WildAlert Archive

ACTION/NEWS:

ACTION: President should VETO Interior Appropriations
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* WILD ALERT
* Thursday, October 7, 1999
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Dear WildAlert Subscriber,

The FY2000 Interior Appropriations bill, after passing the Senate with 20 anti-environmental riders, now heads to a Conference Committee to work out differences with the House version. Most of the riders are expected to remain in the final version, which will then be sent to President Clinton who is, hopefully, getting his veto pen ready.

But for President Clinton to veto the Interior Appropriations bill, he needs to hear from thousands of Americans, including YOU. You can send a message from http://www.wilderness.org/eyewash/interiorapprops.htm asking the President to veto the bill, or call the White House at (202) 456-1414 (business hours).

BACKGROUND
It's clear the Senate leadership is intent on forcing through an anti-environmental agenda, because it accepted every single anti-environmental rider proposed for the Interior Appropriations bill -- 20 riders in this bill alone! (plus another 20 on other appropriation bills.)

On Monday, 10/4, The House of Representatives instructed its Conference Committee members not to accept any anti-environmental provisions in the Interior bill. But the 218-199 vote was non-binding, and riders can still end up in the final bill.

Among the most egregious riders in the Senate Interior Appropriations bill:

• GRAZING: Allow continued grazing on federal lands without environmental review.
• WILDLIFE SURVEYS: Allow logging and road-building on National Forests without surveys required in existing laws to protect wildlife habitat, water quality, and other ecological values of our National Forests.
• GRAND CANYON: Block the National Park Service and Federal Aviation Administration from issuing further regulations on overflights at Grand Canyon National Park.
• OIL: Prevent collection of fair oil royalties on oil pumped from federal lands.
• TONGASS: Provide nearly $12 million in logging subsidies for Alaska's Tongass National Forest.
• MINE WASTE: Allow mining companies to dump mining waste across unlimited acres of public lands by eliminating the 1872 Mining Law's five-acre millsite limitation.
• GRIZZLIES: Deny funds for reintroducing grizzly bears.
• LEAD MINING: Prevent the Department of Interior from stopping lead mining in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, which threatens two National and Scenic Waterways.

Plus many more...

TAKE ACTION
President Clinton has hinted he will veto the Interior bill, but we can only expect him to follow through on that promise IF HE HEARS FROM EACH OF YOU. So we're asking you to call, fax, and email the President with this simple message:

• VETO the Interior Appropriations bill if it contains ANY anti-environmental riders.
• These anti-environmental riders have not received adequate public review as does normal legislation.
• With expanded pressures on federal lands, protection of our national resources should be increased, not rolled back as the Senate's leadership would have it with its anti-environmental agenda.

E-mail a pre-written letter, which you can customize, to the President from http://www.wilderness.org/eyewash/interiorapprops.htm

Or: FAX the White House Chief of Staff, John Podesta: (202) 456-2461 Call: (202) 456-1414 (business hours only) Write: President Bill Clinton, White House, Washington, D.C., 20500 Email: president@whitehouse.gov

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Founded in 1935, The Wilderness Society works to protect America's wilderness and to develop a nation-wide network of wild lands through public education, scientific analysis and advocacy. Our goal is to ensure that future generations will enjoy the clean air and water, wildlife, beauty and opportunities for recreation and renewal that pristine forests, rivers, deserts and mountains provide. To take action on behalf of wildlands today, visit our website at http://www.wilderness.org/ ***************************************************************