And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
AmeriScan: September 17, 1999
http://ens.lycos.com/ens/sep99/1999L-09-17-09.html
CLINTON SENDS OZONE PROTECTION AMENDMENT TO SENATE
President Bill Clinton has asked the Senate to ratify an amendment to the Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (the "Montreal Protocol"). Under
the 1987 Montreal Protocol, industrial nations have phased out the use of most ozone
depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Developing nations have begun to enforce CFC
moratoriums, with the help of almost $1 billion from the Montreal Protocol’s
Multilateral Fund. But the ozone layer remains vulnerable, the United Nations
Environment Programme says. The amendment, adopted by the Ninth Meeting of the Parties
to the Montreal Protocol in 1997, requires countries that have signed the Montreal
Protocol to implement a licensing and export system for ozone depleting substances by
January 1, 2000, and bans all imports and exports of methyl bromide, an ozone
depleting pesticide. The U.S. has already implemented a domestic licensing system.<<<<
~~~~~~~~~
APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS MULTIMILLION DOLLAR WATER
POLLUTION FINE
A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that Smithfield Foods Inc. and
its subsidiaries violated the Clean Water Act by discharging illegal levels of
pollutants into the Pagan River in Virginia. Smithfield appealed a series of district
court rulings that the company discharged illegal amounts of slaughterhouse waste into
the river. Smithfield argued that the U.S. was barred from suing the company because
of an agreement between Smithfield and the Virginia Department of Environmental
Quality allowing the company to exceed its permit limits. But the courts rejected that
argument, saying the U.S. could seek penalties for violations that "had a significant
impact on the environment and the public." The district court imposed a $12.6 million
penalty on Smithfield, the largest fine ever under the Clean Water Act. The 4th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals has now affirmed that ruling, saying Smithfield’s agreement
with the state did not exempt the company from federal per!
!
mit
and clean water rules, and approved the multimillion dollar fine.<<<<<<<
~~~~~~~`
COALITION URGES COLUMBIA TO BAR OIL DRILLING
An international alliance of more than 100 groups from 24 countries has sent a letter
to Colombia Environment Minister Juan Mayr, urging him to reject an oil drilling
license on U’wa tribal lands. The 5,000 U'wa, who have waged a six year nonviolent
campaign against oil drilling on their traditional lands, have threatened mass suicide
if the oil project by Los Angeles based Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) proceeds. The
letter, which included signatures from the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Friends of the
Earth, Oilwatch, Environmental Defense Fund, Cultural Survival, and over a dozen
Colombian organizations, cited serious environmental and social impacts as grounds for
denying the oil license. The groups warned Mayr, recipient of the "1993 Goldman
Environmental Prize," that "granting that license now is certain to lead to more
bloodshed [and] will escalate the conflict with the U'wa rather than solve it." Last
month, the Colombian government granted the U'wa legal title to some of thei!
!
r an
cestral lands. The pending license would allow Oxy to drill its first well, "Gibraltar
1" just outside the boundaries of the new U'wa reserve but within tribal lands the
U'wa hold sacred. At a ceremony marking the creation of the Unified U'wa Reserve,
Roberto Perez, president of the U'wa governing body, said, "As we recover part of our
territory ... we request absolute respect for our position to not allow any oil
exploration or production [on our traditional lands] either inside or outside the
territory that has been legally recognized as ours."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ENERGY DEPARTMENT SPONSORS AUTO ENGINE RESEARCH
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), together with two U.S. industry partners,
launched a new initiative Thursday to develop smaller, more powerful, lighter and less
expensive automotive electric motor drive systems. The DOE will contribute an initial
$6 million in funding, which will be matched by the private partners, for research and
development on advanced traction drive motor propulsion systems which are needed to
propel advanced hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.<<<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SIGNS ENVIRONMENTAL BILLS
California Governor Gray Davis has signed three bills this week designed to protect
California’s wild lands and wildlife. One bill will make it easier for a local
conservancy to purchase and protect lands around the Coachella Valley near Palms
Springs. The bill makes the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy boundaries
identical to those of the local area Multiple Species Habitat Conservation
Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan (HCP/NCCP). This will allow the Conservancy
to purchase land within the HCP/NCCP, including both mountainous and desert habitat
regions. Another bill would require a revision of the boundaries of the Rim of the
Valley Trail Corridor near Santa Clarita, if the Santa Monica Conservancy determines
the revision is needed, based on relevant scientific information and land use planning
studies. The third bill authorizes the state Department of Fish and Game to remove or
take any mountain lion that is perceived by the Department to be an imminent threat !
!
to t
he survival of any threatened, endangered or fully protected sheep species.><<<<<<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOREST SERVICE NAMES NEW REGIONAL FORESTER
U.S. Forest Service chief Mike Dombeck has named Harv Forsgren, national Director for
the Wildlife, Fish and Rare Plants staff in Washington DC, as regional forester for
the Pacific Northwest Region. In his new position, Forsgren will be responsible for
guiding policy, budget, and land stewardship for the region's 22 National Forests and
Grasslands totaling nearly 25 million acres in Oregon and Washington.<<<<<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PUBLIC COMMENTS SOUGHT ON GRIZZLY BEAR HABITAT PLAN
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has extended the time for the public to
comment on habitat criteria for the recovery of the grizzly bear population in the
Yellowstone ecosystem until October 30, 1999. The overall objective of the grizzly
bear recovery program is to assure the long term existence of a grizzly population in
all areas where a viable population can be sustained south of Canada. Available bear
habitat is often determined by human activities. As grizzly bear recovery efforts
continue, habitat criteria will be developed for each grizzly bear ecosystem to
address the food, vegetation, habitat, and human activities in that specific area.
Included in the habitat plan are specific habitat needs in areas impacted by roads and
trails, and development and livestock grazing on public lands. <<<<<<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THREATENED BUTTERFLIES NETTED FOR CAPTIVE BREEDING
Seven rare Oregon silverspot butterflies were captured at Cascade Head Preserve this
month and taken from their coastal headland home for a captive rearing project. The
butterflies, captured by The Nature Conservancy, have already started laying eggs at
their new home at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. "After hatching, the
young will be maintained in a controlled environment to keep them dormant. Next spring
the caterpillars will be reared and released back to Cascade Head, one of only six
locations where this subspecies still exists," said Diana Hwang, endangered species
biologist for the Oregon State office of the USFWS. "This population has remained low
since declines were first noted there in 1993," Hwang said. "Maintaining our known
populations is important for the recovery of this subspecies."<<<<<<<<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine
of international copyright law.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
UPDATES: CAMP JUSTICE
http://shell.webbernet.net/~ishgooda/oglala/
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
