTON, Massachusetts, January 9, 2001 (ENS) - Massachusetts residents are more likely to live near environmentally hazardous sites and facilities if they are poor or non-white, a new report reveals. The study finds that people of color are 19 times more likely to live in or near contaminated areas than are wealthy White people.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-09-06.html
NUKE WASTE SHIP COULD FIND GREENPEACE IN ITS WAKE
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, January 9, 2001 (ENS) - The environmental group Greenpeace is dispatching a ship from the Argentinian port of Ushuaia to track down a nuclear waste shipment sailing from France to Japan.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-09-10.html
Suit Seeks Protections for 17 Hawaiian Forest Birds
HONOLULU, Hawaii, January 9, 2001 (ENS) - The Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund has filed suit in on behalf of Conservation Council for Hawaii (CCH) seeking the designation of critical habitat for 17 species of imperiled Hawaiian forest birds. Some of the brightly colored birds have been declining since the first humans landed in the Hawaiian islands.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-09-07.html
MAD COW SCARE: AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND BAN EUROPEAN MEATS
CANBERRA, Australia, January 9, 2001 (ENS) - Australia and New Zealand are suspending the importation of foods containing beef or beef products from 30 European countries because of concerns over Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease. The suspension went into effect Monday.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-09-01.html
GOVERNOR VOWS TO LEAD CALIFORNIA OUT OF ENERGY NIGHTMARE
SACRAMENTO, California, January 9, 2001 (ENS) - Governor Gray Davis on Monday pronounced California's experiment in electricity deregulation "a colossal and dangerous failure" and proposed a wide ranging plan to repair the system, including a variety of state controls over power plant operators and utilities, stepped up conservation efforts and a call for new state authority to buy and build new plants to generate power.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-09-02.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE: AMERISCAN JANUARY 9, 2001
EPA Assesses Environmental Threats to Children
70 Percent of All Antibiotics Given to Healthy Livestock
Resources Unavailable to List Endangered Species
Two More National Monuments Proposed
Agreement Protects 160,000 Acres of North Dakota Farmland
New Jersey Transportation Department Embraces Clean Diesel
Energy From The Sea Floor Could Power Equipment
Clean Car Information Is Just a Click Away
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-09-09.html
TO BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Blue292 Introduces Innovative Platform, Training, and Emergency Management eBusiness Applications for the Environmental, Health and Safety Industry
Fully-Integrated Web-Based Applications, Offered Through Application Service Provider Model, Are a First for EHS Space
Blue292's New Offerings Mark Key Milestone In Convergence of Internet Technology and EHS Industry
DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/-- Blue292, the world's leading provider of environmental, health and safety (EHS) eBusiness application software, today announced the introduction of three innovative enterprise Web-based solutions that will fundamentally change the landscape of the EHS industry. Offered via an application service provider (ASP) model, Blue292's EHS Platform, EHS Training Management, and EHS Emergency Management deliver a fully-integrated management and business-to-business environment that can be tailored to individual users.
/CONTACT: Anita Bose, 212-484-7699, or abose@rlmnet.com, for Blue292/
/Web site: http://www.blue292.com/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0101.html
TO BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Earth Search Sciences Engages Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin to raise $150 Million
KALISPELL, MT, Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/-- Earth Search Sciences, Inc. (ESSI) (OTCBB:EDIS) announced today that it has engaged HOULIHAN LOKEY HOWARD & ZUKIN (Houlihan Lokey) as investment bankers to raise $150 million, the balance of funds necessary to capitalize its participation in the Navy’s flagship hyperspectral satellite program, The Naval EarthMap Observer (NEMO). Funds will also be raised to expand existing Earth Search programs, increase participation in current projects and provide for acquisitions and mergers designed to consolidate the industry.
/CONTACT: Ken Danchuk Vice President Earth Search Sciences Inc. 208-634-7080 kdanchuk@home.com/
/Web site: http://www.earthsearch.com/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0102.html
TO EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
New Report Links Race, Income With Environmental Hazards in Massachusetts
BOSTON, MA, Jan. 9, -/E-Wire/-- Environmentally hazardous sites and facilities are disproportionately located in communities of color and lower-income communities, according to "Unequal Exposure to Ecological Hazards: Environmental Injustices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts", a new report by Daniel R. Faber, associate professor of Sociology, Northeastern University, and Eric J. Krieg, assistant professor of Sociology, Buffalo State College.
/CONTACT: Liz Alcock (617) 373-5434 or Laura Schmidt (617) 373-5739/
/Web site: http://www.nupr.neu.edu/news/0012/environment.pdf/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0103.html
TO AUTO, BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Michelin Announces Extensive Plans for Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2001 Environmental Event Makes North American Debut October 26-29
DETROIT, MI, Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/-- Michelin, the environmental leader of the tire industry, today reinforced that position with the announcement of ambitious plans for the Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2001. The Michelin Challenge Bibendum is a real-world demonstration of the original equipment manufacturer's continuing progress in the development of new technologies.
/CONTACT: Nancy Banks of Michelin North America, 864-458-6088, nancy.banks@us.michelin.com; or John Love of Event Management Corp., office: 313-886-6750, cellular: 313-506-2114, or john@emcpr.com, for Michelin/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0104.html
TO AUTO, BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Earth Search Sciences to Begin Cash Flow From Falcon 2 Well
KALISPELL, MT, Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/-- Earth Search Sciences, Inc. (ESSI) (OTCBB:EDIS - news) announced today that the Falcon 2 well, in which ESSI has a five percent working interest, will begin to make monthly payments of revenues by the end of January 2001.
/CONTACT: Earth Search Sciences Tim Monroe, 406/751-5200 earthsrch@aol.com/
/Web site: http://www.earthsearch.com/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0105.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
EarthCare Sells Commercial Software Company
DALLAS, TX, Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/-- EarthCare Company (Nasdaq: ECCO) announced today that it has sold all the assets of AllenTate Commercial Software and ISNetworld to ISN Software Corporation, a newly formed private company. EarthCare sold these assets for a $3 million note receivable and will receive as payment a cash royalty on all ISN Software Corporation revenues until such time that the note is fully repaid. ISN Software will also provide network and information systems support to EarthCare under an operating agreement.
/CONTACT: Lew Nevins, Vice President, Investor Relations of EarthCare Company, 972-858-6025/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0106.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Armor Enterprises Inc. Acquires 100% of the Assets of Air Care Installations Ltd.
ORLANDO, Florida, Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/-- The agreement is for Armor Enterprises Inc. (OTCBB:ARME - news) to acquire 100% of the assets of Air Care Installations Ltd. including but not limited to, goodwill, patents and patents pending, distribution rights, manufacturing, intellectual property and all future acquisitions.
/CONTACT: Armor Enterprises Rav Pannu Tel: 888/775-3340/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0107.html
TO NATIONAL, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Clinton's 'Environmental Legacy' Leaves Behind Legacy of Energy Problems According to the National Mining Association Roadless Proposal Denies Access to Known Energy Resources
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/-- In a rush to implement yet another midnight regulation, the Clinton administration is turning a cold shoulder to our nation's impending energy crisis, while destroying the jobs and the economies that support America's rural western communities. The administration's roadless proposal calls for nearly a third of all the forest land owned by the federal government to be designated "off limits" to road building, economic development and public access.
/CONTACT: John Grasser, 202-463-2651, or Karen Batra, 202-463-2651, both of the National Mining Association/
/Web site: http://www.nma.org/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0108.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
EPA/SNAP Adds SP34E to SNAP List as Replacement Refrigerant for CFC-12
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 9 -/E-Wire/-- Solpower Corp. (OTC BB: SLPW - news), a publicly traded company, Tuesday announced that on Dec. 18, 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program added SP34E(TM) to the list of acceptable refrigerants by Official Notice Number 14 printed in the U.S. Federal Register (Volume 65, Number 243).
/CONTACT: Solpower Corp., Scottsdale Jim Hirst, 480/947-6366/
/Web site: http://www.solpower.com/
For full text visit: http://ens-news.com/e-wire/Jan01/02Jan0109.html
1/13/01
1:11:13 AM
UPDATE - Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board
BRIEF REPORT FROM THIS MORNING'S HEARING IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT, NORTHERN DISTRICT COURT FOR CALIFORNIA, ON OUR MOTION TO SEND OUR CASE BACK TO ALAMEDA COUNTY (CALIFORNIA) SUPERIOR COURT
Although Judge Jenkins did not announce his ruling from the bench, as we had hoped, this morning's hearing went very well. Judge Jenkins's line of questions indicated that he was not inclined to see any "federal question" raised in our complaint that would give the federal court jurisdiction over our case. Pacifica's lawyers (Daly Temchine from Epstein Becker & Green and Daniel Rapaport from Wendel Rosen Black & Dean) attempted to argue that the case is about program content, rather than control of Pacifica Foundation -- and that program content is a FCC matter. (This argument was erroneous -- program content is NOT an FCC matter.) However, Judge Jenkins did not appear to be impressed with their argument. He indicated that he understood the case to be about whether the bylaws amendments making the Pacifica board "self selecting" were legally adopted under the California corporations law, and whether the Pacifica board has diverted Pacifica from its founding purposes and, therefore, breached the Pacifica Foundation charitable trust -- also a matter of state law.
According to our attorney, Dan Bartley, we should be getting a written ruling in about 10 days. Bartley expects our case, the directors' suit, and the LAB suit to be consolidated by the Alameda County Superior Court shortly after our case (and the directors' suit) are returned to the state court. At that point we will be able to agressively pursue discovery matters, and preliminary injunctions and move forward as swiftly as possible to restore Pacifica to sound governance.
I've been off line since before Christmas, due to travelling and a computer crash -- so if you have sent me email and not received a reply, please send again if it is urgent.
Carol Spooner Committee to Remove the Pacifica Board http://home.pon.net/wildrose/remove.htm
1/13/01
1:00:41 AM
RADIOACTIVE ROADS & RAILS ACTION OF THE MONTH
from Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program
Members of the 107th Congress: Do not approve Yucca Mountain nuclear repository!
Background This summer, the Secretary of Energy is scheduled to recommend Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for development as a nuclear dumpsite for high-level radioactive waste from commercial reactors and weapons facilities across the country. The issue will then return to Congress for a final vote.
In December, an internal Department of Energy (DOE) document surfaced which seriously undermines the process that the Department has used to assess the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site. A memo attached to the leaked document indicates that it was designed to help industry lobbyists win support for the repository proposal in Congress. The memo also states that the technical suitability of the Yucca Mountain site is of lesser concern to the Department than finding an economically and politically feasible way to relieve the nuclear industry of its waste problem.
The DOE, as a federal agency, is required to remain impartial as it evaluates the suitability of the repository proposal. This "smoking gun" evidence of pro-industry bias within the DOE, on the eve of the Secretary's anticipated site recommendation, calls into question the integrity of the Yucca Mountain site characterization process.
The Inspector General has agreed to investigate the matter. Members of Congress should not endorse a recommendation that arises from such a flawed process.
Take Action! Write to your Members of Congress to bring this issue to their attention. Help ensure that newly elected Members know the importance of this issue in the 107th Congress.
Sample letter and address below.
Find specific contact information for your Members of Congress online at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov, or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Also contact President-elect George W. Bush: 1800 G Street NW Washington, D.C. 20270 Advice@BushCheneyTransition.com
SAMPLE LETTER
January 2001
The Honorable (your Representative/Senator) U.S. House of Representatives/ U.S. Senate Washington, DC, 20515/20510
Dear Representative/Senator X:
Congratulations on your election/re-election to the 107th Congress. I am writing to bring to your attention my serious concerns with the proposal to open a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The site, which is the only site being investigated and considered for permanent high-level waste storage, has not been shown to be geologically suitable and is only being investigated under pressure from the nuclear industry to find a politically expedient solution to their waste storage problem. In addition, the Yucca Mountain Project would launch an unprecedented nuclear transportation scheme, which will pose serious health and environmental risks in the 43 states through which the waste will have to travel.
The integrity of the Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain site characterization process has recently been called into question by a leaked memo that surfaced last month, attached to an internal overview of the Site Recommendation Considerations Report. The memo indicates that the overview is to be used as a tool for nuclear industry lobbyists and DOE officials to convince Congress to support the Yucca Mountain Project. Although scientific investigation of the site has not yet been completed, this memo implies that the DOE has been working closely with the nuclear industry and intends to recommend Yucca Mountain as the site regardless of the results of current scientific research.
The issue of a Yucca Mountain repository is expected to return to Congress later this year, following the Site Recommendation Report by the Secretary of Energy. As my representative in the House/Senate, I urge you to vote against the repository proposal. Yucca Mountain is an unsuitable site for a project that has been characterized by manipulative political tactics rather than unbiased scientific research.
Sincerely,
Your name
Address
Cc: President-elect George W. Bush
Abbie Turiansky, Radioactive Roads & Rails Intern
Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy & Environment Project
202 454.5134
abbie@citizen.org
1/9/01
5:34:16 PM
World Environment News - January 10th, 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
California power crisis players head to DC summit - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9478
WRAPUP - California Gov. Davis sets power plan - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9479
RBS, Tesco face animal rights protests over loan - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9480
UPDATE - Gokhran may sell "a little bit" of palladium in 2001 - RUSSIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9483
Asia Crude - Gulf crudes up as availability dwindles - JAPAN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9481
Italy to ask NATO to suspend uranium weapons use - ITALY http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9482
Rare Hong Kong dragonflys saved from developers - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9477
1/9/01
5:29:06 PM
ILLINOIS INDUSTRIAL HEMP ACT PASSES
This report came from the Clerk of the House of the Illinois House of Representatives 91st General Assembly
In the third reading, SB 1397: "The Industrial Hemp Act" passed 67 yays 47 nays
Sponsored by Evelyn Bowles, Sieben, C. Ronen, Culleton Co-sponsors Ronald Lawfer, Wirsing, M. Smith, Erwin
Creates the "Industrial Hemp Act"
This Act amends the University of Illinois Act and the Cannabis & Controlled Substances Tort Claims Act. Requires the University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University to study the feasibility and desirability of industrial hemp production in Illinois, subject to the an appropriation for that purpose. Requires these universities to obtain all Federal and State permits needed to legally grow industrial hemp for fiber and seed production. It also requires these universities to report their findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by January 1, 2002. For the purpose of this studies, the Act excludes industrial hemp from the definition of "cannabis" under the Cannabis Control Act and under the Cannabis and Controlled Substances Tort Claims Act.
1/9/01
5:16:06 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE <http://www.gristmagazine.com>
1. PINCH ME! In something out of a dream for environmentalists, U.S. Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck yesterday barred cutting of all old-growth trees on national forests. Andy Stahl, head of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, said the policy could have greater impact than the rule released last week by the Clinton administration to ban road-building on 58.5 million acres of national forestland. Dombeck's decision sends a clear message to the incoming Bush administration, which has indicated that it won't place such emphasis on land conservation. Dombeck has the right to remain in office 120 days after President Bush is inaugurated, and one of his top aides said Dombeck had no intention of resigning. Unlike the regulation banning road-building, the policy announced yesterday doesn't have the force of law, but it would remain in effect until reversed by a new Forest Service chief.
straight to the source: New York Times, Douglas Jehl, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/politics/09FORE.html>
straight to the source: Portland Oregonian, Michael Milstein, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/01/01/lc_31t rees09.frame>
2. A SIGN OF INTEL-LIGENCE Eight high tech firms, including Intel, Microsoft, AT&T, and 3Com, have agreed to boycott products from old-growth forests. Intel said the pressure to make the policy came from within the company and from shareholders. At least one company, Yahoo!, declined to join the boycott, which is being organized by the group Forests Ethics. Savvy Grist readers might ask -- Wait, just how many old-growth products do high-tech companies use? Come now, don't be so skeptical. It's true that both Microsoft and Intel have yet to uncover any suppliers who are selling them products made from old-growth. But it's the image that counts, right? Todd Paglia of Forest Ethics said he hopes the companies will set the norm for all of corporate America.
straight to the source: Industry Standard, Ronna Abramson, 04 Jan 2001 <http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,21282,00.html>
straight to the source: Wall Street Journal, 05 Jan 2001 (access ain't free) <http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB978662837956287286.htm>
3. THE ENGINE OF PROGRESS At the annual Detroit auto show today, Ford announced plans to introduce a new technology to Ford Explorers in 2004 to raise their fuel efficiency 42 percent, from 19 to 27 miles per gallon. The electric technology, which will cost willing buyers less than $1,000 extra, will boost fuel efficiency and lower emissions by automatically shutting down a gasoline engine when the vehicle stops and then restarting it when the driver steps on the accelerator. Meanwhile, General Motors says it will begin offering a wide range of vehicles powered by hybrid gas-electric engines in 2004. Many observers credit the automakers' shift to the requirement in California that a growing number of low-emissions vehicles be sold in the state beginning with the 2003 model year, and to pressure by Honda and Toyota, which have already begun to use hybrid technologies in their cars. In other news, GM, Toyota, and ExxonMobil are joining together to develop fuel cells that use hydrogen extracted from gasoline, an energy source that the companies believe will serve a transition fuel as fuel cells enter the mainstream.
straight to the source: New York Times, Keith Bradsher, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/09/business/09AUTO.html>
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, John O'Dell, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.latimes.com/business/20010109/t000002319.html>
straight to the source: St. Paul Pioneer Press, Jon Lippert, Bloomberg News, 08 Jan 2001 <http://www.pioneerplanet.com/business/biz_docs/036415.htm>
do good: Take action and keep the pressure on U.S. automakers <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/autos.stm>
4. CON-SERVATION A con artist has been selling big tracts of land in the Amazon to gullible American and European enviros, saying the land will be protected forever, according to an investigation by the Brazilian government. Falb Saraiva de Farias, the head of a Brazilian NGO called Forever Green, claimed to have title to 15 million acres of rainforest land actually owned by the government. It's not clear how much money Saraiva de Farias made off the scheme.
straight to the source: South Africa Independent, Reuters, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.iol.co.za/general/newsview.php?click_id=143&art_id=qw97898 1301879B216&set_id=1>
do good: Take action to save a tiny bit of rainforest land (maybe) <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/dogood/forests.stm#money>
5. WHAT RUBBISH In a setback to environmentalists, the U.S. Supreme Court today limited the scope of the Clean Water Act, saying that an Illinois solid waste agency could locate a trash dump in a remote wetland area used by migratory birds. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had blocked the landfill, claiming authority to do so under the act because the dump would affect interstate commerce, notably the bird-watchers and hunters who travel across state lines in search of species found in the wetland area. Writing for the 5-4 majority, Chief Justice William Rehnquist disagreed with the agency's decision, but seemed to take pains to keep his opinion focused on the case at hand, not on broader questions about whether environmental regulations stretch the definition of interstate commerce. Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the minority, said, "Today the court takes an unfortunate step that needlessly weakens our principal safeguard against toxic water."
straight to the source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Associated Press, Anne Gearan, 09 Jan 2001 <http://www.postnet.com/postnet/news/wires.nsf/StateRegion/130D6CAA50C 53FE2862569CF00575B2F?OpenDocument>
West of Eden -- a cartoon by Suzy Becker <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/ha/ha010801.stm>
Easement does it -- Maine woods emerge as ground zero for a grand land conservation experiment -- in our Main Dish section <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/curtis010801.stm>
Out of South Africa -- a day in the life of Corinna Riginos, Fulbright scholar <http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/week/riginos010801.stm>
1/9/01
5:13:06 PM
Public Citizen press release
Angela Bradbery ABRADBERY@citizen.org
Jan. 9, 2001
Rollover Rating System Won't Make Vehicles Safer, Forces Consumers to Protect Themselves
New Rating System Is First Step in Long Road to Improved Safety; Statement of Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook
After 15 long years of discussion, the government has finally taken a small first step to alert consumers to the rollover risks posed by various vehicles on the market. However, the star rating program announced today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a bare-bones measure that likely will do little to stem the 10,000 rollover-related deaths that occur each year on our nation's highways. This is because the government has not set a minimum standard, and no information about rollover risks will be provided to consumers when they buy cars. NHTSA's new star rating system simply isn't on the right road to advancing safer vehicles.
The new system is troubling in many aspects. First, it is purely informational, so manufacturers can choose to ignore it. NHTSA apparently didn't want to burden the industry with an effective safety standard, so manufacturers will not have to move a single nut or bolt to make vehicles safer. Further, the program places the onus on consumers to conduct research and find the rollover ratings themselves. There is no requirement that manufacturers post the information on showroom vehicles.
Second, the test is "static" ¯ meaning that it is based solely on certain measurements, such as a vehicle's center of gravity. Static tests are generally inadequate. Much better are "dynamic" tests, in which vehicles are test-driven. (Although dynamic tests are required by the recently passed TREAD Act, they won't be done for another two years.) Dynamic tests can better assess a vehicle's overall performance in real-life situations, such as when drivers swerve and brake.
What is most disturbing, though, is that most sports utility vehicles probably would not pass even a most basic rollover standard ¯ a fact acknowledged by many in the auto industry who persuaded NHTSA to issue the watered-down star rating system. These industry representatives have said that such a standard could eliminate compact SUVs or require their substantial redesign.
NHTSA apparently has bought into this notion, deciding that because SUVs couldn't pass a standard high enough to be effective, no standard should be created. NHTSA would rather ask consumers to try to protect themselves than force manufacturers to redesign unsafe vehicles. However, it clearly is feasible to redesign SUVs to make them safer; some safety-conscious manufacturers have already begun to do so.
In reality, then, this new star rating program will afford little additional protection to consumers. This is tragic because lives are at stake. NHTSA should develop an effective rollover standard that would ensure vehicles would be less prone to rolling over and would spare people from dying and being injured. Surely that's not asking for the moon and the stars.
1/9/01
5:11:05 PM
Materials for peace education downloadable free of charge at
Martin Auer, renowned Austrian author of children's books has put together a collection of stories for children and young people named "The Strange War – Stories for a Culture of Peace". The book that has been published by Beltz & Gelberg, Germany, in summer 2000 can be read online and can also be downloaded for printing at http://www.peaceculture.net. Translators from – so far – eight different countries have volunteered to translate the stories. Complete versions are available at the moment in English (thanks do Kim Martin Metzger from Mexico), Russian (thanks to Dmitriy Chursinov from Voronesh) and Danish (thanks to Hendrik Grøn from Copenhagen) and of course in German. The Chinese (Zhixin He), French (Christian Lassalle) and Estonian (Tiina Tuul) versions are well under way and parts can already be read online. Some stories can also be read in Serbian, Dutch and Japanese.
"It is not enough to tell children that war is a bad thing and peace is much nicer", says Auer. "They want and need to know more: Why do people fight wars? Has war existed always? How did it come into the world? Is war something that just cannot be avoided? Maybe because human nature just is aggressive and murderous? Is it possible that a war 'breaks out' even if the majority of people want peace? Who is responsible for the keeping of peace? Governments? The Soldiers? Everybody? - In these stories I have tried to tackle philosophical, economical, anthropological and political questions without oversimplifying them and still in such a way that children can understand. I hope that peace education workers all over the world will be able to use those stories in their work. This is why I use the Internet to distribute them free of charge. I am very grateful to the translators who are doing a wonderful job and without whom this would not be possible. I am also grateful to my publishers for treating the copyright issues in a flexible and not purely businesslike way."
The printout with an illustration by German artist Verena Ballhaus can be folded into a neat booklet. Distribution for educational purposes is free. Volunteers for translations into more languages are welcome.
For more of Martin Auer's works see http://www.martinauer.net. For a biography and a list of published works and awards see http://www.t0.or.at/~lyrikmaschine/author.htm.
1/9/01
5:08:13 PM
World Environment News - January 9th, 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
Farmers fear Clinton decision on Calif. ethanol - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9472
British Energy Dec output up 11% yr-on-yr - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9466
Depleted uranium worries raised for Scotland seas - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9461
S.Africa penguins, pizza lovers in anchovy bonanza - SOUTH AFRICA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9469
Cairn strike hydrocarbon off India's Gujarat - INDIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9464
French power exports up 6.7 pct in 2000 - regulator - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9465
Strange fish in warming French seas stump experts - FRANCE http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9470
European Greens to intensify cooperation - FINLAND http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9473
EU population grew slightly in 2000 - Eurostat - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9462
Scare-mongering suspected as uranium fears revive - EU http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9476
Cars may be banned from central HK to cut pollution - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9475
HK coal trader eyes China clean coal plants, IPO - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9474
FEATURE - China plants seeds of environment protection - CHINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9468
Brazilian selling Amazon tracts to foreigners - govt - BRAZIL http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9467
Whale attacks Australian fishermen - report - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9471
Damaged Great Barrier Reef gets clean-up - AUSTRALIA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9463
1/9/01
5:02:53 PM
Group Drumming Boosts Cancer-Killer Cells in Study CARLSBAD, Calif., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- A ground-breaking study due to be published in the January 2001 issue of Alternative Therapies links a specific type of group drum playing, known as Composite drumming, with an increase in Natural Killer (NK) cell activity, one of the mechanisms through which the body combats cancer and viral illnesses.
Led by Barry Bittman, MD, CEO of Meadville Medical Center's Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, PA, the research team tested a variety of different group drumming protocols and non-drumming control groups made up of healthy adults. In their findings, titled Composite Effects of Group Drumming Music Therapy on Modulation of Neuroendocrine-Immune Parameters in Normal Subjects, they found that one particular group drumming method correlated with increases in NK cell activity, Lymphokine-Activated Killer (LAK) cell activity and chemical changes that together signal a strengthening of the body's natural immune system. This represents a reversal of the so-called Classic Stress Response, in which stressful activities depress immune function, and suggests that drumming might be a beneficial ``stress-buster,'' analogous to laughter.
Bittman cautions against oversimplification or exaggeration of the study results. ``If someone asked me right now, 'Is this treatment valuable for cancer patients?' I would say we have only the first step to say there's promise, and we need more research,'' he says. To view details of the research go to http://www.amc-music.com/drumstudy.
1/9/01
5:01:03 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We Cover the Earth For You"
SUPERFUND INVESTIGATIONS SUSPENDED AS FUROR RAGES AT EPA
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2000 (ENS) - A federal ombudsman responsible for investigating complaints leveled against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has suspended his inquiries into nearly two dozen allegedly mismanaged hazardous waste cleanup projects, claiming that top EPA officials have blocked him from doing his job.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-08-15.html
NO JAIL FOR LOGGERS CONVICTED IN ELAHO VIOLENCE
By Neville Judd
SQUAMISH, British Columbia, Canada, January 8, 2001 (ENS) - Five loggers convicted for their part in a violent attack on an environmentalists' protest camp in 1999 will serve no jail time in sentences handed down by a Canadian judge last week.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-08-10.html
ENERGY SECRETARY NOMINEE TRIED TO ABOLISH THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT
WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2001 (ENS) - Defeated Michigan Senator Spencer Abraham has been nominated for a cabinet position as Secretary of Energy in the incoming Republican administration of George W. Bush. This nomination puts Abraham in the position of potentially heading a government department that he attempted to abolish when he was a senator.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-08-01.html
PROTECT THE ARCTIC, WARNS OUTGOING FISH AND WILDLIFE CHIEF
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2001 (ENS) - As director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jamie Rappaport Clark has for more than three years filled one of the key environmental policy slots in the outgoing Clinton administration. Clark and other top Clinton administration officials have been busy packing up their government offices, mindful of the transfer of political power that will take place in the nation's capital a week from Saturday.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-08-16.html
SUIT CHALLENGES NAVY BOMBING OF MIGRATORY BIRDS
WASHINGTON, DC, January 8, 2001 (ENS) - The Center for Biological Diversity, represented by the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, has filed suit to stop the U.S. Navy from continuing to use the Pacific island of Farallon de Medinilla for live fire training. The suit charges the military with violating the international Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-08-06.html
RADIOACTIVE AMMUNITION STILL LITTERS KOSOVO
PRISTINA, Kosovo, January 8, 2001 (ENS) - It will be two months before a United Nations team studying the effects of depleted uranium in Kosovo releases its findings. The wait is only fueling suspicions that depleted uranium used in ammunition in the Kosovo war is killing NATO peacekeepers and contaminating groundwater.
For full text and graphics, visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-08-11.html
JAPANESE WINDS BLOW ENERGY COMPANIES INTO ASSOCIATION
TOKYO, Japan, January 8, 2001 (ENS) - Five companies that generate electricity from wind have formed an industry association in Japan.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-08-02.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JANUARY 8, 2001
Lawsuit Seeks Bay Area Clean Air Compliance
Record Cold Grips Much of the Nation
EPA Proposes Steps to Reduce Sewer Overflows
Auto Show Circled by Clean Car Rally
Metal Industries Face New Discharge Limits
Get Hooked on Healthy Fish
Monitoring Plan Underway for Short-Tailed Albatross
American Website to Feature International Jaguar Study
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-08-09.html
TO NATIONAL, STATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Fund for Animals Reports That $10,000 Reward is Offered for Information Leading to Arrest and Conviction of Wild Horse Slayers
JACKSON, Wyo., Jan. 8 -/E-Wire/-- The Fund for Animals announced that several humane organizations have offered a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the recent shooting deaths of wild horses on public lands in southwest Wyoming. Organizations contributing to the reward include Animal Care Center of Laramie, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Animal Protection Institute, Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Coalition, Doris Day Animal League, The Fund for Animals, Hooved Animal Humane Society, Humane Federation of Wyoming, The Humane Society of the United States, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, and Wild Horse Spirit.
/CONTACT: Andrea Lococo of The Fund for Animals, 307-859-8840/
/Web site: http://www.fund.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/08Jan0107.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
CONVERTING WASTE INTO RESOURCES
IBR Signs Agreement For First Plant in Singapore
Large environmental engineering company to build IBR plants in Southeast Asia.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 8 -/ E-Wire/-- International Bio-Recovery Corp. (IBR) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Master License Agreement with Salcon Bio-Technologies Pte. Ltd. ("Salcon Bio-Tech"), a subsidiary of Salcon Limited.
/CONTACT: Ross MacLachlan, ross@ibrcorp.com Daniela Louie, dlouie@ibrcorp.com Director of Corporate Communications Corporate Communications & Investor Relations International Bio Recovery International Bio Recovery Corporation Tel: 604.924.1023 Fax: (604) 924-1043, 52 Riverside Drive North Vancouver BC, Canada V7H 1T4
/Web site: www.ibrcorp.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/08Jan0106.html
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Enviros Broaden Attacks Against Norton Nomination
BATTLE GROUND, WA, Jan. 8 -/E-Wire/-- The national environmental community has opened a second battle front against Interior Department nominee Gale Norton, this time from within the Bush transition team.
/CONTACT: Michael Hardiman, Lobbyist, American Land Rights Association, 202-251-3473, mike@hardimanconsulting.com/
/Web site: http://www.landrights.org/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/08Jan0105.html
TO BUSINESS, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
U.S. Department of Energy Awards Subcontract to Novozymes
DAVIS, Calif., Jan. 8 -/E-Wire/-- The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded funds of up to $14.8 million to Novozymes Biotech, Inc., a US-based subsidiary of Novozymes A/S, for the development of enzymes for ethanol production in support of the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000. The funding will be granted over three years, as the milestones of the development project are met. The amount of the first one-year subcontract is $6.9 million.
/CONTACT: Investors - Michael Steen-Knudsen, Investor Relations, +45-4442-6048; Media - Susan Toth Jackson, Media Relations, 212-867-0123, or Outside the US - Eva Lousie Holm Petersen, Media Relations, +45-4442-3338, all for Novozymes Biotech, Inc./
/Web site: http://www.novozymes.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/08Jan0104.html
TO BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY, MEDICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Blue292 Signs Versar as Customer and Business Partner After Completion of Pilot Program
Leading Consulting & Engineering Firm Looks To Blue292's Web-based EHS Management Tools to Enhance Internal and Clients' Processes and Performance
DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 8 -/E-Wire/-- Blue292, the world's leading provider of environmental, health and safety (EHS) eBusiness application software, announced that Versar, Inc. (Amex: VSR) has successfully completed its Early-Adopter pilot program and has signed on as a Blue292 customer and Certified Business Partner. A leading consulting and engineering firm, Versar has agreed to purchase Blue292's EHS application software for its own internal use as well as to provide the technology to its clients as a Certified Business Partner.
/CONTACT: Anita Bose of Robinson Lerer & Montgomery, 212-484-7699, abose@rlmnet.com, for Blue292/
/Web site: http://www.blue292.com /Web site: http://www.versar.com /Web site: http://www.nbcprotect.com /Web site: http://www.v-ginc.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/08Jan0103.html
TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDITOR:
Environmental Resource Center Offers Free Environmental and Safety News Weekly via E-Mail
CARY, N.C., Jan. 8 -/E-Wire/-- Environmental Resource Center has just made available a new free service that will help environmental and safety managers keep up to date. You can subscribe to either of its two comprehensive on-line newsletters designed to help you meet your EPA, OSHA, and DOT compliance requirements. These newsletters, Environmental Resource Center's Tip of the Week and Safety Resource Center's Tip of the Week, provide up-to-the minute regulatory and compliance information on a weekly basis to thousands of subscribers throughout the world. A typical issue includes announcements of new regulations, recent enforcement activities, and tools that can help you comply.
/CONTACT: Tammy Silverthorne of Environmental Resource Center, 919-469-1585, ext. 226/
/Web site: http://www.ercweb.com/choosetip.html/ /Web site:http://www.ercweb.net/shopsite/index.html/ /Web site: http://www.ercweb.com/
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/08Jan0102.html
TO BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS:
Waterwares Offers Direct Access to Government Agencies Through Partnership with Towndata.com Network
Alliance expands Waterwares' reach in key target market
PHILADELPHIA, PA, Jan. 8 -/E-Wire/-- Waterwares (http://www.waterwares.com), a leading e-retailer of water treatment equipment, today announced a strategic partnership with Towndata.com Network, the leading Internet destination that enables local government agencies and vendors to conduct business online. The partnership enables Waterwares to provide manufacturers with direct access to a broader base of decision-makers within government agencies, while allowing Towndata.com to offer its members reduced rates on all Waterwares purchases.
/CONTACT: Adam Jaffe, 973-267-8500, ext. 304, adam@imedianet.com, for Waterwares/
/Web site: http://www.towndata.com
For Full Text Visit: http://ens.lycos.com/e-wire/Jan01/08Jan0101.html
1/9/01
4:48:46 PM
Public CItizen press release
Angela Bradbery ABRADBERY@citizen.org
White House Should Include Consumer Groups in California Energy Talks
Groups Excluded From Tuesday's White House Energy Summit
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Shutting out consumer groups from discussions about California's energy crisis is a huge mistake, and the Clinton administration should reverse itself and include the groups in upcoming discussions, a Public Citizen representative said today.
Consumer representatives typically have been excluded from meetings about the crisis that have been held by the state of California, and now they are being shut out by the White House. On Tuesday, representatives of utility companies are scheduled to meet with the administration in a closed-door summit, where company executives will have exclusive access to federal and state decision-makers, according to The Washington Post. The administration has failed to invite anyone representing California's consumers, the Post reported.
"It is shameful that the Clinton administration thinks California's electricity deregulation failure can be solved without input from consumer groups," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy & Environment Program. "California got into this mess by writing deregulation's rules on terms dictated by the power companies. It is time for regulators to listen to consumers and pull the plug on deregulation."
Hauter noted that a recent Los Angeles Times poll showed that 66 percent of Californians think deregulation was a mistake and favor re-regulation by a 2-to-1 margin.
"Just because Californians never asked for deregulation doesn't mean regulators shouldn't consult consumers on how to fix it," Hauter said.
1/9/01
4:46:58 PM
MAYBE IRAQ IS RIGHT
http://www.cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,261415-412,00.shtml
Weapons Of War Are Supposed To Kill -- But Not This Way
Questions Arise About Shells That Use Uranium As Ballast
By CBS News Correspondent Kimberly Dozier
(CBS) A few years back, Iraq complained of a rise in childhood leukemia and other cancers, in the south of the country -- byproducts, it said, of the allied bombing there, and the use of depleted uranium ore in allied munitions.
The Pentagon dismissed such reports, and told inquiring reporters they'd been taken in by Iraqi propaganda.
Fast-forward to Kosovo, and the former Yugoslavia in general, and the funerals of six Italian peacekeepers. They all served in one of the most heavily bombarded areas of Kosovo, Pec, where NATO fired the bulk of its 31,000 tank rounds, all of them filled with depleted uranium ore.
Also dead were five Belgians and one Portuguese soldier.
Italian politicians say uranium ore dust is to blame, and they and other NATO member nations have demanded an explanation.
NATO says there's no connection and no danger, insisting that this is not a radioactive weapon, or a nuclear weapon in any sense. The dense, spent ore is simply used to make the munitions heavier.
The problem is, soldiers on short tours of duty in the Balkans are dying. And, like the people of southern Iraq, who knows what's happening to the people who live there?
"We're all downwinders!"
Check-out http://www.downwinders.org
1/9/01
4:42:14 PM
4. I DUNNO, ALASKA Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles (D) said on Friday his state would sue to try to prevent President Clinton's road-building ban from applying to the Tongass and Chugach national forests. Knowles contends that the Alaskan forests should be exempted from the ban because management plans recently approved for the forests after an exhaustive fight between the timber industry and enviros didn't include a halt to road-building. Knowles, in a statement, said that Alaskans "are tired of being double-crossed by the federal government." Idaho's governor has also pledged to sue over the road-building ban. In the meantime, more than 1,000 opponents of the ban gathered in protest in Medford, Ore., on Saturday, waving such creative, on-message banners as "Don't Lewinsky Our Land" and "Don't Monica Our Mountains."
straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Reuters, 06 Jan 2001 http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environ/20010106/tCB00a3744.html
straight to the source: Salem Statesman Journal, Associated Press, 08 Jan 2001 http://news.statesmanjournal.com/single_article.cfm?i=18165
5. VOLE: DE MORT Despite some improvements in recent years, the U.K.'s environment is still in jeopardy, according to a report by the country's Environment Agency. John Murlis, the agency's chief scientist, said, "The current state of our environment makes it clear we must take greater responsibility for our consumerist, throwaway society." The report says that urban air quality has dramatically improved since the smoggy 1950s, but that it still falls below health standards in rural and suburban areas. New development and roads, as well as intensive farming, are destroying wildlife habitat and generally making times tough for some critters. Water voles and farmland birds, for example, are on the decline.
straight to the source: BBC News, 08 Jan 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1105000/1105932.stm
1/9/01
4:37:49 PM
Environmental news from GRIST MAGAZINE http://www.gristmagazine.com
1. EASEMENT DOES IT In recent months, northern Maine has emerged as a sort of petri dish for an unprecedented experiment in land conservation. The experiment involves conservation easements -- really, really big conservation easements. One deal would cover 757,000 acres, while another would cover 656,000 acres. When the two deals are completed, the amount of land under conservation easement in the entire U.S. will jump 30 percent. Jeepers! Are such mega-easements the best way to protect land? Are they the wave of the future? Read more on the Grist Magazine website.
read it only in Grist Magazine: Maine woods emerge as ground zero for a grand land conservation experiment http://www.gristmagazine.com/grist/maindish/curtis010801.stm
2. NORTON'S NO HONEYMOONER A list of the Interior Department advisory group assembled by President-elect Bush reads like a who's who of representatives from the logging, mining, and oil drilling industries. Which isn't surprising, given the background of Bush's nominee to head the department, Gale Norton. Norton in 1998 founded what is now called the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, whose kick-off gathering was sponsored by the National Coal Council, Chemical Manufacturers Association, National Mining Association, and Chlorine Chemical Council. Enviros are hoping to derail Norton's nomination, and they are also up in arms over Bush's choice to head the Energy Department, defeated Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mich.).
straight to the source: New York Times, Douglas Jehl, 06 Jan 2001 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/06/politics/06ENVI.html
straight to the source: Washington Post, William Booth, 08 Jan 2001 http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29810-2001Jan7.html
straight to the source: Wall Street Journal, John J. Fialka, 08 Jan 2001 http://interactive.wsj.com/archive/retrieve.cgi?id=SB9789108128619025 71.djm&template=atlas.tmpl
3. A WILD HORN SECTION The Cameroon government, World Wildlife Fund, and World Conservation Union (IUCN) are planning a rescue mission to save the last 10 Western black rhinos in Africa. Western black rhinos are a subspecies of the African black rhino, one of the last four rhino species on the continent; three other rhino species have already gone extinct. As recently as the early 1980s, Western black rhinos numbered 3,000, but since then poaching has caused the population to plummet. The rhinos' horns are prized in Asia for their medicinal properties. Conservationists hope to bring the population up to 50 by mid-century. In other endangered species news, scientists in Worcester, Mass., are eagerly awaiting the birth of the first cloned endangered species -- a wild ox native to Southeast Asia called a gaur. Bessie the cow would be the proud surrogate mother.
straight to the source: South Africa Independent, 06 Jan 2001 http://www.iol.co.za/general/newsview.php?click_id=143&art_id=qw97880 1661165B256&set_id=1
straight to the source: CNN.com, Ann Kellan, 05 Jan 2001 http://www.cnn.com/2001/NATURE/01/05/cloned.species/index.html
1/8/01
2:32:39 PM
THE LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER Lexington, Kentucky January 4, 20001
Editorial Page (A10)
Industrial hemp would be boon to state’s economy
Three cheers for former Gov. Louie B. Nunn and like-minded folks for their support of the production and use of industrial hemp. The illogical and unrealistic reasons for not growing hemp should be set aside now, as this crop will be a wonderful economic boon for Kentucky. Hemp and its products are environmentally sound, cannot be abused and can be put to multiple uses, saving the destruction of tress and other non-renewable resources.
State and federal legislators and law enforcement officials need to put aside their misconceptions and expedite the use of this versatile crop. If we do so, Kentucky stands to be at the forefront of a new economic boon, with Kentucky farmers literally and figuratively reaping the benefits.
MailTo:hleditorial@herald-leader.com
1/8/01
2:29:18 PM
Nuclear Information and Resource Service ( NIRS ) Appeal for Funds
Michael Mariotte, Executive Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service ( NIRS )
Over the past year, we've sent you e-mail Alerts on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from Mobile Chernobyl and Yucca Mountain to stopping nuclear power from being perceived as an answer to global climate change to radioactive waste imports in Russia.
Some of these Alerts have been sign-on letters-and we're happy about how many of you have taken the time to sign on to these letters. Others have been about how you can take other action-by contacting your congressmembers, writing comments, or participating in public gatherings. A few have been informational: press releases, important notices, etc.
We appreciate your help and interest in our efforts.
Some of you are also on our mailing list. For those of you who are, you can expect to see a letter from me in your mailbox in the next couple of weeks. It will expand on what I write below. Those of you who subscribe to the Nuclear Monitor will receive your latest issue in the next couple of days.
But for many of you, we know you only by e-mail. And it is to you whom I write today.
I don't want to take a lot of your time, or disk space. I simply want to ask you to consider making a contribution in support of NIRS and our work.
You can become a member of NIRS for a contribution of any amount. For $35/year, we'll send you, by first-class mail, our Nuclear Monitor newsletter.
Let's face it: we have a difficult time ahead. With Spencer Abraham as our Energy Secretary, and an administration and nuclear power industry intent on building new atomic reactors in the U.S. and abroad, NIRS has never been needed more.
Fortunately, we're in a position to provide more. Our two U.S. offices are working around-the-clock to prevent any new reactor construction, to stop a Mobile Chernobyl in its tracks, and to protect the American people from additional radioactive contamination. With our September 2000 affiliation with WISE-Amsterdam, our international offices across the globe are working to end the notion that nuclear power is a suitable answer to global warming, and to fight new reactors wherever they may appear.
We're working hard for you, so I hope you'll support us, financially and with your actions, throughout the coming year.
There are a variety of ways to contribute to NIRS. You can send a check to NIRS, 1424 16th Street NW, #404, Washington, DC 20036. Or you can send your VISA, Mastercard or Discover number, expiration date, and amount donated to the same address. You can fax your credit card information to us at 202-462-2183 or phone it in to 202-328-0002. Or you can contribute on the web by going to www.giveforchange.com and look under "N" for Nuclear Information and Resource Service.
However you choose to contribute to NIRS, please know that we greatly appreciate your help. We cannot be effective without your active participation and support.
Thank you for reading this, and thank you for all the help you can provide in 2001. Together, we will achieve our goal of a non-nuclear future.
Best wishes,
Michael Mariotte Executive Director Nuclear Information and Resource Service
1/8/01
2:14:08 PM
World Environment News - January 8th, 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
Republicans, trade groups balk at road ban in forests - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9448
US EPA says report supports its PCB-dredging policies - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9453
Tree-cutters, tree-huggers united in Adirondack sale - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9454
Senate hearing set on Bush energy, interior picks - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9456
Bush urged to roll back Clinton environmental rules - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9457
Alcoa's production slowdown latest in US NW power woes - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9458
Bush's choice for energy seen good for consumers - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9459
Senator sees Bush opening California to ethanol - USA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9460
Mind the trap, Nessie hunters told - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9450
Farmers may decide fate of Britain's birds - UK http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9452
Spain appeals ruling in toxic spill case - SPAIN http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9451
Greenpeace decries nuclear cargo near Argentine waters - ARGENTINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9449
Japanese Embassy defends whale hunting in Argentina - ARGENTINA http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=9455
1/8/01
2:12:04 PM
Record number of natural disasters in 2000
The world was hit by a record number of natural disasters in 2000, and global warming and a rising population are likely to make future years even worse, the world's largest reinsurer, Munich Re, said Thursday.
Its count of natural disasters rose by more than 100 to 850 in the year. The number of deaths was lower because less populated areas were affected.
Story: http://www.iht.com/articles/5724.htm
1/8/01
2:11:00 PM
AS POINTED OUT BY ILYES...
From: http://asia.dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/world/article.html?s=asia/headline s/010104/world/afp/Britain_working_on_version_of__barbaric__vacuum_bomb__rep ort.html
Britain working on version of barbaric vacuum bomb
Thursday 4 January 2001
Britain is developing its own version of a controversial hi-tech bomb, the use of which by the Russians in Chechnya has sparked protests from human rights campaigners.
The thermobaric munition uses a massive wave of heat and blast pressure rather than high explosive to destroy buildings and kill humans over a large area.
The BBC claims the weapon is already in development by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in Kent and may be in service by 2005.
CLIP
The weapon - the effect of which has been compared to that of a tactical nuclear bomb - has caused concern among the military because it renders conventional body armour useless.
And it has sparked protests from human rights campaigners, who claim that it is disproportionate and indiscriminate in its effects, as it causes massive internal injuries to anyone - including innocent civilians - within range of its blast.
According to the BBC, Britain's version of the weapon will be less devastating than the Russian devices used in the Chechen capital Grozny, and will be designed specifically to limit civilian casualties.
1/8/01
2:09:20 PM
It Does Pay to Fight - Environmental Success Stories
Hello,
Every day, millions of people stand up for what they believe in, demanding protection for the Earth's species and life support systems. Injustice abounds in our world, but more people than you may think are willing to take on the long, often arduous, frustrating and demoralizing battles to protect our world.
I discuss how the well funded conservative opposition does its best to make opponents feel like they are wrong and going against the American way in this week's Healing Our World commentary, called "It Does Pay to Fight - Environmental Success Stories," posted on the Environment News Service at http://www.ens.lycos.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-05g.html.
The corporate controlled mainstream media does its best to represent activists as loners and misfits. But these hard fought efforts by mothers, fathers, children, individuals and groups of all ages around the world do have an impact. They are changing the face of our culture.
Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of the Earth and the other species who share this planet with us. We are going to need to stand together as the new administration works hard to turn back the environmental and social clock in this country and in the world. We must not let greed rule the land and economic indicators be the measure of our well being. Healthy and happy children and adults, clean air, clean water and safe and suffering-free food must be our priorities.
I wish you peace and when you feel like a lone voice in the wilderness, remember that you are not alone.
Jackie
Visit Jackie's website on teaching, activism and an archive of over 130 of his articles at http://www.healingourworld.com
1/8/01
2:06:15 PM
THIS ONE IS QUITE A BIT SCARY
Monsanto Insiders INSIDE America's new government
Dear Friends,
I feel as if I am inside of a tornado, spinning around and around, and there's no way for me to get out of the vortex. Here we go again.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Tommy Thomson, governor of Wisconsin, has just accepted George Bush's nomination for the position of Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In that capacity, Thompson will become the "boss" of the FDA.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
The new Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, is a friend of Monsanto. She was on the Board of Directors of Calgene, the biotech company that became a Monsanto subsidiary.
HEALTH AND HUMAN DIS-SERVICE
Thompson has a long history of supporting Monsanto and biotechnology.
Before the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone was approved, Wisconsin's dairy farmers protested its approval and sought a moratorium for its use.
Thompson lifted that moratorium, despite the fact that 90% of the calls to his office voiced support for the moratorium.
Thompson recently received a $50,000 gift from the biotechnology industry. While governor, he passed through legislation that got $317 million in state funds to build a "silicon-valley-style" biotechnology zone.
That's Thompson's vision for Wisconsin. The "Biotechnology State." That too, may be his vision for America.
Pharmaceutical companies helped fund the Republican Party's bid for the presidency.
Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone caused cancer in laboratory animals. That is why I am here, doing what I do. Had it not been for Monsanto, I would probably still be eating cheese and ice cream. I never would have learned what I now know about milk. (COMMENT: DON''T FORGET ASPARTAME!!)
A MOB SCENE
I've also learned how Monsanto works. They exert their influence, and, like the MAFIA, get favors paid back.
I'm worried about the Monsanto connection to George W. Bush. Monsanto's insiders are becoming regulatory decision-makers of America's new government. We are becoming the outsiders.
Robert Cohen http://www.notmilk.com
1/8/01
1:33:17 PM
Clinton Preserves Pristine Roadless National Forests
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 5, 2000 (ENS) - In a move that ranks among the most significant environmental policy initiatives in U.S. history, President Bill Clinton today announced the adoption of a comprehensive strategy that bans road construction and commercial logging on nearly 60 million acres of U.S. Forest Service land.
Speaking at a news conference at the National Arboretum in Washington, Clinton said that the new policy will insure that the pristine forest lands will remain "unspoiled by bulldozers, undisturbed by chain saws and untouched for our children."
"This is about preserving the land which the American people own, for the American people who are not around yet," Clinton said. "Not everyone can travel to the great palaces of the world, but everyone can enjoy the majesty of our great forests."
With the announcement of the new roadless rule, the Clinton administration has protected more land in the continental United States than any administration since Theodore Roosevelt. The new policy, which Clinton first proposed in 1999, will prohibit road building and commercial logging on 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas throughout the national forest system.
The policy was drafted to reflect the environmental importance of roadless areas, which provide critical habitat for a vast array of fish and wildlife, including more than 200 plant and animal species protected or proposed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Conservation groups were quick to hail the new roadless rule, which will extend strong environmental protections to an area greater in size than all of the country's national parks combined.
Idaho's Clearwater National Forest (Photo courtesy USFS) Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope called the rule the "greatest land protection victory in a generation," and he praised the outgoing president for "leaving a legacy of wild forests for all Americans who love to hunt, hike, fish and camp."
"Today's announcement is a victory for us all - for everyone who has ever walked in a forest, for the millions of us who rely on our national forests for clean drinking water, and for future generations," Pope said.
REPUBLICANS VOW TO UNDO THE RULE
But the logging and mining industries renewed their vigorous and long standing objections to the rule, and a host of influential Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill promised overturn the new roadless policy. Utah Congressman Jim Hansen, the newly elected chairman of the powerful House Resource Committee, said the outgoing Clinton administration has imposed an "arbitrary, illegal road ban over a third of this nation's national forests."
"As chairman of the Resource Committee, I will make it a priority to undo this kind of reckless, last minute maneuvering," Hansen said. "The American people deserve thoughtful, rational policies that allow local management and public enjoyment of their own lands. They don't deserve this last minute manipulation and grandstanding by a man desperate for a legacy."
Hansen has vowed to hold Congressional hearings on the "illegal" roadless rule within the next 60 days.
Hansen's call for a review of the rule was echoed by Senator Frank Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska and the chairman of the Senate's Energy and Environment Committee. Murkowski pronounced the roadless rule to be "fatally flawed," and he predicted that it will be overturned by the courts.
"In light of the numerous legal violations committed in the development of this rule, I am quite confident that it will be overturned," Murkowski said.
Murkowski and a host of other Western Republican lawmakers have informed Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman that they intend to exercise their authority under the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Act to closely review the legality of the rule.
The lawmakers have also threatened to call for a Congressional resolution to overturn the rule, and to send the measure back to the Forest Service to "do it right."
Murkowski has for months complained that the Forest Service made numerous mistakes in reviewing the administration's roadless proposal, which generated the largest volume of public comments in the history of the agency.
1/8/01
1:32:44 PM
TONGASS LOOMS LARGE IN THE DEBATE
Murkowski said the roadless policy would be especially devastating for timber harvesting activities in Alaska's Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest. Roadless areas in the Tongass, which had been exempted from the road building and commercial logging prohibitions in earlier drafts of the policy, are now subject to those restrictions, with certain exceptions.
The Tongass National Forest will be subject to the Clinton administration's new roadless policy. (Photo courtesy Southeast Alaska Conservation Council) When the roadless policy is fully implemented in the Tongass after April 2004, timber production will drop by more than 50 percent, Murkowski said.
Murkowski said the policy will result in the loss of nearly 400 jobs, with payroll losses topping $17 million. The road building ban will also result in the elimination of 141 Forest Service jobs, which represent an additional payroll of more than $7 million, Murkowski said.
"The Forest Service acknowledges that this proposal will have a greater impact on Alaska than anywhere else in the country," Murkowski said.
Murkowski, Hansen and other federal lawmakers have all claimed that the roadless policy will increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Mike Klein, a spokesperson for the American Forest & Paper Association, echoed that view.
"It's devastating for the health of the forests," Klein said of the roadless policy. "It basically builds a wall around 60 million acres, and that means scientists can't get in to treat diseased areas, it means that firefighters can't get in to put out fires, it means that forest managers can't get in to manage the forest."
Klein noted that timber production from the national forest system has already been reduced about 75 percent in the last eight years, so he predicted that the roadless ban will have the most impact on smaller logging companies. Klein added that the ban will hurt rural school districts, which reap revenues from timber sales conducted on the national forest system.
Hansen expressed a similar view. "President Clinton wanted to strike at American logging and energy companies with this ban, but he's hit John Q. Public even harder," the Utah Republican said. President Clinton has just shut the American public out of 60 million acres of their own land. This is one of the most offensive examples I've seen of Washington, DC telling the rest of the country what's good for it."
WHITE HOUSE FIRES BACK
George Frampton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, was quick to counter that view. Frampton said that the new roadless rule was subjected to the "most robust public comment period ever," in which more than 600 public meetings were conducted and more than 1.5 million comments were reviewed by the Forest Service.
"This has proved to be overwhelmingly popular," Frampton said of the rule.
1/8/01
1:32:15 PM
The Dome Peak roadless area in Colorado's White River National Forest (Photo courtesy USFS) Any administration, to change the rule, will have to go through the full formal process under a number of federal environmental laws. That will involve scoping hearings and taking public comments all over again. Frampton said, "That's a very long, detailed process. I think if it's started, it is going to produce a great deal of public opposition."
Frampton dismissed charges that the roadless policy is too extreme, noting that it does contain provisions for thinning trees to reduce wildfire risks, and for restoring forest health.
Frampton downplayed the rule's effects on timber harvesting activities in the Tongass National Forest, noting that certain timber sales already in the "pipeline" in that forest will be "grandfathered in" under the new roadless policy. The grandfathering clause, Frampton said, will ensure that there will be a steady supply of timber from roadless areas in that forest for the next seven years.
Timber sales slated for roadless areas in other national forests will also be grandfathered in under the new policy, but only if they have been finalized with a record of decision, Frampton said.
Asked about how the new rule will effect the nation's supply of timber, Frampton said, "If you take the Tongass out, there was very, very little planned timber sale activity over the next five years in roadless areas. Eighty percent of the national effect is Tongass, but the rest is pretty negligible - you're talking about maybe a dozen timber sales a year at most around the whole country."
Frampton downplayed the human impacts of those lost sales, saying that no more than 200 jobs will be lost nationally.
Still, Frampton said that the Forest Service will propose a $72 million, six year assistance program to ease the economic transition for affected communities. Of that total, $38.5 million will be directed to help communities in southeast Alaska, Frampton said.
Frampton dismissed fears that the new rule will increase the risk of devastating wildfires, calling the allegation a "total red herring." He noted that only a tiny portion of roadless areas have been classified as being at high risk of wildfires. He emphasized that the new rule contains provisions for thinning to take out fuel that would feed wildfires and emergency access should it be required.
1/8/01
1:31:05 PM
BUSH ADMINISTRATION HINTS AT ENVIRONMENTAL ROLL BACKS
Frampton denied that the rule is a last desperate effort to save the pristine roadless areas from President-elect George W. Bush, whose environmental record had been ridiculed by many in the conservation community. Frampton said that the rule has been in the works for some time, and that it is designed to "close the loop" on a process begun in the 1920s by the great conservationist Aldo Leopold.
Clinton gave credit to Leopold in his remarks on Friday, saying, "When we see the land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."
Asked if the country could expect the same kind of conservation commitment from the incoming Bush administration, Frampton said, "I guess you'd have to ask Gale Norton that question."
President-elect George W. Bush's nominee for Interior Secretary has been sharply criticized by the environmental community. Norton, who formerly served as attorney general for the state of Colorado, is Bush's nominee for Secretary of the Interior. Environmental groups have been sharply critical of Norton, who has ties to James Watt, regarded by many as the most anti-environmental Interior Secretary in the nation's history.
Asked if the "specter" of a Norton Interior Department had prompted any of the many conservation initiatives launched by the Clinton administration in the waning weeks of its tenure, Frampton said, "Absolutely not - I can't think of a single decision that we have planned ... that would be in the slightest way different if Al Gore had been elected."
Frampton predicted that it would be difficult for the incoming Bush administration to "roll back" the new roadless rule, or any of the 12 national monuments that Clinton has created by use of the 1906 Antiquities Act.
"In past administrations there have been legal opinions to the effect that the designation of a monument is the exercise of delegated legislative power, so a subsequent administration cannot undo a monument by another executive order," said Frampton. Still, he added, "I don't think that's ever really been tested in court."
Except for boundary changes, no national monument has ever been undone by another administration or Congress, Frampton noted.
"It obviously remains to be seen what Congress will do or what the administration will do, but I hope in the end that they decide to move on to some of the challenges of the future," Frampton said.
Asked if Bush would move to roll back or negate the flurry of environmental initiatives launched by the Clinton administration in the waning weeks of its term, Ari Fleischer, Bush's press secretary, said, "It is the president's prerogative to do as he sees fit."
Fleischer told reporters that the Bush team "will not comment on some of these last minute executive orders that [Clinton] is pursuing." Fleischer said, "We will review each and every one of them. We are taking note of them."
More information on the new roadless rule can be found online at: http://www.fs.fed.us/news/roads.
1/8/01
12:24:52 PM
Direct Action Alert
Low Frequency Active Sonar ( LFAS )
The following is an action alert sent out by Natural Resources Defense Council regarding the plan proposed by the US Navy to operation of Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar noise research.
The Commission's full staff report is available online.
Tell the California Coastal Commission to stop allowing the Navy to blast the, Pacific with dangerously loud noise The U.S. Navy has asked the California Coastal Commission for permission tooperate a new extended-range submarine detection system in the Pacific Ocean that will blast ocean waters with noise billions of times louder than that known to disturb whales ( the Navy must get the commission's permission because the sounds generated by the system will travel into California's coastal waters ).
This risky technology - Low Frequency Active Sonar ( LFAS ) - presents a serious and wide-ranging threat to California's marine life. A single LFAS transmitter would generate sound in the range of 235 decibels, flooding hundreds of square miles of ocean with noise. Two hundred thirty-five decibels is millions of times more intense than the 160 decibel level known to harm human divers. The sheer force of 230 decibel blasts could cause permanent hearing loss, serious physical injury, or even death to whales and other creatures unfortunate enough to be swimming near an LFAS transmitter. But what concerns marine scientists even more than physical injury are the impacts that LFAS could have on the behavior ( such as breeding, feeding, and migration ) and viability of entire populations of marine mammals. It is exactly these effects on vital activities, experienced over hundreds of miles of ocean, that pose the greatest risk to California's marine mammals.
What to do: Write to the California Coastal Commission urging the commissioners to deny the Navy's request to deploy LFAS.
Contact information:
You can email the California Coastal Commission directly from NRDC's Earth Action Center at www.nrdc.org/action. Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send your own message, and feel free to add your own reasons for wanting to protect the marine animals that inhabit California waters.
Sample Letter:
Sara Wan, Chair California Coastal Commission 45 Fremont Street Suite 2000 San Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: 415 904.5289 Fax: 415 904.5400
Subject: Don't let the Navy deploy LFAS in the Pacific
Dear Chair Wan,
I am deeply concerned about the Navy's plan to expose marine animals living in California's coastal waters to loud, low frequency noise. The Navy's proposed deployment of its Low Frequency Active Sonar ( LFAS ) system poses a serious threat to marine mammals, and other ocean life, in California waters. The Navy's most recent studies have not adequately addressed the short-term and long-term impacts of the LFAS system on whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles, and a host of other marine animals. The Commission has a responsibility to assure the long-term safety and protection of the wildlife that inhabits California's coastal waters. I urge you and the rest of the Commission to deny the Navy's request to deploy LFAS in the Pacific.
Please forward a copy of my letter to each Commissioner.
Sincerely, [Your name and address]
1/8/01
12:07:58 PM
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE (ENS) http://ens-news.com
"We Cover the Earth For You"
CLINTON PRESERVES PRISTINE ROADLESS NATIONAL FORESTS
By Brian Hansen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 5, 2000 (ENS) - In a move that ranks among the most significant environmental policy initiatives in U.S. history, President Bill Clinton today announced the adoption of a comprehensive strategy that bans road construction and commercial logging on nearly 60 million acres of U.S. Forest Service land.
REBUBLICANS VOW TO UNDO THE RULE
WHITE HOUSE FIRES BACK
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-05-15.html
CLEAN AIR RENEWABLE ENERGY COALITION LAUNCHED IN CANADA
By Bill Eggertson
CALGARY, Alberta, Canada, January 5, 2001 (ENS) - A coalition of corporations, environmental groups, and municipal organizations has been formed to accelerate development of Canada's renewable energy industry.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-05-01.html
ENVIRONMENT LOSING GROUND TO GROWING POPULATION
WASHINGTON, DC, January 5, 2001 (ENS) - As world population continues to grow, natural resources are under increasing pressure, threatening public health and social and economic development, warns a new report from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-05-06.html
EUROPE DEFINES NEW POLICY FOR ECO-FRIENDLY MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS
BRUSSELS, Belgium, January 5, 2001 (ENS) - The outlines of a future European Union policy to reduce the environmental burden of manufactured products have been sketched out by the European Commission's environment directorate in a draft green paper submitted to other Commission directorates.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-05-02.html
ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE AMERISCAN: JANUARY 5, 2001
Sierra Club Mounts Campaign to Defeat Norton, Ashcroft
Conservation Agreement Saves 26,5000 Adirondacks Acres
Yellowstone Bison May Not Favor Groomed Roads
Activists Arrested Attempting to Protect Bison
Developer Gives Michigan an Island Refuge
New Hampshire Proposes Tighter Arsenic Drinking Water Standard
Dole Food to Offer Organic Bananas
Nontoxic Shots Approved for Waterfowl Hunting
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-05-09.html
HEALING OUR WORLD: WEEKLY COMMENT By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
It Does Pay to Fight - Environmental Success Stories
Every day, millions of people stand up for what they believe in, demanding protection for the Earth's species and life support systems. Injustice abounds in our world, but more people than you think are willing to take on the long, often arduous, frustrating and demoralizing battles to protect our world.
The well funded conservative opposition does its best to make opponents feel like they are wrong and going against the American way. The corporate controlled mainstream media does its best to represent these activists as loners and misfits. But these hard fought efforts by individuals and groups of all ages around the world do have an impact. They are changing the face of our culture.
For full text and graphics visit: http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2001/2001L-01-05g.html