As early as today, the Senate will be voting on amendments to the Energy
bill S 517.  The Club will be sending out regular updates about upcoming
votes on amendments and our positions, on them as we learn about them.

Senator Murkowski is expected to offer his amendment to open the coastal
plain of the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling. It is now looking like he will
do this on Wednesday April 10.

Our environmental champions in the US Senate - led by Senators Kerry (D-MA)
and Lieberman (D-CT) will seek to block Senator Murkowski's amendment by
filibustering it--forcing extended debate on this controversial amendment.
Drilling proponents would be forced to secure 60 votes to shut off the
debate and end the filibuster.  The vote on the Arctic filibuster could
happen as early Thursday, April 11, but more likely on Friday.

Please call your Senators to thank and shore up those who are with us and to
encourage all those who have not yet decided how they will vote.  You can
reach them through the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or you can
call their in-state office.

We are also expecting that several other amendments to the energy bill will
be voted on this week:

An amendment offered by Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) which increases federal
oversight over energy trading to provide protection for consumers from
future Enron's will be voted on Wednesday.  We support this amendment.

Sen. Graham (D-FL) is planning to offer an amendment to specifically
include municipal solid waste (MSW) as a renewable energy resource.  We
oppose this amendment. Garbage incinerators create and emit dioxin--a known
human carcinogen-- and cause impairment of immune, nervous, reproductive,
and endocrine systems at extremely low levels. In addition, garbage
incinerators contribute nearly 20% of the nation's mercury emissions, while
incinerator ash contains toxic pollutants including lead, cadmium, mercury,
and dioxin. Municipal solid waste incineration does not help solve solid
waste problems, because it removes the incentive for waste reduction and
recycling by making solid waste seem to disappear, but leaving a toxic
legacy in its place.

We also expect Sen. Fitzgerald (R-IL) to offer an amendment that would
specifically exclude MSW from the definition of biomass in the Renewable
Portfolio Standard. We support this amendment.


ASK YOUR SENATORS TO SUPPORT THE KERRY-LIEBERMAN FILIBUSTER TO PREVENT OIL
DRILLING IN THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.  Also:

SUPPORT Feinstein amendment to guard against Enron trading schemes

SUPPORT Fitzgerald amendment to exclude incineration of municipal solid
waste from renewable energy portfolio standard.

OPPOSE Graham amendment to define incineration of municipal solid waste as
a clean renewable fuel

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT
to [log in to unmask]