Sierra Club
Responsible Trade Program
June 19, 2002

               "Business people don't have the passion unions do.
               Business people don't have the passion environmentalists
do."

                  Bill Morley, Vice President,
                                U.S. Chamber of Commerce
                                   Memphis Commercial Appeal, 6/5/02

TAKE ACTION
                  Its BAD, its BACK, and its FAST TRACK!
                            Stop Fast Track NOW

In coming weeks, the House of Representatives will cast a final, decisive
vote on fast-track trade legislation that poses a fundamental threat to
hard-won protections for our water, air, and land.  This fast track bill
would be used to expand NAFTA provisions that allow foreign corporations to
sue taxpayers for billions and undercut laws that safeguard our
environment, health, and safety.

Last December, the House passed fast track by just one vote.  The Senate
then passed a different version of the bill in May.  Now a House-Senate
conference must iron out differences between the two bills and send the
final bill back to both houses for a final vote.

WE CAN STOP FAST TRACK DEAD IN ITS TRACKS IN THE HOSUE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THIS SUMMER IF WE PICK UP JUST ONE MORE VOTE.

Doing so wouldn't close the door on trade, but it would block expansion of
NAFTA's corporate lawsuit provisions.  And it would restore balance to a
trade policy now tilted dangerously in favor of global corporations.

TAKE ACTION

When Congress breaks for the July 4th recess, use the opportunity to
explain our views on fast track to your US Representative.
·    Call their offices and ask for their schedule of public appearances.
Show up and ask questions about their views on fast track.  See the
scorecard at www.lcv.org to learn how your Representative voted last
December.
·    Fax your Representative the letter that's pasted in below on Sierra
Club Chapter or Group letterhead.
·    Set up a meeting with your Representative to explain your views on
fast track.   For more information, see www.sierraclub.org/trade/fasttrack


SAMPLE LETTER TO US REPS

  [Sierra Club Chapter/Group Letterhead]

Dear Representative __________________:

On behalf of the XXXXX members of the Sierra Club's ZZZZZZZZZ
Chapter/Group, we write to urge you to oppose fast-track trade legislation.
Once the House-Senate conference on fast track finishes its work, the House
will have the opportunity to reverse the decision made last December when
it approved fast track by just one vote.

[NOTE TWO OPTIONS: TO DECIDE WHICH TO USE, SEE YOUR REP'S FAST TRACK VOTE
AT <WWW.LCV.ORG> LOOK THEM UP ON THE 2001 SCORECARD.]

OPTION A: We thank you for your vote against fast track at that time and
urge you to stay the course now by opposing the fast-track conference
report.

OPTION B. We were deeply disappointed by your decision last December to
support fast track. We urge you to reconsider your position and to vote
against the fast-track conference report when it comes back to the House.

Fast-track trade legislation would deprive Congress of the right to fix
trade deals even when they threaten the environment. We are deeply
concerned because this legislation would be used to expand to more
countries provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
that give foreign corporations the power to sue U.S. taxpayers for billions
if our environmental laws interfere with corporate profits. According to a
Tufts University study, NAFTA-style corporate lawsuits could eventually
cost US taxpayers $32 billion per year.

Originally, NAFTA's corporate lawsuits were intended to protect US
investors in other countries from the seizure of their assets by host
governments. In practice, the rules expose virtually all domestic
environmental laws -- pollution controls, smart growth programs, and land
conservation rules -- as potential NAFTA violations.

If fast track passes, it could be used to expand NAFTA-style corporate
lawsuits throughout the Western Hemisphere and, potentially, the entire
world. Environmental progress could then grind to a halt as taxpayers at
home and abroad are forced to pay billions of dollars in damage claims to
global corporations.

The best way to truly stop expansion of NAFTA's corporate lawsuits is to
get rid of fast track. Doing so would not stop trade. Instead, it would
give Congress the opportunity to develop a more balanced and democratic
trade policy.

We urge you to oppose fast-track legislation in the name of a new trade
policy that is truly clean, green, and fair.

Sincerely,


Erin Jordahl
Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club
3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310
515-277-8868
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