First of all, I'd like to say thank you for your efforts recently. It may seem like there are lots of email alerts coming from me...that's because in fact there are. The threats are coming non-stop these days. We are facing some tough battles in Congress that will affect the future of Alaska's public lands and could set precedent that may affect public lands across the country. The only way to win these battles will be through a groundswell of grassroots activity. WE CAN DO IT...WE HAVE TO DO IT! Please read the following update from Deborah Williams. Deborah is the Executive Director of the Alaska Conservation Foundation...which is the entity that funds the Alaska Coalition, the Alaska Rainforest Campaign, and other Alaska conservation groups. Deborah previously served as Alaska Director for the Department of Interior under President Clinton and Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt. Simply put, Deborah has been at this a long time and is incredibly knowledgeable on Alaska public land issues. In one of my messages on Monday, I included phone numbers for all of the members of Congress from our region. I'm not going to copy them here again. If you need help, just let me know and I'll get whatever numbers you need. Please place a call to your U.S. Representative as well as both of your U.S. Senators. The messages are below and they are simple. Thank you very much for your continued support! Scott Hed Plains, Prairie & Northland Organizer Alaska Coalition (605) 336-6738 office (605) 351-1646 cell Dear Friends, The Congressional Conferees appear to have completed their business, and the horrible Tongass Riders are in the final conference committee bill. (I should also note that there are two additional terrible riders involving Alaska-- one that prohibits anyone from seeking judicial review of the TransAlaska Pipeline (TAPS) right-of-way reauthorization environmental impact statement and the other that would allow "pre-leasing" activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). HOUSE MESSAGE: Now we need to turn our attention to the full House and Senate votes. We anticipate that Congressman Obey is going to raise, on the House floor, a Motion to Recommit the conference bill in order to take out the bad Alaska riders. Please contact your House of Representatives member and ask him/her to support this Motion to Recommit. SENATE MESSAGE: Then, we hope that the Senate will consider a filibuster. Please contact your Senators and ask them to support a filibuster until these obnoxious riders are removed. For more background, I am including two other excellent alerts: one on the Arctic Refuge rider and one on the Tongass riders. Thanks for your help. Truly, in my entire career, this is the worst example of legislative abuse that I have ever seen. It must be stopped. It is not only an assault on our precious environment, it is also an assault on our democratic processes. Deborah Williams Executive Director Alaska Conservation Foundation ANOTHER BACKDOOR SCHEME TO GET INTO THE ARCTIC REFUGE Senate Appropriations Committee members have proposed allowing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use its energy and minerals management funding to conduct work in preparation for oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge-an activity that has been rejected by the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the American public. The President's FY03 Budget proposed a $3 million increase for the BLM to conduct work in preparation for additional oil and gas leasing on Alaska's North Slope. Pre-leasing activities were proposed for both the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, assuming Congress authorized oil development and leasing to occur there during the fiscal year. In April, the U.S. Senate rejected a proposal to allow oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge by a solid bi-partisan majority. In July, the House Appropriations Committee passed an amendment to the FY03 Interior Appropriations bill that limited the BLM's use of "pre-leasing" funds to the NPR-A and prohibited the use of funds allocated in the bill "for activity related to potential energy development within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." The Senate proposal is an attempt to allow the BLM to conduct preliminary activities related to an action that is currently illegal: oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. Tongass Riders Alert: > >> >Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees have just finalized a giant spending bill for the 2003 fiscal year, with the >full Congress expected to vote on it in the next few days. In last- >minute, closed-door meetings the committee members are considered >three riders to the bill that if passed would leave the fate of the >Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska to the will of the timber >industry, opening the forest to vast increases in harmful logging. > >The first of these riders would exempt the Tongass from the >landmark "roadless rule," intended to preserve millions of acres of >unspoiled wildlands in America's national forests. With the help of >BioGems Defenders, NRDC has successfully defended the rule from >attempts to reverse it, yet the Bush administration is planning more >than 40 large industrial timber sales for Tongass roadless areas. If >this rider passes, the sales will go through and timber companies >will begin to cut through pristine Tongass rainforest almost >immediately. > >A second rider would allow the timber industry to demand as many >trees as it wants in the Tongass, including even the largest and most >ancient trees and those in the most critical wildlife habitat areas. >Not only would this devastate the Tongass ecosystem, it would greatly >increase taxpayer subsidies to timber companies. A third rider would >prevent environmentalists from challenging in court Forest Service >decisions limiting wilderness protection status for parts of the >Tongass. > >The effect of these three riders together would destroy the wild, >unspoiled character of the Tongass -- at 17 million acres the >nation's largest national forest and the biggest intact coastal >temperate rainforest in the world. Its misty rainforests, giant >conifers, rich salmon spawning grounds and prime grizzly bear habitat >could all be harmed for centuries to come. The bald eagles it >shelters -- the world's densest population -- would also suffer the >consequences. > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]