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SUMMER 2000 Environmental News

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The Fight for Clean Air

In 1999, Texas was the first to exceed the EPA health standard for smog - on March 6th! March 12th was the first smog day in Florida. California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas all had smog days as late as October or even November 1999. Here's the whole report.
The EPA is accepting public comments on whether or not to clean up the nation's biggest and dirtiest vehicles. The Biggest SUVs Emit As Much as Five Times More Pollution than A Regular Car! When the EPA first proposed the emissions standards for cars and light trucks this summer, they left out the largest and dirtiest SUVs. These "heavy duty" SUVs include the Suburban, the Excursion, the GM Express Wagon, the Dodge Ram Wagon and Ford Econoline Wagon. EPA estimates that there are 75,000 of these large SUVs sold per year. Don't buy these vehicles!
Can you legislate clean air and clean water? George W. Bush says 'NO!'
In May, the EPA proposed new emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles that would reduce smog-forming pollution by 95 percent and soot pollution by 90 percent from new diesel vehicles. The EPA estimates that the diesel rule, which would go into effect in 2007, will reduce emissions of smog-forming pollution by 2.8 million tons per year and will reduce particulate or "soot" from these vehicles by 110,000 tons per year, starting in 2030 when all vehicles on the road meet the new standards.
The EPA's new emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles will prevent:
- More than 4,000 premature deaths each year;
- Nearly 3,000 hospital admissions each year;
- More than 6,300 total respiratory emergency room visits;
- More than 5.6 million "minor restricted activity days" being declared nationwide each year; and
- More than 650,000 work loss days, nationwide, saving more than $67 million a year.
Protect our Water
Nearly 270 million pounds of toxic chemicals were released to American waterways during 1997, either directly or through water treatment facilities.The bodies of water receiving the greatest amounts of toxic chemicals were the Mississippi River, the Connequenessing Creek (PA), the Brazos River (TX), the Alafia River (FL), and the Houston Ship Channel (TX). The states with the greatest amounts of toxic pollution were Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Texas, Mississippi, Ohio, Florida, and New Jersey. The parent corporations with the greatest amounts of toxic pollution to waterways were Armco Inc., PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer LP, BASF Corporation, E. I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., and Vicksburg Chemical Co. Read the whole report.
Less than half of 1% of all the water on the globe is drinkable.Worldwide, the consumption of water is doubling every 20 years. The US Southwest, Florida, and California are especially vulnerable to shortages and scarcity. Canada, on the other hand is blessed - they have some 20% of the world's entire supply of freshwater. Should we invade?! Read the whole story by our famous Texan, Jim Hightower.
Does arsenic taste good? Congress must think so! Earlier this year Congress voted against clean drinking water by blocking enforcement of the EPA's new standard for arsenic. Read about all the Toxic Riders in Congress.

Rescue our Animals

Massive international (15 countries) and domestic (65 Japanese organizations) have protested to stop Japanese whaling. The Japanese Government has been bombarded with protests over its killing of three protected species of whales. These unique initiatives add to pressure on Japan to stop whaling from a joint letter of protest from Tony Blair, Bill Clinton and Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand; a resolution passed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC); and the threat of trade sanctions by the USA.
We are now losing the war on protecting endangered species. We are losing species at a rate not seen since the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago. Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson estimates that this current rate of extinction is 10,000 times faster than what's "normal" or "natural." The number one cause of extinction is the destruction and degradation of habitat. More than 90% of America's original old-growth forests have been logged, over 50% of our wetlands have been drained, developed and destroyed and 98 % of our grasslands are gone or are suffering from intensive corporate farming, overgrazing and development. We must do three things to salvage what's left - strengthen protections for endangered species, enforce our environmental laws that are designed to protect species and their habitat, and end destructive land use practices. Read the whole report.

Save our Land

Of the 191 million acres of National Forests in 44 states, only 18 percent - less than 35 million acres - is protected from development. The Clinton-Gore administration has the unique opportunity to permanently protect all 60 million acres of unprotected wilderness in our National Forests - this is a must! Please take action .
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is America's last great wildernesses, home to abundant wildlife. But multinational oil companies ( BP Amoco, ExxonMobil, Philips Petroleum, and Chevron) want to drill in the heart of this spectacular landscape. These companies have also worked to win friends in Congress by contributing more than $8.7 million to their campaigns and to the Republican and Democratic party campaign committees. The U.S. Geological Survey assessment of the coastal plain estimates that the oil found in the Arctic Refuge would meet the energy needs of the United States for only four to six months. With several bills languishing, Arctic advocates are now appealing to President Clinton — who can preserve the area by designating the coastal plain a National Monument. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge must be protected. There is simply no place like it on Earth! Please take action.

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