From: Ananda D. Hirsch Sierra Club Conservation Organizer Environmental Quality Program Good morning water activists, Yesterday, President Bush chose to talk about wetlands protection during his Earth Day speech. The Associated Press (AP) issued this story on the subject: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33116-2004Apr22.html Then, in response to the President's claims regarding wetlands the Sierra Club issued this press release: For Immediate Release: April 22, 2004 Contact: Wendy Balazik, 202-675-2383 Sierra Club's Ed Hopkins reaction to President Bush's Earth Day announcement of a new wetlands policy: "An Earth Day photo-op can't hide the damage the Bush administration's policies are doing to America's wetlands. In January 2003, the Bush administration ordered the EPA and the Army Corps of engineers to immediately stop enforcing the Clean Water Act for as many as 20 million acres of wetlands. Now the Bush administration says it wants to restore three million acres -- clearly that's a contradiction. While we still need to see the details, it seems clear that we'd be better off if the Bush administration simply enforced the law that's on the books." Wendy Balazik Media Coordinator Sierra Club Phone: 202-675-2383 Fax: 202-547-6009 The Associated Press reporter then wrote a new story on the subject, quoting Ed Hopkins http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35401-2004Apr23.html If you hear more about the President's statement regarding wetlands protection, these talking points might prove helpful: If President Bush really wants to protect America's wetlands, his first step should be to revoke his administration's policies that damage wetlands. He should rescind the January 2003 policy directive that prevents protection of so-called "isolated" waters unless EPA and Army Corps of Engineers staff first obtain permission from Washington. When they issued this policy directive, the EPA estimated that it put 20 million acres of wetlands at risk, one-fifth of America's wetlands outside of Alaska. The Bush administration should stop its effort to weaken the stream buffer zone rule. The current rule, dating from the Reagan administration, requires a 100-foot buffer zone to protect streams from mining activities. The Department of Interior has proposed changing that to merely require mining companies to use the best technology they can to protect streams, eliminating the 100-foot protection zone. The Bush administration should reverse its 2002 change to Clean Water Act rule that allows developers to use waste materials to fill in wetlands. This rule change legalizes mountaintop removal mining, which has already destroyed 1,200 miles of streams in Appalachia. No new voluntary initiatives can replace the weakening of wetland and stream protection rules carried out under the Bush administration. Have a nice weekend, Ananda D. Hirsch Sierra Club Conservation Organizer Environmental Quality Program Phone: (202) 675-6693 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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