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1. THREAT TO ARCTIC REFUGE:
Jimmy Carter, religious leaders urge Senate not to drill
Former President Jimmy Carter has joined the chorus
of those speaking out against drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
as the Senate debates national energy policy. Carter urged senators to adopt a balanced
plan that protects our greatest wildlife sanctuary. And 1,200 leaders of major U.S.
religious groups announced their opposition to drilling and called for more conservation
and renewable energy. As the Los Angeles Times pointed out in an editorial: "The
nation doesn't need a muscle-bound energy policy, it needs a smart one -- one that
does not rely so heavily on fossil fuels and fossil thinking." Interior Secretary
Gale Norton, meanwhile, repeated her false claim that drilling would impact only
2,000 acres of the refuge. For more about her 2,000-acre hoax, read the column by
Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Our efforts are succeeding.
Even Big Oil's congressional allies acknowledge they don't yet have enough votes
to open the refuge to drilling. Go to www.SaveArcticRefuge.org
to send a free e-mail urging your senators to save the Arctic refuge for future generations.
And to spread the word about the danger to America's last great wilderness, send
this issue of DENlines to your e-mail address book.
2. TOXIC TUNDRA: Lessons
to be learned from drilling in Alaska
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While Big Oil claims it can drill in the Arctic refuge
in an environmentally friendly manner, a new report by Defenders of Wildlife and
the Audubon Society catalogs the disastrous impact of drilling in Alaska's Kenai
National Wildlife Refuge south of Anchorage. There have been more than 350 spills,
fires and explosions, contaminating more than 100,000 tons of soil with toxic chemicals.
Scientists have found frogs with crippling deformities. Frogs are considered a "canary
in the mine," providing early-warning signals of danger to other wildlife because
their porous skin makes them sensitive to environmental changes. Read the report. |
3. ENERGY SECURITY: Congress
should raise fuel economy standards
Raising the fuel efficiency of new cars and SUVs
is the single biggest step we can take to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and
to combat global warming. It would also save many times over the amount of oil ever
expected from the Arctic refuge. Energy legislation now being considered by the Senate
would raise the current miles-per-gallon standards. But we have learned that some
senators from auto-producing states are trying to kill that provision. Learn
more.
4. STOP THE SLAUGHTER: Japan
plans to double whale kill
Japan plans to double the number of whales it kills
in the North Pacific each year. Its government has notified the International Whaling
Commission that it will kill 50 minke whales and 50 endangered sei whales on top
of the 100 minkes it already has been hunting annually.
Minke Whale
Japan kills whales under the guise of "scientific
research," but the whale meat winds up in gourmet markets and expensive restaurants.
To sign our petition urging President Bush to impose economic sanctions against Japan
until they stop slaughtering whales, go to www.saveourwhales.org.
5. STATE SECRETS: Corporate
Trojan Horse pushes anti-environmental legislation
If you ever wondered who dreams up some of our laws,
there's a new report that helps answer that question. It turns out that major corporations
are operating behind-the-scenes in state capitals across the country through a purported
"good government" group that pushes industry-friendly legislation. In addition,
concludes a just-released report by Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources
Defense Council, this group, the American Legislative Exchange Council, provides
gifts and free trips for elected officials and acts as a conduit to get special-interest
legislation from corporations, including Enron, to key state legislators. Ask your
state legislators whether they belong to ALEC, and read the report .
6. PLEASING POLLUTERS:
EPA official resigns to protest rollbacks
A senior official with the Environmental Protection
Agency has resigned to protest Bush administration attempts to allow heavily polluting
power plants to violate the Clean Air Act. In resigning, Eric Schaeffer, a 12-year
EPA veteran, said the Bush administration has been kowtowing to the power industry
and interfering with EPA efforts to enforce the law. Read Schaeffer's letter
laying out the reasons for his resignation.
As the Bush administration scales back enforcement
action against aging coal-fired
power plants that are violating the law, researchers in a
study published this week have linked long-term
exposure to fine particles
of air pollution to an increased risk of dying from lung cancer.
7. KIDS ESSAY CONTEST:
Students writing about black bears, sea otters
School children participating in essay contests sponsored
by Defenders of Wildlife are learning about the Florida black bear and the California
sea otter. Writing about the imperiled species, student essayists are competing for
prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 savings bonds. The Black Bear Insurance Co. is donating
prize money in Florida. "We felt this contest would be an ideal way not only
to encourage students to learn about the bears and sea otters, but also about the
important ways that different species depend on one another," said Defenders
of Wildlife's education associate, Yvonne Borresen. Learn more.
8. SPECIAL BENEFITS
FOR OUR SUPPORTERS
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Help save the lives of America's wolves. Adopt a wolf today
and your contribution will be used to stop the lifting of federal protections for
these magnificent animals.
With your adoption you'll receive your very own wolf adoption kit including an adoption
certificate, a cuddly plush wolf toy and a year's subscription to our award-winning
Defenders magazine. |
 An easy way to help save
wildlife is to drink shade-grown coffee. Threatened by shrinking habitat, migratory
birds and small wildlife have found a sanctuary in the forest-like environment of
shade coffee farms. That's why Defenders of Wildlife has teamed with the Thanksgiving
Coffee Co. and Grounds for Sharing to develop Java Forest shade-grown organic coffees.
To learn more about Java Forest, or place an order, visit www.javaforest.org
or call1-866-766-6328.
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Click here to read the new online issue of
our magazine: http://www.defenders.org/defendersmag.
Learn about Florida's besieged manatees, sea
otters taking a nose dive, killer roads and more. |
CLICK
HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DENLINES
DENlines is a bi-weekly update of Defenders of Wildlife,
a leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most
progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. It is known for its effective
leadership on endangered species issues, particularly predators such as brown bears
and gray wolves. Defenders also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation
that protect species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is
a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 400,000 members and supporters.
Defenders of Wildlife
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Copyright © Defenders of Wildlife
2002
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