letter

VOL. XXIX, NO. 5

NOVEMBER 1998Letter

A BIMONTHLY REPORT TO MEMBERS OF

THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND

“BP is forging the critical linkbetween climate change solutions andsound economics,” said EDF economistDr. Daniel J. Dudek, who initiated theproject with BP. “Its ambitious reductionplan underscores the power of applyingeconomic solutions to the most daunt-ing environmental problems.”

Said EDF executive director FredKrupp, “BP is tackling global warmingwith the actions that matter most—mak-ing real cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.The company’s strong commitment sets anew standard for corporate responsibility.Its willingness to invest in projects essen-tial to solving the problem of climatechange demonstrates what governmentsand businesses in every part of the world

must do to meet this challenge.”Krupp noted that, although the motor-

ing public will still continue to release thebulk of the greenhouse gas generated by the

BP Promises to Cut Its Greenhouse Gases by 10%British Petroleum, one of the world’s

largest oil companies, has pledged toreduce its global greenhouse gas emissions10% below 1990 levels by the year 2010.BP’s plan, which EDF helped develop, isnot contingent on whether the Kyoto Pro-tocol goes into effect, and it promiseslarger reductions than the 5% to 7% thatwould be required under Kyoto.

CEO John Browne said BP will makethe reductions through a series of changesinvolving new technology, energy effi-ciency, and renewable energy, combinedwith an internal program for tradingemissions among BP’s business units. Hecited, for example, achieving less wastefulpipeline transmission, curbing the “flar-ing” or burning off of waste gas, and cap-turing vapors that escape when tankers arebeing loaded from pipelines.

BP’s internal trading program will be amicrocosm of the global system envisionedby the Kyoto Protocol, empowering BP

employees to innovate and to channelresources to the most productive opportuni-ties to reduce greenhouse gases. Thisapproach was developed as part of the EDF-BP joint partnership established in May 1997.

One of the steps BP will take to reduce greenhouse gas emis-sions is to curb the “flaring” or burning off of waste gas, asseen above from this platform in the North Sea.

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New $500 Million Chemical Testing Program AnnouncedEach year manufacturers sell billions of

pounds of chemicals for which thepublic lacks basic data on health effects.Now Vice President Gore, the ChemicalManufacturers Association (CMA), andthe Environmental Defense Fund haveannounced an unprecedented cooperativeprogram to test nearly 3,000 major indus-trial chemicals for their effects on healthand the environment.

Last year, EDF executive director FredKrupp invited CEO’s of the country’s top100 chemical manufacturing firms toperform those screening tests on theirown high-production chemicals. VicePresident Gore, on April 21, 1998, thendeclared his support for EDF’s positionand called on the U.S. chemical industry,

environmentalists, and EPA to design aplan to get all 3,000 high-productionchemicals tested.

The testing program was promptedin part by a 1997 EDF study, Toxic Ig-norance, which documented that mostU.S. high-production-volume industri-al chemicals did not have even basicscreening tests for their potential ef-fects on human health anywhere in thepublic record—a fact later confirmedby U.S. EPA and by CMA in separatefollow-up studies. Tests on the thou-sands of chemicals involved are now tobe completed by the year 2004, withpercentage completion goals for eachyear in between.

Continued on page 5.

EDF attorneys David Roe (l.) and Karen Florini and EDF toxi-cologist Dr. William Pease have advocated the chemical test-ing program.

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7100% Recycled (75% Post-Consumer) Paper Totally Chlorine Free Please Share or Recycle

Heat Waves MayBecome More Common

Eleven Tips ForDriving Green

Some cities could have morethan twice as many days withtemperatures over 90oF., accord-ing to global warming forecasts.

With Americans driving sixbillion miles a day, curbingpollution counts.

Road Warrior

Landowners and Wildlife

Earnest and intense, attorneyMichael Cameron believestransportation really matters.

Preserving endangered specieson private land is vital.

Governor George Pataki signed legislationto dedicate the park, protect river habitat,limit commercial development, captureexisting revenue for park use, and create a

new joint city-state entity to runthe park. The park’s bikeway isalready being built and the rest ofthe park development could beginsoon. EDF, a founding member ofthe 35-organization Hudson RiverPark Alliance, played a lead role inpreparing the legislation andbuilding support for the park.

Although still not fullyfinanced, facing some opposition,and subject to a final publicreview process on park design,Hudson River Park should soonbecome a reality. “Creating Hud-son River Park is as important tothe future of this city as creationof Central Park was a centuryago,” said Andrew Darrell, execu-tive director of the Hudson RiverPark Alliance. “It will finallyreconnect New Yorkers to theHudson River, with public accessfor all.”

Hudson River Park, a five-mile-longwaterfront park planned for Manhattan’swestern shore, won key support this sum-mer. The NY state legislature passed and

Texas Office44 East AvenueAustin, TX 78701512-478-5161

Project Office6 Faneuil Hall MarketplaceBoston, MA 02109617-723-2996

Editor: Norma H. Watson Assoc. Editor: Tim Connor©1998 Environmental Defense Fund, Inc.Published bimonthly at NY, NY ISSN 0163-2566

Visit EDF Online at www.edf.org

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Membership Line:800-684-3322Fax: 202-234-6049Internet: [email protected]

Capital Office1875 Connecticut Ave., NWWashington, DC 20009202-387-3500

Letter

Regional News

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Big Apple Park Along the Hudson River Gets a Green Light

People often ask what they can do intheir daily life to help the environment.

One simple step that Pennsylvania resi-dents can take is switching to cleaner elec-tricity. Most people don’t realize that elec-tric power plants are the single largest sta-tionary source of air pollution in the Unit-ed States and one of the largest sources ofthe greenhouse gases that lead to globalwarming.

When you switch to clean power, yourwiring won’t change and your electric ser-vice will continue uninterrupted. Theonly difference is that your monthly pay-ment will go toward environmentallypreferable sources of electricity.

Choosing cleaner energy is easy inPennsylvania. Just enroll for the right to

The U.S. Department of Agriculture hasapproved a program proposed by New YorkCity, with EDF help, to protect the quality ofdrinking water supply reservoirs. The Con-servation Reserve Enhancement Programwill combine an estimated $7.7 million inFederal funds with $2.7 million in city fundsto pay Catskills-area farmers to fence cattleout of streams and recreate 5,000 acres offorest and grass buffer areas around streamsthat flow into city reservoirs. The buffers willhelp filter excess phosphorus and possibledisease-bearing organisms from farm runoff

before it reaches the reservoirs. City officialshope these measures will help make itunnecessary to spend billions of dollars on awater filtration plant.

The New York program joins larger pro-grams approved for the Chesapeake Bay andthe Illinois and Minnesota Rivers that willtogether enroll roughly 500,000 acres. Pro-grams in Oregon and North Carolina arenear approval.

“This program shows how Federal farmfunds can help solve even the most criticalwater quality problems in the Northeast,” saidEDF attorney Timothy Searchinger, who pro-posed the idea to city officials in 1996. “NewYork Representatives Jim Walsh and Sher-wood Boehlert deserve credit for persuadingFederal officials to double the payment levelsto farmers to reflect the realistic market con-ditions in New York,” added Searchinger.

Choosing Clean Electricity is Now Easy in Pennsylvania

Cleaner NYC Water Ahead

The green area shows how the park will skirt Manhattan’s WestSide and border the Hudson River. The Ashokan is one of the upstate New York reservoirs

that contributes drinking water to New York City.

choose, then select a supplier. Residentswho have not already enrolled can simulta-neously do so and choose a supplier byphone. Or call the Public Utility Com-mission at 1-888-782-3228.

EDF is working with the Clean AirCouncil to promote clean energy options.Call the Council at 215-567-4004 to get thelatest information on clean energy suppliersin Pennsylvania, or visit www.edf.org/Energy.At press time there were at least three com-panies offering cleaner power with varyingamounts of renewable energy: The EnergyCooperative Association of Pennsylvania(215-972-1537), Green Mountain EnergyResources (1-800-799-6876), and Connec-tiv (1-800-727-3200).

Pennsylvanians, the choice is yours!

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British Petroleum’s pledge to reducegreenhouse gas emissions 10% below

1990 levels by the year 2010 (see story, p. 1)is a magnificent example of a corporationacting responsibly. Although BP’s emis-sions represent a small percentage of total

global emissions, itsaction is significant insending a signal toother companies. Ibelieve it changes thewhole ball game.

BP broke ranks withthe oil industry a yearago, when CEO JohnBrowne acknowledgedthat climate change is a

matter for public concern and promised tohelp address it. Now BP is the first compa-ny in the world that has committed to mak-ing a voluntary reduction of greenhouse gasemissions to a specified level by a givendate, irrespective of whether the Kyoto Pro-tocol goes into effect.

Raising the Bar

By committing itself to do more than theKyoto protocol would require, BP has creat-ed a new level of expectations for other oiland gas companies. If other companies fol-low BP’s lead and make the same commit-ments, it will be a major step forward increating the conditions for effective climateprotection.

It’s important to acknowledge that theuse of BP’s products, such as gasoline,releases far more greenhouse gases to theatmosphere than are released in BP’s ownoperations. Nevertheless, BP is setting anexample by starting with its own emissionsand by making new investments in solarand other technologies that will reduce fos-sil fuel use. These investments—and BP’splan to use emissions trading to cut emis-sions—will prove to be good businessstrategy.

I urge other companies to pledge to cuttheir own greenhouse gas emissions. EDFmembers who work for or own stock incompanies should encourage them to followthe BP path. It’s good business and it’s theresponsible thing to do for the world.

Fred Krupp

Director’s Message

BP Sends a Signal On Global Warming

to set baselines for the current averagenumber of very hot days for 34 selectedcities (some of which are shown in the chartabove). Three scenarios that span theIPCC’s projections were used to generatefuture estimates: a global average tempera-ture increase of 1.8oF by 2100 (low), anincrease of 3.6oF (“best estimate”), and anincrease of 5.4oF (high).

Hot Summers May Be More CommonCities across the U.S. may experience

many more days with temperaturesabove 90, 95, and 100 degrees in the futureunless swift action is taken to bring globalwarming under control, according to a new

EDF report. For exam-ple, Miami, whichnow averages 23 days ayear over 90oF, couldaverage 121 such days ayear by 2100.

“This year’s devas-tating heat waves andtragic heat-relateddeaths may offer a pic-ture of a typical sum-

mer of the future unless emissions of green-house gases are significantly reduced,” saidEDF scientist Dr. Janine Bloomfield. “Chil-dren, the elderly, and those already weak-ened by illness are especially vulnerable toheat-related illness and even death duringprolonged periods of hot weather.”

Since projecting temperatures for specif-ic locations in future years involves consid-erable uncertainty, the report is intended toillustrate the impacts that global averagetemperature increases could have on certaincities, not to predict their actual weather inany specific year.

The report is based on data prepared bythe NASA/Goddard Institute of SpaceStudies and Columbia University Centerfor Climate Systems Research. It used cli-mate change scenarios based on those ofthe UN Intergovernmental Panel on Cli-mate Change (IPCC), an internationalgroup of thousands of scientists.

The National Center for AtmosphericResearch’s historical weather data were used

Number of Days Per Year Over 90oFCurrent Year

City Average 2100*Albuquerque, NM 58 91Boston, MA 11 24Charleston, SC 51 97Chicago, IL 15 33Cleveland, OH 7 21Columbus, OH 14 37Houston, TX 89 132Los Angeles, CA 3 6Miami, FL 23 121New York, NY 13 32Philadelphia, PA 21 45Pittsburgh, PA 8 23Portland, OR 11 22Richmond, VA 36 68St. Louis, MO 36 67Washington, DC 32 58

*Projected using IPCC’s “best estimate”warming scenario, in which global aver-age temperature rises 3.6oF by 2100.

To Learn MoreTo find out what global warmingcould mean for your city, go towww.edf.org/90plus.

Janine Bloomfield

There’s something new every day onEDF’s web site, www.edf.org. Visitors

will find the latest environmental news, thefull text of many EDF publications, newjob listings, the latest stories from EDF Let-ter (as well as an archive of every story since1970), and much more.

A new web feature offers books recom-mended by EDF staff—and a chance tohelp the environment at the same time.Choices at www.edf.org/EarthMall/Book-store range from novels and memoirs tochildren’s books to advanced texts. EDF’sBookstore partner, Barnes and Noble, willdonate to EDF a percentage of the purchaseprice of any book—including those notlisted on EDF’s page—as long as your orderoriginates at the EDF Bookstore.

Find books by EDF staff, such asMichael Bean’s The Evolution of NationalWildlife Law, and Bruce Rich’s Mortgagingthe Earth, as well as books that haveinformed or inspired EDF staff members’work. For example, EDF ecologist Dr. DavidWilcove recommends E.O. Wilson’s TheDiversity of Life as “the definitive text on bio-diversity.” Attorney Kevin Mills suggests TheLorax, by Dr. Suess, a lesson in deforestation,sustainability, and biodiversity that willdelight both children and adults.

We hope you will bookmark www.edf.organd visit often. If you regularly use the weband would prefer to read this newsletteronline rather than receiving it by mail, pleasenotify our Membership office at 800-684-3322 or by e-mail at [email protected].

More Features Appear on EDF’s Web Page

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tor, ask for a remanufac-tured part.

Recycle yourcar. When an oldcar “dies,” it’s not

a bad idea to send it toan auto recycler (a.k.a.junkyard), where usableparts can be resold andthe remaining metalcrushed and recycled.But better yet, see if youcan donate it to a voca-tional school that willput life back into theold rust-bucket for

someone and perhaps give you a tax deduc-tion to boot. (But insist that emissions sys-tems be restored to current standardsbefore it goes back on the road.)

MAINTAIN

Maintain your engine. Cars withpoorly maintained engines and emis-sions systems are some of the most

polluting on the road. Make sure a skilledmechanic runs an emissions system check.

Check wheels and tires. Have yourwheels aligned (this reduces rollinginefficiencies as well as tire wear)

and keep your tires inflated properly. Lowtire pressure wastes more than two milliongallons of gasoline in the United Statesevery day.

Prevent A/C leaks. If you’re havingan older air conditioning system ser-viced, make sure your garage uses a

“vampire,” a device (now required by law)that safely captures CFC coolants. Theirrelease into the atmosphere damages theEarth’s protective ozone layer.

•Finally, if you’re shopping for a car, do

some research at a library or on-line to findone with the best mileage in its class. A stan-dard-shift car usually gets higher mileageand produces lower overall pollution. Con-sider seriously whether you really needheavy options such as four-wheel drive,which are unnecessary for most people.

And if you’re moving or changing jobs,think about telecommuting (if your com-pany allows it) or living closer to yourworkplace. It’s better than driving yourselfto distraction!

By Jon Luoma

Driving a car is probablya typical person’s most

polluting daily activity. It’strue that cars are farcleaner than they oncewere: a 1960’s car pro-duced five times as muchpollution as the typicalcar today. But there aremore cars on the road—195 million, includingcommercial vehicles—and people are drivingthem more. All told,Americans drive morethan six billion miles eachday, up from 2.4 billion in 1965. What’s more,many Americans choose vehicles with poorfuel economy, such as sport utility vehicles,further worsening the situation.

Pollution from cars causes health prob-lems ranging from asthma to lung cancerand threatens the environment. Cars alsogenerate wastes such as discarded oil,antifreeze, lead-acid batteries, and even oldcars themselves, all posing potentially majorwaste disposal problems.

If you can’t stop driving, but want tominimize your car’s impact on the environ-ment, you can rely on two familiar “R’s” andan “M” for guidance—reduce, recycle, andmaintain. You’ve probably heard some obvi-ous things you can do: walk or bike whenyou can, car-pool, and don’t drive a gas-guz-zler. But here are some other ideas.

REDUCE

Reduce the time your engineruns. Simply turn it off if you findyourself idling in traffic for more

than 30 seconds. Don’t “warm up” your carin cold weather for more than a few sec-onds; today’s cars can operate effectivelysoon after start-up.

Plan your trips. Park where you canrun several errands at once. Try toavoid driving during stop-and-go

rush-hour traffic. Let your fingers do thedriving—a phone call can confirm if anitem you need is in stock, and catalogs andInternet sites can offer car-free shopping.Before driving to a distant discount store fora bargain, consider that sometimes the sav-ings aren’t worth the extra cost of fuel andwear and tear on your car.

Reduce the load on your engine.Anything that improves your mileagereduces pollution. Try to avoid piling

anything on top of your car, which increases

drag and reduces efficiency. Turn off your airconditioner when possible and open a win-dow instead. If you’re driving a standard-shift car, stay in the highest gear reasonablefor your speed and, standard or automatic,use overdrive if you’ve got it.

Reduce your speed. Remember thatonly a few years ago Americansreached their destinations comfort-

ably driving 55 miles per hour, adding onlyminutes to short trips and improving theirfuel economy by 15% over a 65-mph speed.Reducing your speed by only five mphwould still bring benefits today.

Consider driving one car. If yourfamily owns more than one car, con-sider selling one. Car-scarcity is a

built-in incentive for both children andadults to bike or walk. When you do needextra motorized wheels, the mountain ofmoney you save on car payments, fuel, andinsurance could more than pay for an occa-sional cab or car rental.

RECYCLE

Recycle used parts. Worn-out partsand discarded fluids, from batteriesto oil to antifreeze to (sometimes)

tires, can often be recycled. Ask yourmechanic or call your local recycling centerfor information.

Buy recycled. Always buy re-refined motor oil (such as “Ameri-ca’s Choice” motor oil available at

many Wal-Mart stores). When you need toreplace something like a starter or alterna-

Driving Green: 11 Tips to Lessen Your Car’s Impact

Low tire pressure wastes morethan two million gallons of gasevery day.

Increased recyclability is just one direction in which new cars are going. There are many other waysyou can keep the environment in mind when you drive.

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New Law Can Benefit CommutersThanks to changes in Federal tax law

that take effect in January, employeesacross America will be eligible to receivetax-free transit passes, ride-sharingexpenses, and other commuter benefitsin lieu of compensation and to receivecash in place of free employer-providedparking. For years, employees were ableto get tax-free commuter benefits only ifthey took advantage of free or subsidizedparking at work, but not if they com-muted by transit, car pool, bicycle, or onfoot. A 1992 law change let employersprovide limited tax-free transit passes,but was costly for employers.

Now, more widely available benefitswhich EDF helped secure can cut mostemployees’ costs of transit passes and othercommuting expenses by 25% to 35%, whiletrimming employers’ costs. (The differenceis that the benefits are paid from employees’pre-tax income.) By helping to level theplaying field between driving and othermeans of travel, this new voluntary programcan help reduce traffic congestion and pol-lution and give employees more choice andmore net pay—but only if employers takeadvantage of it.

EDF will offer its own employees theopportunity to buy transit passes and othercommuter benefits through a payroll deduc-tion program. (EDF doesn’t offer free park-ing to any employees, so it cannot offer cashin lieu of parking benefits.)

You can ask your employer to takeadvantage of this important new law (Sec-tion 910 of the Surface Transportation Rev-enue Act of 1998), which could affect yourcommuting costs, taxes, and employee ben-efits. For further information, go towww.edf.org/more/10505.

The murder of Amazon rubber-tapperleader Chico Mendes in December 1988

set off a worldwide outcry against thedestruction of the Amazon rainforest andpersecution of forest peoples. EDF anthro-pologist Dr. Stephan Schwartzman hadworked closely with Chico Mendes research-

ing and advocating his proposal for “extrac-tive reserves”—protected rainforest areasmanaged by forest peoples. There are nowmore than seven million acres of the reserves.

In memory of Chico Mendes on thetenth anniversary of his assassination, EDFis launching an international campaign forthe creation of new extractive reserves, inconjunction with Brazil’s National Councilof Rubber Tappers and the Amazon Work-ing Group.

10th Anniversary ofChico Mendes’s Murder

EDF anthropologist Stephen Schwartzman (r.)worked with Chico Mendes in the Amazon rainforest.

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Under the new Federal tax law, employees will be able tocut the cost of transit passes and other commutingexpenses by 25% to 35%, if employers give the nod.

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BP Will Cut EmissionsContinued from page 1.company’s products, such as gasoline, BP’scommitment to reduce its own emissions isa concrete step toward improving the envi-ronment. “While other big oil companiesare still fighting measures to reduce green-house gases, BP has pledged cuts even deep-er than those agreed at the internationalenvironmental summit in Kyoto, Japan,” hesaid.

Dudek added, “International negotiatorsmeet in November in Buenos Aires to con-tinue to work out the details of the Kyotoclimate agreement. Meanwhile, BP is mov-ing ahead to meet its commitments usingthe flexible mechanisms promised by thatagreement. Its actions show that the climatechange challenge and business opportunitycan be successfully integrated.”

“We’ve been operating on assumptionsinstead of facts when it comes to chemicalsafety,” said Krupp. “This testing programwill give the public needed informationabout the most widely used chemicals andwill let efforts to curb risks, by both com-panies and government, focus on the chem-icals that testing shows to be hazardous.”

Under the new program, chemical man-ufacturers will volunteer specific chemicalsfor testing, using agreed-upon tests. Testingwill be ordered for high-production chemi-cals that are not volunteered within 13months, under a mandatory test rule thatEPA will issue in December 1999.

EDF, which has emphasized the impor-tance of continuous public access to theprogram at every stage, will monitor testingprogress and will provide free informationto the public on-line at www.scorecard.org,on a chemical-by-chemical and company-by-company basis.

“More tests in less time is to everyone’sbenefit,” said EDF attorney David Roe, “andwill bring us closer to the public health pro-tection that Congress promised a quarter-century ago. This is cheaper and more effi-cient from industry’s perspective, and fasterand more comprehensive from the public’s

Testing Program to End Toxic Chemical IgnoranceIm

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perspective, than anyone could have forcedin a hearing room or in court.”

Added EDF attorney Karen Florini, “Forfar too long, our legal and regulatory sys-tem has failed to distinguish betweenchemicals that are known to be safe andthose that simply haven’t been tested. Thatapproach is neither scientifically support-able nor protective public health policy.This program marks the end of the ‘igno-rance-is-bliss’ era, and instead makes clearthat part of being a responsible chemicalmaker is having basic data on your prod-ucts’ health and environmental effects.”

Most of the major industrial chemicals manufac-tured in the U.S. have never had basic screeningtests for their potential effect on human health.

Continued from page 1.

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PeopleMichael Cameron Tackles Gridlock and Air PollutionThe San Francisco Chronicle’s front-page arti-

cle on transportation began: “MichaelCameron’s wife is pregnant and due any day,and he’s fretting about traffic patterns—wor-ried that Interstate 80 will be snarled and shewon’t get to their Berkeley hospital on time.”

Cameron, who heads EDF’s Transporta-tion Program out of the Oakland, CA,office, chuckles every time he reads thatopening line. It is funny, but it’s also reveal-ing of Cameron’s intensity: The two mostimportant things in his life are family andthe transportation issues he has worked onat EDF for nine years.

As a young boy growing up in ruralWisconsin, Cameron spent as much timeoutdoors as he could. He hiked the coun-tryside in summer and skied it in winter. Atage 12, he was certain he’d grow up to be anoceanographer. So what led him to becomea transportation economist instead?

It was Cameron’s decision to attendGrinnell College in Iowa that changed his

deep-blue dreams. “I realized being anIowa-based oceanographer wasn’t very prac-tical,” says the tall and lean Cameron. Hisinterests in science and natural history weresoon diverted to the study of economics.After graduation, Cameron took a job withArthur Andersen & Company and movedto Seattle. Eventually, he landed inOlympia, WA, working for the state Officeof Financial Management. “That’s where Ilearned my ABC’s of how governmentworks,” admits the self-proclaimed formerpolicy wonk.

After Olympia came two years at Har-vard’s John F. Kennedy School of Govern-ment and an M.P.P. in public policy. One ofCameron’s professors, Rob Stavins, hadworked for attorney Tom Graff in EDF’sCalifornia office. Cameron admits, “At thatpoint in my life I really didn’t know oneenvironmental group from another, but Iintroduced myself to Rob and I quicklylearned about EDF and its excellent reputa-tion for policy analysis. Rob soon intro-duced me to some people at EDF.”

After Harvard, Cameron applied for a

fisheries-related job atEDF’s California office. Hedidn’t get it, but when TomGraff called to tell him so,Graff offered instead anine-month consultingassignment on Los Angelestransportation and airquality issues. “That was sofar from my interests,”recalls Cameron, “I wasamazed to hear myself say,‘Sure! I’d love to.’ That wasin 1989, and I’ve never left.”

In his first year at EDF,Cameron envied col-leagues who worked onwilderness and wildlifeissues. Instead of red-woods or salmon, he wasstudying a topic that did-n’t seem to excite manypeople: driving. ButCameron soon realized that transportationaffects the environment in many ways—airpollution, sprawl, global warming, evenwater quality. He also saw that his extensivetraining in economics and public policyprepared him perfectly for understandingthe failures of U.S. transportation policy—and the potential for reform.

“Transportation is such a complex issuethat I realized I would always have a chal-lenging job. It’s at the nexus of three vitalissues in society: the environment, socialjustice, and the economy.” After severalyears at EDF, Cameron authored Efficiencyand Fairness on the Road, a report that stillserves as the foundation of EDF’s policy ontransportation.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Some people have labeled Cameron“earnest.” It’s a label he accepts. Having acompelling problem at the heart of his workis critical to him. “For me, working for theenvironment is not about satisfying yourown aesthetics. Its about preserving theEarth for all living things, especially people.”

As an economist, Cameron is especiallyopposed to transportation sales taxes andother subsidies that encourage driving byhiding road costs from motorists. He led arecent successful campaign in California todefeat a transportation sales tax that wouldhave paid for expanding highways instead ofbetter transit options to reduce congestion.

Cameron’s dedication and effectivenessare apparent to colleagues in the transporta-tion field as well as fellow staff at EDF.Steve Heminger, manager of legislation forthe Oakland-based Metropolitan Trans-portation Commission, enjoys working withCameron. “Michael really pours his heartand soul into transportation advocacy,” saidHeminger, adding with a laugh, “He evennamed his baby boy Miles.”

It’s true. Last summer Cameron and hiswife, Christine Stitser, made it to the hospi-tal on time, despite the gridlock, and MilesScott Cameron was born. The couple actu-ally named their newborn after the famousjazz musician, Miles Davis. “To show youthat I am at least a reasonably balancedhuman being,” Cameron says, grinning, “itnever occurred to me that Miles was actual-ly a transportation concept. That had norelation to how or why we named himMiles, but when I came back to the officeand told people his name, everyone laughedat the irony.”

Another reason to believe Cameron is“reasonably balanced” stems from his devo-tion to a variety of personal pursuits.“Besides family and work,” he says, “I cantell you without hesitation there are threethings I hold dearest: yoga, guitar, andbackcountry skiing. I’ve made a promise tomyself that these interests will remain regu-lar parts of my life, forever.”

By Jerry Emory

Working with Los Angeles community leaders, Cameron helped set up avan program to encourage better access to transportation options forthe urban poor.

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“Transportation is at the nexus ofthree vital issues in society: theenvironment, social justice, andthe economy.”

Once again Congress has failed to reau-thorize the Endangered Species Act.

The Act was supposed to be rewritten in1992, but, in that Congress and every

succeeding Con-gress, lawmakershave been unable toforge the necessaryconsensus to do so.

Why the stale-mate? A major diffi-culty is that lawmak-ers cannot agree onhow the Act shouldprotect species living

on private lands. Since the bulk of thehabitat for most endangered species is onprivate lands, this controversy is central tothe future success of the ESA.

But while Congress has been stale-mated on the issue, the Interior Depart-ment, which administers the Act, isalready changing the way the law appliesto private lands. For example, Interiorwill soon adopt a national “Safe Harbor”policy to advance an EDF-designedapproach that gives property ownersincentives to restore habitat on their lands.

The Safe Harbor program, whichensures improved habitat for endangeredspecies, has broad support. But otherAdministration efforts to improve theEndangered Species Act’s performance havebeen far more controversial. This is espe-cially true with respect to so-called “habitatconservation plans.”

Many Plans May Be Flawed

Habitat conservation plans, or HCP’s, allowlandowners to destroy some endangeredspecies habitat in exchange for agreeing toundertake activities to “minimize and miti-gate” the losses to the “maximum extentpracticable.” Some 200 such plans havebeen approved to date, and a similar num-ber are being developed. HCP’s have thepotential to advance species conservation byunderwriting the costs of habitat acquisi-tion, restoration, and management.

HCP’s have provoked the ire of envi-ronmentalists, however, because they haveoften allowed too much habitat loss inexchange for too little conservation. Forexample, EDF recently denounced a pro-posed HCP for the threatened Utah prairiedog that could result in the loss of at least10% of the species’ already dwindling

woodpeckers. Typically, these HCP’swould allow the destruction of wood-pecker habitat on private lands inexchange for mitigation activities on Fed-eral lands where—as with the prairiedog—management for the benefit of thewoodpecker is already required. Morever,these plans do not even require that themitigation activities succeed, only thatthey be attempted. EDF also led an effortto defeat an HCP in Texas that had noscientific underpinning and that couldhave allowed the destruction of signifi-cant woodpecker habitat there.

A Better Way

Properly designed, HCP’s can be good forboth landowners and endangered species,and EDF is helping establish successfulmodels. For example, EDF helped Inter-national Paper, a large forest productscompany, to design a red-cockadedwoodpecker conservation plan for itsSouthern forests. The company’s privatelyowned forests currently support 18 breed-ing groups of woodpeckers spread outacross five states.

Under the plan, International Paperwill restore currently unoccupied wood-pecker habitat on a large, unique tract of

mature longleaf pine in its SouthlandsExperiment Forest in southern Georgia. Theplan’s objective is to create habitat for 25 to30 breeding pairs of woodpeckers. In addi-tion, the Company will substantially boostits commitment to preserving the wood-pecker by creating artificial nesting cavities,restoring longleaf pine, and providing twicethe amount of habitat required for individ-ual woodpecker groups under governmentguidelines. In return, after woodpeckersactually take up residence in the restoredhabitat at Southlands, International Paperwill be permitted to harvest trees in lessdesirable habitat elsewhere.

The EDF-International Paper plan rep-resents a significant departure from pastwoodpecker HCP’s for two important rea-sons: (1) It will increase, not just maintain,the number of woodpeckers; and (2) itrequires that the new mitigation effortsactually be successful before the old habitatcan be removed. These safeguards substan-tially exceed what had been required in pre-vious woodpecker HCP’s.

Through plans such as this, EDF hopesto demonstrate that habitat conservationplans can be designed to provide greaterflexibility for landowners while advancingthe recovery of endangered species.

Protecting Endangered Species on Private Lands

habitat. The ill-conceived plan requiresonly that prairie dogs be moved to govern-ment lands before their privately ownedhabitat is destroyed. But the prairie dogshave nothing to gain by this deal. Not onlyis the government already required to man-

age Federal land for the benefit of thisspecies, but prairie dogs rarely survive suchrelocation.

EDF’s Role

A primary focus of EDF’s Wildlife programis to improve conservation of endangeredspecies on private lands. Given the increaseduse of habitat conservation plans for specieson those lands, EDF has sought to monitorthe plans to ensure their integrity and tooppose poorly conceived plans, such as theone for the Utah prairie dog.

In the Southeast, for example, EDF hasled a fight against several HCP’s that wouldallow the destruction of habitat for nearly30 groups of endangered red-cockaded

An ill-conceived plan for the endangered Utah prairie dogcould lead to the destruction of at least 10% of this species’already dwindling habitat.

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By Robert Bonnie, an EDF economist in theEcosystem Restoration program.

Robert Bonnie

Plans have often allowed toomuch habitat loss in exchange fortoo little conservation.

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tem. In the absence of wolves, coyotes soaredin number, reducing the rodent populationsimportant to predators such as foxes, badgers,hawks, and eagles. Elk and other hoofed ani-mals multiplied, taking vegetation needed bybeavers and other plant eaters.

The wolf ’s return to Yellowstone, in 1995,began a dramatic reversal. Wolves reported-ly have killed half the coyotes in the area,allowing rodents to increase and providing abounty for other predators. According to apark scientist, a wolf pack typically kills anelk every few days, culling their excessivenumbers. A wide diversity of park speciesfeed on the remains the wolves abandon. Forthreatened Yellowstone grizzly bears, wolf-killed elk is a valuable source of proteinbefore beginning hibernation. Even coyotespushed to the margins of wolf country areeating leftovers the wolves leave behind.

The court is expected to decide the caseby the end of the year, according to MichaelJ. Bean, director of EDF’s Wildlife program

and author of the brief. The return of the wolf to Yellowstone was theresult of years of effort by groups including Defenders of Wildlife,EDF, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the National Wildlife Fed-eration, and the Wolf Fund.

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Gray wolves in Yellowstone National Parkand Idaho received strong support from

EDF and seven other conservation organi-zations in a friend of the court brief filed inthe U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver. In1995, the Interior Department reintroducedthese “experimental populations” of graywolves to historic habitat from whichwolves had been eradicated by humans. Ina suit brought by several state farm bureauorganizations, a Federal district court judgein Wyoming ordered the wolves removed,ruling that their reintroduction was illegalunder his interpretation of the EndangeredSpecies Act. It is this decision that is nowbeing appealed in Denver.

At issue is the Act’s requirement thatexperimental and natural populations ofendangered species be wholly separate geo-graphically. Experimental populationsreceive somewhat less protection under theAct, but the wolves in Yellowstone and Ida-ho have flourished. The Wyoming districtjudge agreed that Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt correctly conclud-ed that no natural population of wolves existed in either area beforethe reintroduction, but he ruled that the experimental release was ille-gal because it altered protection for individual wolves that might passthrough the areas.

The judge erred in giving pivotal importance to this fact, accord-ing to EDF’s brief. He “improperly subordinated the law’s overridingconcern with the well-being of a species to its clearly lesser concernfor the extent of legal protection afforded individual animals of thatspecies,” the brief states. The National Audubon Society, which orig-inally had challenged Babbitt’s action, changed its stance on appealand embraced the position of Interior and EDF.

Wolves Are Benefiting Yellowstone

The wolf was deliberately exterminated from Yellowstone by 1930,starting a chain of events that transformed the park’s entire ecosys-

EDF Supports the Presence of Wolves in Yellowstone

Gray wolves in Yellowstone Park and Idaho are helpingto restore the local ecosystem to a more balanced state,but their future is at risk.

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The second annual America RecyclesDay is Sunday, November 15. More

than 5,000 events are planned in 45states to emphasize the message, “IfYou’re Not Buying Recycled, You’re NotReally Recycling.” EDF is one of thefounding organizations for the annualcelebration.

To draw attention to the growingpracticality of using recycled materials, a new $200,000 3-bed-room home built primarily of recycled-content materials will begiven away in the American Green Dream House contest. To en-ter, print your pledge to recycle and buy recycled along withyour complete name and address on a 3” x 5” piece of scrap pa-per and mail it before November 15 to America Recycles DayContest, c/o Remanufactured Industries Council International,P.O. Box 10807, Chantilly, VA 20153. For more information onAmerica Recycles Day, go to www.edf.org/more/10502.

Celebrate Recycling on Nov. 15!

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The Early Action Plan targets keyozone-forming activities, including powergeneration, fuel vapor emissions, and com-mercial landscaping services. Under the

Plan, government agencies will pur-sue specific measures to reduceemissions, such as improving man-agement of vehicle fleets and con-trolling emissions from powerplants. Gasoline companies willexplore options for cleaner-burningfuels, better fuel-vapor recovery,and special fuel-delivery training.Local citizens will take partthrough a consumer reward pro-gram for buying low-emissionsequipment or taking other “air-friendly” steps. Ultimately, the planenvisions allowing participants totrade emissions reduction responsi-

bilities, thus offering flexibility, spurringinnovation, and reducing cost.

“With government, business, and con-sumer cooperation, we expect to beginimproving air quality by next summer andto avert costly regulatory burdens,” saidEDF scientist Ramón Alvarez. “EDFproved it could be done with sulfur dioxidepollution in Colorado. We hope to see thesame success in Central Texas.”

Greater Austin Area Adopts EDF Clean Air PlanThe EDF “Early Action Plan,” a volun-

tary program to reduce ozone pollution, haswon overwhelming support in Central Texas.Austin Mayor Kirk Watson enlisted the help

of EDF scientists last year when it becameclear that the area would likely fail to meetnew Federal air-quality standards by the year2000. EDF produced an incentive-based planto reduce emissions of smog-causing sub-stances such as nitrogen oxides and volatileorganic compounds. The plan has alreadybeen adopted by the five counties and mostmajor cities in the region, and endorsed bythe Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.

EDF scientist Ramon Alvarez (l.), Austin Major Kirk Watson,and EDF attorney Jim Marston worked together to bring clean-er air to the Austin metropolitan area.

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Working with the grassroots Paso delNorte Air Quality Task Force and the JointAdvisory Committee for the Improvementof Air Quality, EDF helped to create thefirst cross-border air quality district in U.S.-Mexico history. This summer, Mexico’s Pres-ident Ernesto Zedillo and environment

minister Julia Carabias announced theadoption of the Ciudad Juarez Air QualityManagement Program, which addresses pol-lution in the shared airshed of greater ElPaso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.Now, after five years of work on cross-bor-der pollution problems, EDF is passingmost of the program implementation to thegrassroots groups it helped found.

Dr. Carlos Rincón, EDF scientist andone of the program’s chief architects, willhelp lead the Task Force and the Joint Advi-sory Committee in meeting program goals,including 41 specific measures to reduceemissions of carbon monoxide, volatileorganic compounds, and particulate matter.

“The success of this program depends onthe people who live and work in the Paso delNorte region and the consistent enforcementof the measures by government authorities,”Rincón stressed. “It took the joint efforts ofthe local community, the private sector, andthe three levels of government to design andapprove these measures. It will take no less toimplement them successfully.”

Cross-Border Success on AirQuality for U.S. and Mexico

EDF scientist Dr. Carlos Rincón (r), with engineerDaniel Chacón, the new chair of the Paso del NorteAir Quality Task Force.

EDF Intern Continues to Serve Mexican-American CommunityThanks in large part to EDF's Diversity

Scholarship Fund, Laura Uribarri, an His-panic American from El Paso, helped cat-alyze grassroots action on U.S.-Mexico bor-der pollution and continues to serve localcommunities. As a Diversity Fund Scholar,Uribarri interned in the Texas office, work-ing with EDF staff to improve cross-borderair quality. Her undergraduate honor's the-sis at Stanford University, on this work, wonthe Arturo Islas Award for its contributionto the Chicano community.

“Laura’s expertise, sensitivity, and diplo-macy helped to integrate grassroots con-cerns into Federal environmental policy,”reports Dr. Elaine Baron, founding chair of

the regional Air Quali-ty Task Force. “Herwork in and out ofEDF will be a boon tothe communities ofthe Paso del Norteregion.”

Uribarri recentlycompleted her Mas-ter's degree in PublicAffairs at the Univer-sity of Texas and has returned to El Pasoto help workers displaced by NAFTA,90% of whom are Hispanic American,through the Greater El Paso Chamber ofCommerce.

Laura Uribarri

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cky Mountain Office05 Arapahoe Avenueulder, CO 803023-440-4901

rth Carolina EDF00 Blue Ridge Roadleigh, NC 276079-881-2601

Regional News
Barges Make More Sense on the Mississippi Than the Missouri
An economic analysisreleased by EDF findsthat the tiny MissouriRiver barging industryhas little economic valuefor the region’s farmers,and concludes that farm-ers and the environmentwould benefit more ifthe river were used forother purposes, includ-ing recreation. Recre-ational and other non-barge uses of theMissouri account for$1.3 billion in revenueper year, while barginggenerates less than $10million.

The analysis, by Dr.Phillip Baumel, agricul-ture professor at IowaState University, contra-dicts a U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers claim thatrailroads lower their ratesgreatly to compete with

barges on the MissouriRiver. He cited funda-mental f laws in theCorps’ research andrevealed earlier Corpsfindings that rail rateswere not largely depen-dent on competitionwith Missouri Riverbarges.

By contrast, farmersbenefit significantly fromthe Mississippi Riverbarging industry, whichmoves many times moregrain than Missouri Riv-er barges. It would helpfarmers if the Missouri’swaters were saved anddiverted to the Mississip-pi to float barges duringdroughts. Low watersouth of St. Louis canstop three times morecommerce in a monththan f lows down theMissouri in a year.A barge on the Mississippi River.

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Sustainable Cleveland Partnership Will Empower Communities

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EDF and the Earth Day Coalitionformed the Sustainable Cleveland Partner-ship to develop the Sustainable ClevelandEnvironmental Health Information Guide, atool to empower local communities andlow-income residents in their struggle forenvironmental justice. The guide will pro-vide local statistics, resources, and courses ofaction to help neighborhoods address issuessuch as childhood lead poisoning, asthma,air pollution, toxic waste, safe drinkingwater, brownfields, illegal dumping, recy-cling, and better nutrition.

“Local communities, especially minorityand low-income neighborhoods, have a vitalneed for access to understandable environ-mental data and for practical ways toaddress environmental problems,” says Ben-jamin Smith of EDF’s Pollution Prevention

Alliance. “Ohio ranks third in the nationfor toxic emissions. Cuyahoga County has25,000 children suffering from asthma. Andin some Cleveland neighborhoods, one inthree children is poisoned by lead.”

Smith stressed that minorities usuallysuffer disproportionately. For example,across the nation, 65% of African Ameri-cans and 80% of Hispanics live in areasthat violate air pollution standards. “Thiseffort is about democratizing environmen-tal information and solutions,” says Smith.“A lot of industrial cities in the Northeastand Midwest could benefit from this sort oftool.”

For information on the Partnership or toobtain the new guide, call Anjali Mathur atthe Earth Day Coalition at 216-281-6468 orgo to www.edf.org/links/scp.

Attorney Kevin Mills HeadsGreat Lakes Region Alliance

In Detroit, Michigan, Kevin Mills prac-tically grew up on a bicycle, a passion thatcontinued through Oberlin College, Uni-versity of Michigan Law School, and yearsas an environmental advocate. Since 1990,

he has biked to EDF’s Washington, DC,office, where he serves as director of the Pol-lution Prevention Alliance (PPA), a coalitionof grassroots and state groups promotingsustainable businesses and communities inthe Great Lakes region.

Under his leadership, PPA helped makepollution prevention a standard businesspractice among hundreds of Midwesternprinting companies; prompted automobilemanufacturers to reduce creation of toxicpollution; and empowered communitieswith environmental information.

Mills focuses on improving the urbanenvironment, but he also enjoys backpack-ing around Lake Superior where he canrenew his awe of nature and his resolve toprotect the Great Lakes, the “world’s greatestfreshwater ecosystem.”

PPA is a natural evolution from Mills’sleadership of environmental groups in col-lege and law school and his early legal workwith the East Michigan EnvironmentalAction Council. Now, whether negotiatingcleaner automobile designs or fighting forenvironmental justice, Mills still feels closeto his roots. “We’re improving the veryindustries that were the backbone of myregion,” he says. “Through PPA, Great Lakescommunities are helping to create their owneconomic and environmental future.”

Attorney Kevin Mills joined EDF in 1990.

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aleigh, NC 276079-881-2601

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EDF Seeks to Revise Atlanta’s New Highway PlanEDF is urging the Atlanta Regional

Commission and Georgia Department ofTransportation to revise Atlanta’s recentlyadopted regional trans-portation plan to pro-tect public health andreduce inequity intransportation access.The ill-advised planauthorizes more than$750 million in new orwider roads that willboost car dependenceand job growth in areasthat lack even basicpublic transportation.EDF says the Commis-sion approved the planeven though it clearlyviolates the state’s airpollution control plan.

“With these high-way projects, Georgiatransportation agencieswill discourage investment in urban andinner suburban areas and exacerbate air pol-lution and sprawl at the outer edges of theAtlanta region,” said EDF Federal trans-portation director Michael Replogle.

In recent months, dozens of the Atlantaplan’s major new highway projects weregranted exemptions, or “grandfathered,”

from Federal air pollution requirementswithout adequate environmental review.“EDF is alarmed at the massive abuse of

grandfathering under the Clean Air Act inAtlanta and sees this as an importantnational test case,” said Replogle. “TheClean Air Act and Federal transportationlaw hold transportation agencies account-able for the effects of their decisions oncommunities and the environment. Wewant these laws enforced,” he said.

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Atlanta’s proposed regional transportation plan would encourage urbansprawl and exacerbate air pollution. EDF is urging it be revised.





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No single event inspired EDF attorneyDan Whittle to dedicate his career toprotecting the environment, but his adven-

tures in Alaska definitely contributed. Afterthe Kentucky native received his degree ineconomics and German from VanderbiltUniversity, he worked in Alaska as a wilder-ness guide, leading European tourists toremote areas on hiking, fishing, and raftingexpeditions. “Just being out there made methink hard about the work I wanted to do,”Whittle said. After two years in Alaska, hereturned to the Lower 48 to study law atthe University of Colorado.

After receiving his law degree, Whittlepracticed environmental law in Washington,DC, then in North Carolina. He laterserved as senior policy advisor for the NorthCarolina Department of Environment andNatural Resources, focusing on naturalresources and water quality, including issuesrelated to marine fisheries conservation andfactory hog farming. Since joining EDF’sNorth Carolina office in November 1997,Whittle has continued to work on theseissues. When not in the office, he enjoysexploring the wild parts of North Carolina,hiking and camping on mountains andcoastal islands.

Alaska Inspired Dan Whittle,New North Carolina Attorney,To Protect the Environment

Attorney Dan Whittle joined EDF in 1997.

North Carolina’s beleaguered fisheriesand waterways will greatly benefit from asoon-to-be-finalized Conservation ReserveEnhancement Program (CREP). Drawn upby the State of North Carolina with EDFguidance, this initiative will combine stateand Federal funds to compensate farmersfor retiring up to 100,000 acres of watersidecropland and pastureland. The land will beconverted to buffer strips to control runoffand erosion, restoring critical wetlands.

The North Carolina plan targets foursensitive areas: the Chowan, Neuse, and Tar-Pamlico river basins and the Jordan Lake

Plan Will Shield North Carolina Waterways from Farm Runoffwatershed. Runoff of sediment, nitrogen,and other agricultural nutrients threatensthe ecological health of these waterways andhas led to declining fisheries, outbreaks ofpfiesteria bacteria, and habitat degradation.

“This new incentive-based program is amonumental opportunity to reduce chronicnutrient pollution from agriculture in thekey rivers of North Carolina,” said EDFattorney Dan Whittle. In August, WhiteHouse Chief of Staff Erskine Bowlespromised that North Carolina will receive$221 million in Federal aid for the program;the state will provide another $50 million.



ocky Mountain Office405 Arapahoe Avenueoulder, CO 8030203-440-4901

orth Carolina EDF500 Blue Ridge Roadaleigh, NC 2760719-881-2601

Regional News
A Switch to Green Electricity in CA Can Help the Environment
People often ask what they can do intheir daily life to help the environment. Onesimple step that will make a difference isswitching to cleaner electricity.

Thanks to new competition among elec-tric companies, most Californians are nowfree to choose who they buy their electricityfrom and how it is generated. You are eligiblefor free choice unless your electricity comesfrom a government-owned utility such asLos Angeles Department of Water and Pow-er or Sacramento Municipal Utility District.All customers of investor-owned utilities(PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E) are now eligi-ble to choose their electric supplier.

Instead of buying “ordinary” electricityproduced primarily at fossil-fuel andnuclear plants, you can choose to buy clean-er electricity from renewable sources such assmall hydroelectric, geothermal, wind, solar,and biomass generation. Some companies

specifically promise to add new sources ofrenewable power (✪ symbol in chart).

“These cleaner sources are a welcomealternative to conventional electric powerplants, which are the single largest source ofair pollution in the U.S. and a leading con-tributor to global warming,” said EDF ener-gy analyst Christo Artusio. “In fact, compa-nies are now competing to provide thegreenest electricity at the least cost to themost customers. It’s up to each Californianto cast his or her vote for a healthier envi-ronment by choosing cleaner electricity.”Artusio noted that green electricity is likelyto cost a bit more, but consumers can easi-ly offset the small “green premium” byimproving energy efficiency at home.

EDF urges California members to take asimple step to help the environment today!Just call one of the toll-free numbers in thechart to switch to cleaner electricity.







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Cleaner Electricity for CA ResidencesCall any of the following companies todayand make the switch to cleaner electricity.

Clean Choices: Call 888-743-1700

✪“Clean Choice 100”—100% renewables(25% new, 75% existing wind, small hydro,biomass, and geothermal)

✪“Clean Choice 50”—50% renewables (13%new, 37% existing wind, small hydro, bio-mass, and geothermal), 50% large hydro

✪“Clean Choice”—20% renewables (5% new,15% existing wind, small hydro, biomass,and geothermal), 80% large hydro

Green Mountain Energy Resources: Call 888-Choose-0

✪“Wind for the Future”—75% renewables(10% new, 65% existing small hydro andbiomass), 25% large hydro

“75% Renewable”—75% renewables (smallhydro, biomass), 25% large hydro

“Water Power”—100% large hydro

Keystone Energy Services: Call 877-We-R-Green

✪“EarthChoice 100”— 100% renewables (10%new, 90% existing geothermal, small hydro,and biomass)

“EarthChoice 50”—50% renewables (geo-thermal, small hydro, and biomass), 35%large hydro, 15% system*

Earth Source: Call 888-93-EARTH

✪“EarthSource 2000”—100% renewables(10% new wind, 90% small hydro, biomass,geothermal)

“EarthSource 100”—100% renewables (smallhydro, biomass)

“EarthSource 50”—50% renewables (smallhydro, biomass), 50% system*

✪Offerings that promise some new renewable sources.

*CA “system” power is natural gas (35%), large hydro(24%), coal (17%), nuclear (14%), renewables (11%).

Business customers can find green electricity from:

Automated Power Exchange 408-517-2100Enron Energy Services 713-853-1425Environmental Resources Trust 510-524-0074Foresight Energy 415-464-3660

For more information: www.edf.org/Energy

EDF continues its efforts to improveefficiency and equity in Bay Area trans-portation. Its new report, Escape from Grid-lock, recommends High-Occupancy Toll(HOT) express lanes to benefit bothmotorists and the environment. Car-poolerswould continue to have free use of expresslanes, but single motorists would also havelimited use for a fee. This would reducetravel time for all motorists and provideadded incentives for ride sharing.

EDF is opposed to transportation salestaxes and other measures that would subsi-dize driving and unfairly distribute the costsof road construction and maintenance.“Such taxes encourage driving by hidingroad costs from motorists and force taxpay-ers to pay for roads they may not use,”asserts EDF economic analyst MichaelCameron. “It is more efficient and fair formotorists to pay for what they use, whenthey use it. HOT lanes give them a chanceto pay to use underutilized carpool lanes,reducing congestion for everyone.” EDFhelped block an Alameda County trans-

HOT Idea to Ease Gridlock in the San Francisco Bay Area

portation sales-tax initiative in June, butSonoma County has a similar measure onthe November ballot. “With a million morecars flooding the Bay Area over the next 20years—and road construction costs at $25million per mile—the transportation solu-tion will not be simply more taxes, butusage-based incentives,” says Cameron.“The Metropolitan Transportation Com-mission has promised to consider our rec-ommendations, but ultimately it is the vot-ers who must decide on rational taxationand more efficient transportation.”

Bay Area traffic jams are becoming commonplace.



Rocky Mountain Office1405 Arapahoe AvenueBoulder, CO 80302303-440-4901

North Carolina EDF2500 Blue Ridge RoadRaleigh, NC 27607919-881-2601

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