They are going after the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge...AGAIN!

[_dynamicdems]

Email from the Wilderness Society:

President Bush admitted to the nation a week ago that we must do something about our addiction to oil. But just one week later, it appears that he's had a relapse.


Yesterday, President Bush submitted his federal budget request to Congress, which yet again includes revenues from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- even though that dead-end proposal was decisively rejected last year.


Last year, unprecedented efforts by you and millions of concerned Americans stopped President Bush and other politicians from sneaking their short-sighted Arctic Refuge drilling plan past Congress -- first through the backdoor of the federal budget bill and later through a trapdoor on a bill to fund our troops.


Arctic Refuge drilling has no place in a smart, forward-looking energy policy. If the president is serious about breaking America's "oil addiction," then his administration should abandon its "drill it all" assault on our public lands. President Bush clearly does not get the picture: Make sure our leaders in Congress do.


Please call your Senators and Representative today, and tell them that it's time for Congress to stop wasting energy on President Bush's plan to drill the Arctic Refuge and focus on real energy solutions for America's future.


We have the momentum right now to stop this bad idea in its tracks! Please call Capitol Hill today.

Talking Points:

- Arctic Refuge drilling has been a distraction from real energy policy for long enough.


- It's time to stop bending the rules for oil companies.


- I want a clean Congress and a clean energy plan.


**NOTE**: Even if you already know the position of your Senators or Representative on this issue, it's important that they hear from you now!


THANK YOU FOR WORKING TO PROTECT THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE!

[_dynamicdems]

1. And that's not all they are doing!

Here's another letter, this one from www.saveourenvironment.org :

Dear xxxx,

Once again the Bush administration has quietly launched an attack on America's most treasured places. This time political appointees in the Department of Interior have devised a plan to radically overhaul the way our National Parks are managed. The plan could have a detrimental effect on air quality, visibility, wildlife management, and more. The plan could also increase commercialization in our parks.

We only have until February 18 to weigh in on this proposal - click here: http://www.saveourenvironment.org/nationalparksbt.html to submit your comments now.

We're offering a brand new technology called BrightText(TM) which allows you to personalize your letter instantly so that you'll be more effective in stopping Bush's plans. Once you click through to our advocacy page, simply hit the "instant re-write" button or mouse over portions of the text to personalize your letter!


Since their inception, our National Parks have been protected by the strict standards designed to protect and conserve these special places for generations to come. But now, without any justification or explanation for changing the way our parks are managed, the new proposal fundamentally weakens key protections and dilutes the Park Service’s core mission of conserving the Parks for future generations.

Despite shifts in political climate, the core mission of the National Park Service has remained unchanged for nearly a century. We cannot let this administration be the first to abandon the spirit of conservation that been the cornerstone of the park service mission.

We still have a chance to protect our national parks, but only if you act now. The deadline to submit comments on this proposal is February 18, 2005, so please don’t wait – click here: http://www.saveourenvironment.org/nationalparksbt.html to submit your comments now!
Once you've submitted your comments, please help us spread the word and save our National Parks by forwarding this email to ten friends.

Thank you for your help.

Katelyn Sabochik
Online Campaign Manager
[email protected]

Don't these people know they have to live on the same planet as the rest of us?

[sandnsea]

2. Penalized OSU logging studies

Logging in burned forests, which is basically turning them into "tree plantations". They're also logging burned old growth wilderness, "accidentally". Once you log wilderness, well gee, it isn't exactly wilderness anymore, how convenient for future logging operations.


"U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., said in a Tuesday letter to the Interior Department's inspector general that he is concerned the funding was frozen "to punish researchers for reporting findings that are unpopular with the administration."

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/113937091617440.xml&coll=7

The budget is also cutting funding for northwest salmon recovery, which has been enormously successful, don't let them kid you on that one bit. They don't like it because it puts regulations on logging and the damage it does to rivers. I'm not even anti-logging, but the irresponsibility makes it pretty easy to become anti-logging in a hurry.

[_dynamicdems]

3. Wow. Outrage upon outrage.

This administration is just unbelievable. I'm not anti-logging either, not in general. But pay attention to the science, for Pete's sake! This quote from the article kinda sums it up for me:

"There is a very quiet nonthreatening but nonetheless growing concern in the scientific community about this administration's distrust of the scientific process," Inslee said. "It goes back to Galileo being punished for his views. We can't go back to those days."