Inside Wide, EDF Is Working to Create a Major Problem: Its Science Was Better Approach on the Gulf Badly Flawed

A BIMONTHLY REPORT TO MEMBERS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND

VOL. XXIX, NO. 4 Letter SEPTEMBER 1998 Global Warming Could Raise Sea Level Up to 20 Feet missions of greenhouse gases projected next 100 years, could cause one or more of Eover the next century may lead to the the floating ice shelves surrounding West disintegration of the West Antarctic Ice Antarctica to thin and eventually break Sheet, according to an article published up. Since ice shelves float, their disintegra- May 28 in the scientific journal Nature. tion does not increase sea level. But if the This would cause a 13- to 20-foot rise in flow of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet into sea level and major coastal flooding. Dr. the ocean increased as a result, global sea Michael Oppenheimer, EDF atmospheric level would rise. The rapid collapse of physicist and author of the peer-reviewed smaller ice shelves along the Antarctic article, concluded that if emissions con- Peninsula in recent years raises the possi- tinue unabated, the gradual loss of land- bility that the West Antarctic shelves based ice into the ocean is most likely to might disintegrate quickly once they have

occur over the next five to seven cen- Art Wolfe/Tony Stone been thinned by warming. turies, and could become irreversible Global warming could ultimately cause the huge West Antarc- Continued on page 7. within 100 years. tic Ice Sheet to disintegrate, leading to increased calving of Eventually, if complete collapse of the icebergs and a 13- to 20-foot rise in sea level worldwide. How You Can Help West Antarctic Ice Sheet occurred, all of Join the EDF Action Network and support South Florida and more than 25% of permanently lost, according to an earlier action to reduce global warming; to join, Louisiana would be permanently sub- National Academy of Sciences report. send your name, e-mail address, and merged, as would parts of Washington, DC, The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is com- address where you vote to and other coastal cities. Areas where 10 % posed of ice streams, vast rivers of land- [email protected]. Or call EDF’s Member- or more of the population of Florida, based ice that end at floating ice shelves. ship Office at 1-800-684-3322 and ask for Louisiana, South Carolina, Virginia, New Warming of the deep ocean by only a few “20 Simple Steps to Reduce Global Warm- York, and New Jersey now live would be degrees, which is expected to occur in the ing,” or go to www.edf.org/more/10501. EDF Seeks to Curb Pollution from Factory Farms orporate farms housing thousands of untreated animal waste has harmed Chogs and poultry in assembly-line groundwater and human health. Nutri- conditions have multiplied in recent ents and bacteria from animal waste can years, spreading into many states that cause fish kills and harm shellfish in lack adequate environmental controls. contaminated streams, creeks, and estu- These “factory farms” produce an esti- aries. Dangerous and offensive odors and mated two trillion pounds of animal other air pollutants are also emitted. waste per year, posing one of America’s The Environmental Protection Agency serious pollution threats. has proposed a strategy for controlling A typical factory hog farm containing factory farm pollution, but EDF and oth- several thousand swine produces millions er environmental and family-farm groups of gallons of liquid waste (urine, feces, believe it falls far short of addressing and water) annually. Huge volumes of environmental and public health threats. hog waste are stored in primitive open- Robert Willet Most notably, EPA’s draft strategy would air holding ponds or lagoons and then Once primarily a feature of family farms, hog production has not require many factory farms to imple- aerially sprayed on adjacent land. increasingly become a corporate enterprise involving thou- ment better pollution controls until the Improper collection and disposal of sands of animals and assembly-line methods. Continued on page 8.

Cleaning Up Shrimp Phony Science Tries to Environmental Hoopster 3Farms in Texas 4Discredit Kyoto Pact 6In environmental work just as in As concern grows about pollu- basketball, attorney Jim Marston An attack on the scientific consen- has learned to improvise. tion from shrimp farms world- sus on global warming had one Inside wide, EDF is working to create a major problem: Its science was better approach on the Gulf badly flawed. Tips for a Greener Office Coast of Texas. 7By making simple choices, office workers can make a big difference.

100% Recycled (75% Post-Consumer) Paper Totally Chlorine Free Please Share or Recycle Regional News State Court Upholds Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Plan NY State Weighs Alternatives The world’s second largest pine barrens to Expanding I-287 ecosystem recently won further protection when a New York State court upheld the The task force assembled by New York Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Plan, Gov. George Pataki to discuss alternatives which preserves 52,500 acres of pine barrens to widening I-287 held its first meetings on eastern Long Island and fosters compact this summer. The proposed $400 million development in an adjacent 47,500-acre expansion of I-287, one of the New York- growth area. The Long Island pine barrens New Jersey metropolitan area’s most con- is not only a unique ecosystem, it also sits gested highways, has been a major target of atop the main recharge zone for Suffolk EDF’s efforts to slow growing traffic vol- County’s drinking water supply. ume and to remedy air quality problems in The developer WJF Corporation, owner the Northeast. of 272 acres of dwarf pine barrens within EDF and others sued in 1994, to ensure the protected core area, had challenged the that I-287 was not expanded without full constitutionality of the plan’s Transfer of evaluation of all other transportation alter- Development Rights (TDR) program. natives, including better transit service, car- TDR’s allow landowners within the protect- pooling incentives, and tolls that would ed core to transfer their development rights vary by time of day and by a vehicle’s num- to nearby areas deemed suitable for higher ber of occupants. Last January, Governor density development. The Suffolk County Pataki canceled the widening plans and Supreme Court ruled that, “The TDR pro- agreed to assemble the task force. He

visions...do assure preservation of the real J. Kirk Condyles appointed five state officials and 12 adviso- economic value of the development rights ry members to the group,including EDF Jim Tripp in the Long Island Pine Barrens, which as they existed when still attached to the sits atop an underground aquifer that is the main General Counsel James T.B. Tripp. underlying property.” source of drinking water for Suffolk County. “This task force has the opportunity to EDF General Counsel James T.B. Tripp, create and implement the first comprehen- who helped engineer the TDR plan and is protects a valuable ecosystem and assures sive demand-reduction program in a con- chair of the Pine Barrens Credit Clearing the continued protection of safe drinking gested suburban corridor in the United House, welcomed the ruling. “The plan water for Long Island,” Tripp said. States,” said Tripp.

Acid Rain Program Incentives Are Spurring Utilities to Reduce Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Responding to the incentives of the United States to cut emissions of 1990 Clean Air Act’s acid rain program, nitrogen oxides (NOx), which like- formerly high-emitting power plants in the wise contribute to acid rain. NOx Midwest and South have cut their emis- travels long distances and also sions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) by 30% more leads to the formation of urban than the law requires. The “cap and trade” smog, a major problem in cities in program, which EDF helped write, gives the Midwest and Northeast. power plants a financial incentive to Several years ago, EDF pro- reduce their SO2 emissions below the posed a region-wide cap on NOx mandatory level. It is too early to say for emissions, since the long-distance certain that the SO2 reductions are curbing movement of NOx makes state- acid rain, but in 1995 the U.S. Geological by-state controls insufficient.

Survey recorded a noticeable decrease in States in the Northeast have Larry Ulrich/Tony Stone rainfall acidity of the sort associated with adopted this approach and the An Adirondack mountain lake. Acid rain has wiped out entire SO2 emissions. EPA recently put forward a pro- fish populations and other aquatic life in nearly 100 lakes in EDF has urged the Environmental Pro- posal to extend it to the entire New York’s Adirondack mountains, which lack buffering min- tection Agency and states in the Eastern Eastern United States. erals to neutralize rain that can be as acidic as lemon juice.

National Headquarters California Office Rocky Mountain Office Texas Office 257 Park Avenue South 5655 College Avenue 1405 Arapahoe Avenue 44 East Avenue Letter New York, NY 10010 Oakland, CA 94618 Boulder, CO 80302 Austin, TX 78701 212-505-2100 510-658-8008 303-440-4901 512-478-5161 Editor: Norma H. Watson Assoc. Editor: Tim Connor ©1998 Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. Capital Office Membership Line: North Carolina EDF Project Office Published bimonthly at NY, NY ISSN 0163-2566 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW 800-684-3322 2500 Blue Ridge Road 6 Faneuil Hall Marketplace Raleigh, NC 27607 Boston, MA 02109 Visit EDF Online at www.edf.org Washington, DC 20009 Fax: 202-234-6049 202-387-3500 Internet: [email protected] 919-881-2601 617-723-2996

2 N Director’s Message Texas Will Control Shrimp Farms ressure from EDF Fairness on the Road Pand a broad citizens’ alliance led to the first- Car use not only causes air pollution ever requirement that and greenhouse gas emissions, but also Texas shrimp farms must leads to loss of open space and wildlife obtain state wastewater habitat through highway construction and discharge permits. urban sprawl. New approaches, such as tolls Shrimp farms in Texas that vary by time of day and number of have operated for nearly vehicle occupants, have shown promise in 20 years without impor- reducing congestion, pollution, and the tant environmental safe- pressure to build new guards, causing water roads. EDF has been pollution that threatens in the forefront of the state’s coastal ecosys- advocating such effi- tems and the clean cient solutions. waters of its shallow bays

But transportation and lagoons. Raymond Gray solutions must also be Texas had actively Pamela Baker examines the water quality of a Texas shrimp pond. High water equitable. People with- promoted shrimp farm- quality is key to environmentally sound shrimp farming. out cars or with limit- ing in the hope of created access to cars are ing jobs and diversifying the coastal econo- for a new shrimp farm. The farm must: (1) Fred Krupp disproportionately my. The state exempted shrimp farmers limit total discharges of water and waste low-income people of color, low-income from water rights permit requirements and material to coastal bays, (2) use best man- women, the elderly, and the disabled. Equi- created regulations favoring the industry. agement practices to minimize pollution, table transportation policies must insure But the number of jobs and the other ben- and (3) allow citizens to monitor opera- that all people have access to jobs, food efits to coastal communities have proved stores, health care, loved ones, churches, small compared with those of other indus- parks, and the other basic needs of life that tries, and the environmental damage caused Huge volumes of polluted waste- many of us take for granted. The average by the shrimp farms has spurred local water threaten tourism and coastal American commutes more than 10 miles to opposition. activities. work. Without a car, or fast transit service, Huge volumes of polluted waste-water a person’s livelihood and independence are discharged by the farms threaten tourism, at risk. sport fishing, and other coastal activities. tions. EDF is working to have these mea- EDF is committed to fairness on the Wild shrimp fishers fear that exotic shrimp sures added to all state permits. road. Last year, we helped win a victory that species and disease could spread from the To reduce the spread of exotic shrimp will bring $1 billion of additional bus ser- farms and cause ecological and economic species and disease, EDF advocates classify- vice to Los Angeles, the city with the great- damage throughout the Gulf of Mexico. ing them as “pollutants,” which must be est unmet demand for public transporta- EDF, led by fisheries biologist Pamela regulated, and is working with the state to tion. Now we are working with policy mak- Baker and economist Dr. Peter M. Emer- develop effective monitoring and quaran- ers and the U.S. Department of Transporta- son, helped organize an alliance of local, tine procedures. EDF also urges Federal tion to extend the lessons of the Los Ange- regional, and national environmental action to develop a comprehensive plan to les case to other cities. groups, local governments, and sport and manage shrimp viruses. A sustainable environment requires commercial fishers, to identify coastal com- Concern is growing worldwide about the policies that are equitable and just and munities’ needs and strengthen regulation environmental and social problems caused that affirm the environmental rights of of shrimp farming. by coastal shrimp farming. EDF’s work in the poor and people of color. The trans- Texas can serve as a model for South Car- New Discharge Permits portation planning process needs to olina, Florida, Hawaii, and for 50 countries Must Be Strengthened include community and grassroots organi- around the world where coastal shrimp zations, civil rights groups, and environ- EDF is now working to strengthen the new- farming is virtually unregulated. mental justice advocates. New revenue ly required permits, which currently may from programs such as variable tolls on encourage farms simply to dilute their pol- Become an Activist for the highways can support better transit ser- lutants rather than reduce them. EDF also Oceans! vices in disadvantaged communities, aims to eliminate an exemption that has EDF members can help protect oceans and which in turn will bring expanded eco- allowed one shrimp farm to be classified as coastal ecosystems by joining EDF’s nomic opportunity to those communities. a “research facility,” even though it is a com- Oceans Action Network. At no charge, The benefits of efficient and fair trans- mercial operation that produces the same ocean activists will receive e-mail messages portation will accrue to all citizens—and pollutants as other farms. from EDF when important decisions are to the environment. Shrimp farms can be designed to do less about to take place in Congress, state legis- environmental harm. Recently, EDF and latures, and regulatory agencies. To join, the Lower Laguna Madre Foundation send your name, e-mail address, and the secured three key protections in a permit address where you vote to [email protected].

3 Column Using Phony Science to Discredit Global Warming

By EDF trustee Dr. John W. Firor, a physicist at luted message from this the National Center for Atmospheric Research in group appeared in tens or Boulder, Colorado. hundreds of thousands of mailboxes. The package con- t the Kyoto climate change negotiations sisted of an op-ed piece about A last December, thousands of national climate change science pub- delegates, interest groups, observers, and lished earlier in the Wal l press people were present, but only a dozen Street Journal, an unpub- or so climate scientists. lished article disguised as a This statistic is not reprint from a reputable sci- surprising; the issue entific journal, a short note being discussed in from a famous retired scien- Kyoto was not the tist, and a petition to be nature or present state signed by the recipient asking of climate change sci- the U.S. government to ignore ence. Instead it was Kyoto and “any other similar Pete Carmichael what we should do giv- proposals.” Global warming debunkers say increased carbon dioxide will be bene- ficial in stimulating plant growth, but in fact the effect of increased CO en the reasonable This is a strange set of 2 in natural ecosystems such as this rainforest is highly uncertain. Most John Firor probability that, if documents—the article, for scientists believe it is unlikely to counteract the harmful effects of allowed to continue unabated, the human- example, has numerous refer- rapid climate change. induced change in the climate will give our ences, but it contains out-of- world a lot of trouble. date calculations, mislabeled figures, mis- to verify the credentials of the signers, how- That there is such a reasonable probabil- quoted numbers, and assertions shown to ever, since the names of entertainers and ity is widely accepted among national lead- be wrong years ago. Everybody makes mis- fictional characters appear among the sig- ers worldwide, among climate experts takes, of course, but scientists generally have natories. worldwide, and clearly among the official their work reviewed by colleagues, a process Use of science in the public arena fre- delegations in Kyoto. This also is no sur- that reduces the chance of serious errors. quently requires clarifying and simplifying, prise, since scientists have studied a human- This material evidently did not have a criti- but not untruths. These documents, sadly, induced climate change for a hundred cal outside look before it was distributed— only add to public confusion about the cli- years, and governments of major countries almost every paragraph and graph is either mate issues in front of governments today, and the United Nations have reviewed the a half truth or needs correction. and they do nothing to further public dis- scientific progress repeatedly, generally con- Here are examples: One graph in the cussion about these issues. cluding that the probability of trouble is article tries to show that something called high enough to warrant action. flux correction, used to overcome a problem In the United States, however, anyone in climate model calculations, is much larg- Let’s clear the air observing the raucous, anti-Kyoto, nature er, and therefore more important, than is You can help do that and much more through a of some statements appearing in pamphlets the effect of greenhouse gases. In fact, up- Life Income gift to EDF. Together, we can create and the press might surmise that the issue is to-date models do very well with no flux a wholesome environment for all living creatures. still at the starting gate. correction at all, much less a large one, and these models continue to show troublesome Here’s how: Join EDF’s Charitable Gift Annu- Petition Appears in climate heating if we continue to emit mas- ity program with a gift of $10,000 or more. Thousands of Mailboxes sive amounts of carbon dioxide. The benefits to you are a life income and a charitable deduction. Much of this confusion seems to come from Another graph has two problems. It pur- a group of people, many associated with the ports to show a big difference between For information, contact Anne B. Doyle, Dir. of George C. Marshall Institute in Washington model projections of global surface climate Planned Giving, EDF, 257 Park Avenue So., DC, who have set themselves the task of heating from 1978 to 1988 and actual tem- New York, NY 10010. (212) 505-2100. opposing any consideration of what to do perature change. But the projected heating about the probability of trouble. The group shown is about twice as large as in the ref- is somewhat mysterious, with unannounced erence quoted, and it is compared, not with funding sources, but the Marshall Institute measurements of the surface temperature as is known for having published several anti- projected by the model, but with measure- climate-change pamphlets since 1989. In ments made higher in the atmosphere, mea- addition, of course, many industrial and fos- surements whose connection with surface sil fuel businesses openly oppose any cut- temperature is not yet established. backs in fossil fuel use—cutbacks implicit Later, some publicity about the petition in the Kyoto agreement. claimed that it had been signed by 15,000 Recently, the strangest and most convo- scientists. No attempt was apparently made

4 EPA Backs the Public’s Right to Know Chemical Risks s part of an expanded “environmental attorney Karen Florini, a coauthor of To x i c “EDF will post companies’ responses, as Aright-to-know” program, the Environ- Ignorance. Florini noted that, in recent Con- long as they evaluate the threat posed by mental Protection Agency joined EDF’s call gressional testimony, Dr. Kenneth Olden, the their emissions and support the response for chemical companies to conduct basic director of the National Institute of Environ- with data,” said EDF toxicologist Dr. health tests on about 3,000 widely used mental Health Sciences, stated that ‘We are William Pease, who designed the Score- chemicals and make those data publicly clearly in a state of toxic ignorance.’ Said card. “Generating a dialogue about chemi- available. EPA threatened to require such Florini, “EPA is now saying that ignorance is cal hazard is what Scorecard is all about.” no longer acceptable, beginning with chemicals that are used in large volumes.” Toxic Ignorance is available for $10 from UPS Reusable Shipping EDF Publications, c/o the Washington office. The full report is also available online at Envelope Cuts Waste www.edf.org/more/10504. he shipping industry’s first reusable express envelopes are now available for Internet Scorecard Hits Home T all United Parcel Service Next Day Air Let- A few days before EPA’s announcement, ter shipments. This new two-use envelope, EDF unveiled its Chemical Scorecard, on catalyzed by a joint project between the the Internet at www.scorecard.org. Visitors Alliance for Environmental Innovation and to the site can enter their zip code and see a UPS, will cut express envelope packaging map highlighting local pollution sources. waste and pollution in half. EDF Executive Director Fred Krupp joined Vice The “fax local facilities” feature has spurred “Reusability is the fastest and most effi- President Al Gore in announcing the new testing initiative. Scorecard visitors to begin dialogues with cient path to reducing the environmental companies to ensure that adequate testing impacts of express shipping packaging,” said disclosures if the industry doesn’t make has been done to assure that their commu- Alliance project leader Elizabeth Sturcken. them voluntarily. nity is not at risk. “UPS’s leadership in introducing reusable EDF launched a campaign for this test- Chemical Week, a major industry maga- packaging into the express shipping business ing in July 1997, when it released an EDF zine, featured the Scorecard in a cover story, is commendable and promises both environ- study, Toxic Ignorance. The study docu- entitled “Internet Bomb: Web Access Hits mental and customer benefits.” The Alliance, ments that basic health-effects test data are Home.” Commenting on the website’s a joint project of EDF and The Pew Charita- missing from the public record for most impact on the industry, Chemical Week’s edi- ble Trusts, continues to work with UPS on chemicals produced in annual quantities of tor wrote, “But fundamentally, the answer more than one million pounds. for industry has to be a renewed onslaught “This EPA initiative is a big step toward on emissions,” suggesting that the Scorecard effective public health protection,” said EDF could help drive emissions to zero. Celebrate Recycling and Win a Dream House! unday, November 15 is the second annu- environmental benefits of recycling and Sal America Recycles Day, when commu- buying products made from recycled mate- nities across the country will celebrate the rials. To draw attention to the increasing practicality of using recycled materials, an entire house built primarily from such T. Charles Erickson materials will be given away in a drawing The new UPS Next Day Air Letter can be identified that day. The “American Green Dream by a green “Reusable” oval on the front. House,” valued at $200,000, will be built for improving environmental performance across the winner, with up to $35,000 allotted for all of the company’s air express packaging. the purchase of land. The UPS reusable envelope is made of To enter the American Green Dream 80% post-consumer recycled fiber using a House contest, print your pledge to recycle bleach-free process. It can be identified by and buy recycled along with your complete a green “Reusable” oval on the front and by name and address on a 3” x 5” piece of scrap a second adhesive flap that folds down to paper and mail it before November 15 to reseal the package for its second use. The America Recycles Day Contest, c/o Reman- new envelope is available in both letter and ufactured Industries Council International, legal sizes. P.O. Box 10807,Chantilly, VA 20153-0807. The Alliance study, Preferred Packag- For more information or to help with ing: Accelerating Environmental Leader- America Recycles Day events in your state, ship in the Overnight Shipping Industry call your state coordinator. Coordinators’ ($10 prepaid), is available from EDF Pub- Sgt. Robert Portillo of Fort Hood, TX, won last phone numbers are available from EDF lications, c/o the Washington office. The year’s Green Dream House, which is now being member services at 1-800-684-3322 or go to full report is also available online at built for him. www.edf.org/more/10502. www.edf.org/more/10503.

5 People Attorney Jim Marston Keeps His Eyes on the Ball exas attorney Jim Marston was worried. worked hard to make it happen, but TWith Austin temperatures frequently because more and more Texans were becom- soaring above the 100-degree mark, many ing aware that the state had serious environ- of his over-40 basketball buddies weren’t mental problems. showing up at the Marston backyard slab Today, eight years after the office’s open- on Sunday afternoons as usual. “Where is ing, Marston works alongside fellow EDF everybody?” he wondered one blazing after- attorney Melinda Taylor, economist Dr. Pete noon as he and two of his 10 regulars shot Emerson, and scientists Dr. Ramón Alvarez and sweated. “Y’all think we ought to and Dr. Carlos Rincon. They are engaged switch to nine in the morning?” on issues ranging from electric power plants Basketball is big for Marston, whether to wildlife habitat to pollution prevention he’s watching college hoops on TV, travel- along the U.S.-Mexico border, where ing to Fort Worth to see his beloved Texas Marston travels frequently. Christian University Horned Frogs do When he’s not traveling for EDF, battle, or playing the role of the proud dad Marston enjoys traveling with his wife, as his 10-year-old daughter perfects her Annette LoVoi, and daughter Amanda. game in scrimmages at the Lady Long- LoVoi, who worked on insurance issues for horn summer camp. “Amanda is better former Texas Governor Ann Richards, is with her left hand at 10 than I was at 15,” now executive director of the Texas Apple- says Marston, still ruddy-cheeked and seed Foundation, an initiative of the Texas T. Charles Erickson boyish at 45. bar that deals with education, welfare, and “What’s great about basketball,” he Comfortable in settings that range from down adds, “is that it’s a combination of planning home to big city, Marston is able to work with diverse constituencies on the environmental issues and spontaneity. It’s a little bit like politics “Everyone relies on Marston’s tal- he cares about. or environmental work. You can plan, but ent to get good results and cut when they start to double-team you, you’ve first case in Texas in which there was a through any messes.” got to improvise.” penalty of more than $100,000,” he recalls, And improvise he does. “Marston has “for a toxic waste site in West Dallas.” the best public-policy instincts I’ve ever In 1980, Marston became a partner in immigration issues. seen,” Austin mayor Kirk Watson says. the law firm of state Senator Lloyd Doggett, “Annette and I are different in many “Everyone relies on his talent to get good a former University of Texas student body ways,” Marston says. “She’s introspective and results and cut through any messes.” president who represented an Austin dis- intellectual; I’m more action-oriented. She trict. (Doggett is now a U.S. Representa- likes ballet; I like basketball. The two things From Civil Rights to Environment tive.) “Doggett was still a kid Senator in his we share are politics and travel.” Marston’s own basketball career ended with 30’s,” Marston recalls, “but he was a hero to Marston and LoVoi went to China in high school in Tulsa, but as political opera- me. He was unafraid. He didn’t want to be 1985, Eastern Europe in 1992, and South tive and environmental lawyer, he’s a 20- in office just to be part of the club. He Africa this summer. They took Amanda year veteran. After graduating with honors passed consumer protection laws, sunset with them. “We went to South Africa from TCU in 1975, he was accepted as a laws, campaign finance reform.” because we thought it was a fascinating Root-Tilden Scholar at New York Universi- Marston was with Doggett’s firm for place with interesting politics,” he says. “And ty School of Law. “I thought I was going to nine years. When Doggett was elected to we wanted our daughter to know more be a civil rights litigator,” he says. “I came of the Texas Supreme Court in 1988, Marston about apartheid and about students her age, at least politically, during the Civil and his colleagues had to take stock of their own age who had been out in the streets Rights era, and the folks I admired were the own careers. “I wanted to go back and do saying no to apartheid.” ones standing up for civil rights.” environmental work,” he recalls. Thinking back to the time Amanda was But an internship at the Natural born reminds Marston of why he wanted to Opening EDF’s Texas Office Resources Defense Council and a room- get involved in defending the environment. mate’s interest in environmental law com- It was Austin environmental attorney Rick “Having Amanda made me think about bined to shift the focus of Marston’s Lowerre who asked Marston to work full- what was important,” he says. “I realized career. “I decided the environment was an time on opening EDF’s office in Austin. that the lessons I learned from my parents important area to work in,” he recalls, “so “Jim’s ability to set up a truly professional were not what they told me but what they I came back to Texas and worked on envi- office convinced a lot of funders to get did. I had a chance to do something that ronmental law in attorney general John involved,” Lowerre says. “It was quite an would show her what I thought was impor- Hill’s office.” accomplishment, because Texas wasn’t all tant. So I took a chance.” EDF and the As Assistant Attorney General for Envi- that interested in environmental issues.” Texas environment are the better for it. ronmental Protection, Marston worked pri- EDF’s Texas effort was a success, Marston marily on toxic waste issues. “We had the says, not only because a great many people By Joe Holley

6 Easy Tips You Can Use to Make Your Office “Greener” f you’re one of the more than 50 million recycle paper, steel, aluminum, glass, and IAmericans who work in an office, it may some kinds of plastic. Set up convenient surprise you to learn how great an impact recycling areas in the office and post we office workers have on the environment. instructions for recycling each material. You Whether your office is large or small, can also reuse envelopes for interoffice mail whether it’s in a large corporation or at a and cut up used paper for note pads. local community group, school, or church, Buy Recycled! there are plenty of ways you can help the environment in the choices you and your If you’re in charge of purchasing office co-workers make every day. supplies, choose stationery and other office Each day, office workers consume supplies with the maximum post-consumer approximately 145 million gallons of fuel recycled content available, at least 20%. while commuting to work and generate And buy the lightest-weight paper possible some 1.4 million tons of heat-trapping car- for the job. bon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas. Look for unbleached or “totally chlorine En route and during the day, we drink free” supplies and paper first. If you don’t find about 49 million cups of coffee—mostly these in stock, ask your suppliers how to order T. Charles Erickson from disposable cups—and either recycle alternative products. Avoid “manila” folders Computers are key to many “green” actions you or discard some 40 million newspapers. can take—from telecommuting to using e-mail and envelopes, which are actually bleached Once on the job, we produce more than instead of paper and setting your machine to turn and then dyed to achieve their distinctive col- our own weight in waste paper each off after a period of inactivity. or; look for unbleached varieties instead. year—about 360 pounds per person, nine Whenever possible, avoid deep-hued and million tons in all. increase staff productivity. In a two-year Today, U.S. businesses are generally pol- pilot project, Northern Telecom found that luting less and becoming more energy effi- having 500 employees work at home three Office workers produce more cient. But there are still many simple steps days a week saved about 200 gallons of gaso- than their own weight in waste that offices and workers can take to save line annually per employee and increased paper each year—about 350 energy, reduce waste, and even save money. productivity by an average of 30%. pounds per person. All the following tips have worked out well Whether you work in the office or at at EDF’s own offices. home, reducing paper consumption and recycling used paper is a must. Where possi- neon-colored papers, envelopes with plastic Use Devices That ble, use e-mail instead of paper memos. windows, and peel-and-stick labels, all of Shut Themselves Off Make sure your business cards have your e- which can interfere with the recycling process. Installing light switches with motion mail address on them, and ask for the e-mail Office managers can provide a supply of detectors can save a lot of electricity, since addresses of others. Eliminate cover sheets reusable coffee mugs, plates, and utensils, and these devices shut off the lights automati- when faxing. Post or circulate materials encourage their use. When ordering take-out cally whenever a room is unoccupied. Sim- whenever possible, rather than making mul- or having an event catered, select establish- ilar savings come from copiers, computers, tiple copies. Program your printer and pho- ments that use reusable food service ware. and other equipment that can be pro- tocopier for two-sided printing. Publish or And of course, don’t forget to turn off grammed to turn off after a period of inac- distribute documents electronically whenev- your lights, computer, and monitor before tivity. Look for the Environmental Protec- er possible. And, before you print a docu- leaving for the day—and remember to take tion Agency’s “Energy Star” symbol as one ment, always use the Spell Check and Print your travel mug home for tomorrow morn- indication of these power-saving features Preview functions first! ing’s commute! when buying new office equipment. In nearly every community, you can By Cheryl Roberts Here’s an easy idea: Buy a reusable travel mug for your morning commute and to use at the office. You’ll save natural West Antarctic Ice Sheet Could Disintegrate resources, conserve energy and landfill Continued from page 1. 250 years. He largely ruled out a catastrophic space and, if you fill up at home, you’ll save Oppenheimer examined other plausible collapse occurring within less than a century. some money, too. scenarios, which he “The good news is that collapse of the If you commute by train or subway, considered less likely: West Antarctic Ice Sheet is not imminent, but you’ll find many stations now have designat- (1) continued melting the bad news is that warming gases emitted ed bins for recycling newspapers. Use them. of some of the floating during the next century could make its future If you drive, consider car pooling, riding ice shelves accompanied collapse inevitable,” Oppenheimer said. “We a bike, or walking to work or to a nearby by an increase of the cannot afford to take such a high-risk gamble. mass transit station. If your company per- land-based ice due to The potential for unprecedented loss of mits it, telecommute. More than eight mil- additional precipitation; coastal regions should move policy makers to lion Americans now telecommute at least (2) very fast collapse of take swift and responsible action against one day a week. Telecommuting cuts down the West Antarctic Ice global warming. Once the ice sheet begins to on pollution, saves energy, and may even Michael Oppenheimer Sheet within as little as disintegrate, there will be no turning back.”

7 What Are the Greatest Threats to Endangered Wildlife? lthough scientists generally believe that habitat loss is the major cles. The study was a col- Athreat to endangered species, few studies have ever quantified the laborative effort by the actual threat from this and other suspected factors. Now, an article Association for Biodiversi- published in the August issue of the journal BioScience confirms that ty Information, EDF, The habitat loss is the greatest single threat to species, imperiling 85% of Nature Conservancy, and endangered species in the continental United States and Hawaii. the Network of State Nat- The spread of non-native species ranks next, affecting nearly half of ural Heritage Programs. endangered species. Pollution, overexploitation, and disease are less- EDF ecologist Dr. er threats (see graph), although, for aquatic species, pollution is sec- David S. Wilcove, lead ond only to habitat loss as a author of the peer-reviewed Threats to all U.S. species cause of endangerment. article, noted that while from various sources The article, “Quantifying habitat loss leads the list of Threats to Imperiled Species threats, it is followed rather Habitat in the United States,” repre- closely by harmful non- degrada- sents the most comprehensive native species. “Controlling tion/loss assessment of threats to U.S. these alien plants and ani- Alien endangered species. It ranks mals will require active

Species the threats to birds, mammals, management of the habitat, © 1998 American Institute of Biological Sciences reptiles, amphibians, fish, such as pulling up weeds Two whooping cranes. (Reprinted with Pollution plants, and certain groups of and trapping out invasive permission from the cover of BioScience, invertebrates. Given the mag- exotic animals,” he said. Vol. 48 No. 8, August 1998.) Over- nitude of harm caused by habi- “We must find a way to provide landowners with financial and exploitation tat destruction, it also exam- regulatory incentives to undertake the proper management of the ines in greater detail the extent habitats on their property.” EDF has encouraged such actions Disease of harm from specific activi- through programs such as Safe Harbor, in which more than one mil- ties, such as agriculture, com- lion acres of privately owned lands are being managed for the bene- 0 20 40 60 80 100 mercial development, dams fit of endangered species. and other water projects, graz- (Percentages total more than 100 because ing, and outdoor recreation, more than one source may be a threat.) including use of off-road vehi- Address Service Requested EDF Office Addresses on page 2. Washington, D. C. 20090-6969 P. O. Box 96969 Address Corrections to: Plan Could Clean Up Factory Farms Continued from page 1. year 2005. EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are now developing a control strategy. EDF is working at both the national level and in several states to strengthen environmental standards for factory farms. EDF also urges a nationwide moratorium on new and expanding factory farms until effective Federal and state programs are in place to protect air and water quality and rural communities. EDF recom- mends the following steps to prevent today’s problems from getting worse and improve conditions at new and existing factory farms: • Enforce existing laws and regulations. • Hold all animal owners accountable for any environmental violations. Joseph Rudek • Clean up abandoned manure lagoons. • Phase out use of manure sprayfields and anaerobic (oxygen-free) manure lagoons. • Control odor and pollution by eliminating atmospheric emissions of ammonia and other offensive gases. NON-PROFIT ORG. ENVIRONMENTAL

• End manure runoff and spills that contaminate groundwater and DEFENSE FUND surface water. U.S. POSTAGE

“New growth of factory farms must be halted until an effective PAID plan is developed to clean up the environmental and health problems created by thousands of existing ones,” said EDF scientist Dr. Joseph Rudek. “Federal, state, and local governments should promptly reign in serious and long-standing problem, which is a growing threat to citizens and the environment.” Regional News Texas Endangered Species Need More Protection, EDF Finds EDF Coalition Fights for EDF scientists are calling for economic is private property. The law does not require Colorado Wilderness incentives to protect the state’s endangered private landowners to protect rare plants.” wildlife, particularly its rare plants and wild- EDF is working to promote voluntary, private Together with the League of Conservation flowers. In a recent report, cooperation in protecting Voters and the Wilderness Society, EDF is EDF revealed that two- the state’s endangered helping to form a coalition calling for the thirds of Texas plants and plants through landown- wilderness designation of six Colorado sites wildflowers are in decline, er education and incen- managed by the Federal Bureau of Land Man- twice the national average, tives such as tax credits, agement (BLM). A joint member action alert despite Federal protection payments, and cost-shar- under the Endangered ing agreements. Species Act. EDF’s report also “Only 7% of Texas’s shows that 35% of Texas’s listed plants are showing listed animal species are stability or improvement, stable or recovering, but compared with the that 19%—including the national average of 30%,” golden-cheeked warbler,

said EDF attorney Melin- © Middleton/Liittschwager 1994 the black-capped vireo, da Taylor. “And data are the red-cockaded wood- The ocelot is one of several species that are simply unavailable for facing increased threats in Texas. pecker, and the ocelot—

more than one-quarter of are facing increased John Fielder the listed plant species in Texas. Clearly, Fed- threats. Safe Harbor, an incentives-based eral listing alone is not protecting these vital program first advocated by EDF, is being Conservationists are urging BLM to designate the scenic Castle Peak roadless area as wilderness. species from eventual extinction.” used by agencies to address threats on pri- “Key to the decline of these plants,” said vate land. It is part of the draft bill to reau- garnered unprecedented support to protect Taylor,“is that over 97% of the Texas land base thorize the Endangered Species Act. nearly 200,000 acres in Bangs Canyon, Castle Peak, Pinyon Ridge, South Shale Ridge, Ver- Factory Farming Threatens Colorado Environment million Basin, and Yampa River Valley. The effort produced more than 160 let- Recently, thousands of new factory-farm tion Agency (See related story, page 1).EDF ters of support to Colorado Senator Wayne operations have sprung up in Colorado and considers EPA’s proposed national standards Allard, who held a hearing in Grand Junc- other states that have little experience with as only a baseline and is advocating stricter tion in June to review redesignation of the factory farming and few or no environmen- state policies in the form of a ballot initia- BLM lands. About 100 representatives from tal controls. Notorious for their threats to tive called, “Protecting Colorado’s Water timber, mining, and off-road vehicle special the environment and human health, factory and Economy.” interests voiced their opposition at the farms—especially massive hog operations EDF is gathering signatures for the ini- hearing, but they were outnumbered three- which may produce more than two trillion tiative, which calls for regulations to protect to-one by wilderness supporters. pounds of animal waste each year—have water and air quality, more corporate “These areas protect endangered plants already come under sharp scrutiny in North responsibility for environmental and health and animals, ancient petroglyphs, colorful Carolina, Maryland, and other states. damages, and better waste management sys- escarpments, pristine forests and rivers, and Groundwater contamination, fish kills, toxic tems. If EDF and its allies can collect incomparable recreation opportunities,” shellfish harvests, and offensive air pollu- enough signatures to qualify this issue for said Scott Ingvoldstad, EDF outreach coor- tion are just a few of the issues that states the ballot, Coloradans will have a chance to dinator in the Rocky Mountain office. “A and the courts are trying to address. vote on it this November. statewide poll commissioned by EDF and In Colorado, EDF has helped forge a the League of Conservation Voters last fall coalition of environmental, family farm, and EDF MEMBER ACTION ALERT found that four out of five Coloradans sup- sustainable agriculture groups to stem the EDF members can help support the initia- port the wilderness designation, yet these tide toward factory farming, which has also tive campaign by calling EDF’s Rocky pristine areas remain unprotected.” prompted national efforts in Congress and Mountain office at (303) 440-4901 or by EDF members can voice their support by joining the proposals from the Environmental Protec- sending e-mail to [email protected]. Colorado Action Network at www.edf.org/rockymtn.

2 C Regional News Partnership of EDF, General Motors, and Community is Promoting Sustainable Manufacturing Working with an alliance of industry, tional flexibility, and more formance and opera- environmental, neighborhood, and govern- public involvement. tional flexibility. ment representatives, EDF has developed a In the alternative regula- “The Alternative Reg- “how to” plan for achieving environmentally tory model, environmental ulatory System should better vehicle manufacturing and healthier and environmental justice not only improve the communities. EDF’s Pollution Prevention groups and plant neighbors environment and the Alliance, General Motors, and other partner are part of the process from manufacturing process organizations have outlined a model Alter- the start. Dayton, Ohio, but also democratize native Regulatory System for GM based on area groups such as the the way these decisions three fundamental principles: better envi- Edgemont Neighborhood General Motors are made,” said Kevin ronmental performance, increased opera- Coalition and the Citizens GM has made efforts to reduce waste and Mills, director of the Policy Center, along with introduce pollution prevention technologies Pollution Prevention Illinois Court Upholds 1997 EDF’s Alliance staff and at its Orion, MI, assembly plant. Alliance, which now the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, all took represents more than 200 non-profit groups Victory Over Oil Pipeline part in efforts to address pollution threats throughout the Midwest. “Environment and Illinois communities and EDF’s Pollu- from future GM operations. community welfare can no longer be treated tion Prevention Alliance hailed a second Integrating workers, product designers, as problems at the margin of a company’s court victory against construction of a and process engineers into the planning attention, but must become core business potentially harmful, and arguably unneces- process insures better environmental per- challenges, part of the corporate mission.” sary, crude-oil pipeline that would have stretched from Western Canada to Chicago- area refineries. In a unanimous decision, the Wisconsin Holds the Line On Permits for New Mines Illinois Court of Appeals upheld the 1997 After withdrawing their first mining Natural Resources. Citing concerns about Illinois Commerce Commission decision proposal, the Nicolet Minerals Company groundwater and lake contamination, Gov- denying eminent domain for the pipeline. (formerly Crandon Mining) is again seek- ernor Tommy Thompson signed legislation “The pipeline project posed several dan- ing state approval for a controversial copper on Earth Day that requires mining compa- gers, including water contamination, forest and zinc mine in northern Wisconsin. Giv- nies to prove there will be only minimal loss, soil degradation, methane generation, en concerns about this kind of mining, and environmental impact before new operations fish kills, and explosions,” reported EDF this mine in particular, a broad coalition of are approved, a major obstacle to Nicolet’s engineer Lois Epstein, who was an expert groups, including EDF, joined together to permit for its potentially hazardous mine. witness in the Illinois case. “But what turned oppose this project. Copper compounds leach from tailings the case against the pipeline company was ponds and are persistent, acutely toxic sub- the lack of public need for additional lines to stances that damage human health and kill the Chicago area, not the potential for envi- natural algaes that are crucial to aquatic ronmental damage,” Epstein explained. ecosystems. Past discharges into lakes from “Federal pipeline regulations are inade- copper mines have even created sediment quate, yet states are not allowed to exceed strata with mineable quantities of copper. Federal safety requirements,” Epstein “The Nicolet mine would create a tail- added. “The current system is biased toward ings pond more than a half square mile in pipeline interests and against concerned size and would have major impacts on dis- communities. Any meaningful pipeline tant ecosystems,” said EDF Great Lakes reform will require a broad base of support specialist Bill Davis. “The company has and very hard work.” Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin proposed to pipe waste to the Wisconsin To protect communities nationwide Waste from the proposed mine threatened the Wolf River, 38 miles away, and even to discharge from similar, ill-planned pipelines, EDF has River, one of the last wild rivers in the Midwest. directly into the pristine Wolf River, which joined Friends of the Earth, labor unions, In response to Wisconsin members’ con- empties into the Great Lakes. If these types local governments, grassroots organizations, cerns, EDF investigated the Nicolet mine of mines are allowed to continue business industry groups, and others to form the and submitted comments on the potential as usual, it would be a major detriment to National Pipeline Reform Coalition. impacts to the Wisconsin Department of the future health of the Great Lakes.”

2 M Regional News EDF Urges North Carolina to Get Tougher on Hog Farms Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers North Carolina’s hog farm industry is proposal talks about the cumbersome per- Get Statewide Safe Harbor second only to Iowa’s, and unlike farms in mitting process, but fails to address lagoons the Hawkeye State, most North Carolina and sprayfields,” said North Carolina EDF in South Carolina Program hog farms are concentrated in one area—in Director Jane Preyer. “The reality is that the The first state-wide “safe harbor” habi- a handful of counties on the state’s coastal moratorium is on the verge of being lifted tat protection program is underway in plain. The combination of high water table, with no meaningful solutions in place.” South Carolina’s longleaf pine woods. heavy rains, and an abundance of nutrient- EDF is developing its own lagoon phase- More than seven- sensitive wetlands and rivers makes the area out proposal and is asking the state to exam- ty million acres of especially vulnerable to hog farm runoff. ine alternative technologies, such as biogas longleaf pine for- (See related story, page 1.) recovery and aerobic treatment systems, est once covered In August 1997,at the urging of EDF and which show promise to help control the the Southeast. To- other environmental groups, North Caroli- waste produced by the state’s 10 to 13 million day, following in- na’s General Assembly imposed an 18- hogs. “No one specific system solves all the tensive forestry month moratorium on new hog farms and problems yet,” said Preyer, “but there are and development, ordered the state Department of Agriculture some promising technologies out there.” only three million to draw up a plan to phase out the current EDF is urging the state to extend its acres remain. South use of primitive methods of disposing of moratorium and to create an effective phase- Carolina is home to manure in open-air lagoons and sprayfields. out plan to help existing farms convert to 369,000 acres, A. Morris/VIREO Unfortunately, the department’s proposed safer waste disposal techniques before per- much of it on pri- Red-cockaded woodpeck- plan does not address key problems. “The mitting future expansion of the industry. vate lands. er on a longleaf pine tree. Among the many species dependent Conserving Essential Habitat Areas for Carolina Fisheries upon this habitat is the endangered red- cockaded woodpecker, which requires EDF’s long effort to shore up fishery North Carolina staff is urging the Mid- mature pine woods occasionally swept by management programs in the Southeast is Atlantic and South-Atlantic councils to fire that reduces the understory. EDF, paying off. In the 1996 reauthorization of extend EFH designations beyond the geo- which developed the safe harbor idea, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conserva- graphic boundaries of their jurisdictions. worked closely to launch the new pro- tion and Management Act, EDF pushed for Meanwhile, the EFH provision has come gram with the South Carolina Red-Cock- and won a provision requiring regional fish- under fire from home-builders’ associa- aded Woodpecker Conservation Coali- ery management councils to designate tions and other groups that want to devel- tion; state officials; landowners; forest- “Essential Fish Habitat” (EFH), areas that op shoreline areas. products company Westvaco; forest indus- provide essential habitat for all life stages of EDF MEMBER ACTION ALERT try representatives; and the U.S. Fish and important commercial fish species, or Wildlife Service. So far, 15 landowners— species complexes of closely related fishes. EDF members can support the Magnuson representing 84,000 acres and 150 wood- Act’s Essential Fish Habitat provision in letters The councils must designate EFH for to state and national legislators and at public pecker colonies—have committed to sign commercial fish species by October. EDF’s hearings and council meetings. Call 919-881- onto the agreement. We believe their suc- 2601 for information on dates and times. cess will encourage other landowners to sign up. EDF is also urging North Carolina’s fish- Safe harbor agreements encourage eries, water quality, and coastal management landowners to manage habitats to benefit divisions to coordinate their efforts under endangered species while protecting the the state’s year-old Fisheries Reform Act. owners from incurring added legal liability Similar to the Federal fishery management for endangered species that move onto process, this act requires the state Division of their land. EDF is monitoring the South Marine Fisheries to develop Coastal Habitat Carolina agreement and working to secure Protection Plans. These plans will provide financial incentives to assist landowners

L. Rader protection for coastal fish habitat and ensure with the cost of protecting large tracts of Biologist Doug Rader leads EDF efforts to protect that the actions of the three divisions are mature timber and administering pre- Southeastern coastal and ocean areas. consistent with one another. scribed burns.

2 S Regional News EDF Works with Church Groups to Promote Green Power Voluntary Trading Plan Will Now that all California Commission, will absorb Reduce Calif. Farm Runoff residents can choose how the windmill construction their electricity is produced, cost if 3,000 green energy With support from the U.S. Environ- the Episcopal Diocese of Cal- customers can be recruited mental Protection Agency, California farm- ifornia’s Commission for the within a year. ers and EDF scientists have created an Environment hopes to pur- “We believe that choosing innovative program to reduce polluted agri- chase its own wind turbine to renewable energy sources is cultural runoff. Following the recommenda- meet the electricity needs of an appropriate and moral tions of EDF’s 1994 report, Plowing New parish facilities, clergy, and response to the crisis of glob- Ground, an independent regional farm parishioners. By reducing al warming that now con- group is implementing a new program to demand for traditional, envi- fronts humanity,” said Rev. reduce polluted runoff from farms by 15% ronmentally harmful ways of Bingham, who also has through a tradable discharge allocation pro- generating electricity, such as helped forge the Interfaith gram. It promises to cut pollution from a burning fossil fuels, the Com- Taskforce on Renewable key source that existing regulatory pro- mission hopes to set an exam- Energy, a coalition of Jewish, grams have failed to address. ple of how human needs can DOE/NREL Lutheran, Methodist, and The California program is the first agri- be balanced with those of Wind power emits no pollution and other religious groups. “EDF cultural trading program to require that has little impact on the land. nature. has been vital to our efforts, specific pollution limits be met. Its focus is Dubbing their efforts the “Episcopal providing technical assistance on global selenium, a toxic element that is leached Power and Light” program, advocates such warming, coal mining, and the environmen- from the soil by irrigation water and dis- as San Francisco’s Rev. Sally Bingham, an tal impacts of electricity use,” she said. charged into one of California’s most EDF trustee, are working with more than 80 degraded rivers. Selenium levels exceed parishes to recruit at least 1,000 “green ener- EDF MEMBER ACTION ALERT health standards in the San Joaquin Valley gy” customers before October 17, when the EDF members wishing more information and other California areas and have severe- Diocese will vote to endorse the purchase of about the Episcopal Power and Light Program ly damaged fish and wildlife. a 750-kilowatt windmill. Green Mountain can contact Rev. Sally Bingham by e-mail, at “By focusing on selenium, farmers will Energy Resources, selected by the Diocese [email protected]. also dramatically reduce the amounts of other toxins now polluting the river,” said Dr. Terry F. Young, EDF scientist and advi- Critics Seek Major Redesign Of Bay-Delta Restoration Plan sor to the farm group. “The associated cut In response to criticism by EDF and oth- • fails to emphasize that a restored ecosys- er environmentalists, CALFED, a state-Fed- tem is critical to secure the benefits of eral partnership, has agreed to redesign its better water management; and draft plan for restoring the San Francisco • does not ensure that ecosystem health Bay-Delta ecosystem and improving water will be restored and sustained over time. management. The CALFED proposal was CALFED has made significant progress issued for public review in March. in launching the ecosystem restoration pro- EDF comments charge that CALFED’s gram required to achieve long-term stabili- proposals are too dependent on building ty for California’s water resources. Most evi- water projects—dams and canals—that dent are the more than $150 million in new caused many of the environmental prob- ecosystem funds awarded in the past sever- T. Charles Erickson lems. For example, the proposal: al years through CALFED’s “Ecosystem EDF’s Terry Young is helping California farmers use • assumes the severely-depleted Bay-Delta Roundtable” process. EDF staff serve as economic incentives to reduce polluted runoff. system can supply “new” water for more appointed members on the Roundtable’s consumption as well as for restoration; policy and scientific advisory panels. in irrigation will ultimately improve condi- • fails to recognize the value of price and EDF welcomed CALFED’s decision to tions throughout the region. These farmers market incentives in efficient water use; issue a revised draft for public review late are proving that economic incentives and • fails to clarify who will pay for the new this year. EDF will work to ensure that the partnership can successfully go where no dams and canals; final plan remedies these problems. regulation has gone before.”

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