Thank you very much for joining the Cleaning Crew, the action list of EARTHWORKS' No Dirty Energy campaign. You can access your member page at EARTHWORKS' action center.
Now you can take your first concrete step in support of the campaign to clean up Dirty Energy:
Use your consumer power!
Declare that the dirty energy industry needs to clean up its act. Sign the No Dirty Energy pledge!
Communities across the U.S. living closest to refineries want the promise of clean, sustainable energy to reach them. Instead, tar sands crude moves in the wrong direction by --
increasing pollution in already overburdened refinery communities, often low income and people of color, with greater risks of childhood asthma, cancer, and neurological disorders
Mining reform creates jobs.
Nowadays, jobs are as precious as gold. Fortunately, mining reform doesn't force a choice between the two.
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall has re-introduced mining reform this year. It would require, for the first time in 135 years, that mining companies pay a royalty on hardrock minerals (like gold and copper) they extract from federal lands owned by American taxpayers.
The money from that royalty would pay for abandoned hardrock mine cleanup. And based upon government estimates, abandoned mine cleanup creates thousands of new jobs.
Mining reform has a better chance at passage this year...
HR699, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009 is unchanged from last year's bill. But the new presidential administration is much more favorable to environmental reforms. If Congress passes mining reform, it's likely to become law.
...with your help. TAKE ACTION!
Urge your Representative to support mining reform today -- ask him to cosponsor HR699, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009.
In tight economic times, some Representatives think we can't afford mining reform... despite record high gold prices. Your member of Congress needs to hear from you that HR699 will help create jobs -- as well as protect clean water, fish & wildlife habitat, and other special places.
A delegation of Alaskan Native leaders and fishermen flew from Bristol Bay to London this week to take on mining industry giant Anglo American at the company’s April 15th shareholders meeting. They brought with them their communities' concerns about the massive Pebble mine project Anglo has proposed in the headwaters of Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska. EARTHWORKS staff accompanied the Alaskans.
You can follow their progress at a new website, ak2uk.com.
Bristol Bay is irreplaceable
Some of the most-productive salmon-spawning rivers on Earth flow into Bristol Bay, which supports the world’s biggest commercial sockeye fishery. London-based Anglo American has failed to grasp the depth and breadth of the opposition to the Pebble mine, which would irreparably damage the salmon fishery and cultures that depend on it for survival. Britain is also the largest consumer of Bristol Bay canned sockeye salmon.
Everett Leroy Thompson, Bristol Bay fisherman
Credit: ak2uk.com
UK Jewelers support Bristol Bay
As the Alaskans traveled to London, six prestigious British jewelry retailers and designers representing 260 stores announced they won't buy gold from Anglo American's "Pebble" mine. Goldsmiths, Beaverbrooks, Mappin & Webb, Watches of Switzerland, Fifi Bijoux and April Doubleday took this step at the invitation of local Alaskans by signing the Bristol Bay pledge.
Help move mining reform through the Senate
For the first time in more than 10 years a legitimate mining reform bill has been introduced into the Senate, thanks to Energy and Natural Resource Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman. (Chairman Rahall introduced a House version earlier this year.) Now we need your help to move the bill through the Senate.
S 796, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009, begins the dialogue needed in the Senate to finally reform the 1872 Mining Law in order to:
create green jobs by cleaning up the hundreds of thousands of abandoned hardrock mines,
give a fair return to the taxpayer, and
protect communities and precious western water resources.
A lot of work is needed to make sure real and meaningful 1872 Mining Law reform becomes law this Congress, and Senator Bingaman's bill is a good first step in that process.
TAKE ACTION
To build momentum so that it eventually passes, Senator Bingaman's bill needs support from as many different Senators as possible. Please email your Senator now and ask him or her to join Senator Bingaman as a sponsor of this legislation.
Senators Casey (D-PA) and Schumer (D-NY), and Representatives DeGette (D-CO), Polis (D-CO) and Hinchey (D-NY) have introduced twin bills in the Senate (S 1215) and House (HR 2766) to close the so-called "Halliburton" loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act that allows oil and gas drillers to inject hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
The exemption is known as the "Halliburton loophole" because former Vice President Dick Cheney, ex-CEO of Halliburton, is associated with its creation. Halliburton developed hydraulic fracturing in the 1940s, and remains one of the three largest manufacturers of fracturing fluids.
Potential for drinking water contamination
Hydraulic fracturing injects fluids under extremely high pressure into an oil or gas well to crack open underground oil and gas formations. The fluids usually contain highly toxic chemicals, such as benzene, and hydraulic fracturing is suspected of contaminating drinking water across the country.
We need your help to help get as many cosponsors as possible on this important piece of legislation. This loophole is a relic of the Bush Administration and must be closed to protect drinking water in the 34 states where oil and gas drilling takes place.
Instructions:
Enter your zip code in the area provided below.
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A recent Supreme Court ruling poses a severe threat to our nation's lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands, and reverses over three decades of responsible mining policy.
The June ruling exempts toxic mine waste -- classified as "fill" -- from certain regulations under the Clean Water Act: legalizing its dumping in our precious waters.
Ruling is absurd, and unnecessary
Congress enacted the Clean Water Act in 1972 to protect our waterways from being used as waste disposal sites. However, in 2002, the Bush administration redefined "fill" to include industrial waste, permitting mining companies to dump toxin-laden waste material into our nation's waterways. It's unnecessary! For three decades, mining companies have been operating successfully without this type of irresponsible mine waste disposal.
Salmon. Now threatened by the 'Clean' Water Act
Ruling threatens salmon at Pebble, fisheries nationwide
This misguided decision has implications for clean water all over the country. Most immediately, to the proposed Pebble Mine in southwest Alaska, where mining giant Anglo American wants to build the nation's largest copper and gold mine at the headwaters of the world's largest wild sockeye salmon fishery! If applied in this case, the consequences to the fishery – and all who depend on it - would be devastating.
Our Bristol Bay is all about the Pebble mine proposal and the threat it consitutes to Alaskan (Bristol Bay) fisheries and the communities that depend upon them.
A recent Supreme Court ruling actually encourages the production of dirty gold. It poses a severe threat to our nation's lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands, and reverses over three decades of responsible mining policy.
The June ruling exempts toxic mine waste -- classified as "fill" -- from certain regulations under the Clean Water Act: legalizing its dumping in our precious waters.
Ruling is absurd, and unnecessary
Congress enacted the Clean Water Act in 1972 to protect our waterways from being used as waste disposal sites. However, in 2002, the Bush administration redefined "fill" to include industrial waste, permitting mining companies to dump toxin-laden waste material into our nation's waterways. It's unnecessary! For three decades, mining companies have been operating successfully without this type of irresponsible mine waste disposal.
Salmon. Now threatened by the 'Clean' Water Act
Ruling threatens salmon at Pebble, fisheries nationwide
This misguided decision has implications for clean water all over the country. Most immediately, to the proposed Pebble Mine in southwest Alaska, where mining giant Anglo American wants to build the nation's largest copper and gold mine at the headwaters of the world's largest wild sockeye salmon fishery! If applied in this case, the consequences to the fishery – and all who depend on it - would be devastating.
Our Bristol Bay is all about the Pebble mine proposal and the threat it consitutes to Alaskan (Bristol Bay) fisheries and the communities that depend upon them.
A globally important fishery.
Alaska's Bristol Bay Watershed is one of the most productive salmon ecosystems on Earth. It supports the world’s largest remaining wild sockeye salmon fishery, with tens of millions of salmon surging upstream to spawn each and every year.
Declared open to mining by the Bush administration.
Despite the importance of the fishery, and the many communities and businesses who depend upon it, the BLM wants to open over one million acres of federal land in the Bristol Bay Watershed to mining.
Under the Bush Administration, the BLM issued a decision which did not recommend protective designations for Bristol Bay lands. Instead, the BLM selected Alternative D, which opens over 99% of the planning area to mineral development.
Bristol Bay watershed--threatened by mining
In a situation where mining almost always pollutes water.
A survey of major mining operations permitted over the past 40 years shows that -- in areas similar to the Bristol Bay watershed where the mine would be close to surface and ground water-- they polluted nearby water resources 85% of the time.
TAKE ACTION
There’s still time to protect the fishery. Please send a letter to Bob Abbey. Urge Director Abbey to require the BLM to develop a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement based on sound science that adopts the strongest possible protections for the lands and waters of Bristol Bay.
Instructions:
Read the sample letter below and edit the letter text and subject header if you are able. Customized letters have a greater impact!
Click "Send My Letter!" to send your letter to BLM Director Bob Abbey.
For More Information:
Our Bristol Bay is all about the Pebble mine proposal and the threat it consitutes to Alaskan (Bristol Bay) fisheries and the communities that depend upon them.
Snowbird Ski resort owner proposes coal strip mine
Richard Bass, owner of the world-famous Snowbird ski resort in Utah, has formed PacRim Coal, LLC, to build what would be Alaska's biggest coal mine.
Bass's mine would threaten wild Alaskan salmon
Bass's Chuitna coal mine is proposed in the Cook Inlet watershed, one of Alaska's most productive salmon fisheries. It would directly mine through 11 miles of salmon spawning habitat in tributaries of the Chuitna River. If built, 7 million gallons of waste per day would be dumped into the Chuitna watershed -- irreversibly damaging the watershed, destroying the salmon fishery, and threatening the livelihoods of local fishermen.
The Chuitna River. Photo: Damion Brook Kintz
Bass's mine would threaten the world's climate.
The Chuitna mine would produce more than 12 million tons of coal annually, most of which would be exported to China and other Pacific Rim countries. That amount of coal would emit more than 27 million tons of carbon dioxide when burned. Snowbird, and all ski resorts, rely on cold, snowy winters. As global average temperatures rise, these are in increasingly short supply, so that many ski resorts have urged action on legislation that would address climate change.
Bass's mine would undermine previous environmental stewardship.
Snowbird has been a leader among ski areas in addressing global warming. The resort is an active participant in the National Ski Area Associations Sustainable Slopes program, receiving their top award in 2007. Investing in coal mining is not compatible with the environmental values Bass espouses, or the sustainability awards being heaped on Snowbird.
TAKE ACTION! Urge Richard Bass to remain true to his demonstrated commitment to environmental stewardship and withdraw from the Chuitna coal strip mine proposal.
Instructions:
Read the sample letter below and edit the letter text and subject header if you are able. Customized letters have a greater impact!
Click "Send My Letter!" to send your letter to Richard Bass c/o Snowbird's public relations director.
Two months ago you joined more than 16,000 others in asking Secretary Clinton not to permit the expansion of dirty tar sands via the Alberta Clipper pipeline. Last week the State Department issued a permit for the pipeline that will bring the world's dirtiest oil into America, increase global warming pollution, and support the destruction of important forest and bird habitat.
We're going to challenge the State Department's decision in court, but we need you to let Secretary Clinton know that by allowing this destructive project to move forward, she is failing to protect our national interest. More proposed pipelines, like TransCanada's Keystone XL project, are seeking State Department approval as oil companies plot how to continue our over-dependence on their dirty product. Secretary Clinton needs to hear, loud and clear, that the State Department made a mistake on this one.
At a time when concern is growing about the national security threat posed by global warming, increasing pollution and our dependence on oil is the last thing we should be doing. While the rest of the Obama administration is working to create millions of new clean energy jobs, the State Department is helping oil companies lock our economy into decades of dependence on dirty and outdated infrastructure.
"[Climate change] is a threat that is global in scope but also local and national in impact.... No issue we face today has broader long-term consequences or greater potential to alter the world for future generations." -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, April 27, 2009
Two months ago you joined more than 16,000 others in asking Secretary Clinton not to permit the expansion of dirty tar sands via the Alberta Clipper pipeline. Last month the State Department issued a permit for the pipeline that will bring the world's dirtiest oil into America, increase global warming pollution, and support the destruction of important forest and bird habitat.
We're going to challenge the State Department's decision in court, but we need you to let Secretary Clinton know that by allowing this destructive project to move forward, she is failing to protect our national interest. More proposed pipelines, like TransCanada's Keystone XL project, are seeking State Department approval as oil companies plot how to continue our over-dependence on their dirty product. Secretary Clinton needs to hear, loud and clear, that the State Department made a mistake on this one.
At a time when concern is growing about the national security threat posed by global warming, increasing pollution and our dependence on oil is the last thing we should be doing. While the rest of the Obama administration is working to create millions of new clean energy jobs, the State Department is helping oil companies lock our economy into decades of dependence on dirty and outdated infrastructure.
In February President Obama made his first international visit after taking office, to Canada . We urged President Obama to resist Prime Minister Stephen Harper's sales pitch for Big Oil -- and the President delivered.
On September 16th, Prime Minister Harper is returning the visit, and he'll be pushing Canada 's dirty tar sands oil when he comes.
Who is Harper?
He's the head of Canada's Conservative Party, and one of the biggest shills for Big Oil. Like President Bush, Prime Minister Harper first denied climate change. He has since opposed strong action on global warming. And now he'd like to see the United States continue our destructive dependence on dirty tar sands oil from Canada.
We need you to help us welcome Prime Minister Harper to the White House and let President Obama know he shouldn’t fall for Harper’s oil-slick pitch.
Canada is our largest supplier of oil, and there is no oil dirtier than oil from their tar sands. The billions of dollars handed to Big Oil every year could instead be creating President Obama's clean energy economy by supporting new clean energy jobs.
We need to let President Obama know that we still want a clean energy economy, and we're not buying what Prime Minister Harper is selling.
TAKE ACTION
Use the form below to contact President Obama and let him know that clean energy jobs in the United States should come before dirty oil from Canada.
Please customize the letter and subject if you can -- personalized letters have greater impact.
In February President Obama made his first international visit after taking office, to Canada. We urged President Obama to resist Prime Minister Stephen Harper's sales pitch for Big Oil -- and the President delivered.
On September 16th, Prime Minister Harper is returning the visit, and he'll be pushing Canada's dirty tar sands oil when he comes.
Who is Harper?
He's the head of Canada's Conservative Party, and one of the biggest shills for Big Oil. Like President Bush, Prime Minister Harper first denied climate change. He has since opposed strong action on global warming. And now he'd like to see the United States continue our destructive dependence on dirty tar sands oil from Canada.
We need you to help us welcome Prime Minister Harper to the White House and let President Obama know he shouldn’t fall for Harper’s oil-slick pitch.
Canada is our largest supplier of oil, and there is no oil dirtier than oil from their tar sands. The billions of dollars handed to Big Oil every year could instead be creating President Obama's clean energy economy by supporting new clean energy jobs.
We need to let President Obama know that we still want a clean energy economy, and we're not buying what Prime Minister Harper is selling.
TAKE ACTION
Use the form below to contact President Obama and let him know that clean energy jobs in the United States should come before dirty oil from Canada.
Please customize the letter and subject if you can -- personalized letters have greater impact.
More jewelers support protecting Bristol Bay from mining
This week, four more jewelry retailers and designers representing $1 billion in sales announced they won't buy gold from Anglo American's proposed Pebble mine. Birks & Mayors, Herff Jones, Commemorative Brands, and Hacker Jewelers took this step at the invitation of local Alaskans by signing the Bristol Bay pledge. "Birks and Mayors proudly joins other responsible jewelers denouncing the proposed mining of precious metals at Bristol Bay," said John Orrico, Senior Vice President of Birks and Mayors. "We trust that the jewelry industry will stand in support of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery".
The Pebble mine would irreparably harm Bristol Bay
The jewelers join over a dozen other prominent retailers, including Tiffany & Co. and Helzberg Diamonds, who have vowed not to buy gold from the Pebble mine, a massive gold and copper mine proposed at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. Some of the most-productive salmon-spawning rivers on Earth flow into Bristol Bay, which supports the world’s biggest commercial sockeye fishery. The mine is projected to be the largest in North America, generating billions of tons of mine waste and using 35 billion gallons of water per year.
A different kind of Tiffany & Co. advertisement
And later this week, Tiffany & Co. will be running an unusual advertisement in National Jeweler, stating that "[d]espite the best of intentions, 175 years of experience sourcing gemstones and precious metals tells us that there are certain places where mining cannot be done without forever destroying landscapes, wildlife and communities. Bristol Bay is one such place."
The Obama administration recently took emergency action to temporarily halt new mine claimstaking around Grand Canyon National Park.
The Grand Canyon
This stopgap measure has temporarily protected one of our most valued national treasures. However, it is still threatened by an increase in uranium mining claims, and an outdated 137-year-old Mining Law.
Now the interior department wants to know whether new mining in the area should be prohibited for the next 20 years.
Please send a letter to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar. Thank him and the Obama administration for taking action. Offer your support for the proposed 20 year withdrawal of 1 million acres from around Grand Canyon National Park.
Also, please ask the Secretary to work with Congress to pass 1872 Mining Law reform. Real mining law reform will ensure that our nation's special places are truly protected.
TAKE ACTION! Urge Secretary Salazar to withdraw 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon from mining claimstaking.
Instructions:
Read the sample letter below and edit the letter text and subject header if you are able. Customized letters have a greater impact!
Click "Send My Letter!" to send your letter to Secretary Salazar.
For More Information:
Read a report on the threat of uranium mining in Grand Canyon National Park.
More jewelers support protecting Bristol Bay from mining
This week, four more jewelry retailers and designers representing $1 billion in sales announced they won't buy gold from Anglo American's proposed Pebble mine. Birks & Mayors, Herff Jones, Commemorative Brands, and Hacker Jewelers took this step at the invitation of local Alaskans by signing the Bristol Bay pledge. "Birks and Mayors proudly joins other responsible jewelers denouncing the proposed mining of precious metals at Bristol Bay," said John Orrico, Senior Vice President of Birks and Mayors. "We trust that the jewelry industry will stand in support of the Bristol Bay salmon fishery".
The Pebble mine would irreparably harm Bristol Bay
The jewelers join over a dozen other prominent retailers, including Tiffany & Co. and Helzberg Diamonds, who have vowed not to buy gold from the Pebble mine, a massive gold and copper mine proposed at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. Some of the most productive salmon-spawning rivers on Earth flow into Bristol Bay, which supports the world’s biggest commercial sockeye fishery. The mine is projected to be the largest in North America, generating billions of tons of mine waste and using 35 billion gallons of water per year.
A different kind of Tiffany & Co. advertisement
And in October, Tiffany & Co. will be running an unusual advertisement in National Jeweler, stating that "[d]espite the best of intentions, 175 years of experience sourcing gemstones and precious metals tells us that there are certain places where mining cannot be done without forever destroying landscapes, wildlife and communities. Bristol Bay is one such place."
Salazar Temporarily Protects The Grand Canyon
Recently, we asked you to urge Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to withdraw nearly a million acres around the Grand Canyon from mining for 20 years. Thanks to the thousands of you that responded.
Although Salazar has yet to protect the canyon for 20 years, the area is withdrawn for the next two years.
The Grand Canyon
Grijalva Introduces Permanent Protection
While temporary withdrawal from mining is important, Congress needs to act to permanently protect the area.
Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) has introduced H.R. 644, The Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act, which would permanently withdraw a million acres of public land within the watersheds of the Grand Canyon from mineral exploration under the 1872 Mining Law.
An increase in uranium claim staking, exploration and mining threatens the Grand Canyon – one of our most beautiful national treasures. Industrial activity around the park could upset the ecological balance of the area or contaminate the Grand Canyon Watershed.
TAKE ACTION!
Please act now and urge your Representative to sign on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 644 to help protect this irreplaceable landscape.
Instructions:
Read the sample letter below and edit the letter text and subject header if you are able. Customized letters have a greater impact!
Click "Send My Letter!" to send your letter to your representative.
For More Information:,
Read a report on the threat of uranium mining in Grand Canyon National Park.
Newsflash:
This week Sears/Kmart, Blue Nile and Ultra Stores signed the No Dirty Gold campaign's "Golden Rules" for more responsible mining.
This brings the total number of jewelry retail signatories up to 60. Altogether, these jewelry retailers represent over $1.3 billion in annual US jewelry sales, or nearly a quarter of the total.
Sears, others take a step towards certified gold
The jewelers have signed on to the Golden Rules at a time when discussions are advancing on third party certification of more responsible mining practices through the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA). The Golden Rules signatories have committed to seeking such third party certification of responsible sourcing when it becomes available.
"The No Dirty Gold campaign is a great initiative that pushes for sustainability and ethical sourcing on gold," said Sears' Senior Vice President Michelle Pearlman. "Sears strives to be a green company and we will continue to work to build lifetime relationships with our customers starting from the mines up."
Blood Gold coming to a jeweler near you?
So how can you be guaranteed that you’re not buying Blood Gold? Many jewelers do not trace where they get their gold and do not have strong sourcing policies. Could you be buying gold jewelry linked to violent conflict in the DRC or other conflict zones?
A number of jewelers have signed the Golden Rules and committed to work towards responsible sourcing of precious metals. But other retailers have yet to even sign the Golden Rules, an important first step in cleaning up their gold sourcing and protecting human rights. Several of these jewelers are also supporting the development of a third-party certification process for developing standards and verification of cleaner mining practices through the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA).
TAKE ACTION: This holiday shopping season -- tell jewelers you don’t want Blood Jewelry Tell jewelers that are dragging their feet -- Target, TJ Maxx, Harry Winston -- that they need to say no to Dirty Gold! Tell them to sign the Golden Rules for responsible sourcing of precious metals.
As these retailers gear up for their biggest sales period of the year, let them know that you care about the conditions under which their products were mined and produced.
Instructions:
Read the sample letter below and edit it if possible. Customized letters have greater impact.
Click "Send My Message" to send your letter to the leaders of Target, TJ Maxx, and Harry Winston.
Anglo American's CEO promised to back out of the Pebble Mine project if communities opposed it.
Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll
Source: World Economic Forum (via Wikipedia)
"I will not go where people don't want us. I just won't. We've got enough on our plate without having communities against us." --Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll in Fast Company online magazine
Communities oppose it.
A survey of Bristol Bay area residents -- the communities that are threated by the Pebble Mine -- show that 80% oppose the mine.
And it's a bad idea all around.
The mine site is located at the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed, which supports the largest remaining wild sockeye fishery in the world.
This renewable resource is the economic engine for the region, sustaining the many businesses and communities that rely on it.
If built, Pebble would be the largest open pit mine in North America.
Pebble would generate as much as 10 billion tons of mine waste, which would be stored -- in perpetutiy -- at the headwaters of Bristol Bay behind enormous dams.
These huge dams, and the mine waste they restrain, would be built in an area subject to frequent earthquakes.
The ore is directly underneath salmon spawning habitat.
Salmon are highly sensitive to pollution. Miniscule amounts interfere with their sense of smell, impairing their ability to locate spawning grounds and identify predators.
Tell President Obama: don't addict us to dirty tar sands oil
The world's dirtiest and most expensive oil is Canadian tar sands oil.
And it's fueling the U.S. oil addiction at a time when money should instead be invested in clean energy and clean energy jobs.
President Obama campaigned on a new energy economy: one that would create new jobs, one that would give us a cleaner, healthier environment.
But if he doesn't reject the permit for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, he will increase our addiction to this dirtiest of oils.
TAKE ACTION: Use the form below to send a letter to President Obama. Tell him there's no place in the clean energy economy for the Keystone XL pipeline, or dirty tar sands oil.
Newsflash:
Zales, the 2nd largest U.S. jewelry retailer, has signed the Bristol Bay Protection Pledge, endorsing protection for the world's largest remaining wild sockeye salmon fishery.
In so doing, the company has vowed not to source gold from the proposed Pebble Mine - proposed at Bristol Bay's headwaters. This mine would destroy wild salmon habitat, and jeopardize the fishery that sustains the region.
Zales joins over twenty other jewelers who have signed the pledge. Altogether these jewelers represent over $6 billion in sales! These jewelers have taken this action at the invitation of local communities, commercial fishermen, Alaska Native groups, and conservation groups.
A mobile phone shouldn't cost people their lives
Yesterday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs advanced a bill that would help prevent human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo… and give you the chance to purchase conflict-free electronics products.
The conflict in eastern Congo is fueled by mining and trade in metals used in our electronic products - "blood" gold, coltan, tungsten, and tin. Because of this conflict, more than five million people have died and hundreds of thousands of women have been raped over the past decade.
The Conflict Minerals Trade Act needs support
If signed into law, HR 4128, the Conflict Minerals Trade Act will identify goods imported into the United States that contain conflict minerals. This transparency would be a significant step toward breaking the links between metals mining and human rights abuses in Congo.
Drilling is risky. Always.
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cruelly demonstrates that drilling – even when federally regulated, even when industry employs "failsafe" technology – risks catastrophic damage to the environment and the communities that rely upon that environment.
There's a drilling boom onshore.
Thanks to a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, natural gas is newly accessible in heavily populated watersheds of New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere around the country. Accessing the gas requires drillers to bore through underground drinking water aquifers. After which they inject toxics at high pressures to fracture shale rock, which releases the gas.
When drillers decide, drilling is dangerous.
But unlike other phases of drilling, hydraulic fracturing is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act. Furthermore, drillers are exempt from disclosing the toxics they use. So drillers are in the drivers seat: and it's impossible to monitor their operations – because you can't measure what they won't tell you about.
May 4th imagery of oil slick - click to enlarge
Credit: Skytruth
ELEVEN more jewelers have signed the Bristol Bay Protection Pledge, endorsing protection for the world's largest remaining wild sockeye salmon fishery.
The jewelers have vowed not to source gold from the Pebble Mine - proposed at Bristol Bay's headwaters. This mine would destroy wild salmon habitat, and jeopardize the fishery that sustains the region.
Toby Pomeroy, Blair Lauren Brown, Reflective Images, Michaels Jewelers, Security Jewelers, Ingle & Rhode, Alberto Parada, Real Jewels, CRED Jewellery, Open Source Minerals, and Fair Trade in Gems and Jewelery all signed the pledge. Together with the rest of the Bristol Bay Pledge signers, these jewelers represent over $6 billion in sales! These jewelers have taken this action at the invitation of local communities, commercial fishermen, Alaska Native groups, and conservation groups.
Toxic Release Inventory Overhaul
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to rewrite the rules surrounding how and what the mining industry reports to the Toxics Release Inventory program, also known as the TRI program. The primary purpose of the TRI program is to inform communities and citizens of the chemical and toxic pollution released in their areas.
EARTHWORKS was instrumental in getting the mining industry added to the TRI reporting program in 1998. Since then, the mining industry has sued the EPA to avoid reporting some of their toxic releases and we still don’t know everything that is being emitted at many mines.
Mining Industry is the Largest Emitter of Toxic Chemicals
Despite the fact that the mining industry is not reporting all the toxic chemicals they release each year, they remain the largest toxic polluter in the country, with 1.1 billion pounds of chemicals released in 2008. This includes 1.8 million pounds of arsenic, 5.5 million pounds of mercury, and 420 million pounds of lead.
We have been fighting for changes to the reporting rules, and we now have an opportunity to make sure the mining industry is reporting more of their toxic chemical emissions.
TAKE ACTION:
Your help is needed to make sure that citizens know what toxic chemicals are being released; how much is released; and where that pollution is going. Please write the EPA and ask them to improve how the metal mining industry reports their chemicals under the TRI program.
Instructions:
Read the sample letter at the bottom of this action page. Customized letters have greater impact.
Click "Send My Message" to send your letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Our state is home to some of the cleanest drinking water and best fishing streams in the country, but natural gas drilling could decimate these precious resources and endanger communities across New York.
New York has an important choice to make -- and we have to make it now, before the Legislature adjourns for the year.
Our choice:
Start issuing permits for gas development soon -- and risk dirty drilling that could pollute our drinking water,
or
Take the time necessary to understand the potential impacts of gas development on our water, air, health, and communities.
Stand Up New York!
It's critical that drilling does not occur unless and until we're ready. "Ready" means:
We know enough to protect our drinking water from gas development
Strong rules and regulations require drillers to behave themselves so that our drinking water is protected
Qualified staff in adequate numbers are in place to enforce those rules and regs.
We need your help TODAY!
If New York Senate Majority Leader John Sampson would bring the issue to a vote, the legislature would vote to protect New York’s drinking water from the dangers of dirty gas drilling by enacting a ‘time out’ on drilling permits. Any sensible time out would last until the Environmental Protection Agency finishes its study of the issue, and New York updates its drilling laws, regulations and number of regulators.
Although Sampson hasn't brought it up, he's wavering. Take Action!
Our state is home to some of the cleanest drinking water and best fishing streams in the country, but natural gas drilling could decimate these precious resources and endanger communities across New York.
New York has an important choice to make -- and we have to make it now, before the Legislature adjourns for the year.
Our choice:
Start issuing permits for gas development soon -- and risk dirty drilling that could pollute our drinking water,
or
Take the time necessary to understand the potential impacts of gas development on our water, air, health, and communities.
Stand Up New York!
It's critical that drilling does not occur unless and until we're ready. "Ready" means:
We know enough to protect our drinking water from gas development
Strong rules and regulations require drillers to behave themselves so that our drinking water is protected
Qualified staff in adequate numbers are in place to enforce those rules and regs.
We need your help TODAY!
If New York Senate Majority Leader John Sampson would bring the issue to a vote, the legislature would vote to protect New York’s drinking water from the dangers of dirty gas drilling by enacting a ‘time out’ on drilling permits. Any sensible time out would last until the Environmental Protection Agency finishes its study of the issue, and New York updates its drilling laws, regulations and number of regulators.
Although Sampson hasn't brought it up, he's wavering. Take Action!
Our state is home to some of the cleanest drinking water and best fishing streams in the country, but natural gas drilling could decimate these precious resources and endanger communities across New York.
The choice:
Issue permits for gas development too soon -- and risk dirty drilling that could pollute our drinking water,
or
Take the time necessary to understand the potential impacts of gas development on our water, air, health, and communities.
It is critical that drilling not occur unless and until we're ready. Meaning...
We know enough to protect our drinking water from gas development;
Strong rules and regulations require drillers to behave themselves so that our drinking water is protected;
Qualified staff in adequate numbers are in place to enforce those rules and regs.
On August 3, the New York State Senate voted overwhelmingly in a bipartisan vote to pass a bill that places a moratorium on permits for hydraulic fracturing until May 15, 2011. This victory was possible because of the never-ending hard work and commitment of citizens like you.
Now it’s time to bring that same energy to the New York Assembly! To become law, the companion bill must be passed by the Assembly, and then signed by the Governor.
Even though the legislative session is officially over, the Assembly is likely to return to Albany for a special session in the coming weeks. When they do, it’s imperative that members of the Assembly vote on the moratorium bill.
Photo: A Gulf oil slick "burn-off"
Credit: Greenpeace
OR
Photo: The Delaware River watershed is threatened by irresponsible drilling
Credit: Tracy Carluccio
In the wake of the continuing Gulf oil spill disaster, Congress is poised to act.
They face a stark choice, however.
Focus narrowly on the the Gulf of Mexico
or
Take the lessons learned from the Gulf disaster and apply them nationwide in a comprehensive plan to modernize our Nation’s energy policies.
Our current energy policies put communities and the environment at risk everywhere energy development occurs.
If Congress focuses solely on the Gulf with this bill, they're deciding, in Ben Franklin's terms, "we'd rather pay for the pound of cure, than the ounce of prevention." Although if Franklin were alive today, he'd probably make it "1 oz prevention = 1 TON cure".
TAKE ACTION We need your help by Friday July 23rd to push for a comprehensive solution to the disaster in the Gulf, and energy development nationwide.
INSTRUCTIONS
FIRST Enter your zip code below so we can find your Representative.
SECOND
Using the sample letter that results as a guide, urge your Representative to call House Speaker Pelosi.
THIRD
Make sure they urge her to take a comprehensive approach to protect public safety and the environment from energy development -- wherever it occurs.
MORE INFO
EARTHblog: read our senior policy advisor, Cathy Carlson's EARTHblog on what's at stake and what we're asking for.
Tell Costa Rican President Chinchilla: gold mining ban should apply to Crucitas mine too
Canadian mining company Infinito Gold is pushing for Costa Rican government permission to start the Crucitas open-pit gold mine in northern Costa Rica.
Forests, rivers, communities, endangered species threatened If built, the mine would destroy tropical forest that hosts endangered species like the Great Green Macaw and Geoffrey’s spider monkey in the Agua y Paz Biosphere Reserve. The mine could also threaten communities’ agricultural livelihoods and the San Juan River on the border with Nicaragua with toxic spills.
End special treatment for the Crucitas proposal The new President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, decreed a ban on all gold mining as she came into office this past May. But her decision has not stopped the Crucitas project that was declared of “national interest.” She needs to do more to protect Costa Rican communities and biodiversity from gold mining’s destructive impacts.
TAKE ACTION Please write to President Laura Chinchilla and urge her to stop the planned Crucitas mine! Our allies in Costa Rica have requested YOUR help. Please write now.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the sample letter on the right.
Customize the subject and letter text -- personalized letters have greater impact
Click "Send Your Message" at page bottom to send your letter to Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla
Lessons Learned? Friday, the House of Representatives will decide how to apply the lessons learned from the Gulf Oil Spill disaster. They're going to vote on H.R. 3534, the Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act, which also contains two long overdue protections for onshore oil and gas drilling.
The Gulf disaster -- and its root causes -- prove that Big Oil (and gas) needs close supervision and better management. The CLEAR Act fills this need by:
creating new safety standards,
establishing higher liability limits, and
closing the revolving door between government and industry.
Onshore Lessons Too. Along with improving regulations offshore, the CLEAR Act includes several critical provisions which bring better balance to onshore energy development, including:
Eliminating a threat to rivers and streams by closing the oil and gas construction loophole in the Clean Water Act.
Eliminating shortcuts and ensuring science-based review of environmental impacts at drill sites.
TAKE ACTION
Please take a minute to use the sample below to send a letter to your Representative in support of the CLEAR Act. Urge your Representative today to SUPPORT the CLEAR Act and to OPPOSE weakening amendments.
INSTRUCTIONS
FIRST Enter your zip code below so we can find your Representative.
SECOND
Using the sample letter that results as a guide, urge your Representative to support the CLEAR Act and oppose weakening amendments.
THIRD
Make sure they urge her to take a comprehensive approach to protect public safety and the environment from energy development -- wherever it occurs.
MORE INFO
EARTHblog: read our policy director, Lauren Pagel's EARTHblog on what's at stake and what we're asking for.
In a major, nationwide effort, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is studying the relationship between hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and drinking water.
It's important that this study is scientifically sound. Communities across the country, including state and local government, are anticipating its guidance.
So the study must include real, on-the-ground impacts of hydraulic fracturing... and its consequences on drinking water and human health across the country.
For EPA's study to contribute to the protection of people and the environment, it should look at all the data, not just the use of hydraulic fracturing technology itself. Affected communities need to know the full impact of fracking.
Speak up! Tell the EPA to conduct the hydraulic fracturing study so that it gives citizens in oil and gas producing states real knowledge of all its potential impacts.
Buried Secrets, Propublica's groundbreaking investigative series on the risks posed by the drilling boom.
Points the EPA needs to consider:
Thoroughly analyze the impacts of the high-pressure injection of enormous amounts of fluids and chemicals into underground formations.
Not be limited to just underground pollution or impacts in the well hole itself. The study must also consider the full lifecycle impacts of the chemicals used, from transportation to wastewater treatment.
Focus on a broad set of data collected from currently available public information, including from organizations and citizens living with gas development, as well as state and local records and industry data.
Include an analysis of the risks and consequences of water contamination.
Be thorough, scientifically rigorous, and expeditious to advance the protection of water quality and human health.
The Pebble Mine is a threat to salmon
A massive gold and copper mine - the Pebble Mine - is proposed for development at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. The mine is projected to be the largest in North America, generating as much as 10 billion tons of harmful mine waste and destroying productive salmon habitat.
World's greatest sockeye salmon fishery is at risk
Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed supports the world’s largest remaining wild salmon fishery. Year after year, the salmon return to Bristol Bay in astounding numbers, like no other place on earth. The salmon fishery is the economic engine for the region, generating $400 million in revenue and supporting 10,000 jobs.
Ask Kay and Jared: sign the Bristol Bay Pledge Jewelry retailers are an important voice because jewelry demand represents 80% of global mine production of gold. Over 30 jewelry retailers, including Tiffany & Co, Zales, and Helzberg Diamonds have already signed the Bristol Bay Protection Pledge, voicing support for Bristol Bay protection.
Kay and Jared can do better! We commend the Signet Group (owner of the Kay and Jared Brands) as one of the first jewelers to sign the Golden Rules – a comprehensive set of principles for more responsible gold sourcing. These principles only have real meaning if they go beyond a paper commitment and can ensure that retailers are not supporting the mining of international treasures such as the headwaters of Bristol Bay. We have sent several requests to the Signet Group to sign the pledge, and we’re now asking the public to send letters of encouragement. They can do better!
TAKE ACTION: Ask Kay and Jared Jewelers to sign the Bristol Bay Protection Pledge Please send a letter to Signet Jewelers (parent company of Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry) asking them to sign the Bristol Bay pledge to support lasting protection for Bristol Bay.
At the Idaho-Maryland Mine, up to four tons of ore would have to be processed to produce one ounce of gold. But the steps taken to scrape together that ounce pose what scientists call two of the mining industry's biggest environmental risks: cyanide contamination and acid mine drainage.
Sears, others take a step towards certified gold
