Current Hybrids as of February 7th 2008
Global Warming 2007
========================================
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.
June 2, 2008
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action Alert--
1. Urge your assemblymember to vote Yes for healthier, more
efficient communities
2. Critical vote tomorrow - Help defeat Prop 98 and pass Prop 99
======================================================
You can find important alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center,
which includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action
============
Action Alert
============
1. Urge your assemblymember to vote Yes for healthier, more
efficient communities
A bill making its way through the California legislature
addresses one of the biggest missing pieces in combatting global
warming -- pollution from cars caused by sprawling development.
Traditional planning produces neighborhoods where people have no
choice but to drive to work, school, shopping and other
destinations. Current development trends will increase the total
miles driven by Californians by 70 percent over the next 30
years; if left unchecked, this projected increase in driving
will overwhelm other efforts to provide Californians with
cleaner cars and fuels.
The good news is that if we start now, California can plan for
population growth without making our pollution problems worse.
SB 375 would build on regional planning efforts already underway
by requiring these plans to include strategies to build more
efficient neighborhoods where people don't need to drive all the
time. The bill also would provide funding and permitting
incentives for projects that are consistent with the plan. SB
375 would benefit public health by encouraging more walking and
biking, and would save the state money in infrastructure and
transportation costs.
A broad coalition of business, labor, government and community
groups supports SB 375, but big developers and some industry
groups oppose it and they've launched an expensive campaign to
recruit other opponents. So the assembly needs to hear from
constituents that there is widespread support for this important
legislation.
== What to do ==
If you live in California, send a message right away urging your
assemblymember to vote Yes on SB 375.
== Contact information ==
You can send a message to your California assemblymember
directly from NRDC's Action Center at
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_052908a
2. Reminder: Critical vote tomorrow - Help defeat Prop 98 and
pass Prop 99
Tomorrow Californians have a chance to decide the fate of two
ballot initiatives, one of which could seriously harm the
environment. The first of these, Proposition 98, was put on the
ballot by the same property rights groups that have been working
for years to wipe out environmental protections under the guise
of eminent domain reform. If passed, Prop 98 could limit
enactment of necessary environmental protections, including
those that reduce global warming pollution or protect coastal
areas, old growth forests, farmland, ranchland, endangered
species and their habitats, and cultural and historic sites. The
coalition opposed to Prop 98 includes environmental
organizations, seniors, business associations, labor unions,
health groups, Governor Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne
Feinstein, to name just a few.
The alternative to Prop 98 is Proposition 99 -- a real eminent
domain reform measure that would protect homeowners without the
hidden agendas and adverse consequences of Prop 98. If passed,
Prop 99 would put an end to destructive initiatives that claim
to be about eminent domain reform, but that are actually riddled
with hidden provisions that hurt Californians and jeopardize
their health and environment.
== What to do ==
If you live in California, be sure to vote "NO" on Prop 98 and
"YES" on Prop 99 when you go to the polls or return your
absentee ballot tomorrow. And please remind others to vote as
well.
To learn more about these competing propositions and why
Proposition 98 is bad for California's environment, go to
http://www.noprop98.org/
Please forward this message to your family and friends who live
in California. Thanks!
==========
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
Act Now: Critical Global Warming Vote
In just a few weeks, the U.S. Senate will have a historic opportunity to pass legislation to combat global warming. Let your senators know we need a strengthened
Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act to help avert a global climate crisis.
Make your voice heard through the NRDC Action Fund
About the Climate
Security Act
What the act means, and why we need it.
Global Warming Basics
Our popular global warming primer covers the essentials.
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
May 2, 2008
==================================
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 Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action/
==================================
During April Congress continued working on a variety of energy,
public lands, ocean policy and water quality measures.
===
Energy
On 4/10, the Senate voted 88-8 in favor of $6.6 billion of
renewable energy and energy efficiency tax credit extensions
(H.R. 3221). Sen. Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Ensign (R-NV) offered
the extensions as an amendment to a housing measure, but the
proposed Senate legislation does not include new sources of
revenue to offset the cost as required by the House.
===
Lands
On 4/10, the Senate passed S. 2739, a package of 62 public lands
bills, by a vote of 91-4. The package contains several
wilderness, heritage area, water project and other public lands
bills. One key provision is the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness
area in Washington State that would comprise approximately
106,000 acres of low-elevation, old-growth forest in the Mount
Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Sen. Bingaman (D-NM) is
currently working on a second public lands package for Senate
consideration.
On 4/9, the House passed a bill (H.R. 2016) codifying the
26-million-acre National Landscape Conservation System, which
includes the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah
and the Lewis and Clark National Trail in Montana, the Dakotas
and several other western states. The vote was 278-140. Former
Interior Secretary Babbitt established the system to grant
protections to ecologically and historically valuable lands
controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. The House adopted
amendments opposed by the environmental community to ensure that
grazing, energy development, hunting and border security efforts
would not be restricted by the designation. The bill now moves
to the Senate.
===
Oceans
On 4/24, the House voted 395-7 to pass a Coast Guard
reauthorization bill (H.R. 2830) that would revise laws
governing ballast water discharges, which have been linked to
the introduction of aquatic invasive species to North America.
The measure would require ships entering U.S. waters to conduct
ballast water exchange at least 200 miles off the coast.
Environmental experts warn that the legislation could undermine
the ability of states to regulate in this arena, and also might
pre-empt the Clean Water Act.
On 4/23, the House subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and
Oceans voted 11-3 in favor of "Oceans-21" (H.R. 21), which would
establish a national oceans policy, including the creation of a
presidential oceans adviser. The bill, which now moves to the
full Natural Resources Committee, would also authorize $1.3
billion for an Ocean Trust Fund.
On 4/16, the House passed legislation (H.R. 2537) that would
reauthorize the BEACH (Beach Environmental Assessment and
Coastal Health) Act of 2000 and require the EPA to approve rapid
contaminant testing methods that would allow closure of beaches
in a timelier manner when the water is not safe. The bill would
increase funds for state water quality grants and would expand
the scope of the grants to include pollution source tracking and
prevention efforts.
===
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/
========================================
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.
March 3, 2008
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action Alert--
Help pass Prop 99 and defeat Prop 98
--Update on Previous Alert--
San Onofre toll road
======================================================
You can find important alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center,
which includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action
============
Action Alert
============
Help pass Prop 99 and defeat Prop 98
On June 3rd Californians will go to the polls (or vote by mail
before then) for two competing ballot initiatives that would
significantly affect the environment. The first of these,
Proposition 98, was generated by the same property rights groups
that have been working for years to wipe out environmental
protections under the guise of eminent domain reform. (These
groups sponsored the environmentally destructive Prop 90 in
2006, which Californians wisely defeated.)
Proposition 98 could prohibit a wide array of environmental
regulations and land-use decisions. If passed, Prop 98 could
limit enactment of necessary environmental protections,
including those that reduce global warming pollution or protect
coastal areas, old growth forests, farmland, ranchland,
endangered species and their habitats, and cultural and historic
sites. The proposition could also be used to invalidate zoning
that limits the development of polluting industries and "big
box" megastores. Not only does Prop 98 threaten environmental
laws, it would eliminate rent control and other renter
protections, including the fair return of rental deposits and
60-day notice requirements for evictions.
The alternative to Prop 98 is Proposition 99 -- a real eminent
domain reform measure that would protect homeowners without the
hidden agendas and adverse consequences of Prop 98. Prop 99
would limit the government's ability to use eminent domain to
take a home to transfer to a private developer. It would
constitutionally protect homeowners, without jeopardizing
California's environmental laws or renter protections.
== What to do ==
Now is the time to a) make sure you're currently registered to
vote, and b) get involved in the fight against Prop 98. You may
register to vote until Monday, May 19. Absentee ballots will be
available between May 5 and May 27. Go to
http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm for complete
voter registration information.
Once you've registered to vote, get involved. NRDC is opposing
Prop 98 and supporting Prop 99, and we need your help to spread
the word. Low voter turnout is expected for this election and
California's environment cannot afford to have Prop 98 pass! Go
to http://www.no98yes99.com/ to find out more about these
competing propositions and to learn how you can get involved.
And please be sure to forward this message to your family and
friends who live in California. Thanks!
========================
Update on Previous Alert
========================
SAN ONOFRE TOLL ROAD
In our last alert we asked you to urge the California Coastal
Commission to reject the proposal to build the six-lane
Foothill-South Toll Road through San Onofre State Beach, one of
California's most popular state parks. We're thrilled to report
that, at its February 6th meeting, the commission voted 8-to-2
to reject the toll road project on the grounds that it would
violate the California Coastal Act, which is designed to
regulate development along the state's 1,100-mile shoreline.
Commissioners reached their conclusion following hours of
sometimes heated public testimony (about 3,500 people attended
the meeting). Over the past several years you've sent the
commission and other state officials thousands of messages
opposing the toll road -- thanks to all of you who helped
achieve this amazing victory for one of California's most
beloved parks!
==========
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
===========
========================================
NRDC's EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists
February 26, 2008
========================================
Special alert: Tell your representative to vote Yes for clean,
renewable energy
The House could vote tomorrow, so take action right away at
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_022508_b
======================================================
The House of Representatives will vote soon on a bill to extend
federal tax incentives for energy efficiency and renewable
energy technologies that have expired or will expire by the end
of this year. Extending the incentives would avoid significant
harm to America's developing clean energy industries, help
reduce global warming pollution, create high-tech jobs and save
consumers and businesses money on their energy bills.
The bill would extend incentives such as tax deductions for
energy-efficient commercial buildings, and tax credits for
efficient home heating and cooling equipment, residential solar
power technologies and renewable energy production from sources
such as wind energy. These incentives would last multiple years,
which is essential for the sustained development of clean energy
technology industries. A disruption of the incentives would lead
to layoffs and a decrease in much needed private investment
flowing to clean energy development. According to a recent
study, allowing the renewable energy incentives to expire would
lead to about 116,000 jobs being lost in the wind and solar
industries.
The clean energy technology incentives would be paid for by
revoking about $1.7 billion per year in subsidies to the oil
industry. To put this in perspective, the five largest oil
companies netted approximately $123 billion in profits in 2007.
We should be using our tax laws to promote clean energy
technologies, instead of giving tax breaks to an industry that
hardly needs them.
The House is expected to vote on the incentives extensions
either this Wednesday or Thursday, so representatives need to
hear from their constituents immediately.
== What to do ==
Send a message right away urging your representative to vote Yes
on the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act (H.R.
5351).
== Contact information ==
You can contact your representative directly from NRDC's Earth
Action Center at
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_022508_b
If you prefer to call your representative, the Capitol
switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
==========
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
===========
To update your email address or other information, visit your
subscription management page at http://www.nrdconline.org/nrdc/smp.tcl?nkey=w6u6kix9qktbkm3&. To unsubscribe from
Earth Action, reply to this message with "remove" or
"unsubscribe" in the subject line.
Natural Resources Defense Council's
LEGISLATIVE WATCH
February 21, 2008
==================================
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 in late January, and President Bush
released his proposed budget shortly following his State of the
Union address.
===
Budget
On 2/4, President Bush released his $3.1 trillion budget
proposal for fiscal year 2009. It includes an overall cut of
almost $500 million from energy efficiency and renewable energy
programs, while increasing funding for fossil fuels and nuclear
energy by more than $350 million. The proposal also includes
$8 billion in loan guarantees for coal (including liquid coal
projects), $18.5 billion in loan guarantees for new nuclear
facilities, and $2 billion for reprocessing nuclear waste. In
addition, the president proposes cutting $104 million from the
Land and Water Conservation Fund, the principal source of funds
for acquiring lands for parks, wildlife refuges and other
conservation use. The proposal would leave the fund with only
$45 million, less than one-third of its current level. The
president also would cut $134 million from the Clean Water
State Revolving Fund. Congressional committees have begun
holding budget oversight hearings.
===
Oceans
On 2/14, by a vote of 352-49, the House approved a bill that
would authorize more than $750 million for ocean research and
exploration at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (H.R. 1834). Introduced by Rep. Saxton (R-NJ),
the bill would authorize $486 million for ocean exploration and
$265 million for undersea research during the next 10 years,
and would create a public-private task force to help transfer
new exploration and research technology and improve data
management. Last year, the Senate Commerce Committee approved a
similar measure (S. 39) to authorize just over $1 billion for
exploration and undersea research during the next decade.
===
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
===========
========================================
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.
February 4, 2008
========================================
In This Issue:
--Action Alerts--
1. Tell state officials to oppose a toll road through San Onofre
State Beach
2. Speak out to create a protected ocean legacy for California
======================================================
You can find important alerts in NRDC'S Earth Action Center,
which includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdc.org/action
=============
ACTION ALERTS
=============
1. Tell state officials to oppose a toll road through San Onofre
State Beach
Last fall you and thousands of other activists urged the
California Coastal Commission to deny an application to run a
six-lane toll highway, called the Foothill-South Toll Road,
through San Onofre State Beach, one of our most popular state
parks. Sensing widespread public opposition, the toll road
agency delayed its application until February 2008.
But in January Governor Schwarzenegger sent a letter urging the
Coastal Commission to support the toll road's alignment right
through the center of San Onofre. The Coastal Commission is set
to decide on the issue this week so we need to again let them
know that the public does not support a destructive toll road
through the middle of a state park.
San Onofre is an irreplaceable natural treasure -- a beloved
recreation spot for more than 2.4 million visitors each year.
There's no land in the region to create another park, but there
are alternative traffic solutions. Improvements to Interstate 5
and selective surface streets would provide equal or greater
traffic benefits compared to the toll road, but without
destroying the coastal park at San Onofre.
== What to do ==
Send an email *right away* urging the California Coastal
Commission to reject the Foothill-South Toll Road.
If you live in the Del Mar area, please consider attending and
testifying at the Coastal Commission hearing on the toll road
project this Wednesday, February 6th, at 9am, at Wyland Hall on
the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, in Del
Mar.
Also: See Clint Eastwood describe why action is needed to save
the park at San Onofre State Beach at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZcsFEkepv0
== Contact information ==
You can send a message to the Coastal Commission directly from
NRDC's Action Center at
http://www.nrdc.org/action
Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send
your own message.
California Coastal Commission
Attn: Patrick Kruer, Chair
45 Fremont Street, Suite 2000
San Francisco, CA 94105
Email: tollroad@coastal.ca.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Objection to the Foothill-South Toll Road
Dear Chairman Kruer and Commission members,
I oppose construction of the Foothill-South Toll Road and I urge
you to reject the consistency certification. This destructive
proposal would devastate the state park at San Onofre State
Beach, one of our most important coastal recreational resources
in southern California. San Onofre is an irreplaceable coastal
treasure that should be preserved for the enjoyment of future
generations.
The proposed multi-lane toll road is inconsistent with the
protections provided by the California Coastal Act. It would
destroy sensitive habitat areas for endangered and threatened
species, degrade wetlands, diminish water quality and threaten
the wave formations at Trestles Beach. It also would cause the
abandonment of the low-cost San Mateo Campground, which was set
aside by the commission to compensate for lost public access to
the coast resulting from the San Onofre Nuclear Power Station.
This is exactly the type of project that our federal and state
coastal laws were designed to prevent.
There is no question that we need to solve future traffic
congestion -- but not at the expense of coastal resources.
Better solutions exist, like improving the I-5 and selected
surface streets, which, unlike the toll road, would both reduce
traffic congestion and protect our coastal parks.
Californians rely on you to make decisions based on the law and
sound policy as stewards of the coastal resources that make our
state a great place to live. It is unacceptable to sacrifice San
Onofre State Beach for a toll road development.
Please vote to reject the consistency certification for the
Foothill-South toll road when it comes before you.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
2. Speak out to create a protected ocean legacy for California
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. In the fall of 2007, California adopted a network
of underwater parks and wilderness sites along the central
coast, from Point Conception to Santa Cruz. Now the state is
looking to build on that network and expand protection along the
north-central coast, from Santa Cruz to Point Arena, and in
southern California.
More than 40 local residents have worked together for the last
six months putting together proposals for protected underwater
reserves for the north-central coast. But budget cuts and
industry opposition are threatening to undermine the process.
== What to do ==
Tell the California Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman to
continue the state's commitment to implementing the Marine Life
Protection Act.
== Contact information ==
You can send a message to Secretary Chrisman directly from
NRDC's Action Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action
Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send
your own message.
Secretary Mike Chrisman, California Resources Agency
1416 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: secretary@resources.ca.gov
== Sample letter ==
Subject: Adopt strong protections for the north-central coast
Dear Secretary Chrisman,
I support the administration's plan for a state-wide network of
marine protected areas by 2010. Marine protected areas,
especially fully protected marine reserves, are an investment in
the future health of our coastal waters. Scientific studies
confirm that marine reserves harbor more and bigger fish and
support a greater diversity of life than fished areas. Healthy
oceans support our coastal communities and our economy.
I urge you to continue your agency's commitment to the Marine
Life Protection Act by adopting the proposal with the very
highest level of protection for the north-central coast region,
and extending this open and transparent public process to
southern California this summer. With our oceans facing serious
problems from years of abuse, California has an unprecedented
opportunity to take real action to help restore them. Please
create a real ocean legacy for our state.
Sincerely,
[Your name and address]
==========
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
===========
|
