|
June
Sacramento Bee
June 25, 2003
Bush Environmental Record Assailed
By Laura Mecoy
On Tuesday, the League of Conservation Voters, the environmental movement's political voice, launched its campaign to alert the public to the president's "deceptions" by issuing a report card giving Bush an "F" on environmental issues and scheduling a Democratic presidential forum on the environment Thursday in Los Angeles.
"Going into the league's debate, there is going to be some discussion of the relative strength of each of the candidates' records," Sara Zdeb, Friends of the Earth legislative director, said. "But compared to Bush, any of these candidates would be a superlative president."
Copley News Service
June 22, 2003 Sunday
Biotech, if not loved, wins respect
By Terri Somers
In the past decade, the annual gathering of the world's biotechnology community has attracted protesters and debate about such weighty issues as the long-term health risks of genetically engineered food, the ethics of stem cell research and cloning.
"People around the world find it odd that U.S. government officials are saying engineered foods are safe, when U.S. scientific bodies like the National Academy of Sciences and a scientific advisory panel serving the Environmental Protection Agency are calling for more safety testing," said Lawrence Bohlen of Friends of the Earth.
The European Union, so far, has rejected genetically modified food.
Yet, with President Bush touting it as the solution for ending hunger in Africa and other positive developments in biotech during the past few months, it is easier for industry insiders not to dwell on such protests.
The Washington Times
June 18, 2003
Tough times shut down Turner philanthropy
By Audrey Hudson
Ted Turner's philanthropic group has closed its wallet for at least one year to new funding for environmental groups because of financial problems.
Last year, the foundation awarded more than 500 new grants and paid out $28 million to special-interest groups. That was down from 675 new grants in 2001 with $69 million paid out.
"It's meant a lot to us. This is a terrible loss for the environmental community," said Chris Pabon, director of foundation relations for Friends of the Earth, which received $100,000 in two grants.
"Turner was a consistent funder of environmental groups, so it's really like losing one of your strongest allies - the stone on which the environmental community was built. And when the pillar moves, the foundation shifts," Mr. Pabon said.
Some groups will have to fold while others probably will consolidate their assets.
"These groups will have a hole in their budget, and they will have to fill the gap somewhere," Mr. Pabon said.
The Associated Press
June 16, 2003, Monday
Study raises questions about Douglas' Circ jobs claims
By: David Gram
Environmental groups are demanding that the Douglas administration document its claims that the planned Chittenden County Circumferential Highway will be a big engine for job growth.
If the Douglas administration wants to say it wasn't, those statements could be used as evidence in court to support a claim that the environmental assessment hadn't met the requirements of federal law, said Brian Dunkiel, a Burlington lawyer representing Friends of the Earth, which opposes the highway.
Douglas spokesman Jason Gibbs could not cite any studies that had looked at the economic consequences of the road.
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
June 12, 2003
By Robert Kozak
LIMA (Dow Jones)--Companies developing the $1.5 billion Camisea natural gas project in Peru could breath a sigh of relief Tuesday when a small band of terrorists released about 70 workers unharmed.
The hostage episode underscores the difficulties facing a project that the government hopes will boost economic growth and reduce the Andean nation's dependence on imported fuels.
"The hostage-taking adds just another layer of risk to the project on top of all the other issues," said Jon Sohn, of environmental group Friends of the Earth, which has been pressuring international lenders to refuse to fund the project.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
June 11, 2003
Study: Circ Highway won't stimulate job growth
A new federal study questions assertions that the Circumferential Highway through suburban Burlington will create jobs in the region.
Business and political leaders have argued for years that the 16-mile-long highway is essential to Chittenden County's economic growth.
But the study conducted for the Federal Highway Administration, which looked at the environmental and economic consequences of the new road, says the project won't create more jobs.
"There's no net increase in jobs. It's just a shifting of where jobs are located," said Brian Dunkiel, a Burlington lawyer who represents the Friends of the Earth environmental group.
He said the new environmental assessment looked at how growth patterns in the region would be affected by the new highway.
"The information contained in the draft shows that the proponents of the highway's suggestion that the Circ will be part of the state's policy to promote jobs is not accurate," Dunkiel said. "And in fact, the data's quite remarkable in that it shows there's an almost equal shift of jobs from town centers to outside of town centers."
Sun-Sentinel
June 7, 2003
U.S. Chilean Envoys Sign Bilateral Trade Agreement
By: Doreen Hemlock Business Writer
The United States signed its first free-trade agreement with a South American nation on Friday, touting the wide-ranging pact with Chile as a model for the Americas and beyond.
But critics, mainly from labor and environmental groups, rejected the model as flawed and urged U.S. and Chilean lawmakers to reject it.
Critics also claim the pact would let foreign corporations sue for damages over domestic health and safety laws in special trade tribunals.
"As in NAFTA, multinational investors get greater rights than U.S. citizens receive," Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder said in a statement. "This agreement is the wrong model for our trade policy, unless you want to tear down our hard-won environmental protections."
Financial Times (London)
June 4, 2003
Banks sign up for responsible lending accord
By Demetri Sevastopulos
Ten international banks from seven countries will today adopt guidelines for project finance in emerging markets, in the first industry-wide attempt to encourage socially responsible lending.
The "Equator Principles" were drafted by ABN Amro, Barclays, Citigroup and WestLB in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank.
"We are pleased that banks are responding to public pressure and are trying to address the environmental and social impact of their transactions," said Michelle Chan-Fishel of Friends of the Earth, who helped develop the Colleveccio Declaration. "But one of the key weaknesses of most corporate-led voluntary initiatives is the lack of accountability in implementation mechanisms. This may be the fatal flaw of the Equator Principles." www.ft.com/banking
The Record
June 1, 2003
N.Y. opens section of park along Hudson
By: Verena Dobnik
NEW YORK - Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Friday opened a 10-acre stretch of Manhattan parkland along the Hudson River billed as "the Central Park of the 21st Century."
"We like parks on dry land, and the greenbelt along the Hudson River is wonderful. But we oppose any construction on or over the river - even if it's rebuilding old piers," said Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth, a Washington-based non-profit environmental organization.
"It's harmful to water quality and to the dwindling fishery habitat," he said.
|
