2006

Rebuffed agencies can find other ways
The Hill
May 17, 2006
By Duncan Spencer

The EPA's fate at the hands of Friends of the Earth lawyers and the stern judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals was humiliating. The environmental agency looked ridiculous when it argued that water quality in the dirty little river should be measured not every day but on seasonal or yearly averages, avoiding measurement during all-too-frequent downpours that turn the stream into an open sewer.

Bush Declares Support for Border Fence in Visit to Yuma, Arizona
Environmentalists Divided Over Bush Plan.
The Frontrunner
May 19, 2006

The Washington Times (5/19, Hudson, 90K) reports that environmental groups are divided over the Bush Administration's plan to protect the southwestern US border against illegal immigration. The heavy hitters on the environmental scene, however, are sitting on the sidelines of the policy battle including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, Friends of the Earth and the World Wildlife Fund."

Nanotech Urged to Fight Back
Industry risks more regulation if it doesn't counter misperceptions, says advocate.
Red Herring
May 18, 2006

The nanotechnology industry was urged Thursday to aggressively counter pressure from environmental and consumer groups on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to tighten regulations on nanotech-enabled products.

Eight groups, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, have already fired the first shot by petitioning the FDA earlier this week to increase its scrutiny of personal care products and cosmetics containing nanoparticles. The petition is typically the prelude to a lawsuit.

"Friends of the Earth grabbed the initiative and defined it for the industry," said Mr. Mansour. "What Friends of the Earth did was nothing short of declaring war on nanotechnology."

New S.F.-Alcatraz ferry operator plans to use hybrids
mercurynews.com, Bay City News Service
May 17, 2006

With the signing of a new 10-year contract between the National Park Service and Hornblower Cruises and Events, two hybrid-electric ferries will eventually be crossing to the famed former penitentiary Alcatraz Island from San Francisco, according to the environmental advocacy organization Bluewater Network…Hornblower Cruises and Events has agreed to build the first ferry within two years and the second vessel within five years.  The 600-passenger boats are modeled on ferries designed by the Australian company Solar Sailor and operate at between 12 and 15 knots. Both ferries will harness solar and wind energy and each will be fitted with a sail that can be used in windy conditions but also retracted in extreme weather, according to Bluewater Network. The boats will be fitted with large batteries that will power the vessels' electric motors and which can be recharged onshore. When necessary, the ferries will use diesel generators that are designed to reduce emissions to between 70 and 90 percent of the emissions released by conventional diesel-powered boats, Bluewater Network reported.  The ferries could also serve as transbay shuttles in the event of emergencies such as earthquakes because they are able to run at low speeds on wind and electricity alone, according to the organization.

Cruise Ships Plugging into Port
Seattle Times
May 3, 2006

As towering ships return to Seattle's waterfront this month for the start of the Alaska cruise season, local leaders have been touting work to cut air pollution by plugging four of the ships into the city's electrical grid.  In fact, this year Seattle will be the first port in the nation with two berths for cruise ships to shut off their engines and draw power from the city, say Port of Seattle officials…"We're encouraged that the Port is considering increasing the number of shoreside hookups," said Teri Shore of the Bluewater Network, a San Francisco group that fights cruise-ship pollution. "But that is not going to get them off the hook for increased emissions to surrounding communities. They still need to do more."

It’s Hard to be Both Tough and Green
DetNews.com
February 17, 2006

The conflicted state of the auto industry in the US is front and center at this year's Chicago auto show. The show, which wraps up this weekend, reveals automakers wrestling with the challenge of promoting new, large truck models at a time when consumers are concerned with fuel economy and environmental issues …It will be interesting to see whether Toyota can pull off this bit of PR wizardry. For some years the Japanese brand has been given a free pass by the general media when it comes to environmental image. The fact is that Toyota has plenty of fuel guzzling large trucks in its corporate line-up (the Sequoia, for example, gets no better mileage than its Motown rivals and is less fuel efficient than GM's new full-size SUV range). Seemingly unaware of such details, the press at large always picks on GM or Ford when writing about fuel thirsty vehicles. Only last summer's brief but aggressive broadside from the Bluewater Network environmental group broke the spell, by labeling Toyota's projected green image as a marketing ploy.

Bill Ford Runs into Criticism During Automaker’s Annual Meeting
Associated Press
May 12, 2006

Russell Long, director of the environmental group Bluewater Network, praised Ford for promising to produce 250,000 hybrid vehicles by 2010, but he said Ford needs to explore other technologies such as plug-in hybrids, which give hybrid batteries an extra electrical charge. No manufacturer currently makes a plug-in hybrid.  "We believe Ford needs to be even more courageous," Long said.  Bill Ford said the company is working on plug-ins but isn't ready to make any announcement. He also cited the company's commitment to ethanol-fuelled vehicles.

Environment and Energy Daily
March 16, 2006  

Several House members criticized the National Park Service yesterday for its "glacial pace" in finalizing rules for personal watercraft use in a handful of parks where the recreational activity is currently banned. During a House Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee meeting, industry officials told lawmakers that bad publicity surrounding the watercraft bans has cost the U.S. economy $2.7 billion and led to the loss of more than 3,000 jobs over the past nine years. Environmental groups have complained for years about the PWC effect on water and air quality as well as lack of uniform rules and strongly dispute those figures. At issue yesterday were rules concerning the popular activity, which has occurred at some level in approximately 32 of the 87 areas of the National Park System that allow motorized boating …But Carl Schneebeck of the Bluewater Network said an array of other factors are to blame for the steep decline in PWC industry, including product liability lawsuits and concerns over the noise and environmental impact of the machines. Nearly 99 percent of all U.S. ocean waters and 97 percent of inland waterways are open to PWC use, he said. "There are plenty of places to ride personal watercraft, but the hard truth for the industry is there is a declining interest in doing so." Committee ranking member Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) criticized the industry along similar lines for overstating the case and blaming other problems on the NPS prohibitions. "I don't buy it," he said.

2005

D.C. moves to ban hazardous rail cargo near Capitol

The Associated Press State & Local Wire
January 28, 2005
By Brett Zongker

Saying they can't rely on the federal government to eliminate a potential terrorist target near the U.S. Capitol, city lawmakers moved Friday to ban hazardous train cargo downtown. Nine District of Columbia Council members signed on to a bill that would keep freight trains carrying chemicals like chlorine from running through the downtown area.

The council members cite studies that a terrorist attack on such trains could kill 100,000 people in a few minutes. Railcars carrying hazardous chemicals pass within four blocks of the Capitol. The headquarters of several cabinet level agencies are even closer to CSX Corp. tracks.

"We're saying go around to protect high-threat cities against terrorism," said council consultant Fred Millar of the group Friends of the Earth. "Let's face it, American communities are in blissful ignorance of the dangers."

Earlier this month, a Norfolk Southern train crash in South Carolina left nine people dead, injured hundreds more and forced the evacuation of 5,400 residents when a green-blue chlorine cloud was released into the air.

 
On a Rare Visit, Bush Talks up Atomic Power

The New York Times
By Matthew Wald
June 22, 2005

George W. Bush on Wednesday made the first presidential visit to a nuclear plant in 26 years, and declared, “It is time for this country to start building nuclear power plants again.”

Any aid for the nuclear industry faces stiff opposition. Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth, said subsidies for new reactors would soak up all the money that should go into solar or wind power, or into efficiency investments.

National Park Service takes national look at ORV use

Land Letter
June 16, 2005

Environmental groups such as the Bluewater Network have been pushing the Park Service to address ORVs, saying unauthorized use contributes to soil erosion, habitat destruction, watershed degradation and damage to cultural and other resources.

Sean Smith, public lands director of the Bluewater Network, said the group and Park Service have not reached an agreement yet on ORV use. Bluewater still has a petition to restrict ORV use to high-standard gravel roads and paved surfaces, he said.

"The Forest Service's actions have got the Park Service's attention," Smith said. "The Park Service ... wants to be a leader on these environmental issues, and we're hopeful the Park Service will at least catch up to what the Forest Service is doing.

"At a minimum, they recognize they have a serious problem and recognize they have to do something. The debate will be on what's that going to be."

Politicians rally for struggling Amtrak

The Associated Press
June 13, 2005
By Foster Klug

President Bush has proposed cutting all federal funding for Amtrak, which is getting $1.2 billion this year and has requested $1.82 billion for 2006.

There are also worries about the environmental consequences that could arise if millions are forced to abandon trains for already congested highways.

"Americans are driving into traffic jams and pollution every time they pull away from the curb," said Colin Peppard with Friends of the Earth. "Yet we are ignoring the transportation systems that are right in front of us."

EPA reviews fuel efficiency test after groups question validity

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
May 31, 2005
By Elisa Crouch

The government's method to calculate fuel economy is 30 years old, and does not consider today's busier highways, higher speed limits and increased use of air conditioning.

So the Environmental Protection Agency is re-evaluating the way it calculates fuel efficiency to make sticker information on new vehicles more reliable.

The difference between expected and realistic fuel economy can prove costly at the pump, said Russell Long, executive director of Bluewater Network, the San Francisco-based environmental group that first petitioned the EPA for changes in 2002.

The EPA expects to propose changes this year.

Genetically modified rice won’t be planted near Bootheel fields

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Bill Lambrecht

The California company whose plan to sprout pharmaceutical rice in Missouri’s Bootheel triggered a boycott threat from Anheuser-Busch brewing company said Friday that it would seek a new Missouri planting site removed from commercial rice fields.

Bill Freese, spokesman for Friends of the Earth, which has coordinated opposition in Missouri, said he welcomed the move away from the Bootheel but added, “We believe that any outdoor cultivation of pharmaceutical crop is ill advised.”

Ford to Write a Report on Global Warming

Associated Press Online
March 31, 2005 Thursday
By Dee-Ann Durbin

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it will write a report about global warming, including details on emissions from Ford vehicles and factories, in response to complaints from some shareholders that the nation's second biggest automaker isn't doing enough to reduce pollution.

"Ford does nice reports, but they're still suing California, lobbying against higher federal mileage standards and their new vehicles still create more global warming pollution than any major automaker," said Russell Long, director of the Bluewater Network.

Interior Department's No. 2 Resigns After Controversial Tenure

The Washington Post
December 8, 2004
By Juliet Eilperin

J. Steven Griles, the former timber and energy lobbyist who managed the country's vast mineral and land holdings as the Interior Department's No. 2 official, resigned yesterday and said he would return to the private sector.

Environmentalists hailed Griles's departure, saying he had blocked wilderness protections and promoted energy interests since joining Norton's side in July 2001. Friends of the Earth program director David Hirsch, whose group obtained logs of his meetings with former clients and administration officials on regulatory issues that mattered to several of his old clients, mocked the idea that Griles is returning to private life.

"That's the whole problem: He never left private life. He spent four years working for his former clients at the Department of Interior," Hirsch said. "It didn't seem to matter how many problems came out, he just kept going. He's the Energizer Bunny of conflict of interest."

Schwarzenegger unveils action plan to protect California coast

The Associated Press
October 19, 2004
By Terence Chea

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a plan to protect Pacific waters off the state's coast that seeks to make California a national leader in ocean conservation.

The plan, called Protecting Our Ocean: California's Action Strategy, outlines a series of legislative actions, studies and state programs aimed at restoring the state's coastline and coastal waters to benefit the environment, recreation and the economy. The plan only offers $12.5 million in new funding so far, but calls on state agencies to devise ways to finance new projects.

"We think it's a good step forward that shows the administration's commitment to ocean protection," said Teri Shore, a campaign director at the Bluewater Network, which advocates for reducing pollution from cruise ships. "We'll have to wait and see."

Ban on biotech crops sought

Contra Costa Times
July 22, 2004
By Judy Silber

Environmental groups Wednesday called for a statewide ban of genetically engineered crops designed to produce pharmaceuticals, saying they pose too many risks for food safety and the environment.

"We believe a prudent approach is called for to protect the interests of California consumers and farmers," read the report issued by Friends of the Earth, Consumers Union and the Center for Food Safety.

Until state agencies carry out a thorough review, the environmental groups urged California regulators to ban not only the rice but also all bioengineered crops designed to produce pharmaceuticals.