Here’s a little holiday weekend fun for you folks — and a chance to help prod Congress into action.

The House Committee on Natural Resources is currently hosting a poll on their website asking about reform of the 1872 Mining Law, a provision that gives mining companies virtually free access to rich mineral deposits on public land with no requirement to pay royalties. And, the law allows claimholders — including companies wholly owned by foreign corporations — to buy public land outright for no more than $5 per acre, with mining given precedence over all other uses for the land. Particularly since modern mining operations can cover hundreds of acres, involve large volumes of toxic materials, and create huge amounts of waste, this is a law in desperate need of change, and we want to let the committee know that people across the country support mining law reform.

The poll currently has only a handful of responses, so let’s see how many voices we can add and make the committee members and staff take notice. Our goal — 99% support in the poll for changing the 1872 Mining Law. Vote today!

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Tagged: environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist action alerts National Environmental Trust net mining public lands 1872 Mining Law House Committee on Natural Resources pollution wildlife conservation bullshit

Urge Your Representative to Conserve Fish and Ocean Ecosystems

In January, Congress responded to public pressure from citizens like you and passed a strong new law [the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act] to end overfishing and put ocean wildlife on a course toward healthy population levels. But without strong rules from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the new law, Congress’ action will be meaningless.

Send a message to your representative asking him or her to sign on to a letter calling on the National Marine Fisheries Service to enact strong new rules to protect fish and fishermen by ensuring sustainable fish populations through well-informed decision-making.

The Representative must consider the issue and sign the letter on or before Friday the 20th, so time is of the essence. Thanks for your help!

Tiny Violin Alert! ™: If you use the sample letter provided by NET, be sure to edit out the speciesist language. (Hint, hint: I counted two objectionable phrases.)

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist action alerts net National Environmental Trust fishing overfishing fisheries wildlife conservation National Marine Fisheries Service nmfs Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act

See also: Make sure your Rep. supports the RES and fuel efficiency amendments, from the League of Conservation Voters and Hey Congress: Clean My Ride, Flex My Fuel, via the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

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Today I bring you two enviro alerts for your clicking pleasure:

Audubon: Give Renewable Electricity A Chance

The House will soon debate its version of America’s energy policy. We want to ensure that any energy legislation includes a strong nationwide renewable electricity standard (RES). Twenty-three states already have renewable electricity standards, which require utility companies to generate a certain percentage of electricity from clean, renewable sources like wind and solar. Audubon is committed to advancing these approaches in ways that safeguard birds, other wildlife, and their habitat. Establishing a nationwide renewable electricity standard is one of the biggest steps we can take to reduce global warming pollution. We have the technology to do this right now, but we need Congress to lead the way.

National Environmental Trust (NET): Urge Your Representative to Increase Gas Mileage Standards

Last month the Senate passed groundbreaking legislation to increase fuel efficiency standards for the first time in nearly 30 years. Now the momentum has shifted to the House of Representatives where a similar vote is expected shortly. It’s time to urge House members to follow the Senate’s lead and increase fuel efficiency standards that meet or exceed the mileage targets of the Senate bill.

The bipartisan Senate legislation set a target of raising fuel efficiency to a fleet-wide average of 35 miles per gallon by model year 2020 for cars and lights trucks (SUVs). A proposal by Representatives Ed Markey and Todd Plats seeks similar targets that would help consumers save money at the pump and reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil.

Tell your House member to support legislation that matches or exceeds the Senate bill and to oppose any legislation, such as a current proposal by Representatives Baron Hill and Lee Terry, which offers considerably lower mileage targets and includes industry loopholes.

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Tagged: environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist action alerts net National Environmental Trust Audubon climate change global warming energy res renewable electricity standard renewable electricity wind power solar power wildlife conservation habitat fuel efficiency standards green lcv league of conservation voters center for american progress

…and the Sierra Club weighs in….

Take Action: Support Energy Efficiency Standards!

Incandescent Light BulbIn order to achieve energy independence and curb global warming we must increase energy efficiency. We need an energy efficiency standard that will move America toward the 80% reductions in greenhouse gases that scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst consequences of global warming. By making better use of the electricity we already produce, we can not only save 300 million metric tons of global warming causing carbon dioxide by 2020, but consumers can also save a total of $26 billion.

Urge your Senators to support Energy Efficiency Standards!

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I’m running late, so I though I might take a shortcut and consolidate all of today’s climate change/fuel efficiency/general enviro alerts into one big link farm post.

(In fact, climate change is such a “hot” topic* right now that I may even do a link roundup post every day or two.)

So, yeehaw.

Act for Change / Working Assets: Give Clean Cars the Green Light!

Specifically, California and 11 other states have adopted tailpipe standards to reduce global warming pollution from cars and SUVs, amounting to one-third of the U.S. auto market. However, in order to implement the standards, California — and the other states — need a stamp of approval (called a Clean Air Act “waiver”) from the EPA, and the Bush EPA has been sitting on the decision for nearly a year and a half.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last month -– in which the Court found that carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants are indeed “air pollutants” and can be regulated under the Clean Air Act –- compelled the Bush EPA to move forward in its decision on the state clean cars standards.

You can help by telling the EPA to stop dragging its feet and give the states the green light to put clean cars on the road.

League of Conservation Voters: Vote YES on the Bingaman RES Amendment Today!

This week, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on Senator Bingaman’s (D-NM) Renewable Electricity Standards amendment that would help curb global warming, strengthen our economy, and make us more secure.

The Bingaman RES amendment would increase our use of wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass to 15% of America’s electricity by 2020. It’s all homegrown energy, which means more jobs and cheaper electric and gas bills. And it’s all renewable, which puts us on the right path towards breaking our dangerous dependence on fossil fuels.

National Environmental Trust: Urgent: Tell Congress to Increase Gas Mileage Standards

Tell Congress to support the Senate Commerce Committee bill that will increase fuel efficiency standards and save American families money at the pump and to oppose any amendment, such as the Levin-Stabenow proposal, that would weaken the mileage targets in the bill. By sending the letter below and following up with a phone call you will send a strong message to your member of Congress that increasing fuel efficiency is important.

National Wildlife Federation: Stop Global Warming with the Energy Bill

Global warming is the greatest moral challenge of our time–and the single most urgent threat to the future of wildlife. Right now, the U.S. Senate has the chance to pass an Energy Bill that turns America’s energy future in a new direction and helps change the forecast for wildlife.

Natural Resources Defense Council: Tell your senators to pass a strong, clean energy bill

The Senate is debating energy legislation that must be strengthened to ensure progress on important issues like global warming, increased fuel economy standards and clean, renewable energy sources. Urge your senators to support amendments that would strengthen the energy bill and oppose amendments that would weaken the legislation.

SaveOurEnvironment.org: Tell the EPA to Let States Fight Global Warming

Twelve states want to tackle global warming by mandating tougher emissions standards that would drastically reduce pollution from cars and SUVs. But the Environmental Protection Agency won’t let them cut emissions without a special “waiver.” Worse yet, more than a year and a half has passed and the EPA has not even approved the “waivers” needed.

Union of Concerned Scientists: Keep Nuclear and Fossil Fuels out of the Renewable Electricity Standard

To reduce global warming pollution and increase America’s energy independence and security, we must boost our use of clean, renewable energy. Today, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced a renewable electricity standard bill that would require utilities to acquire 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources like the wind and sun by 2020. Unfortunately, the bill is threatened by an amendment that would include the use of nuclear, coal, and other dirty, non-renewable energy sources.

* Get it? Hot! Because our planet’s warming! Such a card, I am.

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Tagged: environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist action alerts saveourenvironment.org climate change global warming green cars cars green fuel efficiency emissions standards epa environmental protection agency biofuels energy conservation nwf National Wildlife Federation energy bill act for change working assets lcv League of Conservation Voters Senator Bingaman Renewable Electricity Standards Bingaman RES Amendment renewable electricity nrdc Natural Resources Defense Council net National Environmental Trust ucs Union of Concerned Scientists nuclear coal sierra club

Tell NMFS We Need a Strong Overfishing Rule

From the Arctic to the Antarctic, we are depleting our oceans of fish. Since 1900, many fish species, including swordfish, marlin and the biggest types of tuna, have declined by 90%. In its April 2007 issue, National Geographic magazine focuses on the global fisheries crisis, showing how high-tech harvesting methods, greed, and wasteful management have brought world fish stocks to dangerous lows. If this trend continues, global fisheries will collapse by 2048.

Right now, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is developing new rules to end overfishing and rebuild depleted fish populations in the United States. In order to be sure that these rules are strong enough to fix the problem, we are encouraging people to let the agency know that you support an end to overfishing. Comments must be received no later than April 17th!

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare environment environmental environmentalism environmentalist action alerts NET National Environmental Trust fishing overfishing wildlife conservation NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service fisheries National Geographic

Ask Congress – Oppose Superfund Manure Exemption

Industrial agriculture is pressing Congress for a sweeping exemption from the federal Superfund law. The Senate is poised to act today, attaching this unfair exemption to the Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill. The House of Representives may also take up the issue before the end of the year.

Two bills pending in Congress — S. 3681, introduced by Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) and H.R. 4341, introduced by Congressman Ralph Hall (R-TX) — would allow those responsible for manure mismanagement to escape cleanup responsibilities set out in the federal Superfund.

Both bills declare that manure and manure-associated wastes cannot be treated as a “pollutant or contaminant” or a “hazardous substance” under the federal Superfund law — regardless of how the manure has been managed or how severe its impacts on the environment and public health. Supporters are planning to offer them as an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations legislation.

This proposed exemption cuts off any opportunity for downstream communities harmed by manure mismanagement to seek redress or remedy under Superfund. It is unjustified, unnecessary and unfair.

Please send a message to your senators and congressmember today and ask them to oppose any riders that would exempt confined animal feeding operations from the Superfund law.

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Tagged: environment environmentalist environmentalism action+alerts net national+environmental+trust animals animal+rights livestock manure pollution superfund

National Environmental Trust

Urge Senators to Call for Global Warming Action

Environmental champions in the U.S. Senate have begun an effort to call on the Bush administration to require nationwide reductions in global warming pollution over the next decade.

Senators Collins and Durbin, along with Senators Chafee and Bill Nelson, started circulating a letter to President Bush to commemorate the one-year anniversary of passage of a “Sense of the Senate” resolution calling for a mandatory program to “slow, stop, and reverse” global warming pollution. The letter expresses the senators’ continuing concerns about global warming, states the senators’ support for a mandatory program to reduce global warming emissions from current levels within 10 years, and urges the President to provide leadership on the issue.

The senators plan to send the letter to the President on Thursday, June 22, the anniversary of the Sense of the Senate resolution.

Please take a moment now and send a letter to your senators urging them to sign on to this initiative to push the Bush administration to get serious about global warming.

Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your Senators

Take Action!

Instructions:
Click here to take action on this issue

Tell-A-Friend:
Visit the web address below to ask your friends to help.

What’s At Stake:

For more information about climate change, please see our main global warming page.

Campaign Expiration Date:
June 22, 2006

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