The Bluestem Network Action Alert as of June 27, 2000 is as follows:

Please make the following two phone calls:

Please call U.S. Senators Peter Fitzgerald and Dick Durbin and tell them to vote down the anti-environmental riders in the Senate Interior Appropriations Bill. This bill has already passed the House and the Senate Appropriations Committee. It is being introduced in the full Senate this week.

Be sure to tell both senators that this bill contains riders that are unacceptable because they would harm the environment. Tell them to vote against the bill as long as it has any anti-environmental riders in it. A rider is a clause that is attached to legislation. It usually has nothing to do with the subject of the legislation and would probably not pass on its own if it were fully debated. They, in effect, "ride along" with a more essential bill, such as an appropriations bill. In this case several riders would harm endangered species, Illinois rivers, our national forests and other public lands. A detailed explanation of these riders is printed below.

You can place a call to U.S. Senator Durbin in Washington D.C. at 202-224-2152 or in Chicago at 312-353-4952. You can place a call to Senator Fitzgerald in Washington at 202-224-2854 or in Chicago at 312-886-3506.

Summary of some of the riders:

The following is a summary of some of the anti-environmental riders on this year's Department of the Interior appropriations bill:

One rider would impede the Endangered Species Act by limiting funding for listing new species and designation of their critical habitat. The Fish and Wildlife Service has a backlog of more than 320 species that have been proposed as endangered but no final decision has been made. And, of the 1,200 species that are already listed, more than 1,000 need critical habitat designation. By capping spending at only $6.4 million dollars, the rider limits the ability of the department to accomplish those tasks.

Another rider suspends several environmental laws for another year to allow cattle-grazing permits on public lands that expire or are transferred to be renewed without the environmental reviews that are required by several laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Federal Lands Management Policy Act. Last year, the Congress explicitly stated in a report that accompanied the 1999 appropriations bill that these laws would be suspended for one more year only. But this year's bill, like last year's, requires that cattle grazing permits be renewed regardless of the environmental damage done to public lands and even when change is required to comply with the Interior Department's 1994 range reforms. Over-grazing on public lands such as National Forests and BLM lands is a major source of environmental degradation.

Another rider, would prohibit use of funds already made available to establish a National Wildlife Refuge right here in Illinois on the Kankakee River. The Grand Kankakee Marsh in northeastern Illinois was once one of the most important freshwater ecosystems in North America providing habitat to a spectacular array of wading birds, water fowl and other wildlife. Today 95 percent has been drained for agricultural purposes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed turning 30,000 acres of what is left into a wildlife refuge. This rider would prevent them from spending funds for that purpose and give the Army Corps of Engineers veto authority over this and all new wildlife refuges.

Another rider would prevent the establishment of the North Delta Wildlife Refuge near Sacramento, California.

Another rider would hamper U.S. participation in international activity on climate change. The language would hurt both the environment and the U.S. ability to negotiate affective and fair agreements on climate change. It would stifle our ability to export clean technology to developing countries. Nor would we be able to participate in international discussions that set fair rules.

Another ride would prohibit use of funds on national monuments designated after 1999. In effect, this rider would undo monument status for recent and future designations by President Clinton since these monuments would have no money to operate. Congress gave presidents the authority to designate national monuments in the Antiquities Act of 1906.

For more information, call Charles Phillips of GREEN at 660-882-5123 or check out the Green web page at www.defenders.org/grnhome.html.

This concludes the detailed explanation for the June 27, 2000 Bluestem Network action alert.