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- From: Jym Dyer <jym@mica.berkeley.edu>
- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive,alt.activism,talk.environment,alt.politics.clinton
- Subject: ACTIVISM: _USA_Today_ Quasi-Poll About Environmental Issues
- Followup-To: talk.environment,alt.politics.clinton
- Date: 23 Jan 1993 04:09:46 GMT
- Organization: The Naughty Peahen Party Line
- Lines: 84
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Distribution: usa
- Message-ID: <Jym.22Jan1993.2009@naughty-peahen>
- References: <EcoNet.22Jan1993.wu1@naughty-peahen>
- <EcoNet.22Jan1993.wu2@naughty-peahen>
- <EcoNet.22Jan1993.wu3@naughty-peahen>
- NNTP-Posting-Host: remarque.berkeley.edu
- Keywords: environment
-
- =+= Today's issue of _USA_Today_ has an interesting feature:
-
- "Two experts offer conflicting views on
- environmental policy for the new administration."
-
- The "experts" are Denis Hayes, president of the Bullitt
- Foundation and founder of "Earth Day;" and Perry Pendley,
- the president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a
- "Wise Use" organization.
-
- =+= I will summarize their arguments below, but I recommend
- finding the feature and reading it. _USA_Today_ is running one
- of their Reader Call-In pseudo-polls on the feature: readers
- are exhorted to call a 900 number and vote for the either Hayes'
- or Pendley's arguments. The cost is $.29, the price of a stamp.
-
- =+= A funny thing happened: Pendley started sending FAXes out
- all over the place asking people to call in and vote for him.
- This shouldn't be too surprising: As anyone who's read Chip
- Berlet's "Wise Use" articles can see, that movement pretty much
- relies on inflated claims of their own support. If Pendley
- "wins" this completely unscientific pseudo-poll, the "Wise Use"
- movement will surely make as much hay out of it as possible.
-
- =+= Want to scuttle these plans? Call in support of Denis Hayes
- at 1-900-288-9304. Each call is $.29.
-
- =+= (Berlet's articles were posted to misc.activism.progressive
- not long ago. I am sending them out to talk.environment along
- with this message. Look for three articles with "Wise Use" --
- "The Scent of Opportunity" as the subjects. If you've got a
- threaded newsreader, follow this message's "References:" field.)
- <_Jym_>
- ================================================================
- Denis Hayes' Arguments
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- o Protect Endangered Species
- - Species are becoming extinct.
- - Biological diversity is being lost.
- - Save old growth forests.
- - Sign the Earth Summit's biodiversity treaty.
- - Strengthen the Endangered Species Act.
- o Develop "Green" Cars
- - All cars purchased by U.S. Govt. should be amongst
- the top 10 most efficient.
- - Boost fuel efficiency requirements by 2mpg for the
- next 5 years.
- - Develop cars that get 75mpg -- if we don't develop
- them, we'll be importing them.
- o Create An Energy Strategy for the 21st Century
- - 3-year program to convert buses to domestic natural gas.
- - 5-year program to increase energy efficieny of government
- buildings.
- - Double the United States' energy efficiency.
- - "Bite the bullet on a $1-a-gallon gasoline tax."
- - Global leadershipin solar and renewable energy.
- o Handle Global Threats
- - "Earth Corps" for young people to spend 2 years planting
- trees and restoring devastated areas.
- - $80-per-ton fee on carbon-based fuels.
- - Make family-planning assistance available to anybody.
-
- Perry Pendley's Arguments
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- o Stop Endless Environmental Litigation
- - Calls environmental groups a lot of names and claims
- that they destroy the economy with litigation.
- o Reform the Endangered Species Act
- - ". . . to consider its impact on _homo_sapiens_."
- - Claims the ESA is costing "thousands" of jobs.
- o Establish Wise Timber Management
- - Compares Old Growth with bubonic plague; suggests
- it be chopped down.
- o Preserve True "Wetlands"
- - Claims that "covetous federal bureaucrats" (in the Bush
- Administration, no less) changed the definition of
- "wetlands" so as to double their number.
- - Claims that environmental laws are tantamount to "takings,"
- which could cost taxpayers millions. (Doesn't mention that
- "Wise Use" groups like his are endeavoring to establish
- "takings" as doctrine with *their* litigation.)
- o "Disavow a Carter-Like War on the West"
- - This is a pure, unadulterated, content-free flame, making
- mention of cappuccino -- but not of Jimmy Carter.
-