| Odoslal: | Martin Rusnak |
| Dátum: | December 29, 1998 o 21:35:03 |
| Subject: | A CLEAR VIEW, Volume 5 Number 14. |
Quotes of the Week:
"One in four families would have to give up all means of vehicular and air
travel and all household electricity [under the Kyoto Protocol]. Gas lines
could reach for miles... The tooth fairy has held center stage for too
long. It's past time to return the global warming inmates to the asylum."
---E. Ralph Hostetter, "The 'threat' of global warming," _New Jersey
Farmer_, September 1998.
"The misuse of Jewish law is sacrilegious. The [Jewish] environmentalists
are wrong to insist that PCBs buried in the Hudson River are harmful. In
fact, PCBs are not carcinogenic in humans... Jews are commanded to take
care of and improve upon the world. We are not called to elevate
environmental extremism into a 'profoundly sacred action.' Polluting the
mitzvot and tikkun olam with junk science and then proclaiming to be doing
God's work is shameful."
---Jeff Steir, of the American Council on Science and Health, in a letter
to _Forward_ (English version), a national weekly Jewish newspaper,
criticizing a previous article, "Jewish Environmentalists Beat GE with
Willow Sticks." October 23, 1998.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
*****Features*****
1. CLEAR thoughts on "Ecoterror," the Vail Arsons, and Ron Arnold & Barry
Clausen's 15 minutes of fame.
2. Judgment in Question: New York Times' Science Reporter, Gina Kolata,
relies on some not-so-sound science.
3. Environmental Working Group resigns from EPA Pesticide Committee, citing
inaction.
*****What the Users Are Up To*****
4. Western Fuels Association's Greening Earth Society issues sequel to
"The Greening of Planet Earth."
5. Anti-environmental sugar daddy Richard Scaife fined for CA campaign
finance violations.
6. Barry Clausen: A visit to Ferry County, WA and a relocation to Eureka, CA.
7. Snowmobilers try to blast into Denali wilderness.
8. NCPPR's David Ridenour tries to claim victory grasped in the jaws of
defeat, gloats Gingrich was great for environmental legislation.
9. Exxon plants trees! Company awash with green!
10. League of Private Property Voters Congressional Index.
11. American Policy Center attacks National Council of Churches' support
of Kyoto Protocol.
12. Users win election in Washington State.
*****Resources*****
13. Federal Appropriations Wrap Up: NRDC gives the final results of
budget riders, environmental (in)action of the 105th Congress.
Apologies for the multiple copies of the Western Fuels Association report
received by subscribers to the CLEAR list last month. A glitch in the list
serve caused a loop which we didn't discover until the next morning.
Thanks for your understanding and notes of concern. Happy Holidays!
Also, the CLEAR office will be closed December 24- January 3.
=================================
*****Features*****
*1. Editorial: CLEAR thoughts on "Ecoterror".
Unless you inhabit a media-free zone, it was impossible to ignore the
coverage of the October Vail Arsons and the unquestioned prominence the
national media gave Ron Arnold and Barry Clausen as "Ecoterror" "experts."
With a few exceptions, a reader not already familiar with the Wise Guys
would have had no idea of their decade-long anti-environmental agenda and
their track record of sometimes violent rhetoric against environmentalists
and environmentalism.
Arnold appeared on the ABC Nightly News, both were quoted lavishly by the
Associated Press, USA Today unquestioningly quoted Arnold, and the Denver
Rocky Mountain News used both Arnold and Clausen with little background.
Several articles didn't mention Arnold's affiliation with The Center for
the Defense of Free Enterprise (CDFE) at all, and referred to him only as
the author of "Eco-Terror." Arnold made more measured appearances in the
New York Times and the San Jose Mercury News which provided descriptions of
CDFE and counter-quotes from environmentalists.
A few counter-stories ran in the predictable places: The Village Voice, a
couple of radio interviews on National Public Radio. Shock and outrage
poured from the environmental community, both for the actions of a fringe
group with no accountability and for the credit given to Arnold and
Clausen, but little attention was paid. A media watchdog group found in a
media survey done October 28 that the word "terrorist" or "terrorism" was
used 55 times in coverage of the Vail story and only six times in the
coverage of Dr. Slepian murdered by pro-life extremists at roughly the same
time, though both were acts of fringe radicals for political reasons.
(FAIR-L Alert: Beware the Media's "Terrorism" Notions. November 2, 1998).
Unfortunately, the Vail arsons provided the Wise Use movement with the
opportunity they have been waiting for. "Ecoterror" is now a household
word, and will be associated with the Vail arsons and environmentalism for
a very long time. Now Arnold and Clausen have a platform on which to build
a case for more "ecoterror" hearings such as the ones the two testified at
last June. In Wise Use dreamland, eventual legislation would criminalize
all civil disobedience and cast the legitimacy and legality of all
environmental activism into question. Until October 20, they didn't have
much of a chance.
The first round of hearings existed only because of a last-ditch power play
by outgoing Congressman Frank Riggs, (R-CA) whose office had been
repeatedly targeted by Earth First! activists protesting logging of the
Headwaters. But now the idea of prosecuting "ecoterrorists" under RICO,
the anti-organized crime statute, will carry a lot more weight.
The vague associations and innuendoes have already started. The following
logic thread appeared in the conservative Washington Times, but will likely
be duplicated. According to the story, the American Farm Bureau Federation
Association headquarters in Illinois has received two bomb threats in
recent months, ostensibly because of its opposition to wolf reintroduction
in Yellowstone. In light of the Vail Arsons, the AFBF is now worried
something might happen. In the article, billboards and advertisements run
by the Defenders of Wildlife, a well-respected, law-abiding, environmental
organization, are mentioned as having called the public to take action on
behalf of the wolves. It is then implied that if the Farm Bureau building
is bombed, it will be the fault of Defenders of Wildlife for running
environmental advocacy advertisements, thus promoting "ecoterror". This
kind of logic, if widely bought into, could have a chilling effect on even
the most benign forms of environmental advocacy. (Valerie Richardson,
"Ecoterrorists send warnings to save Yellowstone wolves," _The Washington
Times_, November 27, 1998).
In the weeks following the Vail arson, CLEAR also received two letters from
separate organizations listed in CLEAR's on-line database asking to be
removed because of the arsons. They both claimed the CLEAR site could act
as an "enemies list," and were afraid of the consequences of being labeled
anti-environmental. One complaint was also sent to what the author
believed was a source of CLEAR's funding, demanding the organization "take
immediate charge of [CLEAR's] web site and withhold their funding so that
it can no longer be available on the internet or elsewhere."
The environmental backlash movement owes a great big "thank-you" to
whomever perpetrated this destructive and unoriginal act against Vail's
buildings. ELF/ALF may well have made things much worse for the
environmental movement as a whole, practitioners of civil disobedience and
non-violent direct actions in particular, and "the lynx" is certainly not
any closer to having its habitat protected.
=====
*2. Judgment in Question: New York Times' Science Reporter, Gina Kolata,
relies on some not-so-sound science.
Two major articles in the past six months have taken New York Times
reporter Gina Kolata to task, providing ample evidence to suggest her
articles are often written with a pro-corporate conclusion already in mind.
_The Nation_ article "What's wrong with the New York Time's science
reporting" by Mark Dowie ran July 6, 1998 with a similarly focused piece by
Sheryl Fagin in _Brill's Content_ October issue.
Both articles level the same basic criticisms: Kolata doesn't look for the
money trail behind the often industry paid scientists she quotes, doesn't
bother to check for opposing scientific viewpoints, and has at times even
ignored evidence that did not fit her preconceived notion. Her opinions
"color" the tone of her articles and the descriptions of environmental and
public health scientists and activists. Specifics abound in the two
pieces, mostly involving Kolata's work on breast implants, endocrine
disrupters, irradiation, AIDS and cancer, all issues of great importance
and interest to the general public.
Brill's Content called Kolata "The most influential science reporter in the
country." This makes her source choices particularly troubling. She has
turned to chemical industry experts again and again with near hostility to
the idea that toxins might affect human health. A couple of favorite
industry-funded scientists are Steven Safe and Bruce Ames. Ames was
involved with apparently defunct corporate front group, The Advancement of
Sound Science Coalition (TASSC). (According to Dowie, Kolata received
TASSC's 1995 "Sound Science in Journalism Award," something Kolata does not
list on her official record of achievements.)
For example, Kolata used Ames and Safe as experts in an article railing
against _Our Stolen Future_, a book which suggests certain environmental
pollutants could be mimicking hormones, a phenomenon known as endocrine
disruption. There is ample evidence in the animal world to merit research
on the effects to humans. However, Kolata did not inform her readers that
both Ames and Safe were on the list of experts provided by the Chemical
Manufacturers Association, American Crop Protection Association and the
American Plastics Council's collective response to _Our Stolen Future_.
(According to Dowie). Fagin points out that neither Safe or Ames have
expertise in endocrinology, epidemiology or reproduction as one would
expect from scientific experts on endocrine disrupters. Nor did Kolata
mention or give any credit the reams of wildlife biologists whose work is
the basis of _Our Stolen Future_, and described the authors J. P. Meyers
and Theo Colbourn as activists rather than the credentialed scientists they
are. This is one example of source manipulation among many.
The Nation Article goes a step farther than Brill's Content, calling Kolata
a "faithful apologist for corporate science" and concludes "the New York
Times is compromising its reputation as a balanced and reliable source of
science news and commentary." Check out the articles and judge for
yourself.
=====
*3. Environmental Working Group resigns from Pesticide Committees, citing
inaction.
The Environmental Working Group, CLEAR's "parent" organization, resigned
from Vice President Al Gore's Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee
(TRAC) and Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee, creating quite a stir.
The committees were designed to monitor implementation of the Food Quality
Protection Act and create dialogue between "stakeholders" in various
pesticide issues.
In a letter addressed to Gore on October 26, 1998, EWG president Ken Cook
cited the Clinton administration's failure to take "any tangible
action...that actually will protect children from pesticides." Cook added
that he was frustrated by recent legislation that pushes back the promised
phase-out of the highly toxic and ozone depleting fumigant methyl bromide,
and by the lack of effort to restrict or ban the more dangerous
organophosphate insecticides. Cook took the administration to task,
stating "We came away from the committee with the distinct impression that
this government is going to talk about protecting children from pesticide
risks, but is unwilling to act to reduce those risks in deference to the
economic concerns of agribusiness groups, pesticide companies and food
processors."
The American Crop Protection Association, a pesticide trade organization
"pledged to continue to work with the TRAC process and echoed feelings of
most TRAC members that past meetings have been worthwhile." (_FQPA
Spotlight_, "EWG pulls out of TRAC and PPDC," October 30, 1998)
=====
*****What the Users Are Up To*****
*4. Western Fuels Association's Greening Earth Society issues sequel to
"The Greening of Planet Earth."
The Western Fuels Association's Greening Earth Society (GES) premiered its
new pro-global warming video, "The Greening of Planet Earth Continues" to
fewer than ten conservative media outlet reporters and coal industry
writers in a press conference November 13, 1998. The video and follow-up
panel of industry scientists was beamed via (expensive) satellite to over
sixty locations nationwide from Western Fuels member Basin Electric's
national meeting in Bismarck, North Dakota. Western Fuels claim over 1200
Basin Electric employees and their families were in attendance at the
Bismarck event.
The new video extols the benefits of CO2 on the earth's biomass, showing
how trees and plants in controlled conditions grow faster with greater
levels of CO2. There are many problems in applying these static
experiments to the real world ecosystem. First of all, no increase in
temperature or change in weather or climate is accounted for, elements
which could seriously affect the ability of plants and ecosystems to adapt.
There is recent research which suggests increased atmospheric CO2 could
lead to stunted growth in the tropical regions (_Scientific American,
October 1998_). James Teeri, a scientist at the University of Michigan has
found that although aspen trees may grow faster with more available CO2,
the effects on the surrounding ecosystem are deleterious. There are far
too many unknowns to declare that there is no need for concern about
increased atmospheric CO2, that the "science is in" and the future will be
rosy. In follow-up questioning, even Sylvan Wittwer admitted "certain
plants don't benefit" but glossed over the exceptions.
Global warming skeptics Patrick Michaels, Robert Balling, Sallie Baliunas,
and Sylvan Wittwer served on the live follow-up panel as scientific
experts. All are involved in various Western Fuels anti-emission reduction
projects. All were featured in the video along with Thomas Gale Moore of
the Hoover Institution and nine other scientists, mostly agricultural
researchers and not climatologists.
The event coincided with the last day of the Buenos Aires talks on
ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The GES press release stated that
copies of the video were distributed in Buenos Aires. A source who attended
the talks in Argentina told CLEAR the videos were being distributed by the
Competitive Enterprise Institute. CEI's own press release dated November
11, 1998 stated CEI was passing out GES' publication "In Defense of Carbon
Dioxide: A Comprehensive Review of Carbon Dioxide's Effects on Human
Health, Welfare, and the Environment" at the UN climate change conference
in Buenos Aires.
The video sequel proved to be a big-budget flop, garnering a single story
in the mainstream media (The Bismarck Tribune). According to Western
Fuels' 1998 annual report, the association lost $583,000 in 1997 due to
their "advocacy in the area of climate change." Looks like they aren't
getting much for their money.
=====
*5. Anti-environmental sugar daddy Richard Scaife fined for campaign
finance violations.
Richard Mellon Scaife was fined $7000 in California in early November for
failure to report $200,000 in contributions equally divided between the
Proposition 209 and the Proposition 226 ballot measure campaigns. The
campaigns apparently reported the donations properly, but Scaife violated
the law when he failed to file "major donor reports" with the California
Secretary of State.
Proposition 209 was approved in 1996 and eliminated affirmative action
hiring for state agencies. Proposition 226, so-called "paycheck
protection" was voted down in June 1998, but would have made it hard for
unions to use dues for political causes. (all information from
Scripps-McClatchety Western Service 11-06-98)
Scaife heads three foundations which give a large amount of money to
organizations who support the environmental backlash: The Sarah Scaife,
Allegheny and Carthage Foundations.
=====
*6. Barry Clausen: A visit to Ferry County, WA and a relocation to Eureka, CA.
Barry Clausen spoke to a group of citizens in Washington State on the
subject of "Radical Environmentalists" on October 5. He was invited by the
Ferry County Action League, a Wise Use group active in the Curlew area (NE
Washington).
Clausen reportedly urged citizens to get involved with property rights and
resource extraction support groups, and tried to paint environmentalists as
nature worshipping extremists. He unveiled a new theory which alleges that
Ben and Jerry's foundation gives money to Earth First! in order to shut
down small logging companies, an idea most likely borrowed from Clausen's
co-backlasher Ron Arnold. (Press release, Kettle Range Conservation Group
and Western States Center, October 6, 1998).
**More News About Clausen.
Sources in California have informed CLEAR that Clausen has opened a PO box
and has a listed phone number in a Eureka suburb. It is unknown whether he
maintains an address in Washington, his last place of residence. Recent
press accounts of the Vail fires identified Clausen and his North American
Research organization as being from Northern California.
Eureka is the site of Congressman Frank Riggs' district office where the
well publicized Earth First! protest took place in October of 1997. Young
female activists had pepper spray applied directly to their eyelids by law
enforcement, but Clausen and Riggs regard this protest as an act of
ecoterrorism. Clausen, a self-styled expert on "ecoterror" and Earth
First, may be trying to cash in on the active presence of Earth Firsters in
the area due to the escalating battle with Pacific Lumber over logging in
the Headwaters forest.
=====
*7. Snowmobilers try to blast into Denali wilderness.
Motorized access advocates are attempting to re-interpret the Alaska
National Interest Lands Conservation Act to allow snowmobiles into 2
million acres of Denali National Park that has been protected from
motorized access for more than eighty years.
When Denali was expanded by 4 million acres in 1980, a provision was made
for "traditional access" to the annexed area. Snowmachine enthusiasts are
trying to extend this access to the original heart of Denali where they
have not been allowed since 1917. The Northern Alaska Environmental Center
describes this ploy as "grasping at straws to gain motorized access to
another place it doesn't belong."
(Northern Alaska Environmental Center, Arctic Action #73)
=====
*8. NCPPR's David Ridenour tries to claim victory in the jaws of defeat,
proclaims Gingrich great for environmental legislation.
Nobody can turn an idea or event on its head faster than David Ridenour of
the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR). Ridenour's latest
analysis, which appeared in the San Jose Mercury News November 11, 1998,
makes the case that environmentalists lost big-time in the last election.
Environmental groups, including the Republicans for Environmental
Protection, have been quick to claim electoral victory, citing attempts to
block or dismantle environmental protections as a partial reason for the
lack of a "Republican Revolution" and the success of green candidates in
both parties.
Ridenour sites the "most significant setback for environmentalists" is the
loss of Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House. Ridenour writes, "House
Speaker Newt Gingrich was the environmental movement's best ally in the
House. This is true not only because environmentalists could demonize any
legislation they disliked by attaching Gingrich's name to it, but because
the speaker frequently worked behind the scenes to advance the
environmental movement's agenda." He goes on to site blockage of
Kempthornes' ESA reform which was opposed equally by property rights groups
and environmentalists, and Gingrich "granting" green Republican Sherwood
Boehlert "veto power over all Republican environmental initiatives" as
examples of Gingrich's so-called green streak.
Gingrich received a 1997 rating of -1% from the League of Conservation
Voters, with a slightly better rating of 0% for 1998.
=====
*9. Exxon plants trees!
Gee, I guess they really do care about the environment.
Exxon pledged to plant one million trees by the year 2000 as part of the
American Forests' "Global Releaf 2000" campaign. American Forests is
expert at running such greenwash campaigns for corporate clients, complete
with praise for the client's good corporate citizenship and green
credibility. While there's nothing inherently wrong with planting trees,
the same press release touted Exxon's environmental commitment, bragging
about having spent $1.8 million on "environmental research and conservation
programs in the United States." (Business Wire, "Corporation Pledges One
Million Trees for Global Releaf" October 6, 1998).
However, even if you had $25 in your pocket for every sapling Exxon plants
in the Global Releaf project, you still wouldn't have as much dough as
Exxon CEO Lee Raymond was paid last year in salary, bonus and stock
options. Exxon's entire environmental spending is just over one-fifteenth
of Raymond's whopping $26,731,648 compensation package. (AFL/CIO's
Executive Paywatch, www.paywatch.org). Then again, if you add the
estimated $800 million the company spent on cleaning up the Valdez spill to
their environmental spending...
=====
*10. League of Private Property Voters (LPPV) releases latest
Congressional Vote Index.
Chuck Cushman's LPPV released the 1999 Congressional Vote Index in
mid-October, just in time for the November elections.
The index rates the second session of the 105th Congress' property rights
friendliness. The guide has served as the environmental backlash answer to
the League of Conservation Voters since 1992. The first session index was
sponsored by approximately 225 extraction and grazing industry businesses,
trade organizations and Wise Use groups. Among them were American Policy
Center, Associated Oregon Loggers, Blue Ribbon Coalition, Defenders of
Property Rights, Environmental Conservation Organization, Ferry County
Action League, Montana Woolgrowers, Multiple Use Association, National
Hardwood Lumber Association, National Republican Senatorial Committee,
Nevada and other state level Farm Bureau Associations, People for the USA,
Take Back Arkansas, Wood Products Manufacturers Association and the Yellow
Ribbon Coalition. Donations are listed on the web site through August
1998, which is several months past the printing of the first session index,
suggesting donors support both the first and second session issues. ALRA
did not respond to CLEAR's request for clarification of funding sources for
the second session index.
The format was the same as in past years, with seven issue votes tallied in
the Senate and twelve in the house. Senate votes included support of the
Hutchinson Amendment which would have required congressional approval of
the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, support for the Private Property
Rights Implementation Act (which did not see final passage and was counted
twice by LPPV because of its importance), and support of the King Cove Land
Transfer, which would allow a controversial road through the Izembek
National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Key private property issues in the House included support for the
prohibition of using Department of Interior funds for designating World
Heritage sites and opposition to George Miller's (D-CA) Interior
Appropriations amendment that would have prohibited the use of federal
funds to build a road through the Tongass National Forest. Sponsorship of
the Point Reyes National Seashore Farmland Protection Act counted as a
strike against private property rights, even though the bill was never
voted on.
For specific results, visit American Land Rights Association's web site at
www.landrights.org and follow the links to the 1999 Congressional Vote
Index.
=====
*11. American Policy Center attacks National Council of Churches' support
of Kyoto Protocol, religious-based environmental stewardship.
The National Council of Churches is urging congregations across the country
to write letters in support of the Kyoto global warming Protocol, an effort
which the American Policy Center calls "part of a nation-wide drive by
radical greens to influence American churches with green propaganda."
APC goes on to call the organizing group, National Religious Partnership
for the Environment, A "UN front group of anti-Christian, earth-worshipping
Pagans..." whose purpose is to "break down the strongest bastion of
opposition to earth worship and the destruction of morality in America."
(APC alert, September 19, 1998).
In a related rant, Tom DeWeese of APC urges readers to contact Randy Tate
of the Christian Coalition, James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Jerry
Falwell, Pat Robertson and several other Christian Rights leaders to urge
them to oppose National Religion Partnership for the Environment's
participation in the National Evangelical Association conference because
"they are promoting anti-Christian, earth-worshipping paganism that many
times borders on actual Devil worship." (APC newsletter, October 22, 1998)
=====
*12. Users win election in Washington State.
Thanks to an activist report, CLEAR has learned that Bob Hirst was elected
Commissioner in Okanogan County, WA in November. Hirst was a co-founder of
the Wise-Use Common Sense Resources League and received campaign
contributions from Battle Mountain Gold and Keystone Gold Companies.
According to the Columbia River Bioregional Education Project, issues that
propelled Hirst into power included mining leases, and fear of ESA
enforcement, particularly surrounding salmon restoration.
Hirst's campaign was aided by the Okanogan County Citizen's Coalition
(OC3), which has twenty local member groups. Many are members of Alliance
for America. The OC3 umbrella group has reportedly networked with People
for the USA, and may be expanding organizing efforts into neighboring Ferry
County, where the Ferry County Action League is already quite active.
Wise Use groups and subjects may be out of the national lime-light, but our
colleagues on Washington State are obviously still feeling their presence.
Please provide CLEAR with any similar situations you experience or
information you may come across. As we are fond of saying, "You are our
eyes and ears."
=====
*****Resources*****
*13. Federal Appropriations Wrap Up: NRDC gives the final results of
budget riders, environmental (in)action of the 105th Congress.
The NRDC October 1998 report "Damage Report: Environment and the 105th
Congress" gives a detailed analysis of what finally happened in the 105th
Congress. The report includes a handy reference chart at the end
illustrating the final status of all budget riders.
The full report is available on-line at www.nrdc.org/nrdcpro or can be
ordered for $8. Contact proinfo@nrdc.org for more information on ordering.
(See if NRDC provided further info as per my email to them).
===============
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CLEAR provides grassroots and national environmental advocates and
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