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Earthjustice e-Brief: Stopping Mountain Top Removal

Although Earthjustice is an American environmental group, their e-Brief newsletter is informative and interesting to everyone who is concerned about the environment.

In this month's e-news, the Canadian movie "Being Caribou" is briefly mentioned.

In the past month Earthjustice has scored some great victories for our environment. In Appalachia, the DC office secured an unprecedented announcement from the Army Corps of Engineers. For the first time, the Corps has ordered four West Virginia coal mines to stop mountain top removal mining. While out on the West Coast, the Seattle office forced the Environmental Protection Agency to take action and protect farm workers by beginning the phase-out the pesticide azinphos-methyl (AZM), a highly toxic organophosphate and neurotoxin.

Photo: NPS

Bill Curtiss, Earthjustice's Deputy Director, inspired by a recent trip to southern Utah where he visited many of the special places that Earthjustice has worked to protect, looks back on the organization's 25 year commitment to the Intermountain West, and forward, as much of the Basin and Range is still at risk.

In a truly underhanded move, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it will not regulate the pumping of toxic phosphorous-laden water into Florida's Lake Okeechobee in order to preempt our litigation. Click here, to learn more about this threat to the public's health and waters all over the country.

Photo: NWF

Out on the California/Oregon border, the Klamath River is in trouble. The federal government's mismanagement of the Klamath has led to the collapse of its once epic salmon runs. Please take action to help secure disaster relief for impacted communities and to ask Congress to provide the leadership necessary to reverse the decline of the Klamath and its salmon.

In an important development for trans-boundary environmental law, a Canadian mining company has agreed to consider the impacts of pollution in the United States caused by its toxic emissions into the Columbia River in Canada. Read the Earthjustice International Program analysis of the agreement.

Goldie & Rachel James' winning Eagles Forever entry

Earthjustice is pleased to announce the winners of our Eagles Forever contest. Launched in February, we asked kids, parents, and entire classrooms to submit stories and artwork answering the question "The bald eagle is back! Why is that important to America?" We got some great submissions, take a look!

Also, take a minute and meet David Cox, the Chair of the Earthjustice Board of Trustees. Find out what attracted this Minnesota businessman to environmentalism and, ultimately, Earthjustice!

Tom Turner is Earthjustice's senior editor.
E-mail him at tomturner@earthjustice.org.

Shenanigans at Home and Abroad

A few changes in the newsletter as you can see. This is caused by changes in the Earthjustice website, which we think are pretty cool. Check 'em out and let us know what you think.

One new wrinkle of which I'm especially fond is an archive of about 70 extremely short book reviews that originally appeared in In Brief, our old-fashioned quarterly, which is printed on actual paper. As you'll see, for many of the books we provide a link to the mail-order service of Powell's Books, the fabulous Portland (Oregon) bookstore. If you're ever in Portland don't miss it. If you should feel moved to order a book via that link, Earthjustice even receives a tiny kickback.

Read more of this month's Tom's Turn... On to the mail:

I just love how you identified each [member of the roadless area advisory committee] who testified in bold, by whom that person represented. I like the whole newsletter. Thanks for the work you put into it. For the Earth,
-- Iona Conner Shade Gap, Pennsylvania

The users are all represented. The people own that land. The people should be deciding who gets to use anything at all. Who is reprsenting the people of the United States?
-- Unsigned

TT: They would all say they represent the people of the United States, or at least a significant slice thereof. There are five members who represent public-interest organizations and two who represent local and state government entities. The latter two would claim to represent the people, though they lean strongly toward the exploitation side. It's complicated and tricky.

What good is it going to be "roadless" if big timber people and global elitists kill us all off with herbicides and pesticides; that is what they are doing now!
-- Barbara L Green

Congress thinks a fence along the border will stop illegals. It will stop deer, javalina, jaguar, etc but not people. Many butterflies are limited in altitude and a 20 foot fence could even stop monarchs. No environmental study has been done on the fence and probably will be exempted under the national defense clause
-- Carl Lahser

I just watched a movie called Being Caribou. It was made by two Canadians who folowed the caribou for seven months throughout Canada and Alaska, eventually ending up right where the Bush administration wants to drill. It is an incredible movie that has the power to make a difference.
-- Heidi Tchida

You wrote a response to Marlene Josephs about where a teenager can get involved in environmental programs. I'd like to suggest Jane Goodall's "Roots and Shoots" program which is terrific. It gets kids involved in their community, with wildlife and the environment.
-- Concierge at The Lucerne New York, New York

Please write: tomturner@earthjustice.org.

Tags for this entry: Environment.

posted by Annamarie at 9:04 PM