I'm sure everyone is aware that Earth Day is tomorrow.  my mailbox has been filling up with mail on the subject from all the environmental organizations to which i belong. this entry is a copy of one i received today from the League of Conservation Voters.  this seemed easier than copying over the info and links.  a real celebration of Earth Day will involve more than picking up litter and planting a couple of trees.  the real celebration will come when this administration leaves office and some of the damage can start to be healed.  in the meantime, we work like hell. Thus, the Environmental Victory Project presented in this newsletter.

April 21, 2004       Pre-Earth Day Special Edition Launching Victory

LCV is commemorating Earth Day with the help of a couple of friends. Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund and Friends of the Earth Action have joined with LCV in launching the environmental movement's unprecedented grassroots campaign to elect a pro-environment president. LCV President Deb Callahan, Defenders President Rodger Schlickeisen, and FOE President Brent Blackwelder addressed a packed banquet hall at Washington, DC's Mayflower Hotel to announce that the environmental movement was getting back to its grassroots for the 2004 election. The effort aims to mobilize 25,000 volunteers to knock on doors of 1.5 million households, concentrating on the main battleground states of Florida, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wisconsin. "It is up to us to work like never before," Callahan said. "Our Environmental Victory Project will work for victory for John Kerry, victory for America, and victory for our nation's environment!" In addition to the DC event, LCV staff and volunteers launched EVP at the University of New Mexico and will hold an Earth Day event at Rollins College in Orlando.

Read LCV's Press Release
Visit the EVP Web site

Taking it to Texas

Tomorrow, LCV President Deb Callahan travels to an Earth Day rally in President Bush's home turf, delivering a speech to motivate volunteers on the ground. She will talk about the importance of this year's election to the environmentally conscious -- and plug the Environmental Victory Project -- at an event sponsored by the Texas League of Conservation Voters and the Texas Environmental Democrats at the University of Houston. The event will also be the culmination of a week-long campaign push on environmental issues by LCV endorsee John Kerry. He is expected to be on hand to deliver a major policy speech that will contrast his environmental vision for America with the pro-polluter policies of the Bush Administration. Stay tuned to our Web site for more details on the Texas Earth Day event.

Take an Earth Day Action

Too busy to attend a rally? Tied to your desk on Earth Day? You can still be a part of the celebration. With a few clicks of your mouse, you can tell your elected officials in Washington that you care about the environment -- and you're watching their votes.
Participate in a virtual celebration of Earth Day.

Take action now!

Airing His Disagreements

Former top EPA official Bruce Buckheit fought to enforce the nation's clean air laws, and was winning -- until the Bush Administration pushed to roll back the laws he had enforced for the last two decades. Buckheit successfully used the Clean Air Act's "New Source Review" (NSR) rules to press industry to clean up their acts. The rules require that older, more polluting plants be equipped with modern pollution controls if they undergo major upgrades, eventually cleaning up or phasing out these older plants in favor of newer, cleaner, more efficient facilities. In particular, Buckheit said that NSR rules were crucial in forging a landmark agreement with a Tampa, Florida energy producer. The agreement improved the air quality in the area by getting the energy producer to switch to cleaner burning technologies -- while increasing productivity and efficiency. But the Bush Administration announced an overhaul of the rules that favor industry's bottom line and fly in the face of protecting the air we breathe. In addition, pending investigations that could have lead to other agreements with industry to clean up their facilities were put on hold.

Last December, after seeing that the Bush Administration was in effect dismantling the very tool for reigning in polluters and enforcing the Clean Air Act, Buckheit made the difficult decision to retire. When asked in an interview on NBC's Dateline what the biggest challenge is when it comes to air pollution, Buckheit gave a very pointed response: "The Bush Administration." He continued, "I'm saying this administration has decided to put the economic interests of the coal fired power plants ahead of the public interests in reducing air pollution… I was the head of the air enforcement division up until a couple weeks ago and I watched it happen."

Read an excerpt of the interview in our Newsroom

      

  

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