Cascade Chapter -

Sierra Club Calls for Transportation Plan With Less Global Warming

Wed, 16 May 2007 20:34:30 +0000

The only way to seriously reduce our vehicles' contribution to climate change is to reduce vehicle miles traveled

Letter to Shawn Bunney, Chair of Executive Board of the Regional Transportation Investment District and John Ladenburg, Sound Transit Board Chair:

The Sierra Club urges you to consider addressing the public's concerns over global warming, land-use and fiscal responsibility in the draft "Blueprint for Progress" roads package you are developing. As we've communicated in our prior comment letter*, we support a fully-funded Sound Transit 2 plan and a regional transportation road package that prioritizes "fix-it-first" highway spending and projects that improve roads for transit and HOV use.

Sierra Club Releases Vision of RTID Highway Building Plan

Mon, 14 May 2007 22:04:56 +0000

A reduced package prioritizes moving goods and people, making infrastructure safer and addressing global warming pollution

In a letter to the Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID) Board, the Sierra Club released an outline to illustrate how leaders could refocus the RTID funding package to address the serious issues of global warming, fiscal accountability and regional mobility. It highlights projects that enhance transit reliability on major highways, improve local grid mobility and prevent a ballooning of carbon dioxide pollution in the region.

“There’s still time for our public officials to ramp down the exuberant funding on highway spending in the draft package,” said Mike O’Brien, the Cascade Chapter Chair. “As gas prices soar, it is wrong to lock us into a highway-building program that doesn’t help our region’s mobility. We cannot sacrifice Sound Transit by weighting it down with an overreaching, fiscally irresponsible highway spending bill that digs the global warming hole deeper.”

Wild Sky Bill Introduced at Last!

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 23:50:45 +0000

After six years of bi-partisan efforts led by Democrats Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, the Democrats’ re-taking of the Congress in Nov. 2006 was the breakthrough needed to get the Wild Sky Wilderness Bill moving through Congress. With Rep. Pombo (R-CA) out of office, finally Senator Patty Murray (for herself and Sen. Cantwell in the Senate) and Rep. Rick Larsen (for himself, Rep. Inslee, and Rep. Dicks in the House) were able to introduce “The Wild Sky Wilderness Act of 2007”! Although the Senate had passed the Senate version of the bill three times, Pombo had kept it blocked for years in his House Resources Committee. What a legacy for all who made it happen – 106,557 irreplaceable acres in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests for present and future generations to cherish and enjoy! It’s difficult to imagine a more gratifying piece of legislation for those responsible. A few features of the bill are these:

Be Cool—Protect Our Climate and Communities

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:32:47 +0000

by Aaron Robins, Energy Committee Chair and Jessica Eagle, Associate Regional Representative

We have made great strides in the global warming debate—from over 350 cities signing onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, to President Bush’s recognition of “global climate change” in his State of the Union Address, to GE and DuPont’s new commitment to reduce greenhouse gases by 60-80% of current levels by 2050. The train is moving and the Cascade Chapter is driving our state towards clean, safer and smarter energy solutions.

Seattle and Sierra Club Lead on Climate Change

Wed, 24 May 2006 18:39:05 +0000

People outside Seattle probably have an image of software moguls, coffee, grunge and fish flipping through Pike Place Market. At the root of those easy stereotypes is the fact that Seattle is a city of innovation. It's hard to deny that, off in this rain-shrouded corner of the country, Seattle comes up with some pretty cool ideas.

Seattle has now broken into the national consciousness with the boldest idea of all. While national leaders twiddle their thumbs on global warming, Seattle and Mayor Greg Nickels have laid down a challenge: American cities will lead the way on solving global warming by committing to a smart, clean energy future.

Bankruptcy Loophole Costs Taxpayers Billions in Toxic Cleanup Costs

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 23:54:18 +0000

For Immediate Release: April 11, 2006

Contact: Craig Engelking, 360.561.7701

Report Shows Asarco Could Shed Up to $1Billion in Pollution Liabilities, Including $45 Million in Tacoma, by Declaring Chapter 11

TACOMA—The Sierra Club today commended Senator Cantwell for her efforts to close a loophole in the nation's bankruptcy laws that allow companies with significant pollution liabilities to evade cleanup costs. A special investigative report by the Sierra Club contends that one company, the American Smelting and Refining Company (Asarco), could legally shift $500 million to $1 billion in cleanup responsibilities to taxpayers by reorganizing under the federal Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Code.

Phosphate Ban Clears Major Hurdle

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 21:36:19 +0000

"We can have clean dishes and healthy fishes"

OLYMPIA – Yesterday the state House of Representatives took a key step forward in cleaning up rivers and lakes around Washington state. The House passed HB 2322 that will eliminate phosphates in automatic dishwashing detergents to 0.5 percent or less.

“It’s a great day for the Spokane River,” said Rachael Paschal Osborn, a public interest water lawyer who heads the Sierra Club’s Spokane River Project. “Phosphorus is the culprit for dissolved oxygen. Dish soap phosphates are one of the sources that can and should be controlled.”

Largest Mercury Testing Project Puts Spotlight on Proposed Kalama Power Plant

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 23:51:12 +0000

NEW STUDY: ONE IN FIVE WOMEN TESTED NATIONWIDE HAS UNSAFE MERCURY LEVELS

Final Results of Largest Mercury Testing Project Puts Spotlight on Proposed Coal-fired Power Plant in Kalama, WA

Washington – The results of the nation’s largest mercury hair-sampling project were released today by the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. The survey found mercury levels exceeding the EPA’s recommended limit of one microgram of mercury per gram of hair in one in five women of childbearing age tested.

Sierra Club Launches Radio Ads, Outreach to Call On Governors Gregoire, Kulongoski for Leadership in Recovering Salmon

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 23:03:08 +0000

- Effort raises profile of issue as salmon protection groups request more water in the Columbia and Snake Rivers for 2006 salmon migration -

SEATTLE - The Sierra Club this week energizes the Columbia and Snake River salmon public debate with a set of radio advertisements that will run in Washington and Oregon. The ads call on Governors Christine Gregoire (WA) and Ted Kulongoski (OR) to stand up for wild salmon and steelhead in developing a new court-mandated plan for the endangered fish and ensuring there's adequate water in the rivers for salmon to migrate. The Sierra Club is also aggressively contacting its members in the states by phone, mail and email.

Sierra Club Names UW Tacoma Campus Among America's Best Development Projects

Wed, 30 Nov 2005 22:47:17 +0000

The Sierra Club, America's oldest and largest environmental organization, named the University of Washington Tacoma campus as one of America's Best New Development projects, according to a report the group released today. The Sierra Club, usually known for its effort to combat sprawling construction, is making the point that there is a better way to build and produce healthy and livable communities.

"Too often local governments accept poorly planned development, and the traffic that goes with it, because they believe they have no other choice," said the Sierra Club's Carl Pope. "Our hope is that Americans will be inspired by the Tacoma campus and demand better projects in their own communities." A profile of the Tacoma campus and the other winning projects can be viewed at: www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/report05

Voters Reaffirm Environmental Values, Reject Sprawl; Sierra Club Volunteers Contribute More Than 2,000 Hours to Help Secure Wins

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 02:34:50 +0000

Seattle -- From Ron Sims’ sweeping victory in King County to Steve Stuart's win in Clark County, with the defeat of I-912 statewide and with victories in scores of other races, Washington voters once again clearly stated that the environment matters when it's time to vote.

Environmental issues in general, and sprawl in particular, were central to the hotly contested race for King County Executive.

Groups Ask Reichert to Vote for WA, Against Upcoming Federal Budget Bill; Cite Bill’s Harm to Washington Residents and Arctic

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 22:44:56 +0000

Bellevue, WA: Representing a broad swath of religious, human services, and environmental groups, speakers gathered in Representative Dave Reichert’s district today to highlight how the Congressional Budget endangers Washington residents and misleads consumers. The groups unanimously called on Reichert to stand up for Washington by voting against the budget when it comes to the House floor next week.

The budget bill contains sweeping provisions that would dramatically cut funds and services used by Washington’s families, students, veterans, seniors and people with disabilities.

Conservationists, Governor Share Common Goal of Full Protection of Washington’s Roadless Areas

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 23:37:36 +0000

This is a first step toward achieving comprehensive protection for 2,000,000 acres of roadless forests statewide

Olympia, WA – A broad coalition of statewide conservation, recreation, sportsmen and religious groups applauded Governor Gregoire’s decision today to file a petition under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) to amend regulations finalized in May by the Forest Service which effectively repealed protections for nearly 60 million acres of roadless forests.

The APA petition specifically asks the Bush Administration to amend its roadless regulations to allow Governors to retain protections for Roadless forests in their states as provided in the 2001 National Forest Roadless Area Rule without the added cost and effort currently required by the more recent Bush regulations adopted in 2005. An APA petition can be filed by any "interested person" to request promulgation of regulations by an agency of the federal government. The agency is required to respond promptly to any petition but is not required to address it substantively. . "The Governor’s action today shows her strong commitment to restoring protections for more than two million acres of roadless forests in Washington State as provided under the 2001 Roadless Rule," said Tom Uniack, Conservation Director of Washington Wilderness Coalition. "We see the APA petition as an important first step that the Governor can take to restore full protection for our roadless forests."

Sierra Club Endorses Healthy Indoor Air Initiative 901

Mon, 23 May 2005 08:24:32 +0000

The Sierra Club has officially endorsed Washington State’s Initiative 901.

Healthy Indoor Air for All Washington, the initiative’s volunteer-driven supporting organization, aims to change Washington State law to eliminate smoking in indoor public places. This initiative would protect employees, patrons and children from the dangers of secondhand smoke in workplaces and public gathering places.

Scott Otterson, Chapter Political Co-chair commented, "A lot of folks might wonder why the Sierra Club is bothering with a secondhand smoke initiative. Well, you might not think of cigarette smoke in the same way as you think of power plant emissions, but really, they're both dangerous forms of pollution. In the US each year, coal-fired plants cause an estimated 24,000 early deaths. In that same year, secondhand smoke causes 38,000 US deaths."

Sierra Club Applauds Passage of Clean Cars Bill

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 01:11:00 +0000

Demonstrating great leadership and vision, the Washington State Senate passed the Clean Car Bill ESHB 1397 yesterday by a 29 to 19 vote.

"Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown showed extraordinary leadership in passing this legislation," noted Holly Forrest, chair of the Sierra Club Cascade Chapter Legislative Committee. "Senators Erik Poulsen and Phil Rockefeller deserve tremendous credit as well for masterfully steering the bill through the Senate. And in the end, it was a bipartisan bill. Republican Senators Luke Esser, Bill Finkbeiner, and Dave Schmidt really delivered."