-All 4 of Iowa's congressmen voted against opening
National Monuments to drilling and mining(Ganske was
absent). Please thank your congressman for his vote.
Charlie Winterwood
Chair
Iowa Chapter

> SIERRA CLUB LAUDS CONGRESS FOR REJECTING PRESIDENT'S
> PLANS TO DRILL, MINE
> WILDLANDS
> Representatives Defend Our Protected National
> Monuments, Fragile Coastlines
> and Other Special Places from Destruction
>
> Washington: The Sierra Club praised Members of the
> House of Representatives
> for voting to protect our National Monuments,
> coastlines and other special
> places from destructive oil drilling and mining.  In
> votes today on the
> U.S. Interior Department budget, the Members
> rejected President Bush's
> plans to open up public lands to destructive
> development.
>
> "Our national monuments and public wildlands deserve
> full protection, not
> energy exploitation for private profit by the oil
> and mining industries,"
> said Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra
> Club. "Americans don't
> want oil drills looming off of our beaches or strip
> mines tearing up our
> favorite recreation spots.  We want our National
> Monuments and wildlife
> refuges conserved for their beauty, wildlife and
> ability to rejuvenate the
> soul.  Because these Members voted to block
> destruction, our children have
> a better chance to explore and enjoy America's
> public lands in their
> unspoiled glory."
>
> The House approved a series of amendments to the
> Department of Interior and
> Related Agencies Appropriations bill (H.R. 2217) to
> safeguard these
> treasured landscapes from mineral leasing and oil
> exploration.  In
> addition, the bill passed by the House blocked
> President Bush's request for
> funds related to drilling in the Arctic National
> Wildlife Refuge.
>
> "We applaud those Representatives who stood up for
> all Americans and
> blocked efforts to destroy our National Monuments
> and coastlines.
> Americans owe a debt of gratitude to Reps. Rahall,
> Inslee and Jim Davis for
> leading this battle to protect our treasured
> landscapes for our families
> and for our future," continued Pope.
>
> Representative Nick Rahall's (D-WV) amendment, which
> passed by a vote of
> 242 to 173, protects National Monuments from oil and
> gas drilling and coal
> mining.  The Bush Administration would open these
> special places to
> exploitation, despite public opinion research
> showing 68% of Americans
> oppose drilling in our National Monuments.
>
> Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA) introduced an
> amendment to protect
> communities from the environmental threats posed by
> hardrock mining. The
> Bush administration has proposed eliminating a
> regulation that: protects
> drinking water from arsenic, cyanide and mercury
> pollution caused by
> mining; gives land management agencies the power to
> deny permits for
> irresponsible activities; and forces mining
> companies to pay to clean up
> their pollution, rather than shifting their costs to
> taxpayers. The Inslee
> amendment, which ensures that these critical
> taxpayer and environmental
> safeguards are kept in place, passed by a vote of
> 216 to 194.
>
> Representative Jim Davis (D-FL) introduced an
> amendment to protect
> Florida's coasts from off-shore oil drilling.  The
> Bush Administration is
> moving forward with the controversial leasing
> program off the Gulf Coast
> known as Lease Sale 181 but Rep. Davis' amendment
> prohibits unpopular and
> potentially damaging oil and gas drilling in this
> area.  It passed by a
> vote of 247 to 164.
>
> # # #
>
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