A few weeks ago, we asked you to send a letter to the Forest Service about the Montanore mine – a proposal to blast miles of tunnels under the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness. Now, we’re asking you to send a message to the Army Corps of Engineers, to deny the mining company’s request to bury streams, springs and wetlands with mine waste.
Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Burying Montana Streams in Mine Waste
The mining corporation is proposing to bury four headwater streams, wetlands and springs with 120 million tons of mine waste, in an unlined tailings impoundment. Discharging wastes into waters may be cheaper for the mining company, but it is not a necessary way of doing business.
Harming threatened bull trout and Wilderness
To keep the mine tunnels dry, the mine will lower the groundwater by up to 1,000 feet within the Wilderness Area, severely depleting flows in the most important streams in the region for threatened bull trout.
TAKE ACTION: Send a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, and let it know this is a bad idea.
Instructions:
Send/amend the sample letter to the right. Personalized letters have a much greater impact.
Click send your message to send your letter to the Army Corps of Engineers.
SHARE this alert with your friends and family via the subsequent page. Share via email, Facebook, Twitter and/or Google+
An hour east of Phoenix is a unique ecosystem that is both critical for religious freedom of the San Carlos Apache, and famous for its climbing, hiking and camping . The center of this area, Oak Flat Campground was forever set aside for public use by President Eisenhower.
Now, two huge foreign mining companies want to take Oak Flat from the public and mine it. The very definition of a "special interest", they have attempted to bypass the normal process for permitting mines, and gone straight to Congress for a legislative "fix".
This Thursday, February 9th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will be holding a hearing to compare two recent bills that would take away Oak Flat.
Both bills would give away Oak Flat and destroy Gaan Canyon, Queen Creek Canyon, and Apache Leap. Both bills would devastate the watershed. Both bills would curtail Native American religious freedoms. Both bills would end recreational opportunities and their positive economic impact on the surrounding towns.
Join the solid and massive opposition to both bills by Native American, conservation, recreation, and other organizations.
TAKE ACTION: Please tell the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to say no to both bills
Instructions:
Send/amend the sample letter to the right. Personalized letters have a much greater impact.
Click send your message to send your letter to the Seante Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
SHARE this alert with your friends and family via the subsequent page. Share via email, Facebook, Twitter and/or Google+
An hour east of Phoenix and a half hour west of the current boundaries of the San Carlos Indian Reservation lays a unique ecosystem that not only is critical for religious freedom for Native Americans, but is a recreationists’ Mecca. The center of this area, Oak Flat Campground was forever set aside for public use by President Eisenhower more than 50 years ago.
Now, two huge foreign mining companies want to take Oak Flat from the public so the can build a mine that will devastate the area. They have gone straight to Congress and asked them to pass legislation that would bypass the normal process of approving mines.
This Thursday, February 9th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will be holding a hearing to compare two recent bills that would take away Oak Flat.
Both bills would give away Oak Flat and destroy Gaan Canyon, Queen Creek Canyon, and Apache Leap. Both bills would devastate the watershed. The entire area is sacred to Native Americans and both bills would curtail religious freedoms. Both bills would end recreational opportunities and their positive economic impact on the surrounding towns.
There is solid and massive opposition to both bills by Native American, conservation, recreation, and other organizations.
TAKE ACTION: Please tell the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to say no to both bills
Instructions:
Send/amend the sample letter below. Personalized letters have a much greater impact.
Click send your message to send your letter to the Seante Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
SHARE this alert with your friends and family via the subsequent page. Share via email, Facebook, Twitter and/or Google+
An hour east of Phoenix and west of the San Carlos Reservation lays an ecological haven that is not only a sacred site critical for religious freedom, but a recreational Mecca.
Oak Flat Campground was set aside by President Eisenhower for all Americans to enjoy. It and the surrounding lands including Apache Leap, Gaan Canyon, and Queen Creek Canyon, are under siege by two huge foreign mining companies who want to take them from public ownership and destroy them by building a huge mine.
For the past 6 years, these companies have unsuccessfully asked the US Congress to pass legislation giving away these lands. The current bill they are pushing may be heard in the US Senate soon.
If the bill passes, we would lose a priceless piece of our natural and historic heritage and these wealth mining companies would be allowed to wreak unfettered havoc over Oak Flat and the surrounding watershed.
The scenic Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson, Arizona, are an ecological haven and the headwaters for part of Tucson's water supply. And they’re under threat from the Rosemont mine proposal.
A Canadian investment company, with no previous mining experience, has proposed an open pit copper mine a mile in diameter and a half mile deep, in the middle of the Santa Ritas.
The mine would transform a desert refuge into an industrial zone, destroying the ecosystem and the economy that depends upon it.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has released a draft Aquifer Protection Permit (APP) for the proposed Rosemont Mine. The permit is required before the proposed mine could begin operation.
The deadline for comment on this proposed permit is February 3.
The permit is lacking in many areas. It does not require the company to provide important studies, conduct proper monitoring, or provide important details until long after the permit would be granted. The bond required for the mine is laughably low, especially for a company that has never operated a mine before. It allows the company, Augusta Resources, to set pollution limits for the mine, and then only after at least two year of monitoring long after the permit would be granted.
The draft permit needs to be rewritten to fix these and many other problems and then released again for public comment and review.
TAKE ACTION: Please tell the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality that the Scenic Santa Ritas are no place for a mine!
Instructions:
Send/amend the sample letter below. Personalized letters have a much greater impact.
Click send your message to send your letter to the ADEQ.
SHARE this alert with your friends and family via the subsequent page. Share via email, Facebook, Twitter and/or Google+
Tell the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to stop dragging its feet and issue conflict mineral rules.
The Dodd-Frank Act aims to put an end to the trade in conflict minerals -- specifically those which fund atrocities in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- by requiring companies to disclose whether they're using minerals from the region.
The idea being, consumers and investors can use that information to pressure companies to act more responsibly. Great, right?
Well, for that to work, the SEC has to issue rules telling companies how to comply with Dodd-Frank. And the SEC has been dragging its feet.
It was supposed to issue new rules within 270 days of Dodd-Frank passage, but it has been over 530 days… and still no rules. All while people in the DRC continue to suffer.
Join us in demanding that the SEC issue strong conflict minerals rules by the end of January.
This is important because conflict minerals fuel human rights abuses, murders, rapes, and war. These minerals could be in our phones, on our ring fingers, or in our cars. Congress took action by passing the law; it's now time for the SEC to step up.
TAKE ACTION: Tell the SEC to issue strong rules for conflict minerals!
The SEC has dragged its feet in response to the use of conflict minerals in our electronics products: send a letter and tell them every day of delay is another day conflict minerals fuel human rights and environmental abuses in the DRC.
Instructions:
Read the sample letter below appears, and edit the letter text and subject header if you are able. Customized letters have a greater impact!
Click "Send Your Message" to send your letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The scenic Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson, Arizona, are an ecological haven and a recreational playground. The Santa Ritas are home to rare and endangered plants and animals, an active tourist economy, and the headwaters for part of Tucson's water supply.
Lightning storm over the Santa Ritas.
Photo: Tom Vezo/photomigrations.com
And they’re under threat from the Rosemont mine proposal, thanks to the 1872 Mining Law which gives mining priority over almost all other land uses.
A Canadian investment company, with no previous mining experience, has proposed an open pit copper mine: a mile in diameter, a half mile deep, in the middle of Santa Ritas.
The mine would transform a desert refuge into an industrial zone, destroying the ecosystem and the economy that depends upon it.
To decide whether to permit this mine, the US Forest Service has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact statement and is accepting comments.
TAKE ACTION: Please tell the Forest Service the Scenic Santa Ritas are no place for a mine!
Instructions:
Send/amend the sample letter to the right. Personalized letters have a much greater impact.
Click send your message to send your letter to the Coronado National Forest, which is charged with evaluating the Rosemont mine proposal.
SHARE this alert with your friends and family via the subsequent page. Share via email, Facebook, Twitter and/or Google+
Rep. Ed Markey (D, MA), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, has sent a letter to Energy Secretary Chu expressing his concerns about the authorization of LNG exports.
According to the letter, the DOE approved the Sabine Pass permit and is considering seven additional permits. These eight LNG export plans would equal 18 percent of the natural gas we use in the US.
The letter addresses concerns about increased prices for US gas and the probability of rapidly increased production when they need more time to improve technology since they are currently making such a mess of it all by letting the gas leak out all over the place, not to mention the rather serious water issues.
Augusta Resource Corporation has applied for a 404 permit from the US Army Corp of Engineers to place fill (mine waste) into potential Waters of the United States to build their proposed Rosemont Mine.
Please send a letter to the Army Corps outlining why they should say no.
Augusta's proposed open-pit mine in the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson would have a wide range of negative impacts on the area. It threatens the economic vitality of our communities, and would bury miles of mountain streams, dry up dozens of springs and destroy thousands of acres of public land.
In order to proceed with the mine, the company must acquire a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Army Corp of Engineering is accepting public comments on the project through Jan. 19.
The Corps has affirmed that it has the power to deny the permit, thereby preventing the mine from being developed. The Army Corps is not bound by the 1872 Mining Law and has every right to say no to Augusta to protect our water, our environment, and our communities.
It is very important that the Corps hear from as many people as possible that this proposal is a bad deal for Arizona's communities and our environment. Please consider using the information in the sample letter below to craft your own message, or use the form and we'll send your message asking the Corps to say "No" to the Rosemont mine.
Please take action by January 19, 2012.
For more information, see the Army Corps notice at:
Because gold jewelry should mean "I love you", not "I poisoned someone's drinking water".
They're famous for their Thanksgiving Day parade, "Black Friday" deals, and last-minute Christmas sales.
Unfortunately, Macy's now risks becoming synonymous with "dirty gold." That's because, unlike 8 of the top 10 jewelry retailers, they haven't signed the "Golden Rules" for more responsible metals sourcing and committed to cleaning up their gold supply chain.
Jewelry demand accounts for more than 80% of each year's mined gold – which is why we've been talking with Macy's for a long time about opposing irresponsible gold mining by signing the Golden Rules. But they haven't come around. So now we need your help.
Tell Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren to sign the Golden Rules!
This holiday season, people are considering buying jewelry as a token of affection for their loved ones. But is this token of love contaminated with dirty gold?
Tell Macy's that no gold necklace or ring is worth a community's clean water, or a child's health.
Tell Macy's to join other major jewelry retailers and sign the Golden Rules.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the sample letter at right.
Personalize the letter and subject header -- personalized messages have much greater impact.
Click "Send Your Message" to send your letter via email to Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren
On the next page, spread the word by Facebook, Twitter and/or email.
Tell the EPA, the White House & the Army Corps of Engineers to close Clean Water Act loopholes
The mining industry uses our lakes & streams as waste dumps
Lower Slate Lake, before being used as a mine waste dump
for the Kensington mine. Credit: Pat Costello
Mining corporations are using two Clean Water Act loopholes to dump their toxic mining waste directly into the waters we all rely on.
In the process, these multinational companies are turning some of America's most pristine lakes and streams into industrial waste dumps.
Death by mining waste
In Alaska, the Kensington gold mine is pumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxics per day into Lower Slate Lake, killing its fish and aquatic life.
And we can expect more of the same: given the choice between treating their waste properly and just dumping into lakes and streams – mining companies will take the easy way out every time.
Lower Slate Lake, being used as a mine waste dump for the Kensington mine. Credit: Pat Costello
EPA to the rescue?
To protect our waters—and us—President Obama must make closing these Clean Water Act loopholes a priority.
Fortunately, the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers are considering regulatory changes that would do just that.
TAKE ACTION:
Tell the White House, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers that our water is more precious that gold!
Urge them to close the Clean Water Act loopholes that allow multinational mining corporations to use our clean waters as a toxic mine waste dumps.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the sample letter at right and edit it if possible. Customized letters have greater impact.
Click "Send My Message" to send your letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, President Obama, and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Tell your Senators, Representative to support the FRAC Act
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 587) and House (HR 1084) 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 at right.
Read the sample letter that appears 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 Senators and Representative.
Ask Costco to join other top jewelry retailers and sign the Golden Rules of responsible metals sourcing
Let’s face it. When we buy jewelry, we want to make someone feel good.
But imagine that gold necklace or ring or bracelet you bought cost much, much more than just the money: communities destroyed, water polluted, wildlife killed.
Doesn’t feel too good, does it?
Unfortunately, you don’t have to imagine it. It’s true.
Every gold ring produces more than 20 tons of mine waste, and in the process all too often lays waste to nearby communities, the environment and clean water.
Right now, Costco -- one of the top 10 jewelry retailers in the United States -- has an opportunity to be a leader in the fight against this dirty gold.
Eight of the other top 10 jewelry retailers have already joined the fight against irresponsible mining -- including Target, Tiffany & Co., and Sears. Jewelry retailers are important because jewelry demand accounts for about 80% of annual mined production of gold.
TAKE ACTION:
Urge Costco to sign the Golden Rules of responsible metals sourcing, and help put a stop to dirty gold.
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 Costco President Jim Sinegal
Our Golden Rules Report documents the toll of irresponsible mining on people, water, and wildlife at a time when soaring metals prices are driving new mining development globally.
Say thanks to Senator Cantwell for her support of Alaska’s Bristol Bay
Salmon spawing in the Bristol Bay watershed.
Photo: Nick Hall
This week Senator Cantwell (WA) sent a letter to the EPA urging the agency to protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay – home to our nation’s largest wild salmon fishery.
10 billion tons of toxic mine waste
The Bristol Bay watershed is at risk from the proposed Pebble Mine, which would dispose of up to 10 billion tons of toxic mine waste at its headwaters.
EPA protection Needed
The Senator has asked the EPA to use its authority under section 404c of the Clean Water Act. This provision gives it authority to prohibit or restrict the disposal of mine waste into rivers, streams or wetlands, if science shows it will harm the fishery.
Watershed study underway
The EPA is currently undertaking a watershed assessment to evaluate the impact of large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay watershed. The results are expected in Spring 2012.
Please send a thank you to Senator Cantwell for her leadership!
Congressmen Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) have introduced legislation to modernize oversight of uranium mining -- by shifting it from the antiquated 1872 Mining Law to the Mineral Leasing Act.
This change would allow uranium mining on federal lands to be managed through a competitive leasing program, as opposed to the current, industry-initiated system, which amounts to "first come, first serve".
This legislation, the Uranium Resources Stewardship Act (HR 1452), is the first step towards comprehensive federal regulation and oversight of uranium mining to protect both uranium-impacted communities and the environment.
The Uranium Resources Stewardship Act (URSA) would impose a 12.5% royalty on the uranium mining industry, compensating the taxpayer for the uranium that is being taken from public lands.
Perhaps most importantly, URSA would end the presumed "right to mine" afforded by the 1872 Mining Law. It would allow public land managers more discretion to decide where uranium mining is and is not appropriate.
Ask your members of Congress to support this important legislation.
Instructions:
Enter your zip code in the area provided below.
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.
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 587) and House (HR 1084) 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.
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 Senators and Representative.
Right now, the gas industry is exempt from New York State laws and regulations governing hazardous waste disposal.
Even though a great deal of the wastewater generated by dirty gas drilling called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," meets the state definition of hazardous, it's not treated as such. We want to change that.
A bill in the New York State Legislature would update state law. If passed, all hazardous fracking waste would be subject to regulations for hazardous waste generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal. Is that too much to ask?
The New York Water Rangers don't think so. Hazardous waste is hazardous waste, no matter the source—and it must be dealt with properly to avoid harm to our water and communities.
The gas industry should not have a special exemption from laws governing the safe treatment and disposal of hazardous waste. From start to finish, fracking is an industrial process that jeopardizes the health and safety of our water and our communities.
TAKE ACTION: Please fill out the form at right to ask your state representatives to protect New York from hazardous waste.
Because everybody is a body of water, we must protect our health, water, and communities before we allow dirty gas drilling in New York State.
Right now, the gas industry is exempt from New York State laws and regulations governing hazardous waste disposal.
Even though a great deal of the wastewater generated by dirty gas drilling called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," meets the state definition of hazardous, it's not treated as such. We want to change that.
A bill in the New York State Legislature would update state law. If passed, all hazardous fracking waste would be subject to regulations for hazardous waste generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal. Is that too much to ask?
Hazardous waste is hazardous waste, no matter the source—and it must be dealt with properly to avoid harm to our water and communities.
The gas industry should not have a special exemption from laws governing the safe treatment and disposal of hazardous waste. From start to finish, fracking is an industrial process that jeopardizes the health and safety of our water and our communities.
TAKE ACTION: Please fill out the form at right to ask your state representatives to protect New York from hazardous waste.
Because everybody is a body of water, we must protect our health, water, and communities before we allow dirty gas drilling in New York State.
On November 29, the New York Assembly voted by a wide margin (93-43) to suspend the issuance of permits to hydraulically fracture (or “frack”) natural gas wells in New York until May 15, 2011.
The State Senate passed this bill back in August. Now all eyes are on Governor Paterson to sign the fracking timeout into law.
The Governor has not committed to signing the bill, although he has publicly stated that fracking for gas shouldn't proceed if it puts our water or public safety at risk.
The fracking timeout is critical to provide lawmakers and Governor-elect Cuomo's administration the opportunity to understand what dirty gas drilling would really mean for New York’s communities and environment.
It gives the state time to address major flaws in its draft drilling guide -- such as no analysis of cumulative impacts, no plan to regulate massive water withdrawals, and not enough staff to oversee the gas industry – that both the Legislature and Governor Paterson have acknowledged.
A timeout on fracking in New York would send a strong signal to the gas industry that it’s vital to understand the true costs of fracking and shale gas development and put strong protections in place before permits are issued.
TAKE ACTION:
If you can, please CALL Governor Paterson TODAY at 866-374-0409 and ask him to sign the fracking timeout into law.
If you can't call, please send a letter to Governor Paterson asking him to sign the fracking timeout into law.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Enter your zip code in the blue box on the right (this alert is only open to New Yorkers).
Read the sample letter (at right) and edit it as you see fit. Customized letters with your own experiences and ideas have a greater impact!
Click "Send Your Message" to send your letter to Governor Paterson.
In March, Governor Corbett established the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission to study the economic, social, and environmental issues related to natural gas development in the state.
The Commission's report is supposed to guide the state.
Given what's at stake, this is a great idea. But there’s a big hitch. Actually, two hitches:
The Commission is stacked with drilling companies and Corbett’s campaign contributors; and
Corbett has repeatedly stated that jobs are his top priority when it comes to drilling, over all other considerations.
As a Pennsylvania resident, you know that many communities are already feeling the impacts of under-regulated industrial drilling on their water, health, and quality of life. Yet the Governor’s commission doesn’t include public health experts, impacted residents, or citizen-based environmental organizations.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Corbett we deserve a balanced study, not an industry whitewash.
Send him a letter insisting that the study should reflect what’s really happening with Marcellus Shale drilling. The state should listen to citizens and scientists—not just oil and gas companies!
Instructions:
Enter your zip code at page bottom to demonstrate Pennsylvania residency (NOTE: this action is only open to PA residents).
Read the sample letter at page bottom that appears and edit it if possible. Customized letters have greater impact.
Click "Send My Message" to send your letter to Governor Corbett.
Join environmental, labor, and citizens groups at a rally during the meeting of the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission: Wednesday, April 27, 11:30 am–1:30 pm Outside the DEP office, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market St., Harrisburg, PA 17101. The Commission will meet from 10:30 am– 3:30 pm; public comment starts at 3 pm and you can sign up to speak beforehand.
Ask Costco to join other top jewelry retailers
and sign the
Golden Rules of responsible metals sourcing
Let’s face it. When we buy jewelry, we want to make someone feel good.
But imagine that gold necklace or ring or bracelet you bought cost much, much more than just the money: communities destroyed, water polluted, wildlife killed.
Doesn’t feel too good, does it?
Unfortunately, you don’t have to imagine it. It’s true.
Every gold ring produces more than 20 tons of mine waste, and in the process all too often lays waste to nearby communities, the environment and clean water.
Right now, Costco -- one of the top 10 jewelry retailers in the United States -- has an opportunity to be a leader in the fight against this dirty gold.
Eight of the other top 10 jewelry retailers have already joined the fight against irresponsible mining -- including Target, Tiffany & Co., and Sears. Jewelry retailers are important because jewelry demand accounts for about 80% of annual mined production of gold.
TAKE ACTION:
Urge Costco to sign the Golden Rules of responsible metals sourcing, and help put a stop to dirty gold.
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 Costco President Jim Sinegal
Our Golden Rules Report documents the toll of irresponsible mining on people, water, and wildlife at a time when soaring metals prices are driving new mining development globally.
Ask Costco to join other top jewelry retailers
and sign the
Golden Rules of responsible metals sourcing
Let’s face it. When we buy jewelry, we want to make someone feel good.
But imagine that gold necklace or ring or bracelet you bought cost much, much more than just the money: communities destroyed, water polluted, wildlife killed.
Doesn’t feel too good, does it?
Unfortunately, you don’t have to imagine it. It’s true.
Every gold ring produces more than 20 tons of mine waste, and in the process all too often lays waste to nearby communities, the environment and clean water.
Right now, Costco -- one of the top 10 jewelry retailers in the United States -- has an opportunity to be a leader in the fight against this dirty gold.
Eight of the other top 10 jewelry retailers have already joined the fight against irresponsible mining -- including Target, Tiffany & Co., and Sears. Jewelry retailers are important because jewelry demand accounts for about 80% of annual mined production of gold.
TAKE ACTION:
Urge Costco to sign the Golden Rules of responsible metals sourcing, and help put a stop to dirty gold.
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 Costco President Jim Sinegal
Our Golden Rules Report documents the toll of irresponsible mining on people, water, and wildlife at a time when soaring metals prices are driving new mining development globally.
Use the momentum from the successful release of our latest report Flowback: How the Texas Natural Gas Boom Affects Health and Safety tohelp get Rep. Lon Burnam’s bill HB 3792 out of the House Energy Resources Committee.
Only one vote is needed to move it out of committee. Every member of this committee was handed a copy of Flowback.
H.B. 3792 protects surface property owners by ensuring local control over decisions regarding natural gas pipeline locations.
It clarifies that a municipality has the authority to regulate the location of pipelines, compressors, storage tanks, and related facilities within the boundaries of the municipality.
The bill also ensures that an operator wishing to condemn city property to construct a pipeline is required to comply with applicable city ordinances.
Tell the committee members that Texans should have a say in where pipelines and other oil and gas production equipment are located in their cities!
Tell Rep. Keffer and the members of the House Energy Resources Committee to get it right.
Representative's Keffer's HB 3328 requires disclosure of fracking fluids and the "transparency" of the oil and gas industry without really being genuinely transparent.
HB 3328 bill requires the industry to disclose the chemicals in hydraulic fracturing fluids -- except those industry claims as "trade secrets". Adding insult to injury, the bill doesn't allow water users or property owners to challenge industry's secrecy claims.
The ability to challenge trade secrets is one of the most important aspects in protecting nearby water users and property owners suffering from toxic effects of these chemicals.
TAKE ACTION: Tell the Texas Senate to protect the public and pass REAL chemical disclosure
Use the sample letter below to tell committee members that disclosure is too important: we must get it right. They should only pass HB 3328 if it is amended so that:
Texans have the ability to challenge industry's claims for secrecy.
Drilling and service companies are required to disclose chemical constituents,
volumes and concentrations used prior to their use on a well-by-well
basis.
Our public agencies are required to give notice to nearby water users of the
availability of the chemical constituent list prior to well operations.
Instructions:
Enter your zip code. This action is only open to Texas residents.
Click "Send My Message" to fax your letter to our member of the Texas House Energy Resources Committee.
After sending a letter, please consider following up with a phone call to at least one of the members. Phone calls have significantly more meaning than faxes.
Under Rule 37, the Texas Railroad Commission allows minerals you own to be taken from you -- even if you do not lease them.
Intended to allow drilling in certain limited cases where the mineral owner can't be found, it's a bad idea as it stands.
The Railroad Commisson wants to make it worse.
It has tentatively approved a change to Rule 37 that would allow a driller to take your minerals, without your consent or payment, so long as they notify you after the fact.
Obviously (to everyone except the Commission) this violates a number of bedrock American principles, like the right of a citizen to be compensated for takings of property.
As a mineral owner, at a minimum you should have the right to:
State senator Troy Fraser, chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and renowned champion of corporate interests, recently introduced his latest bad idea, SB 875.
In a nutshell: SB 875 allows Texas state permit holders to trample on your property rights
A permit -- for gas drilling, or anything else -- is supposed to make the permit-holder behave responsibly.
SB 875 turns that on its head – it makes a permit a “get out of jail free” card.
No matter what the gas driller (or other permit holder) does -- if they’re holding a government permit, they can’t be held accountable under Texas nuisance law.
If SB 875 becomes law, that is.
Pollution from industry can trespass onto your property all day and night, pollute it, make your family sick, kill your livestock, and industry only has to say “I was just following my permit or rule.”
TAKE ACTION:
Tell the members of the Texas Senate Natural Resources Committee: protect our property rights, oppose SB 875!
Instructions:
Enter your zip code. This action is only open to Texas residents.
Click "Send My Message" to fax your letter to our member of the Texas Natural Resources Committee.
More information:
SB 875 would exempt permit holders from the following part of Texas law:
Texas Administrative Code, Title 30, Part 1, Chapter 101, Subchapter A, Rule 101.4, Environmental Quality, Nuisance
No person shall discharge from any source whatsoever one or more air contaminants or combinations thereof, in such concentration and of such duration as are or may tend to be injurious to or to adversely affect human health or welfare, animal life, vegetation, or property, or as to interfere with the normal use and enjoyment of animal life, vegetation, or property.
Industry's not so hidden agenda...
Industry advocates in the House of Representatives are exploiting the budget crisis to pursue the hidden agenda of the nation's biggest polluters -- including the mining industry.
Their agenda includes two assaults on the Clean Water Act -- assaults they've inserted into a spending bill -- assaults that have nothing to do with saving money and eveything to do with increasing corporate profits at the expense of clean water. They would:
prohibit the EPA from restoring Clean Water Act protections for certain wetlands, streams, lakes and headwaters that are vital for clean drinking water and wildlife
forbid EPA from rejecting projects that would cause "unacceptable adverse impact" on fisheries, wildlife, municipal water supplies or recreational areas.
Both of these attacks could have serious impacts on communities dealing with extraction issues in their backyard, including the fisherman and native communities surrounding Bristol Bay.
The Delaware River watershed spans nearly 14,000 square miles across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, and supplies drinking water to more than 15 million people.
But despite these high stakes, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) rushed to issue new gas drilling regulations last December.
They refused to wait for science and evidence from --
New York’s review of high-volume gas drilling,
the EPA’s study on the gas drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,”
and a possible federal cumulative impacts study of gas development on the River Basin.
Please use the form on the right to tell the DRBC to take more time to gather information to make critical decisions to protect water supplies, health, and the environment.
And the DRBC has cut corners by allowing only 90 days for public comment on its draft regulations (until March 16, 2011) and holding just three public hearings. No hearings are set to take place in New York City and Philadelphia, the state of Delaware, or other key regions within the watershed.
Please send a letter demanding that the DRBC provide a more open and accessible public process for decision-making on these critical regulations and the future of the Delaware River Basin.
We already know that the draft regulations missed the mark and include key shortcomings on gas development planning, setbacks from homes and public parks, wastewater treatment, and other issues.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the sample letter (at right) and edit it as you see fit. Customized letters with your own experiences and ideas have a greater impact!
Click "Send Your Message" to send your letter to the Delaware River Basin Commission.
Congress is considering a package of public lands bills that could be voted on in the last remaining days of this “lame duck” session.
Many of the pieces of legislation included in this package would create wilderness and protect wildlands from development.
Unfortunately, there is a poison pill in this legislation that would give a multinational mining company our public lands, allowing them to build a mine that would destroy a campground and many sites sacred to the Apache people.
This land exchange legislation, called the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act (S. 409), is an extremely controversial bill that would result in the destruction of not only an incredible and unique desert ecosystem, but the religious freedom of Native American tribes.
Devils Canyon near Oak Flat
Photo: Friends of Queen Creek
We need your help to strip this contentious piece of legislation from the rest of the package of public lands bills – bills that help conserve our public lands, not give them away to mining interests.
Congress is considering a package of public lands bills that could be voted on in the last remaining days of this “lame duck” session.
Many of the pieces of legislation included in this package would create wilderness and protect wildlands from development.
Unfortunately, there is a poison pill in this legislation that would give a multinational mining company our public lands, allowing them to build a mine that would destroy a campground and many sites sacred to the Apache people.
This land exchange legislation, called the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act (S. 409), is an extremely controversial bill that would result in the destruction of not only an incredible and unique desert ecosystem, but the religious freedom of Native American tribes.
Devils Canyon near Oak Flat
Photo: Friends of Queen Creek
We need your help to strip this contentious piece of legislation from the rest of the package of public lands bills – bills that help conserve our public lands, not give them away to mining interests.
On November 29, the New York Assembly voted by a wide margin (93-43) to suspend the issuance of permits to hydraulically fracture (or “frack”) natural gas wells in New York until May 15, 2011.
The State Senate passed this bill back in August. Now all eyes are on Governor Paterson to sign the fracking timeout into law.
The Governor has not committed to signing the bill, although he has publicly stated that fracking for gas shouldn't proceed if it puts our water or public safety at risk.
The fracking timeout is critical to provide lawmakers and Governor-elect Cuomo's administration the opportunity to understand what dirty gas drilling would really mean for New York’s communities and environment.
It gives the state time to address major flaws in its draft drilling guide -- such as no analysis of cumulative impacts, no plan to regulate massive water withdrawals, and not enough staff to oversee the gas industry – that both the Legislature and Governor Paterson have acknowledged.
A timeout on fracking in New York would send a strong signal to the gas industry that it’s vital to understand the true costs of fracking and shale gas development and put strong protections in place before permits are issued.
TAKE ACTION:
If you can, please CALL Governor Paterson TODAY at 866-374-0409 and ask him to sign the fracking timeout into law.
If you can't call, please send a letter to Governor Paterson asking him to sign the fracking timeout into law.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Enter your zip code in the blue box on the right (this alert is only open to New Yorkers).
Read the sample letter (at right) and edit it as you see fit. Customized letters with your own experiences and ideas have a greater impact!
Click "Send Your Message" to send your letter to Governor Paterson.
Urge President Obama to say no to dirty tar sands oil
President Obama couldn’t prevent the BP Gulf oil spill disaster.
But he can prevent the next one in the making: the Keystone XL dirty tar sands oil pipeline.
Big Oil (in the form of multinational energy company TransCanada) would build Keystone XL down from Canada through America’s heartland – endangering drinking water and the aquifer that irrigates America’s breadbasket.
President Obama and the State Department are now considering the permit for the pipeline, which would send millions of gallons of the world’s dirtiest oil through America – further delaying the U.S.’s transition to a clean energy economy.
TAKE ACTION
Send a letter (below) to President Obama urging him to the learn the lesson of the BP Gulf oil spill disaster and REJECT the Keystone XL dirty tar sands oil pipeline permit.
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 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 toxic mine waste and destroying salmon habitat.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has authority under the Clean Water Act to restrict mine waste dumping in the pristine waters and wetlands of the Bristol Bay watershed.
New York is home to some of the nation’s greatest water resources.
From the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, our rivers, lakes and streams are the backbone of our economy and essential to our identity.
But hydraulic fracturing, called “fracking,” for natural gas could decimate these precious resources and endanger drinking water across the state.
The State Senate has acted to protect our water from the dangers of fracking by passing a “timeout” on permits to fracture wells in New York. They also took action to protect our water from wasteful withdrawals.
Now it’s up to the Assembly.
TAKE ACTION: Ask your Assembly Member to protect New York’s water when they return to the state capital.
Because when he or she gets to Albany, two bills to protect our water will be waiting.
Please ask your Assembly Member choose clean water not dirty drilling.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Enter your zip code to the riigh to identify your Assembly member (NOTE: this alert is only open the residents of New York state).
Read the sample letter (at right) and edit it as you see fit. Customized letters with your own experiences and ideas have a greater impact!
Click "Send Your Message" to send your letter to your representative in the Assembly.
UPDATE: DEC Commissioner Grannis was recently fired because he spoke the truth about the risks of welcoming the gas industry without the personnel and systems in place to monitor and regulate it. This decision now leaves the agency even less prepared to protect our land, water, and air--and makes it even more important that DEC and policymakers hear from you!
In September, the Department of Environmental Conservation issued a “draft” plan to manage New York’s forests. And in that plan, New York State gives the green light to the gas industry to drill by means of hydraulic fracturing, often called fracking, in state forests.
Time is running out! The deadline for comments on the Plan is Friday, October 29.
Use the form at right to tell the Department of Environmental Conservation to protect New York’s forests from fracking.
Drilling for gas on State Forest lands is permitted under New York State law. But just because it’s allowed doesn’t mean it should happen—not if it’s going to degrade and destroy the very forests that the Forest Plan is supposed to protect.
New York’s leaders and our environmental agency need to hear from you today. Modern-day natural gas drilling—using high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling in deep shale—is different than anything New York has seen before. It’s a high-impact, risky business that has devastated drinking water supplies and landscapes in other parts of the country.
Please act now! Use the form at right to send a letter to the Department of Environmental Conservation to consider the facts and recognize the environmental cost of drilling on State Forest lands.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the sample letter (at right) and edit it as you see fit. Customized letters with your own experiences and ideas have a greater impact!
Click "Send Your Message" to send your letter to the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Barrick Gold is mining for gold at Mt. Tenabo in Nevada’s Crescent Valley, a mountain sacred to the Western Shoshone in part because of the springs it contains. Each spring has its own unique spirits tied to the spring’s source.
When Barrick was given the go-ahead, a court limited groundwater pumping (necessary to keep the mine's pit dry) to protect Mt. Tenabo's springs. The court directed the federal Bureau of Land Management, which permits and regulates the Barrick mine, to come up with a plan that would permanently protect the Western Shoshone's sacred waters.
BLM recently released its new plan. In a nutshell: it doesn’t protect the springs. Instead, it allows them to be depleted so long as Barrick can bring water in from elsewhere.
In other words, BLM’s plan ignores what makes the springs sacred to the Western Shoshone who have continuously inhabited the region for thousands of years -- it ignores the reason that the court protected the springs in the first place.
The largest open pit mine in North America could be built at the headwaters of the world's largest remaining wild salmon fishery -- Alaska's Bristol Bay. The mine would generate as many as 10 billion tons of harmful mine waste.
Year after year, the salmon return to Bristol Bay in astounding numbers, like no other place on earth. The fishery is the region's economic engine, generating $400 million and supporting 10,000 jobs.
Bristol Bay communities are asking all jewelers to support their efforts to protect Bristol Bay, their source of sustenance and livelihood.
Jewelry retailer gold demand represents 80% of annual global mine production. Over 50 jewelry retailers, including Tiffany & Co and Zales, have already signed the Bristol Bay Protection Pledge.
The Signet Group (owner of the Kay and Jared brands) was one of the first to sign the Golden Rules – a comprehensive set of principles for more responsible gold sourcing.
Now we're asking Signet to apply those principles to the Pebble Mine to protect the world's richest wild salmon fishery.
That's why we took out a full page ad in the Nov. 14th western edition of the New York Times urging Signet to sign the Pledge. And we're asking you to chime in as well.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll
Source: World Economic Forum (via Wikipedia)
Cynthia Carroll promised to back out of the Pebble Mine project if communities opposed it.
"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 do oppose it.
80% of Bristol Bay residents oppose the mine. These are the communities whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by the Pebble Mine.
Show your support for the local people of Bristol Bay in resisting the mine.
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.
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."
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.
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."
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 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."
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.
"[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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
An hour east of Phoenix and west of the San Carlos Reservation lays an ecological haven that is not only a sacred site critical for religious freedom, but a recreational Mecca.
They're famous for their Thanksgiving Day parade, "Black Friday" deals, and last-minute Christmas sales. 
This legislation, the Uranium Resources Stewardship Act (HR 1452), is the first step towards comprehensive federal regulation and oversight of uranium mining to protect both uranium-impacted communities and the environment.
Sears, others take a step towards certified gold
