This is one of the things the club is doing to inform the public regarding the Bush administration. Directions for sign up are at the end of the message. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Sierra Club RAW Issue #3 Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 18:37:49 -0500 From: [log in to unmask] Reply-To: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Issue #3 RAW: The Uncooked Facts of the Bush Assault on the Environment November 10, 2003 Over the past week, the Bush administration has spent a great deal of time playing peacemaker between Senator Charles Grassley (IA) and Representative Bill Thomas (CA) in a tireless effort to bring the Energy Bill to the president?s desk so he can sign it into law. We here at RAW have been wondering why a president who is ordinarily so "hands-off"in congressional matters would be this gung-ho about a simple bill. Well, after extensive research, our crack team discovered the top five reasons (take our word for it: there are many, many more) President Bush might be keenly interested in the Energy Bill. This bill will: 5) Increase air pollution and global warming with new incentives to burn coal for electricity without adequate pollution controls [Coal Title, Title IV]. RAW keeps forgetting that the Bush Administration still thinks coal is the "fuel of the future". Wind and solar? They are SO 20th century! 4) Give cities that are failing to clean up their air even more time to meet standards while continuing their ineffective practices. [Barton Amendment] Some say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. 3) Give $8.8 billion in subsidies to big oil, nuclear and coal companies. [PIRG analysis]. And that doesn?t include additional incentives that could raise the total as high as $20 billion. 2) Weaken environmental safeguards and pave the way for oil and gas drilling on sensitive public lands in the Rocky Mountain West and Alaska [Title 3, 10/10/03 letter]. Could this be why oil and gas companies have given Bush?s campaigns almost $3 million? (Center for Responsive Politics) 1) Lock-in American dependence on foreign oil by adding new roadblocks to better fuel economy [Sections 701 (dual-fuel loophole) and 772 (additional criteria for CAFE)]. Can you say "Halliburton"? RAW is the Sierra Club's twice weekly email update to help you stay sane as the Bush Administration dismantles decades of environmental progress. Please note that just because you are receiving this e-mail does not mean you are signed up to continue receiving what we hope will be a series of entertaining, informative, and brief notes about the Bush Administration's environmental record. If you have already signed up, you may be receiving this message twice today--this won't happen in the long term. To subscribe/unsubscribe for RAW updates go to http://www.sierraclub.org/raw -- and pass this email along to friends who believe there's a better way - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Make your voice heard! Find out how to get Take Action Alerts and other important Sierra Club messages by email at: http://www.sierraclub.org/email - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]