E-Link: Mt. Graham Alert **URGENT**

Alice McCombs (amccombs@MAIL.WISCNET.NET)
Fri, 20 Oct 1995 09:18:14 -0500

>
>** PLEASE WIDELY REDISTRIBUTE THIS MESSAGE TO APPROPRIATE LISTS/NEWSGROUPS **
>
>Forwarded Information:
>>From: Anne Carl (anne@indirect.com) on Fri, 20 Oct 1995 06:04:20 -0700
>
> STOP Congress from granting the University of Arizona
> an exemption from All Applicable
> U.S. Environmental, Cultural and Religious Protection Laws
> -- the laws they bought once already AND BROKE!
>
>BRIEF HISTORY (if you know the history, skip to "Action Alert"):
>
>The UA has wanted a huge telescope complex in the middle of a biologically
>unique forest which is also sacred to the San Carlos Apache People.
>
>When they started the project, the UA didn't want to do impact studies or
>consult with the Apaches, both required by federal law, so in 1988 they went
>to Congress to lobby/buy an exemption from their legal responsibilities.
>Congress gave them an 8.6 acre exempted area (hand-picked by the UA) for
>their first 3 telescopes.
>
>As fate had it, in their haste to secure an exemption, the UA picked the
>worst spot on the mountain for telescope viewing! By their own studies,
>they found out that they picked a site in a natural wind tunnel!
>
>Rather than comply with the laws that they spent millions avoiding, they
>waged a Pearl Harbour-style sneak attack on Mt. Graham in the dawn hours of
>Dec. 7, 1993. They went outside of their exempted area, and clearcut over
>300 old growth trees, creating damage to a different watershed, and
>increasing the project's foot print by 40% and its "edge effect" by 76%.
>
>They were apprehended. A coalition of groups (including SEAC) sued them,
>and won. The UA appealed and we won. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
>ruled that they broke the law (the Endangered Species Act, National
>Environmental Policy Act, National Forest Management Act, National Historic
>Preservation Act, and American Indian Religious Freedom Act) and would have
>to get required impact studies done. They would also have to consult with
>traditional Apaches.
>
>BUT NOW, INSTEAD of obeying the law, they are going back to Congress to try
>and get a 2nd exemption from the law.
>
>
> ***ALERT***
> ***ALERT***
> *ACTION ALERT*
>
>***WE SUSPECT THAT REP. JIM KOLBE WILL TRY AND SNEAK THIS RIDER ONTO THE***
>
> ***BUDGET RECONCILIATION BILL***
>
>
>(This is the same bill that would exempt the Ward Valley Nuclear Dump from
>federal environmental laws and prohibit legal action. It also seeks to
>allow oil drilling in the ANWR. Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-AZ, who has vowed to help
>the UA sits on this cttee...)
>
>Unfortunately, we don't have time to be sure that we have the right bill!
>Rep. John Kasich (12th-OH), House Budget Cttee Chair, is expected to submit
>the Reconciliation bill this coming MONDAY afternoon!!!
>
>The 1988 Rider was a "midnight rider", happening w/o public comment, input
>or due process. We expect that the AZ Delegation (headed by Rep. Jim Kolbe)
>will attempt the same thing this time around.
>
>We expect that if Kolbe hasn't slipped the rider on already (behind closed
>doors) he may offer an amendment on the floor or (more likely) slip it into
>the bill in cttee later.
>
>
> WE NEED KASICH AND OTHERS TO WORK AGAINST THIS RIDER!!
>
> SHORT OF ACTUALLY STOPPING IT, WE WANT 2 things:
>
>1. An immediate INVESTIGATION (General Accounting Office, Agent Inspectors
>General, and if possible, a Justice Dept. Investigation.) The 1988 Rider
>yielded a General Accounting Office investigation. It revealed that UA
>misled Congress about their project, data, etc...But the GAO wasn't
>completed until 1990 -- too late to do anything. WE KNOW THAT THE UA IS
>MISREPRESENTING THEIR PROJECT AGAIN. MAJOR SECTIONS OF THEIR LOBBYING
>PACKETS SENT TO CONGRESS AND THE PRESS ARE CATEGORICALLY UNTRUE. We have a
>position paper with all of the most glaring factual misrepresentations we
>have found so far this time around. It's long, but we will send this paper
>to a few of you if you can assure us that you'll deliver it to key
>congressional offices.
>
>2. A COPY of what this rider LOOKS LIKE. We hope that whatever happens
>happens out in the open, with hearings and full due process.
>
>
> THE Congressional members who need to hear from YOU:
>
>John Kasich (R-12th) will be a major player for or against us. We need OHIO
>folks in his district (Columbus) to get to him. Staging a demo at his
>office on Monday a.m. would be great, if it's possible. Maybe Pittsburgh
>folks could help with this... Otherwise, we desparately need letters faxed
>into him and phone calls!
>
>(12th-R-OH) The Honorable John R. Kasich
> U.S. House of Representatives
> 1131 Longworth House Office Building
> Washington, D.C. 20515
> Dist. Office # (Columbus) 614-469-7318
> 1-202-225-5355 1-202-225-7695(fx)
> (BTW, When writing to a Chair of a cttee, it is proper to
> address them as "Dear Mr. Chairman,")
>
>Everyone in the AZ Congressional Delegation needs to hear from us, esp. Sen.
>McCain (on Native American Issues, since he is the Chair of the Indian
>Affairs Cttee) and Rep. Pastor (our only Democrat). Please e-mail them,
>write or call...
>
> The Honorable Senator John McCain
> Senator_McCain@mccain.senate.gov
>
> United States Senate
> Washington, DC 20510
> ("Dear Mr. Chairman")
> 202-224-2235 fx: 202-228-2862
> Senate Cttee on Indian Affairs: 202-224-2251
> Mesa: 602-491-4300; Phx: 602-952-2410; Tucson: 520-670-6334
>
>(2nd-D-AZ) The Honorable Ed Pastor
> edpastor@hr.house.gov
>
> U.S. House of Representatives
> 223 Cannon House Office Building
> Washington, DC 20515
> http://aspin.asu.edu/~pctp/pastor/pastor.html
> 1-202-225-4065 1-202-225-1655
> Tucson: (520) 624-9986
>
>
> Write Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) just to give him grief:
> The DIShonorable Jim Kolbe
> jimkolbe@hr.house.gov
>
> House of Representatives
> Washington, DC 20515
> 202 225 2542 fx: 202 225 0378
> or 1661 N. Swan Rd., Suite 112
> Tucson AZ 85712
> 520-881-3588, fax 520-322-9490
> http://www.arizona.edu/kolbe/kolbe.html
>
>
> We encourage people in Phoenix to write/call/complain to
>John Shadegg:
>(4th-R-AZ) The Honorable John Shadegg
> US House of Representatives
> 503 Cannon House Office Building
> Washington, DC 20515
> 1-202-225-3361 1-202-225-3462
> PHX: 602-248-7779
>
> http://aspin.asu.edu/~pctp/shadegg/shadegg.html
>
>
>Others worth calling immediately:
>
>(GA-R-6th) The Honorable Newton Gingrich (Speaker of the House and partial
>to endangered species, apparently)
> georgia6@hr.house.gov
>
> U.S. House of Representatives
> 2428 Rayburn House Office Building
> Washington, DC 20515
> ("Dear Mr. Speaker,")
> 212-225-4510 fx: 202-225-4656
> Marietta: 404-565-6398
>
>Sen. John H. Chafee (R-RI), b/c he's Chair of Environment and Public Works
>Cttee...
>
> The Honorable John H. Chafee
> senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov
>
> U.S. Senate
> Dirksen Building
> Washington, D.C. 20510
> 202-228-3976 fx: 202-224-4680
> Providence: 401-528-5294
>
>Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), b/c he's on the Enviro and Publ Works Cttee, and
>could be sympathetic w/ enough calls:
>
> The Honorable Max Baucus
> ftp://ftp.senate.gov/member/mt/baucus/general/b2.html
> max@baucus.senate.gov
>
> 511 Hart Building
> US Senate
> Washington, DC 20510
> 202-224-2651
> Great Falls: 406-761-1574
> Billings: 406-657-6790
> Missoula: 406-329-3123
> Kalispell: 406-756-1150
> Helena: 406-449-5480
> Bozeman: 406-586-6104
> Butte: 406-782-8700
>
>
>Senator Pete V. Domenici (R-NM) is the Budget Cttee Chair in the Senate, and
>could also be extremely influential.. Please e-mail/call/fax him!
>
> The Honorable Pete V. Domenici
> senator_domenici@domenici.senate.gov
>
> United States Senate
> Washington, D.C. 20510
> 202-224-6621 fx: 202-224-7371
> Sante Fe: 505-988-6511
> Roswell: 505-623-6170
> Albuquerque: 505-766-3481
> Las Cruces: 505-526-5475
>
>Sen. Robert Dole (R-Kansas), b/c he's Majority Leader and running for pres.
>and has no Indian friends yet, and is (eek!) a UA graduate:
>
> The Honorable Robert Dole
> U.S. Senate
> Washington, DC 20510
>
> 202-224-6521 fx: 202-224-8952
> Whichita: 316-263-4956
> Topeka: 913-295-2745
> Kansas City: 913-371-6108
>
>OTHERS (I'm too tired to write it all out):
>
>10 MA Studds, Gerry E. (D) 1-202-225-3111 1-202-225-2212
> 237 Cannon
>
>
>3 NJ Saxton, H. James (R) 1-202-225-4765 1-202-225-0778
> 339 Cannon
>
>
>
>Among other firsts, the Mt. Graham Project makes the UA the first U.S.
>university to oppose listing an endangered species, the first to seek and
>obtain exemption from all cultural, environmental and religious laws, and
>the first to oppose the beliefs of a Native American People in court!!!
>
>
>PLEASE HELP!!! DON'T LET INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE UA BUY THE LAWS THEY
>VIOLATE!! SAVE OUR HARD-WON ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL PROTECTION LAWS;
>SAVE MT.GRAHAM!!
>
>For info:
>
>SEAC-SW
>520-322-9819
>
>---
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