>The U.S. industry lobbying against the EU WEEE directive is continuing
>(see below). Please respond and encourage your friends to respond by
>circulating the letter to V.P. Gore posted at
>http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/may15gore.htm.
You can also send letters directly to the hight-tech companies at
http://www.grrn.org/
>Thanks
Ted Smith
>========================================
>US firms lobby Gore over EU electroscrap plans
>ENDS Daily - 06/09/00
>-------------------------
>EU plans to force electronic and electrical (E&E) equipment
>companies to recycle their products and stop using hazardous
>materials could increase the sector's overall environmental
>impact, according to a group of E&E manufacturers in the
>USA. In a letter to US vice president Al Gore, the American
>Electronics Association (AEA) and the Electronics Industries
>Alliance (EIA) say the plans will have "enormous
>environmental and economic consequences."
>
>The concerns relate to draft directives on electronic waste
>(WEEE) and on restricting certain dangerous substances in
>manufacture (ROS), recently proposed by the European
>Commission (ENDS Daily 13 June). The AEA and EIA say the
>directives "may in the long-run cause more harm than good
>because they are not based on any environment analysis and
>may fail to promote…an efficient recycling infrastructure
>across the EU."
>
> >Of "particular concern," they say, are plans to substitute
> >lead, mercury and cadmium by 2008. This "may result in a
> >net negative environmental impact by forcing adoption of
> >substitutes that could have a more detrimental impact than
> >the substances they replace." The comments echo criticisms
> >made by EU industry (ENDS Daily 14 June), though the
> >Commission's proposal makes it clear that substitution
> >should only take place if the overall effect is a reduction
> >of environmental impact.
> >
> >The associations have turned to Gore, they say, because the
> >proposed law could have "significant adverse financial
> >implications for American high-tech firms" and because of a
> >"lack of meaningful opportunity to have our views addressed
> >by the EU authorities."
> >
> >The AEA and EIA say the issue is a "major trade concern" and
> >many in Brussels believe it could follow bananas, growth
> >hormones and GMOs as a point of transatlantic friction. A
> >year ago, lawyers for the AEA claimed the EU's proposals
> >would be illegal under World Trade Organisation rules (ENDS
> >Daily 9 September 1999).
> >
> >Follow-up: AEA (http://www.aeanet.org), tel: +1 202 682
> >4445; EIA (http://www.eia.org), tel: +1 703 907 7576. See
> >also the letter
> >(http://www.leadfree.org/AlGoreLetter7-10-00.htm).
> >
> >--
> >***********************************************
> >Thisvi Ekmetzoglou-Newson & Francisco Flores Albacete
> >
> >TAED European Co-ordination Team
> >The European Environmental Bureau
> >34 Boulevard de Waterloo, Brussels 1000, Belgium
> >Tel + 32 (0)2 289 1094, Fax + 32 (0)2 289 1099
> >Web site www.taed.org E-mail: taed@taed.org
> >***********************************************
>
>Leslie Byster
>Communications Director
>Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
>International Campaign for Responsible Technology
>760 N. First Street
>San Jose, CA 95112
>Phone: 408-287-6707
>Fax: 408-287-6771
>http://www.svtc.org
>e-mail: svtc@svtc.org
>
>___________________________________________________________
>T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16
>Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
Ted Smith
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
Campaign for Responsible Technology
760 N. First Street
San Jose, CA 95112
408-287-6707-phone
408-287-6771-fax
tsmith@igc.org
http://www.svtc.org/svtc/
=========================================
Food for thought:
How Gandhi Defined the Seven Deadly Sins
· Wealth without work
· Pleasure without conscience
· Knowledge without character
· Commerce without morality
· Science without humanity
· Worship without sacrifice
· Politics without principle
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