March 20, 1999
1) Exclusive! Alabama Launches New Political Enviro Group
2) Alabama Congressional Members Support LWCF
3) Upcoming: B'ham Post - Herald Clean Air Special
4) Audubon Mountain Workshop Set For 22nd Year
5) Profile: SELC's Deep South Office
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"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity,
stability and
beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."
- Aldo
Leopold
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1. Al. Enviros Launch New Political Advocacy Group -
This week, the
environmental community in Alabama launched a new political advocacy
organization - Alabama League of Environmental Action Voters (Ala
LEAV). The
new bi-partisan 501(c4) group will be headed up by Joe Turnham
the former
head of the Alabama Democratic Party. As the "political arm"
of the
environmental movement, Ala LEAV will advocate and support strong
environmentally minded elected public officials on the local,
state and
national level. The new group will also lobby for pro-environmental
legislation in the Alabama Statehouse. Ala LEAV has set up it's
operation at
the RSA Union Building, 100 N. Union Street Room 387, near the
Statehouse in
Montgomery.
For more information about ALA LEAV (support is also welcomed!)
please
contact the office at 1-877-ALA-LEAV or locally at 1-334-834-2956.
You can
write Ala LEAV at P.O. Box 1987, Montgomery Alabama, 36102-1987
or e-mail
JoeTurnham@aol.com
2. Alabama Congressional Reps. Support LWCF - Two (2)
Democrats and Two (2)
Republicans within the Alabama Congressional delegation have come
out in
support for full and permanent funding for the Land Water and
Conservation
Fund (LWCF) by sponsoring H.R. 701 the "Conservation and
Reinvestment Act"
(nicknamed CARA). The Alabama Congressional members sponsoring
H.R. 701 are
Robert Aderholt of Haleyville (R), Spencer Bachus of Birmingham
(R), Bud
Cramer of Huntsville (D), and Earl Hilliard of Birmingham (D).
In the
Senate, Alabama's Jeff Sessions (R) is sponsoring S. 25 the companion
bill to
H.R. 701.
Currently in the House, a bi-partisan coalition of 31 Democrats
and 27
Republicans are sponsoring CARA. Also in the House, Rep. George
Miller of
California (D) has proposed the "Permanent Protection for
America's Resources
2000". It will fully fund LWCF and currently has 58 sponsors.
We have a great opportunity to permanently and fully fund LWCF
in 1999. If
you are interested in parks, open spaces, wildlife refuges and
historical
areas contact me (Pat Byington) at 205-254-8805 or e-mail me at
pkbyington@aol.com to join this important campaign. Also visit
the Americans
for Our Heritage and Recreation website for more info on LWCF
legislation -
http://www.ahrinfo.org
3. Upcoming B'ham Post-Herald Clean Air Series - On
Saturday March 27th the
Birmingham Post-Herald will be launching a five (5) day comprehensive
series
(remember the PH doesn't print a paper on Sunday) called - "O3:
Birmingham's
Ozone Problem". Written by Steve Joynt, the series will investigate
the
causes of ground level ozone pollution, the sources (cars &
power plants),
the politics and the solutions. Along with the investigative reporting,
there will be profiles of ADEM's Air Division Chief Ron Gore,
a visit to a
automobile emissions testing facility in Atlanta and a story about
the
effects of ozone pollution on an 8 year old boy with asthma.
Currently, Jefferson and Shelby counties are in "non-attainment"
of federal
ozone air pollution standards. Mobile and Madison counties are
in attainment
of the standards, but are in danger of coming into "non-attainment"
this
summer when stricter and healthier standards are implemented.
4. Audubon's Mountain Workshop Date Set - For 22 years
the Alabama Audubon
Council (the Council consists of the B'ham, Cullman, Mobile Bay,
Shoals,
Tennessee Valley and Tuskaloosa Audubon Societies), has been holding
the
Audubon Mountain Workshop. Dedicated toward promoting a better
understanding
of natural history and ecology of the Southern Appalachian Mountains,
the
workshop is held at Alpine Camp on Lookout Mountain near Mentone,
Alabama.
This year's workshop will be held between May 13-16.
The Alabama Audubon Council truly puts on a professional and
life moving
event. A broad spectrum of classes are offered ranging from beginning
and
advanced bird (talk about getting taught by the pros) identification,
wildflowers, trees, ferns, stream biology, mammals, insects, amphibians
and
much, much more. A special young naturalist program will also
be offered
this year.
For information about the Audubon Mountain Workshop, please
call Mary Waldrep
at 205-945-0444, or contact your local Audubon Society. Space
is limited, so
make your reservations soon!
5. Profile: SELC's Deep South Office - Last year, the
Southern Environmental
Law Center (SELC) opened up it's "Deep South Office"
in Atlanta. In the past
year, this highly respected and very effective environmental public
interest
law firm, has assisted Alabama activists on the Confined Animal
Feeding
Operations (CAFO's) regulations, tackled the Georgia/Alabama/Florida
Water
Wars and sued local, state and federal transportation agencies
for
disregarding clean air laws by approving $700 million in new road
projects
that would worsen metro Atlanta's air quality, sprawl and trafic
congestion
(maybe Birmingham is next?).
Other issues SELC has been working on in Alabama include the
TMDL/Water
Quality lawsuit and settlement (representing the Alabama Rivers
Alliance) and
National Forest timber sale appeals (representing the Alabama
Environmental
Council).
To find out more about the Southern Environmental Law Center
and their new
Deep South Office's important and vital environmental protection
efforts,
please contact Wesley Woolf, director of the Deep South Office
at
404-521-9900.
On April 1, you can also visit SELC's new website at :
http://www.southernenvironment.org
Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists.
If you have any questions about BEN, contact Pat Byington at
205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com
