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Special alert: Tell state legislators to reduce mercury risks from lighting products

A bill moving through the California legislature would address the problem of mercury pollution from household lighting. Mercury is a dangerous toxin that when ingested can lead to serious health risks and impair the neurological development of children.

California law bans lighting products that contain mercury from being disposed in landfills, but offers no funding or assistance to local governments that are ensuring that bulbs are safely discarded. The proposed bill would require manufacturers of mercury-containing bulbs to take responsibility for collection, recycling and disposal of the bulbs at the end of their useful life. It would also require manufacturers of inefficient bulbs to pay into an efficient lighting research fund to encourage development of more efficient and less toxic lighting products.

The bill is in the Assembly Appropriations Committee and will be voted on by this Friday, May 28th.

What to Do
Send a message right away urging the members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee to vote Yes on AB 2176.

Tell Gov. Schwarzenegger not to sacrifice California's health and environment in the budget

In our last alert we told you about two bills that would enact Governor Schwarzenegger's budget proposal to allow major new developments and polluting facilities to proceed without adequate planning, accountability or public participation. Although hundreds of you wrote your legislators and more than 40 organizations have weighed in to oppose the bills, the governor has not backed down from this misguided proposal. And even if the legislature defeats the bills, the governor could bring this idea back during state budget negotiations during the next few months.

For the last several years Republican legislators and the governor have held the budget hostage, withholding their votes and signature unless environmental rules or programs were weakened. For instance, just last year the governor insisted that eight highway projects be exempted from the California Environmental Quality Act as a condition for signing the February budget adjustments, and we have every reason to expect similar tactics this year.

Send a message urging Governor Schwarzenegger not to use California's environment and public health as a bargaining chip in budget negotiations.

Help stop two bills that would undermine California's clean energy progress

California legislators, working with industry groups, have introduced several bills to derail California's progress in combating global warming and fostering a clean energy economy. Two of these bills are scheduled for their first committee hearings this month.

One bill would prohibit fees on major global warming polluters as part of a market-based system yet to be established by the California Air Resources Board. By prospectively eliminating the opportunity to collect fees from polluters, the bill would hamstring California's efforts to invest in activities that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency, train workers for clean energy jobs, expand public transit and provide other alternatives to driving.

The other bill is an industry attempt to create additional unnecessary roadblocks to implementing the "low carbon fuel standard," a key component to meeting the state's global warming reduction goals. Even though the California Air Resources Board has already agreed to requests from industry interests to incorporate a number of review processes, these same interests now want to require even more reports and review procedures to effectively stall the program's implementation.

Both bills are scheduled to be heard on April 12th in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

If you live in California, send a message urging Wesley Chesbro, the chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, to vote No on AB 2311 and AB 2691, and to help ensure that the bills do not proceed to the next step in the legislative process.

This Earth Day, raise your voice for energy independence and a cleaner environment

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day -- the day set aside for the appreciation of our environment, and recognition of the many threats it faces. This Earth Day, Americans are raising our voices to demand comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

America is at a crossroads: we can continue to spend billions of dollars on imported dirty fossil fuels, or we can jump-start our economy with investments in new energy technology that will reduce pollution and create millions of jobs. A group of senators is about to introduce legislation that would slash global warming pollution and put us on the road to energy independence. But these senators, and their colleagues, need to hear that the people they represent support action for a cleaner planet.

As part of the "Clean Energy Works" coalition, NRDC is joining other environmental leaders, veterans, people of faith and youth all over the country to call on Congress to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation. You can help us celebrate Earth Day this year by signing the coalition's "Declaration of Energy Independence," which will be delivered to the Senate.

The more people who sign the declaration, the louder the message we can send to Washington. We can't allow another year, and another Earth Day, to pass without progress.

Please sign the declaration now, and help make the 41st Earth Day the first in our clean energy future.

Urge state officials to protect southern California's marine life

At a time when we hear so much bad news about our state government, it's exciting to know that the Marine Life Protection Act gives California a great opportunity to show solid leadership to protect and strengthen our valuable ocean resources. California's commercial fisheries could certainly use some help: since 1990, commercial fishing revenues in the state have decreased by half and the number of fishing boats has declined by nearly three quarters. To help restore our oceans and protect the biological gems of our underwater world, California is creating marine protected areas throughout its waters.

Studies show that marine protected areas, when designed correctly, benefit both fish and fishermen. They help increase both the size and number of ocean creatures, can dramatically improve overall ocean health, and benefit California's economy. But in order to work, marine protected areas must be located where wildlife feed and breed. That's why scientific guidelines in California's Marine Life Protection Act indicate that protected areas should include enough nurseries and other productive habitats to support diverse species.

At its next meeting, the California Fish and Game Commission has the opportunity to choose its preferred marine protected area network plan for southern California. "Proposal 3" would best serve the region's people and wildlife, because it focuses on quality instead of quantity. For example, it includes biodiversity hotspots like Naples Reef, Point Dume, North Palos Verdes and La Jolla, which provide critical habitat for sea life and are popular with divers, swimmers, kayakers and birders.

The Fish and Game Commission is accepting public comments on the proposed plans for southern California marine protected areas through March 19th.

Send a message, before the March 19th comment deadline, urging the Fish and Game Commission to choose Proposal 3 as its preferred marine protected areas plan for southern California.

Tell state legislators not to sacrifice California's environment for budget politics

As you probably know, Governor Schwarzenegger's budget includes some proposals that would damage California's environment and quality of life. Under the pretense of addressing California's budget shortfall, the governor is pushing for policy changes that would allow major new developments and polluting facilities to proceed without adequate planning, accountability or public participation. These proposals have found their way into two bills that would exempt up to 125 projects from legal protections designed to give local communities a voice in new development.

Currently the California Environmental Quality Act affords communities and local governments the right to challenge environmental review documents in court. But AB 1805 and SB 1010 would allow state officials to select 25 projects during each of the next five years and exempt them from this review. This would create a highly political process where influential developers could receive exemptions for their projects while local communities would not be able to challenge the project, regardless of whether the developer followed the law in analyzing the environmental impacts on the surrounding community. Power plants and lead smelters could be located next to schools and in neighborhoods with no ability for concerned citizens to ensure that harms to air and water quality, noise and open space are reduced.

Urge state leaders to reject attempts to weaken the Global Warming Solutions Act

When world leaders gathered at the international climate summit in Copenhagen last month they looked to California's leadership, as our state is doing more than just about any other government in the world to create a new energy economy and combat global warming. Now more than ever, California needs to forge ahead with its plans to reduce global warming pollution and secure our energy future. We already passed a strong law in 2006 -- the Global Warming Solutions Act -- and implementation of the law is well underway. Large polluters are reporting their emissions and other "early action measures," including improved fuel efficiency for heavy duty trucks and the nation's first low carbon fuel standard, are in effect or soon will be.

But opponents of California's groundbreaking law are trying to undercut it at every turn. In 2009 they introduced several bills to weaken the Global Warming Solutions Act or suspend it all together. Although none of these bills succeeded, more are expected this year. In addition, efforts are underway to qualify statewide ballot measures that would essentially repeal the law.

California's leadership in setting policies to move away from dirty fossil fuels and toward clean energy has attracted significant investments in clean technology. In fact, since the Global Warming Solutions Act was enacted, our state has attracted about half of all the clean technology investment in North America. To continue these investments, California must stand by its commitments to develop clean energy and reduce its global warming pollution.

If you live in California, send a message urging your state legislators and Governor Schwarzenegger to support continued implementation of the Global Warming Solutions Act.

Tell the Obama administration to protect our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes

Earlier this year we asked you to contact President Obama and administration officials to let them know that, like the Clean Air Act for our air and the Clean Water Act for our water, we need a national policy for our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes. Your response was inspiring -- you sent more than 10,000 messages urging President Obama to issue an executive order that sets a national oceans, coasts and Great Lakes policy to protect, maintain and restore the health of these valuable ecosystems. In response, the administration recently issued an interim report recommending that the United States establish a policy that would do exactly that.

Healthy marine systems regulate our climate and provide us with food, jobs and recreational opportunities, but our oceans are in trouble, struggling under the strain of pollution, overfishing and climate-related impacts like ocean acidification. Part of the challenge in addressing the various problems facing our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes is that they are currently governed by more than 140 laws and 20 different agencies, each with different goals and often conflicting mandates.

The administration is accepting public comments on its interim report and recommendations through October 17th.

Send a message, before the October 17th comment deadline, urging the Obama administration to quickly implement the interim report's recommendations through an executive order.

Tell officials to get toxic hexavalent chromium out of California's drinking water

Hexavalent chromium, the notorious cancer-causing chemical made famous in the film Erin Brockovich, contaminates drinking water in many parts of California, especially in the Inland Empire and Central Valley. Although the state was required to set an enforceable drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium by 2004, it is now five years past that deadline.

In August, the California Environmental Protection Agency released a draft "Public Health Goal" for hexavalent chromium in drinking water. But while the goal accounts for the serious cancer-causing properties of this chemical and is expected to protect public health, millions of Californians are currently drinking water contaminated above this proposed safe level. The public health goal needs to be finalized before an enforceable drinking water standard can be set to protect Californians.

California will be the first state in the nation to set a drinking water standard for hexavalent chromium. A federal standard has not been set, either, so once again California must lead the nation in protecting the public from a dangerous chemical.

The California Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comments on the proposed hexavalent chromium public health goal through October 19th.

Send a message, before the October 19th comment deadline, telling the California Environmental Protection Agency to finalize the public health goal for hexavalent chromium as soon as possible, so that a legally enforceable standard can be set to protect public health.

Tell state leaders to pass strong water laws

California's Bay-Delta ecosystem, the largest estuary on the west coast, is on the brink of collapse. Drought, excessive freshwater diversions, pollution, and invasive species have all contributed to the Bay-Delta's decline, leading to the complete closure of California's 150-year salmon fishery for the second year in a row, and leaving several other native fish on the brink of extinction.

In September the California legislature crafted a strong package of water bills that contain a number of measures crucial to restoring conditions for a healthy fishery, investing in long-term sustainable water supplies and protecting the Delta from the increasing threat of floods due to global warming. Although the legislature failed to pass the bills during the legislative session, the governor and legislature may soon reconvene to resume debate over how to stabilize the Delta and ensure our state's water supply.

Tell President Obama to halt logging and other destruction in our wild national forests

In 2001, the Clinton administration adopted the Roadless Area Conservation Rule to prevent logging and road building in America's 58 million acres of pristine national forests. The Bush administration persistently attacked the rule, however, exempting Alaska's entire Tongass National Forest and attempting to weaken the rule nationwide.

During his campaign, President Obama said that he would be "proud to support and defend" the Roadless Rule, raising hope that the Tongass National Forest and wildlands across the country would again be safe. And in the past few months, the Obama administration has indeed taken initial steps toward full support of the Roadless Rule.

At the same time, however, destructive timber sales, in the works for years, are proceeding in the Tongass. Meanwhile, industry groups are trying to open up more of Colorado's roadless lands to development.

Action Update:
Endangered Species Act protections restored

Earlier this month we asked you to urge the Obama administration to reverse the Bush administration's last-minute sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act that weakened protections for imperiled wildlife. You sent more than 8,600 messages, and we're thrilled to report that, on April 28th, Interior Secretary Salazar and Commerce Secretary Locke announced they were revoking the Bush rule changes and will once again require federal agencies to consult with experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before taking action that could affect threatened or endangered species. Secretary Locke commented that the decision affirms the Obama administration's "commitment to using sound science to promote conservation and protect the environment." Thanks to all of you who took action!

Tell your senators to save our waterways from uncontrolled pollution

In 2001 and 2006, the Supreme Court issued decisions that have been interpreted to mean that the Clean Water Act -- which protects America's water bodies from unregulated industrial pollution, oil spills and destruction by filling -- might not apply to many water bodies that are "isolated" from others, that are located far from "navigable" waterways or that are dry for portions of the year. The wetlands and streams affected by these decisions are vital to communities and the environment: we rely on these waterways to replenish drinking water supplies, lessen flood damage, purify water and support wildlife habitat.

Since the first Supreme Court ruling in 2001, government agencies have declared thousands of water bodies unprotected by the Clean Water Act. More lose protection all the time, and the government's ability to enforce the law has been hamstrung by questions about which waterways remain protected and which ones do not.

The Clean Water Restoration Act would ensure that Clean Water Act protections once again apply to all water bodies that were covered by the law before the Supreme Court's misguided rulings. By clearly outlining what water bodies the law protects, Congress can ensure that the Clean Water Act will comprehensively guard against polluted rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands. While campaigning, President Obama indicated that he would support and sign legislation fixing this problem.

Tell Congress not to sacrifice our forests as "bio-energy"

Across the country, from the wildlands of the Cumberland Plateau in the southeast, to the Rocky Mountains, to Alaska's Tongass National Forest, our remaining natural forests and the wildlife they harbor are at risk of being destroyed to produce electricity. Big business is trying to open up these areas under the guise of turning wild habitats into "renewable" energy.

Right now Congress is considering legislation to increase the amount of electricity production from renewable sources like wind, solar and "biomass" -- organic matter that can come from sustainable sources, but could also come from natural forests and grasslands. Biomass can be an important part of the solution, but we need strong safeguards to ensure that it comes from sustainable crops and does not involve destroying forest habitats or turning them into cropland and sterile tree plantations.

Send a message telling your senators and representative that renewable electricity should be a real solution to our climate and energy challenges, not an excuse to destroy our natural forests and wildlife habitats.

Call tomorrow to stop coal companies from using Appalachian streams as waste dumps

Mountaintop removal coal mining is ravaging the Appalachian Mountains. This extremely destructive type of strip mining is converting majestic, irreplaceable mountains into moonscapes by clear-cutting their forests, detonating explosives on their peaks to access thin coal seams below, and then burying critically important valley streams under blasted rubble and debris.

Mountaintop removal mining has already leveled more than 470 mountaintops in central Appalachia. Hundreds of thousands of acres of forests have been lost and well over a thousand miles of streams have been damaged or destroyed by mining pollution.

This week citizens from Appalachia and other communities across America will convene in Washington, DC as part of "End Mountaintop Removal Week." They will meet with members of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act, which would curtail coal companies' use of Appalachian streams as waste dumps. You can join this effort by calling your own representative tomorrow, March 17.

-- that you want your representative to co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 1310);
-- that across the Appalachian coalfields, over 1,000 miles of streams have been buried or damaged by mountaintop removal coal mining; and
-- that the Clean Water Protection Act is necessary to protect drinking water supplies, recreational opportunities, and the quality of life for Appalachian communities.

You can reach your representative's office by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. If you are unable to call, please send a message to your representative from NRDC's Action Center.

Speak out to ban unregulated imported swordfish

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the United States must ban fish imported from foreign countries whose fishing practices harm and kill more marine mammals than allowed by U.S. standards. But the United States has failed to enforce the law and has imported swordfish without gathering adequate information about nations' fishing practices and their effects on marine mammals.

By simply enforcing the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the United States could save thousands of whales, dolphins and other marine species. Enforcing the law also would ensure that American consumers do not unwittingly reward the wasteful, bad practices of some foreign fishermen by purchasing their products.

A formal petition has been filed asking the National Marine Fisheries Service to enforce the Marine Mammal Protection Act and ban swordfish imports until foreign fishing vessels employ the same measures to protect marine wildlife that are required of U.S. fishermen.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is accepting public comments on the petition until March 23rd.

Send a message, before the March 23rd comment deadline, urging the National Marine Fisheries Service to ban imported swordfish until the Marine Mammal Protection Act is enforced.

Tell Congress to say Yes to clean energy and No to drilling

Congress is scheduled to vote on comprehensive energy legislation in the coming days. As high energy costs are challenging households across America, legislators have offered a variety of policies to address the problem. But some proposals are clearly better than others.

With less than three percent of the world's oil reserves, we cannot drill our way to energy security. Opening our nation's coastlines to more destructive drilling would only add to the oil industry's billions in profits, do little or nothing to lower gas prices for families and businesses, and keep our nation dangerously dependent on fossil fuels.

The energy policy choices we make today will affect the quality of our air and water as well as the security of our nation for generations to come. Instead of prolonging outdated policies that support fossil fuel development, Congress should invest in clean renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies that offer us a real path to energy independence.

Send a message right away urging your senators and representative to pass energy legislation that focuses on clean energy technologies and does not expand offshore drilling. If you can, please also call your senators and representative before this critical vote: the Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

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

Special announcement: Ask your candidates for Candid Answers!
http://www.candidanswers.org/

========================================
Would you like to know where your candidates for Congress stand
on important issues like reducing global warming pollution and
increasing clean energy and fuel efficiency? Now you can ask
them!

NRDC's sister organization, the NRDC Action Fund has just
launched CandidAnswers [http://www.candidanswers.org/], a new
online voter guide that enables you to directly ask your
congressional candidates five questions on the environment. The
questions -- focusing on global warming and energy issues --
were developed in collaboration with leading policy experts at
the nation's top environmental organizations and endorsed by a
bipartisan review panel. With CandidAnswers, candidates can
conveniently and publicly indicate and explain their positions.
Responses will be displayed as a side-by-side comparison so that
constituents can see where their candidates stand on these
important issues.

Using CandidAnswers is amazingly simple. Just enter your zip
code and the website will display your congressional candidates
and indicate whether they've already responded to the five
questions. If not, you can send an email asking them to do so
with just one click. If a candidate doesn't respond to a request
within 14 days, we'll let you know, and you can ask again.

Election Day will be here before you know it, so get your Candid
Answers now!
http://www.candidanswers.org/

==========
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

August 14, 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/
==================================

In a flurry of activity prior to recessing for the month of
August, Congress passed several pieces of legislation that
affect the environment. Congress will return to Washington in
early September following the Democratic and Republican
conventions.

===

Environmental Justice

On 7/31, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
approved legislation (S. 642) to require the EPA to consider how
its programs and regulations affect low-income and minority
communities. Another approved bill (S. 2549) would require the
EPA to ensure that federal programs and policies do not pose
health or environmental threats for minority and low-income
groups.

===

Public Health

On 8/14, President Bush signed legislation reauthorizing the
Consumer Product Safety Commission, which oversees more than
15,000 consumer products. The House passed the bill (H.R. 4040)
by a vote of 424-1 on 7/30; the Senate voted 89-3 the following
day. Among other things, the bill bans six categories of harmful
phthalate chemicals in children's toys, sets the permissible
level of lead paint in toys, and requires the creation of a
public consumer product safety database.

On 7/31, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
approved legislation (S. 906) to prohibit the federal government
and U.S. companies from selling, transferring or exporting
elemental mercury beginning in 2010. The measure is aimed at
halting mercury use in the developing world.

===

Water

On 7/31, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
passed legislation (H.R. 6460) to increase cleanup funding for
the Great Lakes from $50 million to $150 million annually
through 2013. The bill would reauthorize the 2002 Great Lakes
Legacy Act, designed to eliminate hot spots in the Great Lakes
and surrounding rivers and tributaries that are contaminated
with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals and other
pollution from industrial sources.

On 7/31, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by
voice vote approved legislation (S. 150) to require the EPA to
set a drinking water standard for perchlorate, a component of
rocket fuel found in water supplies in at least 35 states. By
another voice vote, the committee approved a companion bill (S.
24), which would require some utilities to monitor tap water for
perchlorate and inform the public of their findings. The
committee also passed S. 1911, which addresses the industrial
solvent trichloroethylene. The measure, sponsored by Sen.
Clinton (D-NY), would require the EPA to set a drinking water
standard and issue a health advisory for the contaminant.

On 7/22, the House and Senate approved two bills by voice votes
to exempt recreational, fishing and some commercial boat owners
from having to obtain permits for discharges that occur during
the normal operation of their vessels. S. 2766 would exempt
recreational boaters from a 2006 court decision that revoked a
Clean Water Act exemption for commercial and recreational
vessels. The House and Senate also approved S. 3298, which would
establish a two-year moratorium on permit requirements for
certain types of boats, including all fishing vessels and any
other vessels shorter than 79 feet. The legislation would
require the EPA, the Coast Guard and other interested federal
agencies to conduct a 15-month study on the effects of
discharges incidental to the normal operation of the vessel. The
environmental community opposed exempting commercial boats but
agreed on the need to study vessel discharges and take
appropriate regulatory action.

On 6/23, the House passed a bill (H.R. 2452) that would force
wastewater treatment plant operators to keep the public informed
of raw sewage discharges into rivers and streams. The Sewage
Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act, which passed by voice
vote, would require sewage treatment plants to monitor and
report hazardous sewage releases to the public within 24 hours.
Sen. Lautenberg (D-NJ) is sponsoring a similar bill (S. 2080) in
the Senate.

==========
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

July 15, 2008
========================================

In This Issue:

--Action Alert--

Tell Congress not to allow drilling off our coasts

========================================
You will also find this alert in NRDC'S Action Center, which
includes tools for taking action easily online, at
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_071408

============
Action Alert
============

Tell Congress not to allow drilling off our coasts

Oil companies and their allies in Congress claim that drilling
in America's oceans and coastal areas would help solve the
energy crisis and have proposed ending the 27-year moratorium on
new offshore drilling. But offshore drilling would neither solve
our energy needs nor significantly lower gas prices. Instead,
drilling would harm America's economy, health, oceans and
coasts.

Proponents of offshore drilling claim it would reduce gas
prices, even though the Department of Energy has determined that
it would not significantly do so. Oil companies currently have
5,500 offshore leases they are not drilling, and with 80 percent
of the untapped oil in offshore areas already open to
development, they do not need access to more areas to increase
supply. And while the U.S. oil industry says it wants even more
access to sensitive ocean areas to reduce reliance on foreign
suppliers, American-based companies are shipping record amounts
of gasoline and diesel fuel to other countries. This proposal is
simply a way to give oil companies unfettered drilling access to
our oceans and coastal areas.

In addition, opening up additional offshore areas to drilling
poses real threats to our ocean and coastal ecosystems and
economies. Offshore drilling creates toxic waste products that
contaminate fish and marine life. Offshore wells emit air
pollutants that are known carcinogens, cause respiratory
problems and worsen global warming. And current cleanup methods
can only remove a small fraction of oil spilled in marine
waters, where it is toxic for most species.

America needs real, long-term solutions for the energy crisis,
but oil companies and their allies are not delivering them. We
need to use less oil by improving energy efficiency and
utilizing renewable energy. In doing so, we can achieve energy
independence, fight global warming, and jump-start our nation's
economy.

Attempts to lift the offshore drilling moratorium could be
attached to several different bills and come up for a vote at
any time.

== What to do ==
Send a message *right away* urging your senators and
representative to say NO to offshore drilling.

== Contact information ==
You can send a message directly from NRDC's Action Center at
http://www.nrdconline.org/campaign/nrdcaction_071408
If you prefer to call your senators and 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

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

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/

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

===========