SC Action #249-CLARIFICATION ON HEADWATERS ACTION ALERT!
Defending the Environmental Agenda
July 26, 1996
"The Sierra Club practices weird science and earth religions."
-- A. Grant Gerber, Nevada attorney who is
founder of a Wise-Use group called the
Wilderness Impact Research Foundation.
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Sierra Club Legislative Hotline - 202-675-2394
Sierra Club National Headquarters - 415-776-2211
Sierra Club World Wide Web - http://www.sierraclub.org
White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
Clinton's e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
Gore's e-mail - vice.president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC
20500
US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
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Contents:
CORRECTION: CLARIFICATION ON HEADWATERS ACTION ALERT
IN THE MAIN RING: THE TIDE BEGINS TO TURN IN THE 104th
CONGRESS?
IN THE PRESS: GREENSCAM GONE BAD!
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CORRECTION:
IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION -- WE WANT A GOOD DEAL ON HEADWATERS NOT
JUST ANY DEAL!
The Sat. July 27th action alert on the Headwaters forest in
California -- some of the last stands of privately owned redwoods
-- that urged you all to call President Clinton's comment line
and ask him to protect the Headwaters forest. Well, the message
was right, but because the Administration is currently
considering a less-than-adequate plan to protect only a small
part of the headwaters, that simple message could be
misinterpreted by the White House as support for the too-small
deal.
This is particularly of concern since the company pushing the
deal has launched an aggressive and misleading press campaign to
convince the world that this deal, which leaves the bulk of
headwaters exposed to devastation, has saved the headwaters.
The deal being proposed would protect only 6,000 acres of the
60,000 acre headwaters forest, and only one of six remaining
ancient redwood groves in the forest. This isn't even half a
loaf, and it is a travesty for either the company or the White
House to describe this deal as "saving" the Headwaters.
TAKE ACTION: If you already called the White House comment line
with the short message, please call again and make sure you let
President Clinton know that what we want out of any deal on the
Headwaters is protection for all 60,000 acres not just 6,000 and
all six ancient groves not just one ancient grove. We need to be
sure that the White House gets the message that we won't settle
for a sixth of a loaf. We want a biological solution, not a
political solution. As it stands now, this deal cuts out the
habitat for wild coho salmon and the best of the marbled
murrelet habitat.
And if you haven't already called, what better time to do so than
now with this new crystal clear message:
White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
IN THE MAIN RING:
THE TIDE BEGINS TO TURN IN THE 104th CONGRESS?
In the last week,(July 22-26) we have had a number of significant
environmental victories: on Wednesday, July 24th, Congress voted
221-200 to cut $10 million dollars in funding for the
Animas-LaPlata water project -- an environmentally destructive
water project that would have drowned one of Colorado's great
rivers. Earlier in the week, Congress voted to support an
amendment offered by Representative Elizabeth Furse to restore $6
million dollars to salmon recovery efforts; and on Friday, July
26th the administration stood up to the would be dam builders and
announced their support for designating one of California's wild
and threatened rivers, the Clavey, as wild and scenic. These
victories are worth celebrating, but they are also an occasion to
look back at where we've been, where we are, and how we got here.
In the beginning of the 104th Congress, the political pundits
were predicting a swift and complete rout of our environmental
laws -- from the Clean Water Act to the Endangered Species Act.
Some of the early votes in the House during the first 100 days
certainly reinforced those predictions.
But somewhere along the line, the tide began to turn, there were
more "no" votes against anti-environmental proposals, and the
environment even experienced some victories. Granted most of the
victories in Congress this year have consisted of dodging harmful
legislation by keeping bills from passing that would have
unraveled our environmental laws and safeguards.
But today we are in a very different situation than we were in
January of 1994. Today, much of our energy is focused on
"greenscamming" -- efforts of anti-environmental politicians to
look like they are good on the environment. Two years ago many
of these same politicians were stating openly that they were
planning to get big government off the backs of the people by
streamlining burdensome laws like the Clean Water Act.
So why does everyone suddenly want to look like a friend of the
environment,and even occasionally vote like a friend of the
environment? It is because of your actions. Not just, not even
primarily because of your calls and letters to Congress and the
White House -- although these were certainly helpful. It is
because of how effectively you and countless other environmental
activists have carried a message, not into Washington, but out on
to main street. You effectively told the public and the media
that this Congress was waging war on the environment and that you
and your neighbors wouldn't stand for it. You confronted elected
representative who voted against the environment back home where
it had the most impact.
As we head into the final days of this Congressional session, it
is important to remember that one letter to the editor in a local
paper, one pointed comment or question at a Congressman's town
meeting, one public event in the district, is worth more than a
hundred letters or phone calls into a congressional office.
We aren't suggesting that you stop those calls and letters, and
we will no doubt continue to suggest them at regular intervals,
but don't forget its what you've done on main street that has
turned the tide. And it is what you do in the home district
between now and November that will determine whether the Congress
that comes to town next year has a green that is more than skin
deep.
In keeping with the notion of sending our environmental messages
in public forum, Sierra Club and other organizations ran a
full-page advertisement in the Monday, July 29 edition
of the New York Times. Feel free to use this ad as inspiration
for your letter to the editor. The ad read as follows:
STOP CLEARCUTTING OUR CHILDREN'S INHERITANCE
Dear President Clinton and Members of the 104th Congress:
One year ago, Congress did the unthinkable and suspended the
environmental laws that protect America's National Forests.
Passage of the Clearcut Rider -- arguably the worst environmental
legislation ever enacted, and certainly the most irresponsible
piece of special interest legislation to pass this Congress --
left our forests, their waters and the animals that live there
exposed and endangered.
Every year, millions of Americans hunt, fish, hike and camp in
our national forests -- over 40% of recreational use of our
public lands occurs on National Forests. Our forests provide
habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide sources of clean
drinking water for our families. But the Clearcut Rider has
allowed irresponsible timber companies to run roughshod over our
forest lands.
For example, in one timber sale in Montana's Gallatin Forest,
timber companies are preparing to saw down 987 acres of pristine
woodlands that were once protected by our environmental laws.
And logging without laws in California's Klamath Forest will
invade the Dillon, Lover's Camp and Box Camp Roadless Areas with
roads and intensive logging on steep, unstable slopes. And,
ironically, this lawless logging is being done at taxpayer
expense, through huge subsidies to big timber companies. In
Idaho, for example, the Thunderbolt sale alone will cost American
taxpayers over $800,000.
While the temporary Clearcut Rider will eventually expire, the
threats to our forests clearly will not. Already, allies of the
special timber interests are pressuring Congress to permanently
allow logging in our National Forests without regard to
environmental safeguards.
Mr. President, you have publicly acknowledged that this policy
was a "mistake." In order to safeguard our National Forests, the
destructive Clearcut Rider timber sales must be canceled. We
urge you to fully use your executive authority and leadership to
protect our public forest lands.
We urge the Members of the House and the Senate to right this
dreadful wrong, to restore the laws to America's National Forests
and to protect America's environment for our families, for our
future.
Sincerely,
SIERRA CLUB / WILDERNESS SOCIETY / NRDC /PACIFIC RIVERS COUNCIL
WESTERN ANCIENT FOREST CAMPAIGN / DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE / AUDUBON
SOCIETY / OREGON NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL/ NORTHWEST ECOSYSTEM
ALLIANCE / IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE / HEADWATERS / INLAND EMPIRE
PUBLIC LANDS COUNCIL
IN THE PRESS:
GREENSCAM GONE BAD!
What could be more tantalizing to a Sierra Club volunteer
than hearing that an anti-environmental candidate is holding a
press event to "greenscam" about his/her environmental record in
the height of the campaign season?
Ask Albert Pollard, an activist from Virginia, who, with an hours
notice, decided to stir things up for Virginia Governor George
Allen (R). Allen was attempting to stage a press event to
highlight his environmental record (a difficult thing to do
considering his numerous attacks on Virginia's environment),
complete with whitewater rafting and a statement promising to
clean up Virginia's rivers and streams.
After Albert arrived on the scene to hand out literature and talk
to the press, the event quickly turned from a pleasant photo-op
into a press-nightmare for Gov. Allen. Albert's reality check on
the Governors poor environmental record was covered by three TV
stations, including Richmond and Roanoke, two radios
stations and one newspaper.