GLOBAL WARMING: EPA Gag Rule in the News
Recent News Stories Expose Knollenberg Anti-Kyoto Rider
It's budget writing season in Washington DC, and anti-environmental
members of Congress are at it again -- sticking stealth
riders onto just about any spending bill that moves. These stealth
riders are designed to allow controversial measures to
become law with little scrutiny. In the last few days, however,
measures attacking efforts to combat global warming, protect
public lands, and cut air pollution have been the focus of several major
newspaper stories. The Knollenberg global warming
gag order on the EPA has been singled out for special attention.
Regular SC-ACTION readers will remember that Rep. Joe Knollenberg's
(R-MI) anti-Kyoto treaty rider would block any
new effort to combat pollution until the modest global warming treaty is
submitted to the US Senate (where friends of the auto,
coal, oil, and utility industries will be waiting.) It also gags the
Environmental Protection Agency, ordering them to refrain from
conduction "educational outreach or informational seminars" on global
warming. "The bill could stifle any informed debate on
global warming," said EPA Administrator Carol Browner. (AP, 7/6/98)
Council on Environmental Quality Chair Katie
McGinty described the Knollenberg provision as "horribly objectionable,"
and labeled it a "do-nothing, know-nothing,
say-nothing" approach to global warming. (LA Times, 7/7/98)
For his part, Knollenberg seems to be scrambling to spin his rider as
something other than a gag order. "We're not trying to
stop existing programs. We don't want to stop research," Knollenberg
said. "This language merely says we don't want to fund
the Kyoto Protocol." The future of Knollenberg's rider is uncertain.
It has strong backing from the oil, coal, auto, and utility
industries, but it will likely face a stiff challenge in the form of a
full House floor vote later this month. President is also hinting
that he may veto the EPA if it contains the Knollenberg rider.
Despite these facts, the fight over the EPA gag order is already having
"a chilling effect on a whole range of very legitimate
energy,clean air and climate-related activities," according to Rep.
David Skaggs, (D-CO).
Here's some additional information on the VA/HUD bill and other attached
riders.
Recent SC-ACTION readers are probably well aware of our anxiety over the
Waxman Amendment to the House VA/HUD
and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill (HR 4194). We were
expecting votes on this amendment today, but we were
wrong. Our Representatives have been feeling particularly long-winded
in debating the elements of the VA/HUD bill and it
looks like the Waxman Amendment will not hit the floor until Tuesday
evening. This gives us more time to support the
amendment!
Your calls thus far have been very helpful, as this amendment has become
very high profile on the Hill and we are expecting a
very close vote. For those not familiar with the amendment the Waxman
Amendment would strike the anti-environmental riders
and bad report language from the VA/HUD Appropriations bill that would
tie the hands of the EPA and keep them from
enforcing laws intended to protect the health and safety of our
families, and even forbid them from working to educate the
American public about severe environmental threats. Among the riders
currently attached to the EPA budget are provisions to:
* Block the cleanup of the Hudson River and other waterways that are
polluted with cancer-causing PCBs. These chemicals
were banned from commerce more than a dozen years ago, but are still
buried in some of our riverbeds.
* Cripple efforts to cut emissions of mercury from power plants. Mercury
is a extremely serious poison that can cause brain
damage in children and adults.
* Forbid the EPA from cutting air pollution and visibility-reducing
"haze" in our National Parks.
* Bar any new programs to reduce the pollution which causes global
warming, and issue a "gag order" forbidding EPA
scientists from even educating the Americans about global warming.
Rep. Henry Waxman will offer an Amendment to the VA/HUD budget bill that
would strike all of these anti-environmental
riders. By removing the riders, the Waxman Amendment would allow the
EPA to carry out the public health and environmental
protections that Americans need.
LATEST: Waxman has deferred to language proposed by Rep. Greenwood
(R-PA) so the amendent is now the
Greenwood Amendment and the vote is scheduled for today (7/22).
Call your representative and find out the latest (phone numbers and
e-mails below).
White House Comment Line - 202-456-1111
White House Fax Line - 202-456-2461
Clinton's e-mail - president@whitehouse.gov
Gore's e-mail - vice-president@whitehouse.gov
White House Address - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500
US Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121
To contact your senators - http://www.senate.gov/senator/index.html
To contact your representative - http://www.house.gov/writerep/