Complete list of press releases

Contact: Fred Krupp 212 505-2100

Steve Cochran 202 387-3500

Environmental Defense today praised Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for introducing legislation late yesterday to improve fuel efficiency in vehicles.

“Senator McCain’s proposal is an important step toward strengthening vehicle mileage standards,” said Environmental Defense executive director Fred Krupp. “We will work to increase the miles per gallon goal and put it into effect more quickly, but this bill is a substantial step toward the first improvement in mileage in over two decades.”

“The proposal breaks new ground by putting automotive emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief global warming pollutant, at the forefront of the policy debate, and using the powerful tool of market mechanisms to reduce them,” said Joseph Goffman, senior attorney. “Unfortunately, we have significant concerns about how the emissions trading provisions of the bill are now written,” said Goffman. “Flexibility requires responsibility. We will work to improve these and other provisions as the debate goes forward.”

“Senator McCain’s involvement could provide a real breakthrough in the debate on legislation to improve fuel efficiency in vehicles. Now is the time for both political parties to come together on legislation that will help protect America’s health by cleaning the air, and America’s economy by lessening our nation’s dependence on oil,” added Environmental Defense’s director of strategic communications Steve Cochran.”

Contact: Becky Goldburg 212 505-2100

Jessica Mendelowitz 212 505-2100

A study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine underscores the need to reduce the extensive use of antibiotics in farm animals, according to Environmental Defense.

The study, which was done at two Chinese hospitals, found that a strain of Salmonella became resistant to the antibiotic Cipro in less then two years. None of the samples were resistant to Cipro in 2000 but 60% were resistant by the third quarter of 2001. Samples were collected from patients who had contracted the germs from eating infected pork.

“Antibiotics are life saving miracle drugs, ranging from old familiars like penicillin to newer drugs like Cipro,” said Environmental Defense senior scientist Becky Goldburg. “But overuse of these drugs in agriculture threatens their effectiveness. By some estimates, more than 70% of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are fed to farm animals. This study reinforces the link between the use of antibiotics in farm animals and the loss of effective antibiotics to treat disease in humans.”

Swine in the U.S. are not fed Cipro or other fluoroquinolones, the class of antibiotics Cipro belongs to. However, poultry in the U.S. are given Baytril, a variant of Cipro, in their drinking water to treat certain ailments.

Concerns about growing antibiotic resistance to Cipro and related antibiotics in food-borne bacteria prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to propose banning the sale of Baytril for poultry. Bayer is contesting the proposed ban and continues to sell Baytril for use in poultry, increasing the likelihood that disease-causing bacteria will develop resistance to this important class of drugs.

“The American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and more than 150 other health organizations and individual health professionals have urged Bayer to comply voluntarily with the FDA’s proposed ban,” said Goldburg. “Bayer needs to take quick action and comply with the FDA ban.”

San Francisco, CA; New York, NY - A new coalition of student environmental and social justice groups have joined forces to form the nation’s largest youth-based online activism partnership, called the Student Action Network (SAN). The goal of SAN is to use the Internet to make social awareness and activism a part of mainstream youth culture. Visit SAN’s website at www.StudentActionNetwork.com.

“National polls show that young people consider the destruction of the environment to be one of the biggest problems facing their generation,” said Severn Williams, Communications Director for the Student Action Network. “Student Action Network gives young people the tools to become educated on critical environmental and social justice issues, and provides them the tools to contribute to positive social change.”

Organizations participating in the Student Action Network include the Sierra Student Coalition, Student Environmental Action Coalition, Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!), Global Youth Connect, Earthnet, POPsustainability, Students for a Free Tibet, and Youthlink. Environmental Defense is the primary sponsor of the Student Action Network.

“Encouraging young people to become active in environmental and social issues is the key to a sustainable future,” said Benjamin Smith, director of the Environmental Defense Action Network. “Environmental Defense recognizes the importance of educating and inspiring young people to take action. The Student Action Network is doing just that.”

The Student Action Network equips participating organizations with sophisticated multimedia-based online activism tools, allowing them to instantly contact their membership and generate thousands of emails and faxes to top decision-makers. In addition to featuring streaming video, audio, and interactive action alerts, the Student Action Network’s web site features animated virtual newscasters that present the latest action news and guide people through the process of taking action.

The Student Action Network celebrated their first victory when thousands of emails were sent to the CEO of Pabst Blue Ribbon requesting that the company remove a billboard placed in Tibet that read, “Pabst Blue Ribbon celebrates the 50^th Anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.” Shortly after the email campaign, Pabst Blue Ribbon removed the billboard, citing the influx of email messages. In their messages, activists claim that China’s 1949 invasion and ensuing occupation of Tibet has lead to over 1.2 million Tibetan deaths, the destruction of more than 6,000 monasteries.

Pabst’s CEO Brian Kovalchuk was quoted in a San Antonio paper last week saying “I’m staring at folders full of printouts of the emails right now, and the stack is at least 6 to 8 inches thick. We’re taking this very seriously.”

For more information please call (415) 387-7789, or visit www.StudentActionNetwork.com.

Contact: Jason Patrick 212 505-2100

Jessica Mendelowitz 212 505-2100

Environmental Defense today praised the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for the publication of amendments under the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act that will improve and increase wetlands protection in the state.

“The NJDEP deserves a great deal of credit for protecting New Jersey’s important wetlands from development and pollution. This action will help safeguard critical resource areas of the state, from the Highlands of the north to the great estuaries of the south,” said Jason Patrick, a scientist at Environmental Defense. “These wetlands and their buffers also provide valuable open space and recreation areas for the citizens of New Jersey.”

New Jersey’s renowned wetland areas are home to dozens of threatened and endangered species, including the bald eagle and osprey. Many of the state’s wetlands are natural water purification systems for excess nutrients and other water contaminants.

“Protecting wetlands is good news for the environment and the economy,” said Patrick. “Taxpayers save money when protected wetlands, instead of costly filtration plants, help keep New Jersey the ‘Garden State’. This rule brings much-needed clarity and consistency to the habitat identification process and should bring added protection to thousands of acres of critical wetland habitat.”

“The rule amendments are based on sound science and will bring much-needed protection of wetlands, wildlife and water resources in New Jersey,” said Tom Gilbert, chair of the Highlands Coalition.

“The recent rollback of national wetland regulations makes this state-led effort even more important. Governor McGreevey and NJDEP Commissioner Campbell should adopt this rule and encourage other states to do the same to prevent a net loss of wetlands,” said Patrick.

Contact: Zach Willey 541 317-8424

Environmental Defense praised an agreement today between Entergy and the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association (PNDSA), which will demonstrate farming methods that help to reduce global warming. PNDSA and Environmental Defense also have a cooperative agreement to investigate and encourage the adoption of environmentally beneficial farming practices.

The Entergy/PNDSA agreement begins a long-term project to quantify soil carbon and greenhouse gas reduction credits resulting from the adoption of direct seed practices by participating growers. Carbon sequestration in soils and reduced emissions of greenhouse gas pollution help to slow the buildup of these gases in the atmosphere and resulting global warming.

“This is a unique agreement that both offsets and reduces carbon dioxide emissions,” said Karl Kupers, vice president of the PNDSA who farms near Harrington, Washington. “This project will allow farmers to make conservation investments that will pay off for them as well as for the planet’s future.”

“This is one of a number of internal and external projects Entergy is undertaking to reduce emissions and achieve its greenhouse gas target,” said Dr. Marty Smith, Entergy’s climate program coordinator.  “Not only are emissions being avoided, but through this special project Entergy has the opportunity to make a contribution to the advancement of a whole new and more environmentally sound method of agriculture.”

“This pilot project will demonstrate farming practices that protect the environment and our nation’s soil resources in a sustainable manner,” said Dr. Zach Willey, Environmental Defense economist. “The project can show how best to verify greenhouse gas reduction credits produced by improved farming practices and can give farmers incentives to join the fight against global warming.”

Entergy, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, is a global energy company engaged in power production, distribution operations, and related diversified services. PNDSA, based in Pasco, Washington, USA, is a non-profit organization providing education and assistance to farmers in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and California on the adoption of low- and no-till cultural practices in farming operations.

Environmental organizations and Houston citizens filed suit today charging the clean air plan for Houston has been so weakened by industry pressure tactics that it fails to protect public health. Petitions for review were filed today, in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The petitions were submitted by the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention (GHASP) and the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association (GBCPA) and on behalf of Houston-area members of Environmental Defense, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club.

“What could have been a good clean air plan for Houston has been nickel-and-dimed to death by industry lobbyists and lawsuits,” said George Smith of the Houston Sierra Club. “The EPA and TNRCC have bowed to industry pressure, but we’re going to stand up for kids with asthma and other vulnerable people who suffer from Houston’s dangerous ozone smog.”

Houston’s air pollution plan allows, by the state’s own admission, the generation of 56 more tons per day of pollution than the state determined were needed to comply with the health standards of the U.S. Clean Air Act. This dangerous pollution helps form ground level ozone, or smog. Thousands of Texans a year suffer asthma attacks, miss work or school, are hospitalized, or die prematurely because they breathe polluted air. A City of Houston analysis places the economic benefit of meeting air pollution standards in the region at $3 billion. During the most recent three-year compliance period (1999-2001), Houston surpassed Los Angeles as the city with the most frequent and most hazardous level of smog in the United States.

“Not only have some business interests won further delays, but now the state is considering relaxing regulations on industry at a time when its own reports indicate that more pollution control is needed,” said Jane W. Elioseff, an individual plaintiff. Ms. Elioseff has medical issues related to smog.

“We want public health protected, not just promises,” said John D. Wilson, Executive Director of GHASP. The legal challenge is based on the failure of EPA and TNRCC to enact measures to control the amount of pollution necessary to clean the air. Although the Clean Air Act calls for penalties like a loss of federal transportation funds when the state fails to submit an adequate plan, Wilson explains that, “Our real goal is to get the plan fixed and clean the air, quickly.”

“Smoggy air causes real health problems for children, the elderly, and people in poor health. It’s unfortunate that their right to clean healthy air must be secured in court,” said Ramon Alvarez, Ph.D., an air quality expert with Environmental Defense. “There are a number of readily available solutions to Houston’s air problems that can give Texans cleaner air without adverse economic impacts. In fact, cleaning up the air will make Houston more attractive to companies considering relocation, and will make it easier to attract employees looking for a high quality of life.”

The state?s plan is already seven years late. Houston environmental attorney James Blackburn explains, “If the state had met the original 1994 Clean Air Act deadline to complete a plan, there would not be so much pressure now.”

Background supporting documents are available on request and at GHASP?s website (www.ghasp.org).

Contact: Tim Searchinger 202 387-3500 ext 3344

David Cherry 202 387-3500 ext 3324

Environmental Defense today welcomed a new report by the National Research Council which emphasizes the urgent need to restore more natural flows along the Missouri River.

“For years, some have continued to claim that U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service demands for more natural river flows on the Missouri are not based on science,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Tim Searchinger.

“Now one of the nation’s most prestigious scientific bodies has emphatically declared that returning the river’s natural flow is critical,” said Searchinger. “And in its calm, scientific manner, the report rings a loud alarm bell that warns without immediate change, the ecology of the river is facing complete collapse. ”

“We are also pleased that the panel went out of its way to explain why restoring the river makes economic sense, and that particular emphasis was placed on showing the marginal benefits from navigation,” Searchinger said. “At a minimum, this report seems to be calling for an end to barging on stretches of the river in Nebraska and Iowa where barges are now seen about as often as Elvis.”

The National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, completed the report on the Missouri River at the request of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers.

A Dry Legacy, a new report released by Trout Unlimited (TU) analyses the challenges of maintaining healthy rivers and streams in a semi-arid state like Colorado. The report draws attention to the adverse impacts that low water flows have by highlighting 10 case studies (Cache la Poudre, Snomass Creek, Colorado, South Boulder Creek, San Miguel, La Plata River, Bear Creek, South Arkansas River, North Fork of the Gunnison, and Conejos).

“This report makes clear the dire circumstances of many of Colorado’s rivers and streams. The extreme low flows in many of these rivers have serious environmental and economic effects. Native fish populations are at risk and sports fisheries are unable to support healthy populations. Even recreational river users can be impacted,” said Environmental Defense Rocky Mountain Office director Daniel Luecke.

The TU report also points to several approaches that can help protect water flows needed to maintain vibrant and healthy rivers in Colorado. They include municipal and agricultural conservation, better enforcement of laws protecting instream flows, increasing the number of instream flow rights, and recognition of water rights for National Parks and other important federal land.

“The more liberal use of markets to allocate and protect the state’s waters could add a degree of flexibility to state water law, making it possible to keep water in rivers for fish habitat and for recreation. Colorado must do a better job, as a community of water users, not competitors, to make state water laws more effective before the problem gets worse,” said Luecke.

Scott Ingvoldstad 303 440-4901

Dan Luecke 303 440-4901

Environmental Defense senior fellow John DeCicco has released a comprehensive study of fuel cell vehicles published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). A synopsis of the report, “Fuel Cell Vehicles: Technology, Market, and Policy Issues,” is available at www.environmentaldefense.org. Reporters can request an evaluation copy of the full report from SAE by calling 724-776-4841, ext. 7471.

While highlighting rapid progress in fuel cell research and the technology’s great promise, the study presents a reasoned view of the hurdles to be crossed before fuel cell vehicles can see market success. In light of the report’s findings, Environmental Defense calls on auto makers to take a more constructive stance on fuel economy standards and other policies that will pull advanced, energy-efficient technologies such as fuel cells into the market sooner.

“Compared to other long-run options,” said DeCicco, “fuel cells hold great promise to address multiple concerns, including air pollution, oil dependence, and global warming, while efficiently meeting car customers’ growing needs for on-board electricity.”

Several auto makers have committed to putting fuel cell vehicles on the road by 2005. Nevertheless, the report identifies a “deployability gap” of another 10-15 years before a business case can be made for mass-market fuel cell cars. “Closing this gap,” said DeCicco, “entails speeding up progress along several challenging technical pathways.” In addition to its in-depth technology assessment, a unique aspect of the study is its evaluation of fuel cell vehicles within the broader context of competing technologies, market trends, and pertinent public policies.

“Fuel cell technologies should receive a high priority for government research funding,” said Kevin Mills, director of Environmental Defense’s Clean Car Campaign. “Well-targeted tax incentives such as the Senate CLEAR Act (Cleaner Efficient Automobiles Resulting From Advanced Car Technologies) will also help advance clean vehicle technologies.”

The study finds that the absence of market-wide requirements for higher fuel economy blocks progress on many vehicle technologies, including fuel cells. “It is inconsistent for the industry to tout its work on fuel cells while fighting higher fuel economy standards,” said Mills.

Contact: John DeCicco 202 387-3500

David Cherry 202 387-3500

In one of the most damaging regulatory rollbacks in Clean Air Act history, the administration is expected soon to release a new policy that would fundamentally undermine clean air protections instrumental in protecting local air quality for nearly 25 years.

The current protections, operating under a program called “new source review,” require power plants, refineries, steel mills, chemical companies and other large industrial sources that lack modern pollution control systems to update their pollution reduction technology when they take action that significantly increases air pollution levels. The new policy will broadly exempt these old, high-polluting industrial sources from the requirement to modernize their pollution controls, even when they are significantly increasing air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods and communities.

“For more than two decades, every American has depended on this critical Clean Air Act program to safeguard local air quality, to ensure healthy air for our families and to protect our national parks from air pollution,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton. “These changes will allow unregulated air pollution increases from large, poorly controlled industrial sources in every neighborhood in America.”

Presently, the new source review program requires old, high-polluting sources to reduce new pollution that will worsen unhealthy air quality in urban centers or adversely impact national parks. The program also gives the citizens affected by the increased pollution notice of the changes and an opportunity to comment on measures to reduce pollution. The administration’s proposal makes sweeping changes to this program that will allow virtually all pollution increases from old, high-polluting sources to go unregulated.

“The President committed to reduce pollution and improve air quality; but this move by his administration will do just the opposite, making it easier for old, dirty power plants to increase pollution without any accountability,” said Patton.

Contact: Vickie Patton 303 440-4901

Allison Cobb 212 505-2100

Environmental Defense today applauded the defeat of an anti-environmental rider to farm legislation now being debated by the Senate.

“This rider was a sweeping assault on more than 30 years of environmental, labor and public health law,” said Scott Faber of Environmental Defense. “A vote for the Bond rider was a vote against America’s most basic environmental protections.”

Proposed by Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO), the rider would have given the President broad authority to waive environmental and other laws if he determined that proposed federal agency actions would be likely to have a significant adverse economic impact on farmers or jeopardize their personal safety. The rider was defeated 54-43.

In particular, Environmental Defense applauded Senators Chafee (R-RI), Cleland (D-GA), Collins (R-ME), Ensign (R-NV), Gregg (R-NH), McCain (R-AZ), Smith (R-NH), Snowe (R-ME), Specter (R-PA), Thompson (R-TN) and Warner (R-VA) for voting against the Bond rider.

“In voting against this rider, members of the U.S. Senate supported the essential role federal agencies play in protecting both human health and the environment,” Faber said.

The Bond amendment would have directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to review all proposed agency actions to determine economic and safety impacts to farmers. If USDA and the action agency failed to reach agreement, the decision would have then been elevated to the President. The President could have blocked the proposed agency action if he determined that it would be likely to have adversely impacted the economic health or safety of farmers. However, the President could not have blocked the agency proposal if it were needed to protect public human health or national security.

Scott Faber 202 387-3500

Recent official air quality and transportation predictions for the metropolitan Washington area are severely flawed, according to a study released today by a coalition of Washington area environmental and civic organizations. The findings indicate the region will continue to fail to meet federal health-based air quality standards. (Copies of the report are available at www.environmentaldefense.org).

The independent audit, conducted by prominent transportation consultant Norm Marshall, Smart Mobility, Inc., finds that the regional Transportation Planning Board (TPB) computer modeling of transportation congestion and regional air quality used faulty data to paint a worse picture of traffic congestion and a rosier picture of air pollution than is truly the case. “The TPB has been cooking the numbers, just like they did when they analyzed the impacts of Disney’s America a few years ago,” said Michael Replogle, transportation director of Environmental Defense and former chair of the TPB’s travel forecasting subcommittee.

According to the report:

—The computer model, and the way that its data have been manipulated, significantly overestimates future traffic growth and congestion, especially on major roads and bridges. This overestimation of future traffic demand can be falsely used to support the need for additional highway capacity.

—The model significantly underestimates expected air pollution from the region’s cars and trucks. Vehicle emissions of smog-producing volatile organic compounds are likely 14% higher than estimated by TPB for 2005.

—The model fails to account for traffic that will be attracted to new roads and fails to reflect how people will shift travel in response to congestion.

—Substantially expanding road and bridge capacity to “solve” congestion problems is an ineffective approach to such problems, as demonstrated by recent research.

“These are not little computer glitches; they are major flaws that mask the region’s failure to stay within legally mandated air pollution limits,” said Lee Epstein, lands program director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “As a result, future air pollution will be worse, more people’s health will be at risk and more nitrogen pollution will fall into the Chesapeake Bay than predicted.” Epstein added that the findings call into question the adequacy of the last air plan submitted by the region to protect the public from health-impairing air pollution.

“The modeling biases the results in favor of more road building and against transit,” said Replogle. “This will lead to more sprawl and even longer driving trips for everyone.”

“Environmental and citizens groups are calling for replacement of the current traffic model, reanalysis of air pollution predictions, and fair evaluation of a smart growth and transit solution to regional congestion,” said Stewart Schwartz, director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

The report was issued by Environmental Defense, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Solutions Not Sprawl, Piedmont Environmental Council, Audubon Naturalist Society and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Environmental Defense and Environmental Working Group today applauded Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) for increasing average annual U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation funding to $4.4 billion in a revised Farm Bill reintroduced this week.

“Senator Harkin’s revised Farm Bill will reward farmers and ranchers when they help improve water quality, restore wildlife habitat, and serve as the frontline against suburban sprawl,” said Environmental Defense water resources specialist Scott Faber. “But it also recognizes that while farmers and ranchers are willing to do their part to meet environmental challenges, good stewards face new costs or lost income when they take steps to help the environment.”

“More than half of farmers and ranchers are now turned away when they apply for conservation assistance because these popular programs have not been funded. Thanks to the leadership of Senator Harkin, these stewards of the land will no longer be denied access to USDA assistance,” said Environmental Working Group President Ken Cook.

In particular, the new Harkin Farm Bill will provide:

• $350 million annually on average for the Farmland Protection Program, which acquires development rights from willing farmers and ranchers threatened by sprawl;

• $1.2 billion annually on average for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which shares the cost of efforts to improve water quality;

• $270 million annually on average for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, including a new focus on habitat restoration for endangered species;

• A new program to work with farmers and ranchers to lease, transfer, or acquire water rights on 1.1 million acres of land, to help endangered fish and wildlife; and,

• Sufficient funding to annually restore 250,000 acres of wetlands nationwide.

  A similar effort to boost conservation funding in the House by Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), and John Dingell (D-MI) came closer than expected in an October vote, boosting Senate reform prospects.

  Because all farmers and ranchers are eligible for conservation funds, the Harkin’s revised Farm Bill also makes farm policy more regionally equitable - but will boost funding available to small and medium-sized farms in every state, including his own. Under current spending, only certain agricultural products are eligible for traditional income support payments. Consequently, farmers in 15 commodity-crop states receive 75% of all USDA spending, while large farm states such as New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida and California receive very little USDA funds.