As an outspoken supporter of Howard Dean, I was surprised to see a 
political posting on this listserve.  In the past, there has been a 
sentiment that overtly political postings be kept off this list and it 
be used for Sierra Club business and news.
The supposed article(s?) offering hope for a more environmentally 
friendly world, are nothing but campaign statements from John Kerry for 
President.  If this list is now open to such postings, I am ready to 
launch a boatload.
Could the moderator of this list please give us a ruling?
Philip W. Scott
Leopold Group Political Chair
Iowa Sierra Club

On Wednesday, April 30, 2003, at 12:23 PM, Jennifer Psaki wrote:

> With Bush Jr. in the White House, it is essential to look forward to 
> 2004.  We can defeat the current administration and put environmental 
> issues back on the agenda.  Attached are two articles which will 
> hopefully offer hope for the state of the world and future plans for 
> environmental protection.
>
>  
>
> For further information or to become more involved with our outreach 
> and campaign efforts,  please contact me at [log in to unmask] or 
> 515-288-5504.
>
>  
>
<image.tiff>
>
> Protecting Our Environment
>
>  
>
> “Nowhere is there a greater need for a new vision - a better vision - 
> than in the decisions we make that affect the health of the 
> environment.  We know intuitively thatAmericais only as healthy as the 
> water our children drink, the air they breathe, the yards and parks in 
> which they play and laugh, and the communities in which they live. The 
> question is whether armed with that knowledge our generation will 
> leave our children and grandchildren an earth that is cleaner not more 
> degraded, more beautiful not more polluted, healthier and safer for 
> children and other living things than the world we inherited from our 
> parents and grandparents.”
>
>  
>
> John Kerry,February 9, 2003
>
>  
>
> John Kerry has been a leader in the environmental movement throughout 
> his career.  Kerry was called the Senate’s most outspoken 
> environmentalist and was named an Environmental Hero by the League of 
> Conservation Voters.  In 1970 he helped organize theMassachusetts’ 
> first Earth Day, then led the fight against acid rain in the northeast 
> as Lieutenant Governor ofMassachusetts.  He helped defeat efforts to 
> roll back the environmental accomplishments of a generation whether in 
> the form of regulatory reform or efforts to drill in national 
> monuments and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  And Kerry led the 
> effort to make environmental preservation a global priority through 
> comprehensive treaties and pushing for the inclusion of important 
> environmental protections in free trade agreements.
>
>  
>
> Here is some of what John Kerry has done and will do to 
> protectAmerica’s environment:
>
>  
>
> Continue the Fight for Clean Air: John Kerry is a leader in addressing 
> the problem of acid rain and air pollution.  His work led to the 
> passage of tougher smog standards in the Clean Air Act of 1990.  And 
> he fought hard to block the efforts that would weaken the Clean Air 
> Act and joined a bipartisan proposal to limit mercury, sulfur, 
> nitrogen and carbon dioxide (commonly called the Four Pollutant Bill) 
> from power plants. 
>
>  
>
> Provide Clean and Safe Drinking Water: John Kerry worked to guarantee 
> cleaner and  safer drinking water by strengthening the Safe Drinking 
> Water Act, and fought efforts to weaken it.  Most recently Kerry 
> voiced his strong opposition to President Bush’s attempt to rollback 
> drinking water standards for arsenic. According to the National 
> Academy of Sciences, arsenic in drinking water may cause cancer, 
> damage heart and blood vessels and contribute to birth defects. 
> Fortunately, the Bush Administration reversed course and implemented 
> the original proposal to reduce arsenic in drinking water.
>
>  
>
> Enforce Environmental Laws:  John Kerry knows that the strongest 
> environmental laws will be ineffective if the Administration slashes 
> the support to enforce those laws and looks the other way while 
> corporations continue to pollute.  Kerry will strengthen the 
> environmental cop-on-the-beat, and prosecute environmental criminals.  
> He will also actively pursue environmental justice for communities 
> that have been the victims of years of corporate environmental 
> assaults.
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>

>
> Protect a Clean Environment in Trade Agreements:  John Kerry believes 
> that free trade agreements must include provisions to protect the 
> labor and environmental standards so that international agreements do 
> not undermine our clean air and water.  He would negotiate agreements 
> that grow the economy and create jobs but do not open a backdoor 
> attack on our environmental standards.
>
>  
>
> Clean up Toxic Waste and Protect a Community’s Right to Know:John 
> Kerry is a strong supporter of cleaning up toxic waste dumps and of 
> preserving and expanding the public’s right to know about pollution in 
> their neighborhoods.  He cosponsored legislation in 2002 which would 
> have brought millions of more dollars home toAmerica’s communities to 
> clean up Superfund sites, the most toxic sites in our nation.  He also 
> led the fight against Republican proposals that would weaken the 
> ability of people to learn about polluters in their own neighborhoods.
>
>  
>
> Curb Global Warming and Ozone Depletion:John Kerry is a leader in the 
> national and international effort to reduce the threat of global 
> warming. He wrote a successful amendment that increased renewable 
> energy and climate change research funding. And he wrote a resolution 
> that passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee calling on the Bush 
> Administration stop blocking progress and to engage in international 
> efforts to mitigate the threat of climate change.
>
>  
>
> Stop Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:John Kerry 
> helped block proposals to drill for oil in the Arctic National 
> Wildlife Refuge.  President Bush is determined to sell the resources 
> of the Refuge to oil and gas companies. The resulting development will 
> industrialize the Refuge and forever degrade its pristine ecosystem.
>
>  
>
> Protect Open Space:John Kerry fights for increased funding for the 
> Land and Water Conservation Fund which helps states and communities 
> protect parks and open space.  These resources have helped protect 
> thousands of farms, forest and parks in our cities, suburbs and 
> countryside.
>
>  
>
> Expand Farmland Conservation: John Kerry supports conservation program 
> like the Wetlands Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Improvement 
> Program, Farmland Protection Program and the new Conservation Security 
> Program and Grassland Reserve Program. These programs will more than 
> pay for themselves by improving water quality, reducing soil erosion, 
> and providing habitat for numerous wildlife species.
>
>  
>
> Encourage Renewable Energy: John Kerry called for the United States to 
> work toward producing 20 percent of all electricity in the United 
> States from renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, ethanol 
> and biomass.
>
>  
>
> Conserve Energy and Cutting Pollution with Efficient Vehicles:John 
> Kerry sponsored legislation with Senator John McCain that would have 
> madeAmerica’s cars and trucks more efficient and safer. His proposal 
> would save millions of barrels of oil per day, reduce greenhouse gas 
> emissions and smog and save consumers billions of dollars. He would 
> also encourage the production of clean vehicles by boosting support of 
> research and providing tax credits to consumers who purchase advanced 
> technology vehicles.
>
>  
>
> Protect Marine Ecosystems:  John Kerry is a strong protector of the 
> marine ecosystem – a resource crucial to his home state 
> ofMassachusettsand the entire country.  He wrote legislation banning 
> the dumping of plastics and other waste off our coasts, fought efforts 
> to drill in sensitive areas inGeorges Bank, and off 
> theFloridaandCaliforniacoast ad sponsored legislation protecting 
> dolphins porpoises, seals and other marine mammals.
>
>  
>
>  
>
>  
>
> Jennifer Psaki
>
>  
>
> John Kerry for President
>
> 1500 Locust St.
>
> Des Moines,IA50309
>
> 515-288-5504
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
>  
>
>  
>
>


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