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CONTENTS:
1. Arctic
threat through Budget Reconciliation Bill Update
2. Tongass Update – with
Sign on Letter
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1.
Arctic
threat through Budget Reconciliation Bill an unprecedented threat
Protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is at a crucial point. Opening the coastal plain to development is at an unprecedented threat - as you may have heard in recent coverage, Congress is pushing for selling leases to oil drilling on the coastal plain, the biological heart of this great Refuge. They have used a backdoor tactic of slipping this into the Budget Reconciliation Bill because this bill cannot be filibustered and drilling will be embedded in a measure with many other items instead of debated on its own merits. Proponents of drilling know that it would not pass by the American public if it was not hidden.
Never before has the
threat been so high or the vote so final. This is
it!
We are expecting the Budget
Committees in both House and Senate to report out language this week with votes
following in the next few weeks. The House has tentatively set the date for
votes as November 7, this might change but we need to be prepared and the Senate
has not given a schedule yet.
Language from the Senate Natural
Resources Committee also exempts development in the Refuge from most
environmental laws - eliminating any protection for the wildlife and the
ecosystem, and we expect the same or worse in the
House.
We cannot let this pass - our
House and Senate members need to hear from us, especially Representative
Nussle.
This Bill is not good for
many reasons. It
has deep cuts to many vital programs like Medicaid and student loan aid, reduces
funding for Farm Bill conservation money like the Conservation Security Program
and it includes oil leasing in the Arctic Refuge.
WHAT WE NEED TO
DO:
We need to make sure Congress is
hearing from us! only by overwhelming them with constituents calling / writing
are we going to see them stand up and remember the importance of protecting our
Refuge. For background information
and points to make in your call please go to
arcticrefugeaction.org
To find your House or Senate
member call: Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121 or use our toll free
number.
Let
you Representative and Senators know that
About Congressional Phone
calling:
If you have never called your
Congressperson's office before - here are some simple tips. When you call you
will generally be talking to a staff person who knows nothing about your issue.
They are friendly and courteous and will take down your name, city, and the
points that you would like them to convey to the Member. They keep track of all
of the calls the office receives on a particular issue in a day and will keep a
"tally".
(Script: Hello my name is
____________ and I live at ______________________. I am calling to urge
Senator/Representative to vote No on the Budget Reconciliation Bill. We
should protect our pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This bill is
not good for many safety net programs, and would destroy a national
treasure.)
If you are more comfortable with
the issue you may ask for the person who handles the environment - then either
you are able to talk with this staffer or their voicemail and leave your message
as above. They will have a better background on the issue and will be able to
maybe answer some of your questions, and/or ask questions of you in
return.
You need not be an expert on the
issue! The most important thing you are conveying is that you are a
Constituent, and you Care about this issue.
2.
Tongass Update – Conservation Sign on Letter
Dear
Tongass Supporter-
As
the Forest Service begins the process of rewriting its forest plan for
the
Please
show your support for protecting and conserving the
Cheers-
DATE
The Honorable Dale
Bosworth
Chief
Dear Chief
Bosworth,
The undersigned
organizations respectfully request that the U.S. Forest Service develop a new
land management plan for
As your agency develops the
new Tongass plan, we urge you to insist on a decision-making process involving
maximum public participation, in
The Tongass is the crown
jewel of our country’s National Forest System – a remote coastal temperate
rainforest, home to wildlife and fish populations unparalleled anywhere else on
the planet. As a result, southeast
We look forward to working
cooperatively with the Forest Service to craft a forest plan for the Tongass
which leaves behind the unsustainable practice of logging inventoried roadless
areas at a high cost to native flora and fauna, local communities and
Thank you for your
consideration.
Sincerely,
cc: Mr. Mark Rey, USDA,
Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the
Environment
Forrest Cole,
Thank you,
Lois
Norrgard
Regional
Organizer
952-881-7292