[BCNnet] BCNnet: Help needed to stop endangered species exemptions

[Birdchris@aol.com]

ACTION ALERT!

September 5, 2002

OPPOSE DoD ESA EXEMPTION!

Colleagues,

The Department of Defense is continuing to push for exemptions from 
some our nation's most important laws protecting imperiled species, the 
environment and public health and safety We expect that the Senate-
House conferees will be considering several exemptions when they meet 
next week to work on the Defense Authorization bill conference report.

The Senate version of the bill does not contain any of these 
exemptions, whereas the House included exemptions from the Endangered 
Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  The House also included 
provisions to weaken protections for Utah Wilderness and to build a 
toll road through California's San Onofre State Park.  The DoD is still 
actively seeking additional waivers from the Marine Mammal Protection 
Act, the Clean Air Act and our nation's most important toxic waste laws 
(CERCLA and RCRA).

Polls clearly indicate that an overwhelming majority of Americans 
believe that the Department of Defense should follow the same rules as 
everyone else and not be placed above the laws that protect our 
environment, health and safety.  The DoD's requests ignore the fact 
that many of our environmental laws, such as the Endangered Species 
Act, already contain exemptions for national security reasons on a case 
by case basis.  Moreover, a recent General Accounting Office report 
found that the Department of Defense has not demonstrated environmental 
laws are hindering training and that the military has been able to 
maintain a high state of readiness while complying with our nation's 
laws. 

The environment and imperiled species are under attack by the Bush 
administration and their allies in Congress on a number of fronts and 
things are already becoming pretty crazy up on the Hill with a number 
of issues heating up.  Congress is anxious to wrap up the Defense 
Authorization bill as soon as possible and it is imperative that we 
immediately contact our legislators and urge them to make sure that 
none of these provisions are contained in the Defense Authorization 
bill that is reported out of conference.  Thanks, I know that I can 
count on you.

Brock Evans

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

CALL THE LEGISLATORS TARGETED BELOW. You can reach them through the 
U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

ASK THEM TO OPPOSE ALL ATTEMPTS TO EXEMPT THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
FROM LAWS THAT PROTECT ENDANGERED SPECIES, THE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC 
HEALTH AND SAFETY.

1. KEY CONFEREES include: 

Senators: Landrieu; Akaka; McCain; Collins; Nelson (NE); Warner; and 
Smith (NH).

Representatives: Skelton; Saxton; Ortiz; Reyes; Abercrombie; McHugh 
(NY); Spratt; Taylor (MS); and Turner (TX).

2.  If you have time, calls into other Conference Committee Members are 
ALSO IMPORTANT - particularly if they are from your state or 
congressional district.

The House conferees are: From the Armed Services Committee--Chairman 
Bob Stump (R-AZ), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Jim Hansen (R-UT), Curt Weldon 
(R-PA), Joel Hefley (R-CO), Jim Saxton (R-NJ), John McHugh (R-NY), 
Terry Everett (R-AL.), Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Howard McKeon (R-CA.), 
J.C. Watts (R- OK.), William Thornberry (R-TX), John Hostettler (R-IN), 
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Van Hilleary (R-TN), 
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joe Wilson (R-SC); and ranking member Ike 
Skelton (D-MO), John Spratt (D-SC), Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), Lane Evans 
(D-IL), Gene Taylor (D-MS.), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Marty Meehan (D-
MA), Robert Underwood (D-Guam), Thomas Allen (D-ME), Vic Snyder (D-AZ), 
Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Jim Turner (D-TX) and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA).

>From the Committee on Resources, ranking member Nick Rahall (D-WV) and 
Reps. John Duncan (R-TN) and Jim Gibbons (R-NV).  The Resources members 
will have input on the environmental provisions of the bill.

Senate conferees: Chariman Carl Levin (D-MI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), 
Robert Byrd (D-WV), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Max Cleland (D-GA), Mary 
Landrieu (D-LA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Bill Nelson (D-
FL), Benjamin Nelson (D-NE), Jean Carnahan (D-MO), Mark Dayton (D-MN) 
and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM); and ranking member John Warner (R-VA), Strom 
Thurmond (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ), Robert Smith (R-NH), James Inhofe 
(R-OK), Rick Santorum (R-PA), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Wayne Allard (R-CO), 
Tim Hutchinson (R-AR), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Susan Collins (R-ME) and 
Jim Bunning (R-KY).

3. If you want to go the extra mile calls into YOUR Senator and 
Representative can't hurt.  Ask them to contact the conferees above and 
urge them to do the right thing and oppose the DoD exemptions.

Background/Talking Points:

* Please oppose language in the House Defense Authorization Bill that 
would reduce environmental protections for endangered species, 
migratory birds, Utah wilderness lands, and California's San Onofre 
State Park.  

* Oppose any additional attempts by the DoD to seek exemptions from the 
Clean Air Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and the 
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act added to the bill.

* The Senate version does not contain any of these provisions.

* The provisions for all these important environmental laws are broad 
sweeping exemptions to all DoD lands, which totals 25 million acres.  
They are seeking these broad waivers of law in lieu of attempting to 
address any real conflicts that exist on a case-by-case basis and 
without ever having used the existing national security accommodations 
contained in many of these laws

* While environmental groups understand the important efforts needed to 
protect national security, additional exemptions for the law are not 
necessary to accomplish this goal.

* These measures would destroy endangered species critical habitat, 
create new threats to migratory birds and their nests, and harm 
wilderness lands and a California state park.

* The bill is in its final stages as it is being considered by the 
joint Senate House conference. 


Christine Williamson
Chicago/Cook
birdchris@aol.com