URGENT ACTION ALERT!
HELP STOP S. 1028, THE QUINCY LOGGING BILL!
PHONE CALLS NEEDED A.S.A.P: 202-224-3553
TOLL FREE LINES: 800-952-3524; 800-972-3524; 888-723-5246
EMAIL: <Senator@Boxer.senate.gov>
IT HANDS OVER NEAR-TOTAL CONTROL OF OUR FORESTS TO TIMBER COMPANIES...
SENATOR BARBARA BOXER IS THE KEY TO STOPPING IT!
THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT IS STRONGLY UNITED IN OPPOSITION!
"The Quincy bill is twice as bad as the Salvage Rider."
- Debbie Sease, Sierra Club Legislative Director
Fellow activists:
It is not often that we at John Muir Project call on you for help, but
this is a matter of the utmost urgency. Accordingly, we ask that you
take a minute to read this announcement, for the future of our national
forest system hangs in the balance, and a phone call from you to Senator
Boxer's office THIS WEEK would make a REAL difference.
We urge you to act quickly to help stop one of the greatest timber
industry threats yet to our national forests - the so-called Quincy
Library Group (QLG) bill, S. 1028. We have the chance to stop it, and we
need your help BADLY to do it! Here's what's going on, and what you can
do:
QLG IS A TROJAN HORSE: This bill masquerades as "community input" but in
reality it's a hoax designed to eliminate existing controls in the law
that protect national forests from overcutting, watershed damage, and
species extinction. QLG is a scam written by and for the timber
industry, and while it directly affects only forests in the Sierra Nevada
mountains, it's a Trojan Horse designed to open the door to similar bills
for ALL national forests. If this one goes through, MORE WILL DEFINITELY
FOLLOW! Your national forests will be next!
QLG IS A FRAUD: Lots of talk about protecting communities from wildfire,
following environmental laws, and protecting roadless areas from logging.
But when you read the fine print, it's REALLY about getting the cut out
- the FINAL cut! This bill is worded in the most deceptive ways
imaginable. You have to dig deep to see that it's really about doubling
logging rates, increasing fire danger, and subverting our environmental
laws. Even our friends in the House of Representatives got taken in by
this fraud!
THE SENATE IS THE ONLY PLACE WE CAN STOP IT: The House voted
overwhelmingly to pass this bill. Now the Senate is considering it, and
word from the Hill is that mark-up is now scheduled for mid-October.
That's TWO WEEKS. California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer
are the original sponsors of the Senate version, S. 1028. Feinstein has
rarely been a friend of the environment, but Senator Boxer is one of our
few real environmental champions in the Senate. We must persuade her to
remove her name from the QLG and actively oppose it!
BOXER IS THE KEY: Since QLG directly affects only some national forests
in California, the Senate Rules afford us an opportunity to kill this
bill. If one Senator from California opposes it, it's normally enough to
ensure its quick death. Environmentalists have been able to rely on
Senator Boxer in the past; now is the time to make sure she doesn't make
the most grievous mistake of her career!
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please pick up the phone and call Senator Boxer's
office in Washington.
Her phone number is --> --> --> --> 202-224-3553 <-- <-- <-- <--
Tell her that you want her to do the following:
(1) Remove her name from the bill; and
(2) Officially and publicly oppose it; and
(3) Place a "Senatorial Courtesy Hold" on the bill, which effectively
kills it.
--> --> --> --> STRESS THAT THE SENATOR MUST KILL THIS BAD BILL!
Here are some sound bite arguments you can use:
- QLG is a FRAUD. It doesn't represent any interests except Big Timber's;
- QLG will more than DOUBLE THE CUT on the affected national forests;
- QLG will OVERRIDE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS (e.g. NFMA, NEPA, and ESA)
despite hollow assurances to the contrary;
- QLG is a CORPORATE WELFARE HANDOUT to Sierra Pacific Industries
of Redding, CA;
- QLG will INCREASE FIRE RISK, according to the best available science;
- QLG is a BUDGET BUSTER. It will cost millions of dollars in taxpayer
subsidies;
- QLG is a TROJAN HORSE. It opens the door to privatizing national
forests
nationwide;
- QLG is NO SOLUTION to rural communities' problems. It's just a quick
payoff;
- QLG will DESTABILIZE RURAL ECONOMIES by increasing logging rates; and
- QLG is the WORST FOREST DESTRUCTION LAW PASSED BY CONGRESS THIS CENTURY.
Finally, Sierra Club Legislative Director Debbie Sease's quote bears
repeating:
"The Quincy bill is twice as bad as the Salvage Rider."
You get the picture. Thanks for making this critical call. Please ask
others to join you, ASAP. Redistribute this message far and wide. Let's
make this one count. Ring Senator Boxer's bell really good this time,
because our national forests may pay the ultimate price if we don't!
202-224-3553
CALL ONCE A DAY, EVERY DAY UNTIL SHE COMES THROUGH FOR US!
202-224-3553
HAVE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS CALL TOO!
202-224-3553
We thank you and our forests thank you,
David Orr and Chad Hanson
Directors, John Muir Project of Earth Island Institute
email: <davidorr@aol.com>URGENT: HELP STOP S.1028! (Quincy Logging Bill)