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Natural Resources Defense Council's

LEGISLATIVE WATCH

March 1, 2007

==================================
This is a status report on congressional action on the
environment. The information in this bulletin is also available
on our website at http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp
(the web version links to the text of bills and congressional
web pages). To take action on these and other environmental
issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/
==================================

Before Congress recessed for the week of Presidents Day, the
Senate gave final approval for the spending package that will
continue to fund the government through the end of September.

===

Budget/Appropriations

On 2/14, the Senate overwhelmingly approved (85-15) a $493.5
billion spending resolution that will fund government
operations, including key energy and environmental programs,
through the end of September. Senate passage comes on the heels
of House approval of an identical resolution in late January,
and President Bush is expected to sign the measure. The long
overdue action on the FY 2007 appropriations package establishes
funding allocations (which basically remain at FY 2006 levels)
for 11 of the 13 appropriations bills that Congress failed to
pass last year. Environmental groups criticized the bill, which
includes appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the
Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency,
for failing to increase funding for vital environmental programs
after successive years of cuts.

===

For information on the environmental voting records of members
of Congress, see the League of Conservation Voters' National
Environmental Scorecard at
http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with more than 1.2 million members
and online activists, and a staff of scientists, attorneys and
environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy
environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of
NRDC, please contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

Dear Thomas,

This is your single best chance to make a life-saving difference to thousands of polar bears across the Arctic who are already suffering the effects of global warming.

For a brief period of time, the Bush Administration is accepting public comments on its proposal to protect polar bears under the Endangered Species Act.

Please vote for polar bear protection right now by submitting your Official Citizen Comment at NRDC's new PolarBearSOS website.

With your help, we are going to generate a blizzard of Citizen Comments until the Bush Administration agrees to protect the polar bear and address the mortal threat posed by global warming.

As you well know, polar bears are completely dependent on Arctic sea ice to survive, but 80 percent of that ice could be gone in 20 years and all of it by 2040.

Polar bears are already feeling the effects: birth rates are falling, fewer cubs are surviving, and more bears are drowning.

Following our legal action last year, the Bush Administration took a big step forward by proposing to list the polar bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

But its proposal fails to designate "critical habitat" for the bear, even though melting habitat from global warming is the whole problem!

And the proposal refuses to identify the cause of global warming, as if the polar bear could be saved without reducing our nation's global warming pollution!

Your Official Comment -- when added to hundreds of thousands of others -- will put the Bush Administration on notice that we expect it to move ahead with polar bear protection that designates critical habitat and addresses global warming.

Click here to submit your Official Citizen Comment to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service right now!

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

P.S. After submitting your Citizen Comment, please spend a few minutes touring our new PolarBearSOS.org website. It's got a lot of great information about how to save polar bears and stop global warming.

========================================
Natural Resources Defense Council's

CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK SPECIAL ALERT

NRDC's California Activist Network was formed to mobilize and
provide action tools to Californians and others concerned with
protecting the state's extraordinary wealth of natural treasures
and the health of its citizens.

February 9, 2007
========================================

Special alert for Central Valley activists:
Urge your local car dealers to withdraw from the lawsuit to
block the California clean cars law
Take action now at
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_020907

======================================================

As a longtime leader in environmental solutions, California is
critical to national and worldwide efforts to control and reduce
global warming pollution. The California Clean Cars law, enacted
in 2002, requires automakers to reduce global warming emissions
from cars and light trucks (the largest sources of global
warming pollution in the state) beginning with 2009 models. But
instead of agreeing to produce and sell clean cars in accordance
with the law, all of the major automakers and several Central
Valley car dealers filed a lawsuit against the people of
California to block implementation of this historic legislation.
They are also suing several of the other states that have
adopted clean vehicle standards similar to California's.

Although Merle Stone Chevrolet of Tulare and Merle Stone
Porterville dropped out of the lawsuit in December 2006, we need
your help to persuade the other Central Valley dealers to
withdraw from the suit as well. Local California dealers
refusing to participate in the lawsuit weakens the automakers'
efforts and demonstrates even greater public support for the
clean cars law.

As a fellow Central Valley community member and potential
customer of these family-run dealerships, your voice carries a
lot of weight when you tell them that they should do their part
to protect their communities from the global warming pollution
that comes from the vehicles they sell.

== What to do ==
Send a message today urging the car dealers in your area to drop
out of the lawsuit against California's clean cars law.

== Contact information ==
You can send a message to the Central Valley car dealers
currently involved in the lawsuit directly from NRDC's Earth
Action Center at
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_020907
Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send
your own messages.

Central Valley Chrysler-Jeep
John W. Gardner, President
4460 No. McHenry Avenue
Modesto, CA 95356

Kitahara Pontiac Buick GMC
Larry Kitahara, President
5515 No. Blackstone Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710

Sturgeon and Beck
Harold Beck, President
350 South L Street
Tulare, CA 93274

Fireside Dodge Hyundai
Kevin Sosinsky, President
4620 McHenry Avenue
Modesto, CA 95356

== Sample letter ==

Subject: Withdraw from the California clean cars lawsuit

Dear Central Valley auto dealer,

As a Central Valley neighbor and potential customer, I'm writing
to urge you to help strengthen the economic and environmental
well-being of our community. One of the most important and
cost-free things you can do immediately is to follow the lead of
Merle Stone Chevrolet and drop out of the automakers' lawsuit to
overturn California's law to reduce global warming emissions
from cars and trucks.

The clean cars law was passed to protect all Californians -- and
we here in the Central Valley have a lot at stake. Global
warming could devastate the Central Valley by increasing the
number and intensity of heat waves, increasing air pollution and
shrinking our water supply, creating untold economic hardship
for all of us.

California's law that requires automakers to deliver clean cars
and trucks makes economic sense for you and your customers. The
law that you and the automakers are fighting would actually
provide more consumer choice, which can only be good for your
business. But more importantly, as a prominent business leader
and member of our community whose product happens to represent
the most polluting sector of our state, you can be a leader by
taking responsibility to do your fair share in helping reduce
global warming emissions.

Again, I urge you to drop out of this harmful lawsuit, and join
me in asking automakers to start producing cleaner vehicles.

Sincerely,

Your name and address

Please also forward this message to your friends and co-workers
who live in your area, and urge them to contact the Central
Valley car dealers as well.

Thank you!

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with 1.2 million members and online
activists, and a staff of scientists, attorneys and
environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy
environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of
NRDC, please contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
California Activist Network email: wildcalifornia@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

===========
To update your email address or other information, visit your
subscription management page at http://www.nrdconline.org/nrdc/smp.tcl?nkey=w6u6kixrhjktm3k&. To unsubscribe from
California Activist Network, reply to this message with "remove"
or "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

Dear Thomas,

It took six years but President Bush finally said "climate change" in a State of the Union speech.

Unfortunately, he left out the magic words that could save us: "mandatory limits on global warming pollution." And we can't afford to wait one more day -- much less two more years -- for this president to see the light.

Scientists are telling us loud and clear that if we don't act now to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the window of opportunity will soon shut forever, and the outcome will be devastating.

Allowing temperatures to rise more than another 2 degrees Fahrenheit could mean the irreversible melting of the Greenland ice sheet, a 20-foot rise in sea levels, and the extinction of innumerable species, including the polar bear.

It's way too late for talk and half measures. We know what has to be done. Now we've got to get the new Congress to do it.

Send a message telling your Senators and Representative to pass tough global warming legislation now.

That legislation must cut our nation's global warming pollution 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050 if we are to have a real chance of stabilizing the world's climate. That is the reality according to science.

And while the White House may still be in denial about that science, corporate America is not. The day before the State of the Union speech, ten of the most influential companies in the world joined with NRDC (our sister organization) and other leading environmental groups to call on Congress for an immediate and mandatory approach to cutting global warming pollution!

Now, I don't need to tell you that NRDC has protected the environment by fighting tooth and nail with some of America's biggest companies. So when corporate giants line up with us to ask for pollution controls, you better believe the reality of global warming is hitting home.

We are witnessing history in the making. The president has said the words. Corporate America sees the writing on the wall. And the leadership of a new Congress has vowed to tackle the problem.

But it's going to take overwhelming public support to pass the kind of bold legislation that our planet so desperately needs.

Make your voice heard. Tell your Senators and Representative to cut global warming pollution 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

Let's make 2007 the year America stops talking and starts taking action.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
NRDC Action Fund

NRDC - the Earth's
Best Defense January 2007
YOU CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS

In 2006, the global population passed 6.5 billion. In a world this mobbed, you have to wonder what any individual's efforts to live more sustainably could possibly achieve. Say you replaced five incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. Would that help put the brakes on global warming? If from this day forward you bought only recycled toilet paper, would that save even a single tree?

I'm not saying it isn't good and important to be the change you wish to see in the world, Seesaw as Gandhi so memorably put it, but making a significant difference calls for something more: acting as a lever of change.

Remember levers from science class? They're the nifty tools that use a fulcrum or pivot point to make a lifting job easier. If the force being applied is farther from the fulcrum than the load being lifted, less effort is required. Just recall your experience with seesaws from your playground days and you'll get the picture. To lift a child heavier than yourself, you moved back on your side of the plank -- away from the fulcrum in the center -- or asked him or her to move forward. This made it possible to lift someone as much as twice your weight or more.

Similarly, by making use of a fulcrum in your life, you could do some serious heavy lifting for the environment. For fulcrum, think workplace, school, congregation or club -- that is, any organization to which you belong. By persuading one of these to adopt greener practices in any area, you will multiply your impact considerably.

Here are some ideas for what to propose to the groups you're involved with:

Energy efficiency. Suggest replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, buying energy-efficient equipment bearing the Energy Star label and turning the equipment's power management features on by default.

Selling points
* Benefits to the organization: lower energy bills, points for good citizenship
* Benefits to the public: cleaner air, less global warming pollution, increased energy independence for the United States

Fresh, local, organic foods. Make a case for the right to eat as healthily at the company or school cafeteria as you do at home.

Selling points
* Benefits to the organization: healthier, happier employees/families; points for good citizenship
* Benefits to the public: better public health, preservation of local farmland, cleaner water and air, less global warming, increased energy independence for the United States

Waste reduction. Many organizations recycle because local ordinances require it, but could be induced to do more, such as replacing in-house print communications with email, using two-sided copiers, reusing packaging and establishing a purchasing policy that favors items with recycled content. Electronics manufacturers should be encouraged to offer take-back programs for their wares.

Selling points
* Benefits to the organization: cost savings, points for good citizenship
* Benefits to the public: preservation of resources, less need for landfills and incinerators, safe disposal of toxic materials, cleaner water and air, less global warming pollution, increased energy independence for the United States

Integrated pest management. A good suggestion for any organization, but especially for schools and houses of worship where children are found, is to use integrated pest management (IPM) rather than more conventional -- and poisonous -- means for controlling pests. IPM relies on prevention, habitat modification, development of good soil health and non-toxic strategies as much as possible.

Selling points
* Benefits to the organization: more effective pest control, better health for people using the facilities, points for good citizenship
* Benefits to the public: better public health, cleaner water due to reduced toxic runoff

Commuter benefits. Propose a commuter benefits program that allows employees to pay for public transit with pre-tax dollars. Some generous for-profit employers can even be persuaded to foot the transit bill and take the tax benefits themselves -- or split the costs and benefits with workers. Other good suggestions include parking cash-outs (where employees get payments in exchange for not using free company parking); carpooling incentives (such as reserved parking spots in the best locations); telecommuting; a guaranteed emergency ride home for transit, vanpool and carpool users; and bike racks and showers for bikers.

Selling points
* Benefits to the organization: greater employee satisfaction, safer commutes, less demand for company parking, eligibility for transit grants, less traffic congestion, points for good citizenship
* Benefits to the public: cleaner air, less global warming pollution, increased energy independence for the United States

Green design. Recommend that organizations that are renovating or building new facilities use sustainable strategies that limit sprawl, minimize water and energy usage, preserve natural resources such as wood and protect indoor environmental quality for users of the facility.

Selling points
* Benefits to the organization: lower operating and maintenance costs, higher market value, increased productivity and satisfaction for building users, points for good citizenship
* Benefits to the public: preservation of land and resources, cleaner water and air, less global warming pollution, increased energy independence for the United States

Though by no means exhaustive, this list has enough, I hope, to get you started. Best of luck, and if you meet with success, tell me about it. I'd love to post some case studies one of these days.

�Sheryl Eisenberg

========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

December 7, 2006
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action Alerts--

Tell the Bush administration not to log the wild forests of
Colorado's Hell Canyon

--Updates on Previous Alerts--

Pennsylvania clean vehicles program

Plus: Special holiday ideas and links

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center,
which includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action

=============
Action Alerts
=============

Tell the Bush administration not to log the wild forests of
Colorado's Hell Canyon

The Forest Service recently announced a proposal to log parts of
the 5,900-acre Hell Canyon Roadless Area in Colorado's
Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. Hell Canyon is a pristine
area, and an essential habitat for a wide range of wildlife,
including mountain lions, black bears, elk, mule deer, wild
turkeys, blue grouse and northern goshawks. Named by early
explorers for its rugged landscape, the canyon also includes a
foraging area for peregrine falcons and the headwaters for
several streams; it also may contain ecologically valuable
stands of old growth trees. Because the canyon has been left
untouched until now, it remains a very special island of
solitude, and most Coloradans, as well as Americans across the
country, want these wildlands protected.

Although the Forest Service's overall proposal includes some
important goals, including protecting houses on private land
near the forest from fires, most of the proposed logging in the
roadless area is far from any homes, and is not necessary to
protect these or any other structures. Moreover, the proposed
logging project could destroy important wildlife habitat and
violate the Roadless Rule that protects roadless areas
nationwide from harmful logging and road construction. Logging
and roadbuilding could even increase fire risk by drying out the
woods and increasing access for motor vehicles and people.

The Forest Service is accepting public comments on its proposed
logging project through December 11th.

== What to do ==
Send a message, before the December 11th deadline, urging the
Forest Service not to log roadless areas in Hell Canyon unless
they are within 100 yards of buildings or private property.

== Contact information ==
You can send an official comment directly from NRDC's Earth
Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/
Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send
your own message, and please include your own reasons why
protecting these stunning lands from logging is important to
you.

Dyce Gayton
Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest
Canyon Lakes Ranger District
2150 Centre Avenue, Building E
Fort Collins, CO 80526
Email: dgayton@fs.fed.us

== Sample letter ==

Subject: No roadless logging in the Hell Canyon Roadless Area

Dear Mr. Gayton,

I urge you to ensure that the Thompson River Fuels Reduction
Project protects the Hell Canyon Roadless Area. According to the
Colorado Division of Wildlife, Hell Canyon provides essential
habitat to an incredible array of wildlife, including mountain
lions, black bears, elk, mule deer, blue grouse, northern
goshawks and peregrine falcons.

I support legitimate methods to reduce the risk of forest fire,
but logging activity in remote areas is unnecessary to protect
homes from forest fires and may actually increase forest fire
risk to local communities by creating slash and increasing
access to the forest. Logging in this area also could damage the
remaining old growth forest and key wildlife habitat. For these
reasons, I encourage you to plan logging in the Hell Canyon
Roadless Area only within 100 yards or so of private land with a
home or other occupied structure, where the owners are committed
to doing their part to make the property fire-safe, and where
the activities are unequivocally allowed by the 2001 Roadless
Rule.

I also oppose the construction of any new roads for the project,
whether they are designated permanent or not, and urge you to
concentrate all activities on land immediately adjacent to
private land with homes that need protection. This is the proven
way to protect homes and communities, and should be the highest
priority for the Forest Service.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

==========================
Updates on Previous Alerts
==========================

PENNSYLVANIA CLEAN VEHICLES PROGRAM
In October we asked those of you living in Pennsylvania to urge
your state House representative to vote against a bill that
would repeal the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program (SB 1025).
Supporters of this bad bill had tried to sneak it through the
legislature during the end-of-session frenzy, but we are happy
to report that the session ended without consideration of the
bill, clearing the path for implementation of this important
program. The Clean Vehicles Program will help bring new cleaner
cars into Pennsylvania to cut smog, fight global warming and
save car owners money. Thank you to all of you who contacted
your state representative and helped achieve this impressive
victory!

===============================
Special Holiday Ideas and Links
===============================

In the spirit of the season, we hope these NRDC gift-giving
guides and other offerings help your holidays shine a bit
greener:

December Desktop Wallpaper
http://www.nrdc.org/features/calendar.asp

The Great Green Gift-Giving Guide
http://www.nrdc.org/cities/living/ggift.asp

Books Fit for Nature Lovers
http://www.nrdc.org/joinGive/shop/books.asp

Ten Ways to Have a Cool Holiday
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/gtopten.asp

This Green Life - Gift-Giving Issue
http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/

NRDC's Guide to Greener Living (for New Year's resolution ideas)
http://www.nrdc.org/cities/living/gover.asp

NRDC's Holiday Web Picks
http://www.nrdc.org/reference/picks.asp

Of course, a gift membership to NRDC is a wonderful way to share
your love of wilderness and wildlife with friends and family --
any time of year!

To order one or more gift memberships online:
https://secure.nrdconline.org/08/nrdc_giftmembership

To order gift memberships by mail:
https://www.nrdc.org/joinGive/join/mailgift.asp

=================================

As always, many, many thanks for being part of NRDC's Earth
Activist Network. We'll be back in January (most likely earlier,
if the need arises), asking for your continued action in the
important environmental battles that await us in 2007. In the
meantime, all of us at NRDC wish you and yours a happy, safe and
peaceful holiday season.

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with 1.2 million members and online
activists, and a staff of scientists, attorneys and
environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy
environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of
NRDC, please contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

===========

Natural Resources Defense Council's

LEGISLATIVE WATCH

November 21, 2006

==================================
This is a status report on congressional action on the
environment. The information in this bulletin is also available
on our website at http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp
(the web version links to the text of bills and congressional
web pages). To take action on these and other environmental
issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/
==================================

Congress returned to work on November 13th for a "lame duck"
session following the mid-term elections. Congressional leaders
now must choose between working out the remaining details of 10
remaining appropriations bills or merely passing an extended
continuing resolution to keep the government running until early
2007 when Democrats take control in the 110th Congress. The
House and Senate are now on recess for the Thanksgiving holiday,
and will return to continue the lame duck session on December
4th.

===

Wildlife

On 11/13, the House passed by voice vote a bill that threatens
to curtail the ability of animal advocacy groups to conduct
legal protests of industries that mistreat animals. The Animal
Enterprise Terrorism Act (S. 3880) could criminalize as
terrorism a broad range of lawful, constitutionally protected
activities aimed to expose industries that mistreat animals if
those activities result in the targeted company "losing
profits." Wildlife and environmental advocacy groups joined
civil liberties and First Amendment advocates to oppose the
bill, based on the measure's vague definition of "loss of
profits" and the threat that the bill would prevent activities
such as media campaigns and protests protected under the First
Amendment. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent in
October, in the last hour before Congress adjourned for the
mid-term elections, and now goes to the president, who is
expected to sign it. Several groups have announced their
intention to work for repeal of the bill next year, however,
when control of Congress shifts to the Democrats.

===

Looking ahead to the 110th Congress...

During the week Congress was in session before breaking for
Thanksgiving, Democrats and Republicans elected their party
leaders for the 110th Congress. In the Senate, Sen. Reid (D-NV)
was elected Majority Leader and Sen. Durbin (D-IL) was chosen as
the Democratic Whip, while Senate Republicans chose Sen.
McConnell (R-KY) as the new Minority Leader and Sen. Lott (R-MS)
became the new Republican Whip. In the House, Democrats elected
Rep. Pelosi (D-CA) as the new Speaker of the House and Rep.
Hoyer (D-MD) as the new Majority Leader. Republicans elected
Rep. Boehner (R-OH) as the new Minority Leader and Rep. Blunt
(R-MO) as the new Republican Whip.

On 11/15, Sen. Reid announced the new chairs and Democratic
members for all Senate committees. Chairs for Senate committees
with jurisdiction over environmental issues include:
Sen. Bingaman (D-NM), Energy and Natural Resources
Sen. Boxer (D-CA), Environment and Public Works
Sen. Byrd (D-WV), Appropriations
Sen. Harkin (D-IA), Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Sen. Inouye (D-HI), Commerce, Science and Transportation

Senate Republicans are expected to announce the ranking member
of each Senate committee in December.

A list of Democratic Senate committee assignments can be found
at http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=266000&

In the House, neither Democrats nor Republicans have announced
committee leaders or assignments for the 110th Congress.

===

For information on the environmental voting records of members
of Congress, see the League of Conservation Voters' National
Environmental Scorecard at
http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with more than 1.2 million members
and online activists, and a staff of scientists, attorneys and
environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy
environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of
NRDC, please contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

===========

========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

November 20, 2006
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action Alerts--

Speak out to keep a destructive road out of California's White
Mountains

--Updates on Previous Alerts--

California and Washington ballot initiatives

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center,
which includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action

=============
Action Alerts
=============

Speak out to keep a destructive road out of California's White
Mountains

Furnace Creek is a rare desert stream that drains America's
largest desert mountain range, the White Mountains of
California's eastern Sierra. The creek's surrounding ecosystem
of cottonwoods and willows provides habitat to endangered
species such as the southwestern willow flycatcher and the
western sage grouse.

The Bureau of Land Management has proposed constructing a new
(and unnecessary) road through the heart of Furnace Creek that
would cut across the White Mountains Wilderness Study Area and
invite motorized vehicles into other fragile lands of the White
Mountains. The road also would lead to illegal off-road vehicle
activity, resulting in habitat damage and conflicts with hikers,
equestrians, hunters, anglers and other visitors.

The BLM is accepting comments on its road proposal through
November 29th.

== What to do ==
Send a message, before the November 29th comment deadline,
urging the BLM not to build the road through Furnace Creek and
the surrounding wilderness of the White Mountains.

== Contact information ==
You can send an official comment to the BLM directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_111606/ .
Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send
your own message.

Hector Villalobos, Field Office Manager
BLM Ridgecrest Field Office
300 South Richmond Road
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
Fax: 760-384-5499
Email: hector_villalobos@ca.blm.gov

== Sample letter ==

Subject: Adopt Alternative 2 for Furnace Creek

Dear Field Manager Villalobos,

I urge you to protect the rare desert riparian ecosystem of
Furnace Creek and the White Mountains Wilderness Study Area. I
oppose any new road construction in this endangered riparian
wetland.

I urge you to adopt Alternative 2 of the Furnace Creek
Environmental Assessment. This alternative offers the best
management, follows the law and would advance the public's
interest in conservation and sustainable recreation for these
lands. I strongly oppose Alternative 4 because building a road
along Furnace Creek is unjustifiable, harmful and illegal.

Current laws clearly prohibit motorized vehicles and new road
construction in wilderness study areas, and require a full
environmental impact statement before approving any road through
such an area. The proposal also fails to demonstrate a
sufficient need for a road through Furnace Creek, where there
are no private lands or other driving access needs. In addition,
building a road through Furnace Creek would lead to unauthorized
off-road vehicle use throughout these wilderness lands,
resulting in more habitat damage and conflicts with hikers,
equestrians, hunters, anglers and other visitors. The proposal
also fails to demonstrate how the BLM would effectively monitor
and enforce motorized use in this fragile area and the wild
lands that surround it.

Again, I urge the BLM to live up to its stewardship
responsibilities for Furnace Creek and the White Mountains by
halting this ill-conceived and illegal proposal.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

==========================
Updates on Previous Alerts
==========================

CALIFORNIA AND WASHINGTON BALLOT INITIATIVES

In the weeks leading up to Election Day, we urged those of you
living in California and Washington to help pass or defeat a
number of state ballot initiatives. We have good news to report
in Washington, and mixed in California.

Environmental voters in California helped pass Proposition 84,
the $5.4 billion bond measure that will improve protection for
the state's water, parks and coast, and defeat Proposition 90,
which would have turned polluting and other destructive
activities into property rights. Oil industry money, however,
helped defeat Proposition 87, the Clean Alternative Energy Act,
which would have promoted clean alternative energy and reduced
California's annual oil needs by about 25 percent.

In Washington, voters defeated I-933, another harmful "eminent
domain" initiative similar to California's Prop 90, and passed
I-937, the Clean Energy Initiative. I-937's passage means that
at least 15 percent of Washington's energy will come from clean,
renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020, and ensures that
utilities help their customers save money and energy through
conservation.

Thanks to all of you who voted in California and Washington for
these important initiatives!

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit
environmental organization with 1.2 million members and online
activists, and a staff of scientists, attorneys and
environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy
environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of
NRDC, please contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

===========

Dear California Activist Network member,

This is the break we've been fighting for. And thousands of messages from
California activists like you made it happen!

Yesterday, legislative leaders and Governor Schwarzenegger reached historic
agreement on a bill that will place tough controls on that state's global
warming pollution, with the ambitious goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions
by 25 percent.

It's a spark that could ignite a nationwide chain reaction. With the Bush
administration still stuck in do-nothing mode on global warming, dozens of
states have been looking to California to lead the way in combating the
greatest environmental threat of our time.

And California has delivered big time. The California Global Warming Solutions
Act (AB 32) will impose new controls on utilities, oil refineries, and other
major global warming polluters, with the ambitious goal of rolling back the
state's emissions to 1990 levels.

Co-sponsored by NRDC and Environmental Defense, this bipartisan bill will put
a comprehensive program in place including regulations, incentives and market-
based mechanisms to provide businesses with the tools to comply with the new
law and, just as important, that compliance will be closely monitored and
enforced. Along with other tough global warming bills we expect to pass out of
the legislature today, AB 32 is showing the rest of the country that California
means business when it comes to tackling global warming.

I don't have to tell you that old-line polluting industries fought this bill
tooth and nail. But thanks to your support, NRDC spearheaded a new and exciting
coalition of clean-tech companies, venture capitalists, faith-based leaders and
tens of thousands of citizens that won the day.

California's leaders saw the future and it was green. Global warming controls
won't just be great for the environment, they will be great for the state's
economy. This bill will allow California to start breaking its expensive
dependence on fossil fuels and lead a revolution in energy technology that will
create tens of thousands of jobs.

Who can doubt that other states will soon be racing to follow suit? A decade
from now, we'll look back at this historic agreement as the turning point in
America's long-overdue reckoning with catastrophic climate change.

Today the real work begins. NRDC is going to build on this historic victory --
state by state by state -- until the momentum is so overwhelming that Congress
will have no choice but to wake up and act.

Your support and activism has taken us this far. And we'll be counting on you
to stand with us throughout the long fight ahead -- until that inevitable day
when the president of the United States puts his or her signature on national
global warming legislation.

Sincerely,

Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council

. . .

If you want to read more about this important story, go to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/washington/31warming.html

. . .

Dear NRDC Earth Activist,

With the U.S. Senate heading for a showdown vote on the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, I wish I could sit down with you and other supporters to
explain the enormous challenge we face over the next six weeks.

Since I can't do that, I've done the next best thing and recorded a short video
message about the critical situation at hand. I hope you'll watch this two-
minute video right away.

Then I need you to take an extra step to save the Arctic Refuge by passing this
video on to your friends and colleagues. They need to know that drilling the
Arctic -- and destroying our natural heritage -- will not save us money at the
pump or make us more secure.

Our goal: to reach into homes across America over the next two weeks, so that
when the make-or-break vote comes after Labor Day, we can spring into action
one million strong and defeat Big Oil's agenda.

Click here to view the video and pass it on to others:

http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/tellafriend.asp

We've got no time to lose.

The House recently passed the so-called "American-Made Energy and Good Jobs
Act" (H.R. 5429), which would stuff the oil companies' already bloated coffers
with billions more in profits.

And it would destroy the Arctic Refuge for the sake of oil that won't make a
dent in gas prices or wean us off Persian Gulf oil.

A version of this Arctic wildlife destruction bill is now headed for a vote in
the U.S. Senate sometime in September. Please help us mobilize one million
Americans to stop this bill in its tracks.

http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/tellafriend.asp

I know how many times you've helped us block President Bush's relentless drive
to destroy the Arctic Refuge.

But the political reality is this: the White House can afford to lose this
fight repeatedly. But we cannot afford to lose once -- or else the greatest
living reminder of our natural heritage will die forever.

Please help us prevent this disaster from coming to pass by helping us build a
nationwide army of opposition.

http://www.nrdcactionfund.org/tellafriend.asp

And thank you for fighting to keep the Arctic wild and free.

Sincerely,

Robert Redford
NRDC Action Fund

The NRDC Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) affiliate of the Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC).

For your information, your Earth Action subscription number is 2043481
(you do not need this information to unsubscribe).

========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

August 23, 2006
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action Alerts--

Tell the Bush administration not to drill Alaska's Western Arctic Reserve

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which includes
tools for taking action easily online, at http://www.nrdc.org/action

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=============
Action Alerts
=============

Tell the Bush administration not to drill Alaska's Western Arctic Reserve

Nestled in the northeastern corner of Alaska's Western Arctic Reserve, the
sensitive wetlands surrounding Lake Teshekpuk provide a pristine nesting area
for tens of thousands of migratory birds, and calving grounds for the 46,000-
member Teshekpuk Lake caribou herd. But the Bush administration has announced
plans to sell oil and gas leases in this long-protected wildlife habitat as
early as next month.

The oil and gas industries have already made inroads into the Western Arctic
Reserve, with 10 percent of this largely pristine wildlife breeding ground
previously open to leasing. But now the Bush administration wants to strip the
area of federal protections, and turn over more than half of the reserve to
leasing by oil companies. If the lease sales proceed, oil giants such as
ConocoPhillips could destroy this Arctic sanctuary with gravel mines, roads,
drill pads, pipelines and processing facilities.

== What to do ==
Tell the Bush administration to cancel the September oil and gas lease sale for
the Teshekpuk Lake region of the Western Arctic Reserve.

== Contact information ==
You can send a message to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne directly from
NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=53722
Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send your own message.

Secretary Dirk Kempthorne
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Email: Exsec@ios.doi.gov

Subject: Cancel the Teshekpuk Lake lease sale

Dear Secretary Kempthorne,

I urge you to cancel the September oil and gas lease sale for the recently
opened 590,000-acre Teshekpuk Lake Special Area in the National Petroleum
Reserve-Alaska, also known as the Western Arctic Reserve. This vibrant area has
long provided critical habitat for tens of thousands of migrating birds and
caribou, and oil and gas activities would cause irreparable damage to the
region.

Eighty-seven percent of the northeast area, which contains the Teshekpuk Lake
region, is already open to oil drilling. The new plan would hand over the
remaining 13 percent to the oil industry, even though the reserve is supposed
to be managed to protect its natural values.

More than 215,000 citizens, as well as scientists, conservation groups and the
mayor of the North Slope Borough, have spoken out to oppose opening more of the
Teshekpuk Lake Special Area to oil leasing. Allowing this additional oil
development would further threaten the livelihoods of Alaska Native communities
who have relied on the area's caribou, waterfowl and fish for thousands of
years.

As Secretary of the Interior, you have made a commitment to enforce the laws,
protect the public interest and manage the lands under your department to best
protect their values. Enough acreage is already available for oil leasing
within the Western Arctic Reserve without sacrificing the spectacular Teshekpuk
Lake region. Again, I urge you to stop the September lease sale for the
Teshekpuk Lake Special Area.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

========================
Subscription Information
========================

NRDC distributes a number of bulletins by email. To subscribe to any or all of
them, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/join/subscribe.asp

If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or update your
email address or other information, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with 1.2 million members and online activists, and a staff of scientists,
attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all
living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC, please
contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

For your information, your Earth Action subscription number is 2043481
(you do not need this information to unsubscribe).

===========

========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

August 9, 2006
========================================
In This Issue:

--Special summer treat--

Roadtrip! Come drive beyond oil with NRDC

--Action Alerts--

1. Tell the EPA to protect beachgoers from pollution and disease

2. Demand that the EPA control pollution from factory farms

--Updates on Previous Alerts--

1. Offshore drilling
2. "Sunset" commissions

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which includes
tools for taking action easily online, at http://www.nrdc.org/action

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=========================================
Roadtrip! Come drive beyond oil with NRDC
=========================================

Six days. Eighteen cities. Two thousand miles. Two energy-efficient vehicles.
One great roadtrip.

This week, four intrepid NRDC staffers take to the open road to spread the
gospel of driving "beyond oil" for a cleaner, more secure energy future. Join
Deron, Eben, John and Lisa as they motor (and blog) their way through nine
states in a Ford Escape hybrid SUV and an ethanol-powered flex-fuel Chevy
Impala. Where will they stop next? Will they find that elusive E-85 pumping
station before the fuel gauge reaches "E"? And what exactly is Eben growing on
his face? For the answers to these and other questions (and to post your own
comments and questions), jump on board at
http://drivebeyondoil.typepad.com/blog/

=============
Action Alerts
=============

1. Tell the EPA to protect beachgoers from pollution and disease

More than 180 million Americans go to the beach every year, and millions of
them can expect to get sick from the experience. For the past several years,
the Centers for Disease Control has reported increased numbers of waterborne
illnesses associated with recreational waters. Exposure to beachwater pollution
can cause diarrhea and vomiting, conjunctivitis (pinkeye), skin rashes,
respiratory infections and even serious illnesses such as hepatitis and
meningitis. Small children, the elderly, pregnant women, cancer patients and
anyone else with an impaired immune system are especially at risk.

The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, which was
passed in 2000, requires minimum national standards for testing beachwater
quality and for controlling discharges of bacteria, viruses and parasites into
our coastal waters, but the Environmental Protection Agency is not implementing
the law. The BEACH Act required the EPA to update its 20-year-old beachwater
standards and testing methods by October 2005, but the EPA is years behind in
getting this work done (the agency has announced that the new public health
standards will not be in place until 2011).

== What to do ==
Send a message urging the EPA to speed up its timetable and establish new
public health standards so that every American can enjoying swimming at the
beach without becoming sick.

== Background information ==
Last week NRDC released "Testing the Waters 2006," its annual guide to water
quality at the nation's beaches. To see whether you should think twice about
going swimming at your favorite vacation beach, check out
http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/ttw/titinx.asp

== Contact information ==
You can send a message to the EPA directly from NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/. Or use the contact information and sample letter
below to send your own message.

Administrator Stephen Johnson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
johnson.stephen@epa.gov

== Sample letter ==

Subject: Establish new BEACH Act standards now

Dear Administrator Johnson,

The Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act required
the EPA to strengthen its public health standards that protect Americans from
getting sick from contaminated beachwaters by October 2005. But the EPA is now
saying that it will not have those standards in place until 2011, and in the
meantime, millions of Americans are unknowingly swimming in human and animal
waste that can make them sick.

Waiting another five years for new beachwater quality standards is not
acceptable. The current standards are inadequate. They do not protect swimmers
from viruses and parasites, such as cryptosporidium and giardia, that cause
diarrhea, vomiting and fever. In addition, the current testing methods are too
slow, taking 24 to 48 hours to produce results. Faster tests that produce
results in two to four hours are available, but the EPA is not requiring their
use.

I urge you to move forward immediately to comply with the BEACH Act deadlines
and to update the public health standards and testing methods so that our
beachwaters are protected. Americans should be able to swim at the beach
without worrying about getting sick.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

2. Demand that the EPA control pollution from factory farms

Factory farms, also known as "concentrated animal feeding operations," raise
thousands of animals in close quarters and generate about 500 million tons of
manure every year, roughly three times the waste that humans produce. Often
factory farms dispose of these huge quantities of waste by over-applying it
onto their land, from which it can run off and pollute surrounding waters.

Animal waste contains nitrogen and phosphorus, the main culprits in creating
algae "blooms" that rob water of the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life
need to survive. In addition, animal waste pollution can reduce water quality
and cause many illnesses.

Claiming to respond to a 2005 court decision, the EPA recently proposed a new
rule that would allow the factory farm industry to essentially police itself.
Under the proposal, factory farm operators would themselves decide whether they
discharge pollution and whether they need a permit that limits their pollution
and requires them to monitor and report on their discharges (currently,
thousands of factory farms that should be operating under a permit do not have
one). The proposed rule would not even require a factory farm operator to show
authorities how the facility will ensure that it does not pollute. The EPA also
would not require factory farms to control pathogens -- disease-causing
bacteria and other micro-organisms -- in their waste even though technologies
exist to reduce pathogens by up to 99 percent.

The EPA is accepting comments on its proposed rule through August 14th.

== What to do ==
Send a message, before the August 14th comment deadline, urging the EPA to
strengthen controls of factory farm pollution and not to allow the factory farm
industry to police itself.

== Contact information ==
You can send an official comment to the EPA directly from NRDC's Earth Action
Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/. Or use the contact information and
sample letter below to send your own message.

Att'n: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2005-0037
Environmental Protection Agency
Mail code 4203M
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Email: ow-docket@epa.gov

Subject: Strengthen pollution controls for factory farms

Dear Administrator Johnson and EPA staff,

Factory farms are fouling our nation's waterways. Agricultural pollution,
including pollution from concentrated animal feeding operations, is the leading
cause of impaired rivers and lakes in the United States. Although the EPA has
documented widespread violations of the Clean Water Act at factory farms, the
industry has operated with little oversight. Indeed, thousands of facilities
that should be operating under a permit do not have one. And factory farms
manage and dispose of animal waste using antiquated methods, even though better
technologies exist to significantly curtail or even eliminate water pollution
from these facilities.

The EPA should not leave it up to a factory farm operator to decide whether the
facility discharges pollution, and therefore whether it needs a permit that
would require the operator to implement pollution-reduction systems. The EPA
must also require factory farms to treat animal waste to reduce harmful
bacteria and other pathogens; available technologies can reduce pathogens by
more than 99 percent. Additionally, the EPA should require facilities to adhere
fully to their plans to manage their manure, not just to selected parts of
those plans.

Instead of giving factory farm polluters a free pass, the EPA should go back to
the drawing board and revise the rule to ensure that factory farm pollution
will be reduced and prevented.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

==========================
Updates on Previous Alerts
==========================

1. OFFSHORE DRILLING
In our last alert we asked you to urge your senators to vote against a bill
that would open eight million acres of Gulf Coast waters to offshore oil and
gas drilling. Even though you sent almost 15,000 messages in the week leading
up to the vote, the Senate approved the bill, 71-25, on August 1st. As part of
a deal struck to ensure its passage, the bill includes a 125-mile no-drilling
buffer zone off the Florida coast. The Senate bill must now be reconciled with
the much more harmful House version, and many senators have indicated that they
will not accept changes that would allow significantly more drilling than would
be allowed under the Senate version. With Congress on recess through Labor Day,
further action on the issue will have to wait until September, when we'll be
sure to let you know if a final bill emerges that requires your action. In the
meantime, thanks to all of you who urged your senators to protect our coasts
and beaches from additional offshore drilling.

2. "SUNSET" COMMISSIONS
In June we asked you to urge your representatives to help defeat a bill that
would have allowed unelected "sunset" commissions (which could have been packed
with industry lobbyists and political cronies) to eliminate federal programs,
including many that protect public health and the environment. You sent almost
12,800 messages, and health, education, labor, veterans and faith groups
mobilized their activists to speak out against the bill as well. We're pleased
to report that, facing such a groundswell of public opposition, support for the
bill quickly plummeted, and on July 28th House Republican leaders withdrew the
bill when they realized it lacked the votes to pass. Thanks to everyone who
contacted your representatives and helped achieve this impressive victory!

========================
Subscription Information
========================

NRDC distributes a number of bulletins by email. To subscribe to any or all of
them, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/join/subscribe.asp

If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or update your
email address or other information, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with 1.2 million members and online activists, and a staff of scientists,
attorneys and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet's
wildlife and wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all
living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC, please
contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
Email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org
http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems -- Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.savebiogems.org

For your information, your Earth Action subscription number is 2043481
(you do not need this information to unsubscribe).

===========

========================================
Natural Resources Defense Council's

CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK ACTION ALERT

NRDC's California Activist Network was formed to mobilize and provide action
tools to Californians and others concerned with protecting the state's
extraordinary wealth of natural treasures and the health of its citizens.

August 7, 2006
========================================
In This Issue:

--Action Alerts--

1. Urge your state legislators to put a lid on global warming pollution in
California

2. Help pass important health and environment bills before the legislature
adjourns

3. Speak out to protect California's marine life and coastal communities

--Updates on Previous Alerts--

Wild forest protections

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center, which includes
tools for taking action easily online, at http://www.nrdc.org/action

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=============
Action Alerts
=============

1. Urge your state legislators to put a lid on global warming pollution in
California

Earlier this year we asked you to urge your state legislators to help pass AB
32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, which would set enforceable limits to cut
the state's global warming pollution 25 percent by 2020. Although the bill was
approved by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee on June 26th, it still
needs to be passed by the full Senate and Assembly before the governor can sign
it into law. Alarmingly, however, the bill faces heavy and well-funded
opposition from the oil and coal industries.

Unless we act soon, the effects of global warming will worsen air quality,
increase disease outbreaks and heat-related deaths, threaten our coast with sea
level rise and lead to more frequent droughts, water shortages and wildfires.

Limiting California's global warming pollution would spur investments in clean
energy and alternative fuels and save consumers money. California currently
sends $30 billion out of the state every year to buy fossil fuels, the primary
cause of our global warming pollution. We can bring this money back home to
invest in clean technologies, creating jobs and strengthening our economy.

The state legislature has until August 31st to finish its work for the year, so
there's not much time left to enact this important bill.

== What to do ==
Send a message urging your state assemblymember and senator to support and vote
Yes for the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32).

== Contact information ==
You can contact your state assemblymember and senator directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/.

2. Help pass important health and environment bills before the legislature
adjourns

State legislators will consider hundreds of bills this month until they adjourn
for the year on August 31st. Several important pending bills would protect
California's environment, wildlife and public health.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach generate a staggering amount of air
pollution that threatens the health of nearby residents and the entire region.
The health risks will only worsen with an expected tripling of shipping traffic
by 2020. SB 760 would help pay for long overdue measures that reduce air
pollution at these ports by placing a $30 fee on each shipping container.

Other bills would require regional transportation planning agencies to
incorporate smart growth policies such as housing density and access to transit
into their planning models (AB 1020), and help protect California from
potentially disastrous "Katrina"-like flooding by ensuring that state officials
responsible for flood management decisions have the expertise and authority
required to do their job effectively (SB 1796).

Finally, SB 1535 would reform and generate revenue for the California
Department of Fish and Game, which has been struggling to fulfill its mission
to protect our state's wildlife and habitat due to chronic under-funding. The
bill would require the department to make its accounting system more
transparent and allow it to increase filing fees for environmental reviews.

All of these bills must secure enough votes to pass both houses of the
legislature this month if they are to reach the governor's desk.

== What to do ==
Send a message to your state assemblymember and senator urging them to vote Yes
for SB 760, AB 1020, SB 1796 and SB 1535.

== Contact information ==
You can contact your state legislators directly from NRDC's Earth Action Center
at http://www.nrdc.org/action/.

3. Speak out to protect California's marine life and coastal communities

In 1999, California passed the Marine Life Protection Act, the first law of its
kind in the country. The MLPA requires the state to improve the way it protects
its coastal waters and marine life by creating safe havens for marine wildlife
and habitat -- both for their intrinsic value and for the public to enjoy.

In 2004 Governor Schwarzenegger announced that implementing the MLPA would be
one of his top priorities, and in 2005 the state began the implementation
process for the central coast from just south of Half Moon Bay to Point
Conception. The process includes a blue ribbon task force to develop a
framework for implementing the law, a "regional stakeholder group," which
developed several different "packages" of protected area sites, an extensive
public participation process and an advisory team of biologists, economists and
other scientists.

The advisory team of scientists determined that one package -- Package 2R --
does the best job of meeting the MLPA's goals. Package 2R would strike a
balance by placing about a fifth of the central coast's waters in protected
areas, leaving more than 80 percent open to fishing.

The Fish & Game Commission won't choose a final package until December, but on
August 15th the Commission will meet and pick a "preferred" package, putting it
on the inside track for December's final decision.

== What to do ==
Send a message, before the Fish and Game Commission's August 15th meeting,
urging the commission to select Package 2R as its preferred package for
implementing the Marine Life Protection Act.

== Contact information ==
You can send a message to the Fish and Game Commission directly from NRDC's
Earth Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/ (we'll send a copy of your
message to Governor Schwarzenegger). Or use the contact information and sample
letter below to send your own message.

Michael Flores, President
California Fish and Game Commission
1416 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-653-5040
Email: fgc@fgc.ca.gov

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-445-4633
Email: governor@governor.ca.gov

== Sample letter ==

Subject: Select Package 2R for the Marine Life Protection Act

Dear President Flores and Commission members,

I urge you to select Package 2R as the state's preferred alternative for
implementing the California Marine Life Protection Act. California's coastal
waters deserve real protection, and all of us who live, work and play here have
a responsibility to see that our coastal communities and marine life thrive for
future generations.

Marine reserves harbor more and bigger fish, and support a greater diversity of
life than fished areas. Today seven kinds of Pacific red snapper are known to
be in serious trouble off our coast, and we don't even know the status of many
other California fish we eat. We have an extensive system of state parks to
protect some of our most important areas on land; it's time we offer the same
protection to the ocean.

Package 2R would strike a balance by placing about a fifth of the central
coast's waters in protected areas, leaving more than 80 percent open to
fishing. This would be a long overdue improvement to the current situation,
which protects less than four percent of the region. Package 2R received high
marks from the Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force and, according to science
advisors, does the best job of meeting the MLPA goals and guidelines of all the
current alternatives.

The broad coalition that developed Package 2R reflects the many faces of
California, including divers, scientists, teachers, fishermen, local business
owners and central coast residents. California deserves no less than Package 2R
and I hope the commission will select it as the state's preferred alternative.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

==========================
Updates on Previous Alerts
==========================

WILD FORESTS PROTECTIONS
Several times in the past two years, we asked you to urge Governor
Schwarzenegger to oppose Bush administration plans to repeal the "roadless
rule" that banned logging and roadbuilding in the last wild areas of our
national forests, and to petition the administration to fully protect
California's remaining wild forests. You sent thousands of messages, and we're
thrilled to report that, on July 11th, the governor announced he would indeed
petition the Forest Service to protect California's 4.4 million acres of wild
national forest lands. In doing so, Governor Schwarzenegger joined governors
around the country, from Virginia to New Mexico, in rebuking the
administration's policy and supporting full protection for wild forest areas in
their states. Huge thanks to everyone who contacted the governor during the
past two years to help persuade him to take this critical step to ensure the
survival of California's wild forests.

========================
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Natural Resources Defense Council's

LEGISLATIVE WATCH

August 3, 2006

==================================
This is a status report on congressional action on the environment. The
information in this bulletin is also available on our website at
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/legwatch.asp (the web version links to the text
of bills and congressional web pages). To take action on these and other
environmental issues, visit NRDC's Earth Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/.

(Please do not reply to this message. See the instructions below for how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)
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In recent days, the Senate passed an energy bill that would open millions of
additional acres of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling. The House
passed legislation that would designate more than 600,000 acres of public land
in Oregon, Idaho and northern California as wilderness.

Congress will be on recess until after Labor Day, so Legislative Watch will
also take a break for the remainder of the month.
===

Energy

On 8/1, the Senate passed a bill (S. 3711) that would open 8.3 million acres in
the eastern Gulf of Mexico to new oil and gas drilling. Environmental groups
criticized the bill for a number of reasons, including its failure to
adequately protect coastal areas, a revenue-sharing plan that would steer 37.5
percent of production revenues from new lease sales to Gulf Coast states, and
for overlooking the fact that the oil and gas industry already has access to
more than 80 percent of known reserves in U.S. waters. The bill includes a
minimum 125-mile no-drilling buffer off the Florida coast, added to secure
support for the measure from that state's senators. Majority Leader Frist (R-
TN) used a parliamentary maneuver to prevent amendments, so senators were not
able to offer clean energy alternatives that would reduce oil and natural gas
consumption. The bill must now be reconciled with much broader offshore
drilling legislation passed by the House (H.R. 4761). Senate leaders have
indicated that they will not accept significant changes to the Senate bill and
that a more expansive drilling bill would not have enough votes for final
passage in the Senate.

On 7/26, the House approved two limited energy bills. The first bill (H.R.
2730) would establish a $20 billion grant program to fund joint American-
Israeli research projects in energy, energy efficiency and renewable energy.
The second bill (H.R. 5611) would require the Department of Energy to set up a
partnership with industry groups -- including the auto and oil industries -- to
establish a national campaign to educate consumers on how to ensure that their
vehicles are operating efficiently. The second bill was widely criticized for
simply repackaging information already available to consumers and for
sidestepping the need for legislation mandating real improvements in energy
efficiency. Both measures were criticized by environmentalists for doing little
to address America's energy crisis and dependence on fossil fuels.

===

Nuclear Weapons and Waste

On 7/26, the House approved a bill giving support to a recently signed
commercial nuclear power agreement between the United States and India. The
agreement would give U.S. companies access to a potentially huge overseas
market for fuel and nuclear-related products and services. The bill was widely
criticized by opponents for potentially exacerbating the nuclear tensions
between India and Pakistan. Critics also stated that other countries -- namely
North Korea and Iran -- will interpret the agreement as a sign that they can
circumvent the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty without penalty. India is not a
signatory to the treaty, and the agreement would give India even further
exemptions from international oversight of its nuclear program by exempting it
from certain provision of the Atomic Energy Act. The Senate version of the bill
has been approved by the Foreign Relations Committee, but a final vote by the
full chamber is unlikely until after the August recess.

===

Public Health

On 7/26, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill (H.R. 5863) by
voice vote that would restrict the import of waste contaminated with
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the United States. The legislation,
sponsored by Rep. Barton (R-TX) and Rep. Dingell (D-MI), is a response to
language in the Senate version of the 2007 National Defense Authorization bill
that would weaken the current ban on PCBs. The Senate bill would allow the
military to petition the Environmental Protection Agency to waive the ban on
imports of PCBs for up to three years. Because the Toxic Substances Control Act
currently allows the EPA to grant one-year waivers, environmentalists
questioned the need for a longer extension of the temporary waiver. The
Department of Defense claims it asked for the waiver so it could import PCB-
contaminated waste from overseas military bases.

===

Public Lands

On 7/24, the House approved legislation (H.R. 3817) to ban energy and mineral
development in the 102,000-acre Valle Vidal area of New Mexico's Carson
National Forest. The Forest Service is currently developing a new land use plan
for the forest that may include allowing energy development on 40,000 of its
acres. The bill passed by the House would prohibit any of the land proposed for
oil and gas leasing to come from the Valle Vidal area.

Also on 7/24, the House gave approval to three bills that would designate over
650,000 acres of federal land in northern California, Oregon and Idaho as
wilderness. Rep. Thompson's (D-CA) bill (H.R. 233) would designate 275,000
acres in northern California as a recreation management area for off-highway
vehicles and mountain bikes. A bill (H.R. 5025) sponsored by Rep. Walden (R-OR)
and Rep. Blumenauer (D-OR) would grant wilderness protection to 77,000 acres of
forest and 25 miles of wild and scenic rivers in Oregon's Mount Hood National
Forest. Rep. Simpson's (R-ID) bill (H.R. 3603) would create three wilderness
areas in central Idaho totaling almost 300,000 acres. All three bills were
passed by voice vote.

===

Water

On 7/19, the Senate passed a bill (S. 728) to reauthorize the Water Resources
Development Act. The $12 billion measure passed by voice vote and would
authorize funding for hundreds of Army Corps of Engineers projects, in areas
such as flood protection, navigation and environmental restoration. Most of the
bill was supported by environmentalists, who applauded the measure for
including needed review of hundreds of Army Corps projects that have been
criticized for including biased economic and environmental analyses. The
provision calling for independent review of Army Corps projects was part of an
amendment sponsored by Sen. McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Feingold (D-WI) and narrowly
passed by a vote of 54-46. The major hurdle standing in the way of final
reauthorization of the act is a House-Senate conference committee that must
resolve major differences in the two versions of the bill. In addition to an
almost $2 billion funding gap, the House bill was passed more than a year ago,
before the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Intended to be updated
every two years, the act has not been reauthorized in more than six years.

===

For information on the environmental voting records of members of Congress, see
the League of Conservation Voters' National Environmental Scorecard at
http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/

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Subscription Information
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NRDC distributes a number of bulletins by email. To subscribe to any or all of
them, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/join/subscribe.asp

If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or update your
email address or other information, go to:
http://www.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with more than 1.2 million members and online activists, and a staff of