Sierra Club Action Daily Volume III, #2, January 3, 2001 -----------------------Quote of the Day------------------------------- A hard beginning maketh a good ending. --John Heywood ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Take Action: Urge your Senators to oppose the nominations of Ashcroft and Norton, and support the nomination of Mineta. Call the Capitol Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121 The Sierra Club Opposes: Attorney General -- Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.) Interior Secretary -- former Colorado Attorney General Gale Norton The Sierra Club Supports: Transportation Secretary -- Rep. Norman Mineta (D-Calif.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. The Sierra Club's Position on Bush Cabinet Appointments Attorney General -- Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.) The Sierra Club opposes the appointment of John Ashcroft as Attorney General. Ashcroft has an exceedingly poor environmental voting record and is openly hostile to most environmental laws. Ashcroft voted against additional funding for environmental programs including the Clean Water Action Plan and toxic waste cleanups at Superfund sites. He also voted for a bill to roll back clean water protections, to prevent the EPA from enforcing arsenic standards for drinking water, and to allow mining companies to dump cyanide and other mining waste on large areas of public lands next to mining sites. Ashcroft also opposes campaign finance reform. He voted against the McCain-Feingold bill for a complete ban on soft money contributions to political parties, which would have closed a loophole that allows mining, timber and other interests to gain influence by contributing huge unregulated sums of money to political parties. Interior Secretary -- former Colorado Attorney General Gale Norton The Sierra Club opposes Bush's selection of Gale Norton as Interior Secretary. During the Reagan presidency, Norton served as associate solicitor at the Interior Department under Interior Secretary James Watt. In that capacity she authored and signed legal opinions in support of drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and provided legal advice on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's controversial approval of Two Forks Dam. Norton has also called the government's handling of endangered species cases as an example of excessive regulation. Watt later hired Norton as a lawyer for the arch-conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation, which often represents loggers, miners, ranchers and water developers in fights against environmental groups. Norton is also the founder and serves on advisory committee of the Coalition of Republican Environmental Advocates (CREA), which is considered by the Republicans for Environmental Protection (a legitimate GOP environmental group) to be "a transparent attempt to fool voters who care about environmental protection." Contributors to CREA include several energy companies and associations representing the mining, logging, chemical and coal industries. Transportation Secretary -- Rep. Norman Mineta (D-Calif.) Rep. Norm Mineta is a sound choice to head the Department of Transportation. Secretary Mineta supported mass transit during his tenure in the House of Representatives and co-sponsored a bill to increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards that would increase fuel efficiency. Mineta also worked to make public transportation more accessible for all Americans. Rep. Mineta is open to protecting air and conserving precious natural resources, and hopefully he will have a strong voice in the Bush Administration. Energy Secretary -- Sen. Spenser Abraham (R-Mich.) The Sierra Club is concerned about the poor environmental record of Bush's nominee for Energy Secretary, Sen. Spencer Abraham. Abraham led the Senate's efforts to prevent the Clinton Administration from increasing fuel economy in cars and light trucks. He co-sponsored two separate bills that would have allowed drilling for oil in the fragile Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He also voted to kill an amendment that would have added $62 million to the Energy Department's solar and renewable energy programs from being considered by the full Senate, and he voted to delay reforming the way oil companies pay royalties for drilling public lands. Abraham also supported establishment of an above-ground "interim" nuclear waste dump near Yucca Mountain in Nevada, which the Sierra Club opposed. In 1999, Abraham sponsored legislation that would have abolished the Department of Energy. Americans' broad support for clean air and water makes the environment the perfect test of President-elect Bush's pledge to heal the nation's wounds. Unfortunately, Senator Abraham is a pathetic choice to guide our energy policy. The Club calls on the Senate to vigorously question Abraham about his opposition to higher fuel efficiency standards, and his unwillingness to support conservation and renewable energy programs. EPA Administrator ? New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R) Gov. Christine Whitman has a mixed record on the environment, but on balance we believe the Sierra Club could work with her as EPA Administrator. As New Jersey governor, Whitman worked to safeguard Sterling Forest and other unspoiled treasures from developers and sprawl. She also stood at the forefront of the clean air fight when she pushed the nation's governors to support efforts to reduce soot and smog air pollution. Unfortunately, Whitman also oversaw severe cuts to her state's environmental law enforcement efforts, which cause us deep concern. By cutting New Jersey's environmental budget, she hampered her state's efforts to enforce the nation's environmental standards. As EPA Administrator, Gov. Whitman will have a duty to fight for funding to effectively enforce the standards that protect Americans from pollution. For that reason, the Club hopes the Senate will press her about the need to enforce strong, mandatory environmental standards. Agriculture Secretary ? Ann Veneman, former California Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman's record is a cause for concern. For example, in her private law practice, Veneman has represented clients whose positions run counter to the environmental protections that Americans want. Specifically, she represented the Sierra Nevada Access, Multiple Use and Stewardship Coalition on the issue of the Sierra Nevada Environmental Program. This coalition represents the interests of loggers, miners and off-road vehicle enthusiasts who pushed for fewer protections for wild forests and wildlife. (The Agriculture Department oversees the Forest Service.). In addition, as California's Agriculture Secretary she opposed efforts to ban methyl bromide -- a toxic ozone-depleting pesticide, and when stumping for Bush in California, she told farmers and ranchers they would no longer be subjected to "unnecessary and burdensome" government environmental and safety protections under a Bush administration. Veneman also has played a major role in promoting free trade agreements without adequate environmental, safety, labor and human rights standards (such as NAFTA). It will be critical that the Senate quiz Veneman extensively on what basic environmental and safety protections she thinks should no longer be enforced. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For SC email list T-and-C, send: GET TERMS-AND-CONDITIONS.CURRENT to [log in to unmask]