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This is your e-Newsletter from Friends of the Earth. I hope you will find the time to act on these critical issues. Thanks! 1.Tell the EPA to Protect Streams from Mining Waste - Deadline April 7! 2.Help Keep Toxic Chemicals Out of Cosmetics! 3.Protect Children from Mercury Pollution 4.Stop a Transportation Bill that Steamrolls Environmental, Public Health Laws *********************** 1.Tell the EPA to Protect Streams from Mining Waste - Deadline April 7! http://ga1.org/ct/p1a0-dS10dUU/mining The Bush administration recently proposed rolling back a critical environmental law in order to legalize the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining. In this practice, coal companies use dynamite to literally blow the tops off mountains. They then dump the thousands of tons of waste into nearby valleys, burying streams and obliterating aquatic life. In West Virginia and Kentucky, mountaintop removal has buried more than 1,200 miles of streams and has devastated generations-old communities. Please take action to stop the administration! Send a letter to the Office of Surface Mining telling them to preserve the buffer zone rule. The deadline for comments is April 7, 2004. Visit http://ga1.org/ct/p1a0-dS10dUU/mining to send a letter and find out more information. *********************** 2. Help Keep Toxic Chemicals Out of Cosmetics! Take our survey today and help us gather data for an important national report on toxic chemicals in personal care products. ***Please send in the survey by April 7th**** Friends of the Earth is currently helping to develop a national campaign as part of our new Cancer Prevention Program with the goal of reducing cancer-causing and other toxic chemicals in personal care products like deodorant, shampoo and cosmetics. This effort is inspired by recent changes in Europe where a directive from the European Union will soon require companies to reduce chemicals linked to cancer, infertility and birth defects in cosmetics sold there. According to industry estimates, consumers in the United States use as many as 25 different products daily containing more than 200 different chemical compounds. As an initial step, U.S. scientists are analyzing toxic chemicals (including those linked to cancer, birth defects and reproductive disorders) in 2,000 personal care products. The survey is a part of this national study and is designed to show the extent to which people are exposed to a mixture of these chemicals every day. Please fill out and help distribute these surveys. Here's how: 1. You can fill out the survey on line at the following website: http://ga1.org/ct/_7a0-dS1G1y7/survey2 OR 2. You can print out the survey at http://ga1.org/ct/_pa0-dS1G1yu/pdfsurvey2 and fax or mail your completed survey to Women's Voices for the Earth. Print out extras and hand out the surveys to your family, neighbors or at upcoming meetings. [Note: We're trying to avoid skewing results by surveying only "the converted" who don't use products that contain toxic ingredients, so please reach out beyond your membership circles.] ******Hard copies of surveys due on Wednesday, April 7th******* Please mail to: Lisa Archer Campaigns Coordinator Health and Environment Program 1717 Massachusetts Ave., NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036 To order a packet of surveys or for more information, contact Lisa Archer at Friends of the Earth 202-222-0712, [EMAIL PROTECTED] *********************** 3. Protect Children from Mercury Pollution http://ga1.org/ct/0pa0-dS10dUE/mercury Each year American power plants emit nearly 50 tons of mercury, a deadly chemical that damages the brains of young children and developing fetuses. The Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set limits on hazardous power plant pollution such as mercury, taking into account the maximum reductions that are achievable using current technology. EPA said it could require a 90 percent reduction in mercury emissions by 2008 using current technology. But instead, the Bush administration has proposed a far weaker rule that would reduce mercury emissions only 70 percent by 2018: allowing nearly seven times more mercury pollution for a decade longer. Send a letter to EPA telling them to protect our children's health by reducing mercury by 90 percent in four years. Visit http://ga1.org/ct/0pa0-dS10dUE/mercury to send a letter and find out more information. *********************** 4. Stop a Transportation Bill that Steamrolls Environmental, Public Health Laws http://ga1.org/ct/pda0-dS10dUy/trans Beginning this week, the House of Representatives will take up a bill that would fund highways, transit and other surface transportation programs for the next six years. Unfortunately, some members of Congress are attempting to use this bill as a vehicle for rolling back environmental and public health laws. Please send a letter to your representative, urging them to oppose legislation that would weaken important environmental and public health protections. Visit http://ga1.org/ct/pda0-dS10dUy/trans to send a letter and find out more information. -------------------------------------------------- Visit the web address below to tell your friends about these actions. http://ga1.org/join-forward.html?domain=friendsaction&r=m1a0-dS1Ldk5 If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Friends of the Earth at: http://ga1.org/friendsaction/join.html?r=m1a0-dS1Ldk5E -------------------------------------------------- Powered by GetActive Software, Inc. Relationship Management for Member Organizations (tm) http://www.getactive.com ***********************************
