honoring our founder: david · signment of reading john mcphee’s book “encounters with the...

Honoring Our Founder David Browerrsquos Centennial Year

ldquoThank God for Dave Brower he makes it so easy for the rest of us to be reasonablerdquo

- Russell Train EPA Administrator under President Nixon

As an environmental studies major at Western Michi-gan University I had as part of my curriculum the as-signment of reading John McPheersquos book ldquoEncounters with the Archdruidrdquo ldquoEncountersrdquo is a series of nar-ratives first written for the New Yorker Magazine that places David Brower in Glenn Canyon Glacier Peak Wilderness and Cumberland Island with three men seeking to dam mine and develop the locations ldquoEncoun-tersrdquo is on my annual reading list because of the clarity of vision and strength of conviction Brower dem-onstrates throughout his dialogues with his opponents

Browerrsquos environmental activism and leadership helped create a na-tional and global movement As the first executive director of the Sierra Club he helped to propel the Sierra Club to national prominence After the Sierra Club he founded Friends of the Earth in the United States which became the seed in the cre-ation of the Friends of the Earth International network which is now the worldrsquos largest grassroots federa-tion of environmental organizations with groups in 76 countries He also founded the Earth Island Institute and nurtured the creation of the League of Conser-vation Voters Brower was the key incubator of the modern environmental movement here and abroad

His thinking and vision resonates today at Friends of the Earth Brower once said ldquohellip to fail to conserve is grand larceny grand larceny against children Eco-nomic growth as presently practiced is stealing from children in a sophisticated wayrdquo The impact of eco-nomic growth on the environment has gotten worse Our efforts to reform or eliminate the root economic drivers of environmental destruction such as trade poli-

cies and tax breaks are deeply embedded in the belief that we have to live within our means The cover story on the Earth Budget as well as updates on our trade work describe some of our activities to promote broad based reforms to tax budget and trade policy

We are also continuing our fight against genetically modified organisms being introduced into the envi-ronment Brower once said ldquoIt is absolutely impera-tive that we protect preserve and pass on this genetic heritage for man and every other living thing in as good a condition as we received itrdquo The story on our efforts to stop the introduction of genetically engi-

neered mosquitoes describes how we are working to preserve this heritage

You will read about our campaign efforts to shut down the San Onofre nuclear reactors in California Brower made opposing the construction of nuclear reactors a major campaign ef-fort for Friends of the Earth and more than 40 years later we continue to lead the environmental community in the fight against dangerous nuclear power

In many ways David Browerrsquos centennial celebration is less about Brower himself and more about the living legacy that is the green fire fu-eling environmental activism in the

United States and beyond Brower once said ldquoWe are to hold fast to what we believe is right fight for it and find allies and adduce all possible arguments for our cause If we cannot find enough vigor in us or them to win then let someone else produce the compromise We thereupon work hard to coax it our way We be-come a nucleus around which the strongest force can build and functionrdquo We need to more fully embrace his vision his tenacity and uncompromising nature as we battle to protect our planet for the children and environment to come

Sincerely

Erich

presidentrsquos message

2 Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine Summer 2012

NewsmagazineVolume 42 Number 2 Summer 2012wwwfoeorg

Presidentrsquos message helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 2

Ecobites helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 3

California nukes on shaky ground helliphelliphellip 4

Cover story Earth Budget helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 6

Declaration of support for the End Polluter Welfare Act helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 10

Victory for cleaner cruise ships helliphelliphellip 12

GE mosquitoes in the Keys helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 13

Injustice in La Oroya helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 14

Honoring David Brower Our new space in CaliforniaOur California office recently relocated to the David Brower Center in Berkeley a fitting move to mark the centennial of Friends of the Earth founder David Browerrsquos birth in July of this year Wersquore excited to work alongside dozens of other groups working for environmental and social justice issues in this green LEED Platinum mixed-use space Also home to its own gallery space the Cen-ter is currently hosting a memorial exhibition called Thinking Like a River Art Advocacy and the Legacy of David Brower For more information on the space and upcoming events visit the Brower Center website at wwwbrowercenterorg

Fighting against the Keystone XL rubber stampWe delivered more than 117000 signatures from Friends of the Earth and CREDO Action activists to the Environmental Protection Agency the day after the Army Corps of Engineers rubber-stamped TransCanadarsquos federal permit application to build the Keystone XL pipelinersquos southernmost section through Oklahoma and Texas In solidarity with activists taking part in public hearings and protests around the country we demanded EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson intervene to call for a thorough environmental review of the pipeline Read the blog post and media coverage at wwwfoeorgfast-tracking-keystone-xl

Stopping Shellrsquos plans to drill the ArcticWe partnered with Oceana the Center for Biological Diversity Ocean Conservancy and Alaska Wilderness League and gathered more than 18500 signatures from our activists alone to stop Royal Dutch Shell from drill-ing and potentially destroying the Arctic Ocean as early as this summer The remote location and icy conditions would make containing disastrous spills even harder endangering a delicate endangered ecosystem thatrsquos home to several communities who depend solely on the ocean for survival Read the blog post and sign the petition at wwwfoeorgarctic-drilling

Dirty Fuels Campaigner Kim Huynh and activists protest in front of the EPA

The lobby of the Brower Center Photo credit Tim Griffith

Summer 2012 Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine 3

ecobites

California nukes on shaky ground The four-decade long campaign to stop San Onofre and secure Californiarsquos renewable energy future

By Damon Moglen and Kendra Ulrich

Ask a surfer beachcomber or community member in San Clemente what the area was like 40 years ago and they might not remember a time when the San Onofre nuclear plant didnrsquot loom over the otherwise scenic beach Yet even then in the 1970s Friends of the Earth was fighting the nuclear industry in South-ern California raising concerns around building a nuclear plant in the middle of earthquake fault zones Today with more than 83 million people living within 50 miles and millions more within radioactive fallout range the consequences of an accident would be even greater

Back then we intervened to try and stop the con-struction of the two reactors because of earthquake risks Later in the 80s and 90s we rallied against the plantrsquos radioactive and thermal discharges and their impact on Pacific marine life Fast forward to the pres-ent Friends of the Earth has led an intensive campaign over the past six months to keep San Onofre shut down after an accident in January

Earlier this year the two nuclear reactors at San Onofre went offline after a burst pipe leaked radia-tion from one of the steam generators located inside the reactor building These steam generators are used to circulate highly pressurized water from the reactor core which in turn produces steam that powers the electrical turbine

Just as we had in the past we reached out to local citizens groups and others to work together to ensure safety at the plant We ran a TV ad campaign demand-ing that plant operator Southern California Edison keep the reactors shut down until the damage to the steam generators had been assessed and the reactors deemed safe to restart

The impacts of both the Fukushima accident and the radioactive leak at San Onofre have galvanized community members into speaking out ldquoSupporters of nuclear power are dwindling because people are paying attention and they do not like that Edison is putting their health safety and property at such a perilous riskrdquo said Patti Davis who lives a few miles from the reactors ldquoSo many local folks were clueless about San Onofre Now thanks to the outreach of groups like San Clemente Green San Onofre Safety ROSE Friends of the Earth and others people can tell you all about [the problems with] nuclear reactorsrdquo

Despite widespread concerns Edison announced a plan in March to restart the reactors as early as June We jumped into action generating nearly 4000 let-ters from our online activists in California to Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif) asking them to use their oversight authority with the Nuclear Regulatory Committee to ensure that the reactors remain shut down

Our pressure campaign soon paid off The accident and uncertainty surrounding the safety of bringing the plant back online prompted a wider investigation

Friends of the Earth commissioned Fairewinds a nuclear engineering consulting firm to write three reports that remain the only publicly available techni-cal documentation on the steam generator problems at San Onofre

One of the reports demonstrated how major de-sign changes in the replacement generators installed between 2009 and 2010 including the addition of hundreds of extra tubes inside the generators likely caused severe wear on the steel tubes Wear and tear that should have resulted only after decades of use occurred in less than two years We shared the reports with the NRC Sens Boxer and Feinstein and made them available on our website

In May Sen Boxer wrote to Edison and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission demanding documents relat-ing to Edisonrsquos decision to replace the plantrsquos steam generators with a different design and the NRCrsquos review of that decision It was clear that the NRC

nuclear


notorious for its cosy relationship with the nuclear industry itrsquos assigned to regulate was feeling the heat

Meanwhile Friends of the Earth continued to pressure the NRC and Edison to disclose the scale of damage to the reactors and how if at all they can be repaired We brought on experts including Dave Freeman who was appointed by President Carter to chair the Tennessee Valley Authority and who ran the California Energy Efficiency program in the 2000s to add weight to our public campaign effort

Kendra is coordinating with our coalition partners activists and city council members in Orange County and San Diego County where the reactors are located She is working with citizens groups that are attending public meetings and calling for their representatives to intervene with Edison to keep San Onofre shut down

Rounding out our advocacy efforts in June Friends of the Earth filed a legal petition against the NRC

We charged Edison with failing to comply with NRC licensing requirements when it replaced the steam generators that have now been found defective and therefore an amendment license should be required to operate the plant We organized a press briefing the day of the filing that led to coverage throughout California and the nation

Edison is now crying wolf saying that keeping the plant closed over the summer could lead to brown outs But if it remains closed therersquos a chance that the plant could be permanently shut down removing one of the major obstacles to California moving towards an energy future based on efficiency and renewables

For more information visit wwwfoeorg wwwsanonofresafetyorg and wwwfairewindsorg

nuclear

Patti Davis a San Clemente resident and member of San Clemente Green holds a sign showing the 50 mile radius around the San Onofre reactors


cover story

Politicians like to make the budget debate in Washington seem complicated But the reality is quite simple our

country faces a stark choice between raising taxes on wealthy corporations and individu-als or cutting core programs that protect the environment and provide critical services like Medicare and Medicaid

The stakes are really that high laws that have been the foundation of this countryrsquos environmental policy for decades mdash the Clean Air Act the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act mdash would languish with no one to enforce them if House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis) gets his way This is where the federal budget and our countryrsquos environmental future collide mdash these laws are responsible for many of the advances in clean water clean air and other environmental protections that wersquove enjoyed since the 1970s and they are all under threat right now

At the same time as hersquos pushing destructive cuts Rep Ryan refuses to roll back Bush-era tax cuts for the affluent and hersquos fighting to retain hundreds of billions of dollars in handouts of taxpayer money to polluting industries like Big Oil ldquoIn this country debates over budget and economy are fundamentally arguments about powerrdquo explains Michelle Chan director of Friends of the Earthrsquos Economic Policy Project ldquoBehind the calls for deep cuts we can see an agenda to shift power and resources away from our government mdash which is accountable to the public interest mdash and into the hands of corporations that are only accountable to their bottom linesrdquo By disguising this broader agenda in the language of fiscal discipline ultraconservatives like Rep Ryan have been able to steadily erode funding for basic programs that protect our people and our environment while funneling more money towards already wealthy corporations

As a part of our Earth Budget campaign Friends of the Earth has long been leading the fight for federal budgeting that prioritizes the pubic interest Wersquove issued annual

By Prashanth Kamalakanthan


earth budget

Green Scissors reports since 1994 identifying federal projects that harm the environment and endanger pub-lic health With our coalition partners mdash including Taxpayers for Common Sense mdash the Green Scissors campaign has managed to eliminate $26 billion in en-vironmentally harmful federal spending and corporate subsidies elevating environmental and social responsi-bility as a fundamental federal tax and budget priority

ldquoFriends of the Earth believes that economic policies can have profound environ-mental impactsrdquo says Chan ldquoThe lsquorules of the gamersquo in-cluding trade policies Wall Street regulations and cam-paign finance laws can con-centrate corporate power at the expense of the public interest Our tax and budget choices including subsidies can help drive our economy towards a clean and green future or keep it stuck in its polluting carbon-intensive ways Our Earth Budget campaign aims to redirect our economy in ways that protect rather than harm people and the planetrdquo

In recent months wersquove seen a surge of public opin-ion in support of these principles

New developments in the push to end polluter welfare

Standing outside the US Capitol on May 10 Sena-tor Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) and Representative Keith Ellison (D-Minn) rallied a coalition of grassroots or-ganizations public interest groups and environmental-ists for the introduction of the End Polluter Welfare Act The boldest most comprehensive proposal ever

introduced to end fossil fuel subsidies this sweep-ing legislation would save American taxpayers at least $113 billion over the course of just 10 years And it is the culmination of work that Friends of the Earth has been doing for decades including our 2008 report Big Oil Bigger Giveaways Other cuts outlined in the bill draw from longstanding staples of our Green Scissors reports

Since the billrsquos introduction Friends of the Earth has worked with groups including 350org Oil Change Climate Solutions Public Citizen Labor Network for Sustainability The Nation Natural Resource Defense Council the Center for Biological Diversity and En-vironmental Action to build grassroots support behind it The response has been staggering In just 10 days

Introducing the End Polluter Welfare Act Left Brent Blackwelder president emeritus spoke on behalf of Friends of the Earth at a rally in front of the Capitol Center Activists from several groups showed their support for the bill Right Ryan Alexander president of Taxpayers for Com-mon Sense Sen Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) Rep Keith Ellison (D-Minn) Brent Blackwelder and Bill McKibben founder of 350org hold a voided check made out to big polluters

Our tax and budget choices including subsidies can help drive our economy towards a clean and green future or keep it stuck in its polluting carbon-intensive ways - Michelle Chan Economic policy project director

rdquo

ldquo


cover story

we gathered more than 100000 signatures on a peti-tion supporting the End Polluter Welfare Act mdash now that number is a few thousand shy of one million And tens of thousands of our supporters have urged their congressional representatives to co-sponsor the measure when we reached out in early June

The overwhelming response to the bill underlines the publicrsquos vehement opposition to fossil fuel subsidies Polling data show that 70 percent of the public oppose giveaways to oil coal and gas companies support that largely holds up across the political spectrum

Sen Sanders gave voice to the popular outrage against giveaways to dirty energy corporations in a column for the Huffington Post where he wrote ldquoIt is immoral that some in Congress advocate savage cuts in Medicare Medicaid and Social Security while those same people vote to preserve billions in tax breaks for Exxon Mobil which is the most profitable corporation in Americahellip Instead of passing strong legislation to help reverse global warming Congress continues the giveaways to the 200-year-old fossil fuel industry even as that industryrsquos carbon pollution wreaks devastation on our planet Enough is enoughrdquo

Putting the interests of the many above the profits of the few

At the same time as wersquore fighting handouts to polluters Friends of the Earth has maintained a firm social and economic justice perspective when advo-cating for smart climate policy While our ultimate commitment is toward the elimination of all fossil fuel subsidies Friends of the Earth staunchly defends the right of low-income and vulnerable populations to meet basic energy needs Protecting the health liveli-hoods and dignity of the disadvantaged is at the heart of our social safety net and is central to our values at Friends of the Earth

This moral commitment informs our nuanced posi-tions on federal consumer subsidies The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program which helps low income households pay for heating and cooling is a progressive policy that alleviates a major financial bur-den for the needy Given the structural dependence of our economy on fossil fuels defunding LIHEAP under current circumstances would be disastrous punishing the poor while doing nothing to solve the energy sec-torrsquos broader dependence on fossil fuels

Earth Budget victory Killing a $6 billion ethanol subsidyEthanol production from corn causes serious ecological damage thanks to the polluting carbon-intensive in-dustrial farming techniques used to produce it On top of that ethanol is a major driver of global food insecurity and hunger raising food prices by diverting cropland for fuel rather than food production

Thatrsquos why Friends of the Earth has been at the forefront of the coalition against federal policies that support dirty ethanol This January years of work to end this subsidy culminated in a landmark victory for the environ-ment and taxpayers when Congress adjourned without renewing a 30-year-old ethanol subsidy The policy handed more than $6 billion annually to ethanol blenders for decades many of which are major oil and agri-business corporations making record-breaking profits

This victory wouldnrsquot have been possible without the thousands of Friends of the Earth members who have sup-ported this campaign though their advocacy and generosity

But there is more to do Friends of the Earth continues to work against additional subsidies like the cellulosic tax credit that could be manipulated to fund environmentally harmful biofuels Wersquore also increasing advocacy against the Renewable Fuel Standard which mandates radical increases in the production of corn ethanol and other biofuels by 2022 Itrsquos clear that dirty biofuels canrsquot be a part of our clean energy future and wersquore deter-mined to end support for them in Washington


A Robin Hood Tax for the peopleEliminating wasteful subsidies for polluters is the first step

toward equitable budgeting for a sustainable future But in addition to ending harmful spending we need to start mak-ing polluters and wealthy corporations pay for the environ-mental and social damage they cause

Since the global financial meltdown exposed the reckless-ness of Wall Street a creative funding solution for pro-social pro-environmental programs has been gaining strength the ldquoRobin Hood Taxrdquo

The Robin Hood Tax would put a less than 005 tax on Wall Street financial transactions and would raise $350 billion each year to protect precious public goods Many pressing social needs could be addressed through this tiny tax on the excesses of Wall Street speculators allowing us to fund climate change solutions stem home foreclosures and widen public access to healthcare and education among many other proposals

At a May 18 rally in Chicago coordinated by the National Nurses Union and with endorsements from over 85 organiza-tions mdash including Friends of the Earth US mdash thousands of green-masked activists gathered to demand a Robin Hood Tax on Wall Street

The idearsquos international appeal is growing rapidly Small taxes on financial transactions have been introduced suc-cessfully in over 40 countries over the past few decades with new proposals sprouting all across the world Newly elected French President Franccedilois Hollande prominently champi-oned the tax as a way to rein in a rogue financial sector that ldquohas taken over the economy society and even our livesrdquo

Nurse Karen Higgins emphasized the painful costs of not implementing a Robin Hood Tax at the rally in Chicago telling activists ldquoWe are watching and seeing Wall Street throwing away our money as we see people suffer and die It will not continuerdquo Friends of the Earthrsquos International Policy Campaigner Karen Orenstein added ldquoThink of it as a tax on global bads for global goodsrdquo echoing the sentiment of picket signs scattered throughout the crowd ldquoItrsquos not a tax on the people Itrsquos a tax for the peoplerdquo

Photo credit National Nurses United

I AGREE The fossil fuels industry rakes in billions in profits yet continues to collect taxpayer money in this time of record national debt I am proud to stand with Sen Sanders and Rep Ellison in calling for the passage of the End Polluter Welfare Act and to support Friends of the Earthrsquos critical Earth Budget Campaign to create more just equitable and sustainable solutions to our fiscal problems

I have signed my Declaration of Support for the End Polluter Welfare Act

Here is my special tax-deductible contribution for

$25 $50 $100 $250 $500 $1000 Other $

My check payable to Friends of the Earth is enclosed

Charge my gift to my Visa MC AMEX Discover

Amount $ Account Exp Date

Name Signature Please email me updates on this crucial campaign at

All gifts are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law

Please send this entire form with your check in the enclosed reply envelope

Declaration of SupportSenator Bernie Sanders and Representative Keith Ellison I am proud to support your proposed End Polluter Welfare Act legislation

Oil gas and coal corporations should not be paid with our tax dollars to pollute our planet Especially in this time of record debt and economic hardship for American families it is unconscionable to hand billions of dollars to filthy industries that already boast billions in profits

Your bold comprehensive proposal to repeal more than $110 billion in tax breaks handouts and subsidies for the fossil fuel industry over the next ten years is a much-needed step toward a cleaner greener future for the United States

Thank you for your leadership on this critical issue

Sincerely

X Signature Date

Name

City State

Double your gift A group of generous donors will match the first $30000 received

Donate today and double your impactbudget

Prioritizing people not polluters

earth Support an end to polluter subsidies todaybudget


earthbudgetPrioritizing people not polluters

earth Support an end to polluter subsidies today

earth budget

Imagining a greener futureFor years our Earth Budget work has also supported

the implementation of a carbon tax which will charge corporate polluters for the carbon emissions that cause climate change Like the Robin Hood Tax a carbon tax mdash along with carbon limits mdash on major emitters such as coal power plants would help to cushion our biosphere and the public welfare against the reckless behavior of polluters And by ending polluter subsidies through the End Polluter Welfare Act and taking on the other proposals detailed in our annual Green Scissors reports we have a roadmap to a greener future

The choice between environmental sustainability and economic prosperity is clearly a false one The fever pitch of energy around the End Polluter Welfare Act and the Robin Hood Tax as well as the broad coalition wersquove led against ethanol subsidies are proof that an-other future is possible Friends of the Earth supporters and millions of activists around the world have dared to shape a new language energetically articulating an alternative to the ldquocut cut cutrdquo agenda advanced by the Paul Ryan Budget and polluting corporations There are a thousand ways they say that we can tackle our fiscal problems without endangering the Earth and its people

Cutting subsidies for polluters and making them pay for the damage they cause to our land water public welfare and shared climate will sow the seeds for a green socially equitable future And now these ideas are sprouting all over the world

rdquo

ldquo Cutting subsidies for polluters and making them pay for the damage they cause to our land water public welfare and shared climate will sow the seeds for a green socially equitable future

Want to get involved

Join our activist network

Our base of 140000 grassroots ac-tivists come from all walks of life and from all around the country

If yoursquore not already a part of our online community join right now at wwwfoeorg signup and learn about simple ways that you can take action for the planet

Support Friends of the Earth through your workplace giving campaign

Learn more at wwwfoeorgworkplace giving


vessels

Cruise industry aims to water down environmental safeguards By Marcie Keever

One hundred years after the most infamous maritime disaster in history the cruise industry continues to make titanic mistakes that threaten public health and the environment First there was the tragic grounding and capsizing of the Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy on January 13 which left 32 people dead two people unaccounted for and stranded the massive cruise ship on a rock in the marine sanctuary where itrsquos likely to remain for up to a year while a salvage company works to remove it Then there was the al-leged failure of the Star Princess to aid a Panamanian fishing boat in distress off the coast of Central America leading to the deaths of two of the three fishermen

However the cruise industryrsquos environmental trans-gressions are far more insidious Right now it is fight-ing groundbreaking environmental regulations to reduce air pollution from ships that are expected to prevent 31000 premature deaths across the US and save tens of billions of dollars in health costs by 20301

For more than 10 years Friends of the Earth has worked at the International Maritime Organization to advocate for reductions in dangerous and harm-ful pollution from ships As one of only a handful of environmental groups with formal observer status at the IMO Friends of the Earth influenced the vot-ing members to enact the North American Emission Control Area which will prohibit vessels from burning highly polluting bunker fuel within 200 nautical miles of the US and Canadian coasts beginning in August 2012 Read our blog post about it at wwwfoeorgeca

Bunker fuel is a residual fuel mdash whatrsquos left over from the refining of diesel jet fuel and gasoline mdash that is used in huge ship engines It is hundreds of times dirtier than diesel truck exhaust and disproportionately affects those living near ship ports Bunker fuel is laden with high levels of sulfur ash and heavy metals and when it is burned it produces tiny harmful airborne particles that have been linked to asthma onset asthma attacks crib 1 wwwepagovomsregsnonroadmarineciletter-epa-and-uscg-to-imopdf

death and lung growth abnormalities in children and lung cancer strokes and heart attacks in adults

The ECA will require ships to use fuel with no greater than 10 percent sulfur and gradually ratchet that down Industry groups like the Cruise Line In-ternational Association are going on offense asserting that the ECA will require costly measures that will force them to abandon the US market mdash unless they receive special accommodations

The IMO has already approved the use of several equivalency measures that would lead to reduced emis-sions as an alternative to meeting the ECArsquos cleaner fuel requirement Equivalency measures like seawater scrubbers that filter the pollutants out of water before it is pumped back into the ocean are entirely differ-ent than what CLIA is proposing CLIA is lobbying the Obama administration to include what is called emissions averaging in the list of allowable equivalency measures Emissions averaging gives cruise ships credit for reducing their emissions in high population areas in exchange for polluting more in less densely populated ones like Alaska and Hawaii however it dispropor-tionately impacts environments and communities that receive the most cruise ship traffic

Friends of the Earth along with 11 other environmen-tal and public health groups wrote to EPA Administra-tor Lisa Jackson in May urging her to uphold the ECArsquos provisions for all vessels including cruise ships

In light of its titanic mistakes these past months at the cost of lives and livelihoods the cruise industry canrsquot be allowed to water down critical environmental and health protections

Cruise ship in Puget Sound Photo credit Fred Felleman


genetic engineering

Genetically engineered mosquitoes still abuzz in FloridaBy Eric Hoffman

The case of a British biotech company trying to re-lease genetically engineered mosquitoes in Key West is heating up In the last issue of the newsmagazine we warned of Oxitecrsquos plans for the first-ever field release of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the US Lo-cal activists in Key West caused a stir and questions over who would regulate this experiment continued to go unanswered causing the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District to announce in May that the release had been put on hold

When we first heard about it in late 2011 activists in Key West were abuzz over the companyrsquos efforts to sneak behind their backs and release these novel insects under the guise of disease control without first undergoing an independent review process and with zero opportunity for public input into the decision

Equally concerning federal agencies mdash including the Food amp Drug Administration and the US De-partment of Agriculture mdash appeared to be playing a game of regulatory hot potato leaving citizens without an outlet for voicing their concerns In a way though that was a bonus mdash without an assigned regulatory agency Oxitecrsquos plans hit a road bump slowing down the process while it waited for some level of scientific and regulatory review

In May Oxitec announced that it had opened an investigational new animal drug file with the Food amp

Drug Administration for approval of its genetically engineered mosquitoes Typical applications for a new animal drug include things like vaccines for cattle and antibiotics added to chicken feed If you are wonder-ing why the FDA is considering mosquitoes as a ldquonew animal drugrdquo you are not alone

With no laws or regulations on the books to deal with genetically engineered animals in the US the FDA simply chose an interpretation of the new animal drug rule to suit its needs It argued that since the novel genes of genetically engineered animals ldquochange the composition and functionrdquo of an animal those genes and the animal itself can be regulated as a new animal drug

Classifying a genetically engineered mosquito as a ldquodrugrdquo is the regulatory equivalent of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole These genetically en-gineered mosquitoes arenrsquot the same thing as a new animal feed additive for example a food additive canrsquot reproduce in the wild bite humans spread disease or fly to another part of town Therefore as wersquove pointed out on our blog (wwwfoeorgge-regulation) and in interviews with reporters the questions around en-vironmental and public health risks are entirely dif-ferent While the FDA undoubtedly has expertise in veterinary medicine it lacks expertise on insect ecology entomology and environmental risk assessment

The new animal drug approval process also lacks transparency and public participation The application is kept secret as ldquoconfidential business informationrdquo and the public (including independent scientists) only has access to information released by the company

As Oxitecrsquos application goes under review we will continue to point out the problems with the FDArsquos role Not only is it incorrect in categorizing genetically engineered animals as new animal drugs it lacks trans-parency and public input And possibly worst of all by allowing the approval process for Oxitecrsquos mosquitoes to move forward the FDA is setting up a dangerous precedent for how genetically engineered insects and other emerging biotechnologies are regulated in the US and around the world


trade

Uncovering injustice in trade agreements By Bill Waren

As I landed in Dallas this May for another negoti-ating session of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement the struggle for justice for the children of La Oroya was rolling over in my mind

La Oroya high in the central Andes of Peru is known as one of the 10 most polluted places on Earth1 Ninety-seven percent of children between the ages of 6 and 12 have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood2 The source of the pollution destorying the com-munityrsquos air water and land is a smelting plant owned by a US holding company called Renco Group

The Peruvian government demanded that Renco pay for the clean up of its pollution But because of a trade agreement signed between the US and Peru Renco 1 wwwblacksmithinstituteorgwwpp2007finalReport2007pdf 2 wwwsluedux39256xml

had an escape hatch Using a provision of the trade pact that allows foreign investors to seek monetary damages for the costs of complying with a countryrsquos environmental regulations Renco sued the Peruvian government through an international tribunal mdash not simply to evade paying its due but to force Peru to pay the company $800 million

As this example illustrates modern-day trade agree-ments reach their tentacles far beyond the simple exchange of goods at the border They look and act like bills of rights for corporations empowering Big Oil mining tobacco agribusiness and pharmaceuti-cal companies to evade accountability for social and environmental injustices they inflict

I was going to Dallas to watchdog a rapidly expand-ing yet largely secret trade deal that could be the big-gest the US has ever seen mdash and to highlight the threats it poses to environmental protections

The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement includes 10 Pacific region countries plus the United States and

The La Oroya smelter is owned by Doe Run Peru which through a complex network of subsidiaries is controlled by the Renco Group Photo credit Matthew Burpee


trade

others may soon join the talks For some countries the trade deal appears to be a necessity if they are to maintain or expand access to the giant US market Unfortunately US negotiators are using this leverage to try to roll back environmental and public interest policies in other countries as a favor to multinational corporations rather than seeking a more equitable trading relationship for small businesses family farmers and workers in all countries

In Dallas I met formally and informally with nego-tiators from Australia New Zealand Malaysia Peru and Chile that are potential allies in opposing some of the most environmentally threatening provisions such as those that give foreign investors like Renco the abil-ity to sue governments over domestic environmental regulations The Australians in particular proved to be valuable allies on issues involving the TPP investment chapter

Unfortunately communication with the US delega-tion in these fora is overwhelmingly a one-way street Advocates like me sit down with US negotiators and urge them to do right by the public Then the negotia-tors return to closed-door sessions where the deals are hammered out The actual text under deliberation is kept far from the light of day mdash that is unless yoursquore one of the corporate lobbyists designated as a ldquocleared advisorrdquo to the US Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk

In a letter to Ambassador Kirk this spring Friends of the Earth joined other groups in urging the Obama

administration to honor its pledge of transparency in trade policy-making and release the negotiating text Friends of the Earth activists amplified the call with 13800 of you signing a petition delivered to the US negotiating team in Dallas

The TPP negotiating text is kept secret not only from the public but also from Congress although a few chapters have leaked Two-thirds of the Democrats in the House of Representatives wrote to Ambassador Kirk complaining that they have been denied access to the TPP text Even Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore) the chair of the US Senate Trade Subcommittee has objected strongly to being left out of the loop on the substance of the negotiations All this bespeaks a breathtaking arrogance and distrust of democracy by the US negotiating team Without question they have something to hide mdash in the form of political favors exchanged with corporate lobbyists

As negotiations over the Trans-Pacific trade pact roll on this year our task will be to continue to reveal the ways in which the TPP will hamstring environmental regulations and subvert democracy We have defeated similar trade agreements in the past mdash such as the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and the Free Trade Area of the Americas mdash by shining a light on their special interest provisions and marshalling public support for government action that protects ordinary people like those in La Oroya

As negotiations over the Trans-Pacific trade pact roll on our task will be to continue to reveal the ways in which the TPP will hamstring environmental regulations and subvert democracy rdquo

ldquo

Texans protesting outside the TPP negotiations in Dallas Photo credit Citizens Trade Campaign


PERIODICALSPOSTAGE PAID ATWASHINGTON DCAND ADDITIONALMAILING OFFICESVolume 42 Number 2 Summer 2012

1100 15th St NW 11th FloorWashington DC 20005

Friends of the Earth (ISSN 1054-1829) is published quarterly by Friends of the Earth 1100 15th St NW 11th Floor Washington DC 20005 phone 202-783-7400 fax 202-783-0444 e-mail foefoeorg website wwwfoeorg Annual membership dues are $25 which includes a subscription to Friends of the Earth The words ldquoFriends of the Earthrdquo and the Friends of the Earth logo are exclusive trademarks of Friends of the Earth all rights reserved Requests to reprint articles should be submitted to Lisa Matthes at lmatthesfoeorg Periodicals postage paid at Washington DC

Board of DirectorsArlie Schardt Chair Soroush Shehabi Vice chair David Zwick Treasurer Harriett Crosby Secretary Whitey Bluestein Jayni Chase Cecil D Corbin-Mark Clarence Ditlow Dan Gabel Jeffrey Glueck Mike Herz Russell Long Patricia Matthews Avis Ogilvy Moore Steven Nemeth Doria Steedman Peyton WestBrent Blackwelder President emeritus and ex-officio

StaffErich Pica PresidentBob Alvarez Senior analyst Michelle Chan Economic policy project directorRebecca Connors Online directorJulie Dyer Executive assistantCaely French Stewardship manager Eric Hoffman Food and technology policy campaignerKim Huynh Dirty fuels campaignerIan Illuminato Health and environment campaignerJohn Kaltenstein Marine program managerMarcie Keever Oceans and vessels project directorLisa Matthes Publications managerDamon Moglen Climate and energy project directorKaren Orenstein International policy campaignerMichal Rosenoer Biofuels policy campaigner

Jim Ross Development directorMadelyn Rygg Financial controllerKathy Sawyer Director of foundation relationsBen Schreiber Climate and energy tax analystSharon Smith AccountantPeter Stocker Membership directorKelly Trout Communications managerKendra Ulrich Nuclear campaignerWilliam Waren Trade policy analyst

InternsEmily Conner Stanback - Oceans and vesselsTim Freeman NuclearPrashanth Kamalakanthan Stanback - CommunicationsAlex Sigoloff Trade

ConsultantsAdvisorsAgitpop CommunicationsBrent Blackwelder former president and special advisorShaun Burnie Nuclear campaign consultantMike Carberry Iowa campaign coordinatorCitrix Sue Claytor TPO Inc Patrick Connors

Fairewinds Associates Inc Fenton CommunicationsFred Felleman Northwest consultantKevin Fingerman David Freeman Senior advisor Robert GuildHarmon Curran Spielberg amp Eisenberg LLPIra Horowitz Firefly Partners LLCDoug Koplow EarthTrackRoss KleinBernhard Knierim Larson AllenLiberty ConceptsMark Longabaugh Wild Bunch MediaNetwork AllianceProjects by ChiDonahoe + ColeDuffey Mariama Richards Rubino amp McGeehinNick Simmons TechgnomeorgStaffing AdvisorsThe Sharpe GroupVISIONS IncBill Walker

Our Mission Friends of the Earth defends the environment and champions a healthy and just world

A copy of the latest Financial Report and Registration filed by this organization may be obtained by contacting us at Friends of the Earth 1100 15th St NW 11th Floor Washington DC 20005 Toll-free number 877-843-8687 Or for residents of the following states by contacting any of the state agencies CALIFORNIA - A copy of the Official Financial Statement may be obtained from the Attorney Generalrsquos Registry of Charitable Trusts Department of Justice PO Box 903447 Sacramento CA 94203-4470 or by calling 916-445-2021 FLORIDA - A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE 1-800-435-7352 REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE Florida registration CH960 KANSAS - Annual financial report is filed with Secretary of State 258-204-7 MARYLAND - For the cost of copies and postage Office of the Secretary of State State House Annapolis MD 21401 MICHIGAN - MICS 10926 MISSISSIPPI - The official registration and financial information of Friends of the Earth Inc may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of Statersquos of-fice by calling 1-888-236-6167 Registration by the Secretary of the State does not imply endorsement by the Secretary of State NEW JERSEY - INFORMATION FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY BY CALLING 973-504-6215 REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT NEW YORK - Office of the Attorney General Department of Law Charities Bureau 120 Broadway New York NY 10271 NORTH CAROLINA - FINANCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ORGANIZATION AND A COPY OF ITS LICENSE ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE SOLICITATION LICENSING BRANCH AT 1-888-830-4989 THE LICENSE IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT BY THE STATE PENNSYLVANIA - The official reg-istration and financial information of Friends of the Earth may be obtained from Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within the state 1-800-732-0999 Registration does not imply endorsement UTAH - Permit C495 VIRGINIA - State Division of Consumer Affairs Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services PO Box 1163 Richmond VA 23218 1-800-552-9963 WASHINGTON - Charities Division Office of the Secretary of the State State of Washington Olympia WA 98504-0422 1-800-332-4483 WEST VIRGINIA - West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents for the Secretary of State State Capitol Charleston WV 25305 Registration does not imply endorsement

Friends of the Earth is printed on 100 recycled paper with 50 post-consumer content and processed without chlorine

NewsmagazineVolume 42 Number 2 Summer 2012wwwfoeorg

Presidentrsquos message helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 2

Ecobites helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 3

California nukes on shaky ground helliphelliphellip 4

Cover story Earth Budget helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 6

Declaration of support for the End Polluter Welfare Act helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 10

Victory for cleaner cruise ships helliphelliphellip 12

GE mosquitoes in the Keys helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 13

Injustice in La Oroya helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 14

Honoring David Brower Our new space in CaliforniaOur California office recently relocated to the David Brower Center in Berkeley a fitting move to mark the centennial of Friends of the Earth founder David Browerrsquos birth in July of this year Wersquore excited to work alongside dozens of other groups working for environmental and social justice issues in this green LEED Platinum mixed-use space Also home to its own gallery space the Cen-ter is currently hosting a memorial exhibition called Thinking Like a River Art Advocacy and the Legacy of David Brower For more information on the space and upcoming events visit the Brower Center website at wwwbrowercenterorg

Fighting against the Keystone XL rubber stampWe delivered more than 117000 signatures from Friends of the Earth and CREDO Action activists to the Environmental Protection Agency the day after the Army Corps of Engineers rubber-stamped TransCanadarsquos federal permit application to build the Keystone XL pipelinersquos southernmost section through Oklahoma and Texas In solidarity with activists taking part in public hearings and protests around the country we demanded EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson intervene to call for a thorough environmental review of the pipeline Read the blog post and media coverage at wwwfoeorgfast-tracking-keystone-xl

Stopping Shellrsquos plans to drill the ArcticWe partnered with Oceana the Center for Biological Diversity Ocean Conservancy and Alaska Wilderness League and gathered more than 18500 signatures from our activists alone to stop Royal Dutch Shell from drill-ing and potentially destroying the Arctic Ocean as early as this summer The remote location and icy conditions would make containing disastrous spills even harder endangering a delicate endangered ecosystem thatrsquos home to several communities who depend solely on the ocean for survival Read the blog post and sign the petition at wwwfoeorgarctic-drilling

Dirty Fuels Campaigner Kim Huynh and activists protest in front of the EPA

The lobby of the Brower Center Photo credit Tim Griffith


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honoring our founder: david · signment of reading john mcphee’s book “encounters with the...

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