Hi, I was asked to share this with the listserves that I post to.
BGA In a message dated 2/20/2004 2:09:14 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Environment2004 <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://environment2004.org> E'04 Bulletin - February 20, 2004 255 days remaining until the election... =================================================== Environment2004 members, It is an exciting time. The race for the Democratic nomination has energized and mobilized record numbers of primary voters across the nation. Bush, meanwhile, has seen his <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-02-02-campaign-roundup_x.htm> approval numbers drop to record lows and now <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.gallup.com/content/default.aspxxqxxcixxexx10687> trails both Kerry and Edwards by double digits. It is clear that we have a real shot at getting our country back on track - with leaders who have a record of standing up for environmental protection and forward-looking energy policy. Bush has yet to put his campaign into full gear, however, and with $131 million at his disposal, he will soon buy his way back into the race. Groups like Environment2004 are playing a critical role, setting the facts straight, challenging the Administration's predictable efforts to mislead the public about the real impacts of its policies. We have seen three years of politically-driven leadership, all about benefits to political constituencies and campaign donors at the expense of the broader public interest. We will be informing the public about how this leadership impacts their lives, the lives of their children, and how true leadership would benefit us all. Thank you for sharing our message with your friends, your family, and your community, and helping us make the difference in November. Aimée Christensen, Executive Director CAMPAIGN UPDATE: Next month, Environment2004 will be launching its New Hampshire campaign! We are also gearing up to begin our work in Minnesota. Both states will be critical in the election and we will be on the ground with a powerful message delivered by the top local and national political and environmental leaders. WEB UPDATE: In the coming weeks, look for additions to our web site, including a members-only forum for discussion of politics, news, and our campaign. We will be launching the forum next week and will let you know when it goes live. We have also added a <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.environment2004.org/media.php> media section to the web site, where members can view our promotional videos and radio spots. <http://www.advocacyinc.com/images/shim.gif> Feature: Election Year Environmentalism <http://www.advocacyinc.com/creative/enviro2004/gradientnew.gif> For once, the Bush administration is taking the environment seriously - not as a policy issue but as a campaign strategy. Recognizing their vulnerability on the environment, Bush and his senior appointees have launched a cynical effort to paper over the worst environmental record in history. The administration is attempting to cover up its anti-environment record by announcing select environmental projects and enforcement actions in key battleground states. These efforts are designed to deceive local voters and to draw attention away from the administration's systematic dismantling of environmental and public health protections. Worse, the Bush campaign is using the EPA and other federal agencies as an arm of this campaign operation, shamelessly promoting his new message in the places it matters most: swing states. With his handlers crafting the message and his top appointees delivering the product, Bush's newfound environmentalism is deviously convincing and unabashedly political. <http://www.environment2004.org/images/upload/JailCell.jpg> Enforcement, for once - For three years, the Bush administration has allowed industry lobbyists to create loopholes and slow efforts to clean up air pollution from the nation's worst polluters. Two weeks ago, the Bush EPA announced its first enforcement action of the New Source Review provisions since it took office. This looks more like a commitment to his campaign than to clean air. <http://www.environment2004.org/images/upload/clock10.gif> Timing is everything - During the peak of the New Hampshire primary campaign, the Bush administration announced that it would accept New Hampshire's special request to be exempted from federal MTBE additive requirements. Not only was this a pitiful attempt to steal the spotlight, but Bush once again proved his willingness to use the EPA to fit his campaign agenda. They did the same thing a week later in Arizona. Meanwhile, back in Washington, the Bush administration shelved Clinton-era efforts to ban MTBE entirely due to its impacts on groundwater. Apparently, only the water quality in swing states matters to this administration. <http://www.environment2004.org/images/upload/Money2%20copy.jpg> Money, in all the right places - Prior to announcing its 2005 budget, the Bush Administration announced a series of funding increases for environmental projects in Oregon, the Great Lakes region, and, of course, Florida. What do these places have in common? They're all swing states! These press conferences were designed to cover up Bush's overall budget for environmental protection: In the 2005 budget, Bush cut the EPA's budget by over $600 million! <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.environment2004.org/story.phpxxqxxidxxexx220> Read more on our web site. Environment2004 to Launch NH Campaign <http://www.advocacyinc.com/creative/enviro2004/gradientnew.gif> For the past two months, we have had a small team on the ground in New Hampshire laying the groundwork for our campaign in the granite state. Next month, we will launch in New Hampshire and will release our state report. As in Florida, we expect the NH launch to generate a great deal of press coverage, membership, and interest in how Bush's environmental record is impacting the state. Once again, the Administration will have to answer for its environmental legacy, and once again it will put its spin machine in motion. As you know, E'04 will be working in just a few critically important battleground states. By focusing our resources on states where we can have the most impact, we can make the difference in this election. Like Florida, New Hampshire will be one of those states. Combining our local-level research with respected local, state, and national spokespeople, Environment2004 will deliver a powerful and credible message as the election nears. You can help us make our NH launch a success by <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.environment2004.org/donate.php> donating today. Upcoming Events <http://www.advocacyinc.com/creative/enviro2004/gradientnew.gif> Environment2004 is holding launch events across the country. Please come out to show your support for Environment2004 and our efforts to defeat Bush and his allies in November. * MONDAY! Chicago - Join special guests Senator Dick Durbin, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, and Attorney General Lisa Madigan on February 23. * Chapel Hill, NC - Join special guests Green design architect William McDonough and Author Jeremy K. Leggett on March 3. * San Francisco - Join special guests California State Treasurer Phil Angelides and former EPA Administrator Carol Browner on March 22. Please visit to find out more details and register for these events: <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://environment2004.org/calendar.php> http://environment2004.org/calendar.php. <http://www.advocacyinc.com/creative/enviro2004/gradientnew.gif> <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.environment2004.org/donate.php> <http://www.advocacyinc.com/images/green_bulletright.gif> Help Launch E'04 in New Hampshire! <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.environment2004.org/donate.php> We are launching our New Hampshire campaign and we need your help. In 2000, Bush won NH by just 7,211 votes and is going to be fighting for every vote this time around. With $131 million at its disposal, the Bush campaign will be no spendthrift in the coming months. We need your help to fight back and win New Hampshire. <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.environment2004.org/donate.php> Help us raise $20,000 for New Hampshire! Bush's biggest asset may be his campaign bank account, but his policy record is his largest liability. You can help send a message to the Bush campaign by making our New Hampshire launch a success. We need to raise $20,000 to pay for our campaign launch and press efforts. Every dollar helps. <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.environment2004.org/donate.php> Donate now and help us make the difference in New Hampshire! <http://www.advocacyinc.com/images/green_bulletright.gif> Members of the Month For E'04 Member and volunteer Shelley Cohen, environmental protection is more than a job, it is a lifelong passion. Ms. Cohen has worked hard to incorporate her environmental values into every aspect of her life - from her job developing renewable energy and energy conservation projects, to her wedding (the newlyweds purchased emissions offsets that supported a sustainable forestry project in Panama to offset the impact of their wedding), to her home where she and her husband, an architect, designed and implemented a sustainable renovation. ****************** We would like to extend a special thank you to E'04 volunteer Edie Schafer who has been helping out in our DC office. In our busiest of times, she has been an incredible help, always willing to do the thankless tasks inherent in a campaign like this. Edie, thank you for your efforts! <http://www.advocacyinc.com/images/green_bulletright.gif> E'04 Leadership <http://bm23.com/x/trackclick.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&url=http://www.environment2004.org/board.phpxxnxxgibson> For the past 13 years, E'04 Board member Nancy Gibson has served as the chair to the Minnesota Citizen Advisory Committee of the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. In this role, she led the successful statewide constitutional campaign to re-dedicate lottery funds to the Trust Fund for 25 years. Nancy is also the co-founder of the International Wolf Center and has won two Emmys for her work on the award-winning PBS show, Newton's Apple. It is only fitting, then, that Nancy is now helping launch Environment2004's Minnesota campaign. As in Florida, our Minnesota campaign will center around the formation of a state committee and the release of an in-depth state report, detailing the local impact of the Bush administration's environmental policies on local communities. Look for updates soon about our fast-growing Minnesota campaign! <http://www.advocacyinc.com/images/green_bulletright.gif> Volunteer! Thank you to all of the people who have volunteered over the last month. The contribution of volunteers to this campaign has been enormous. Whether it is helping research the local level impacts of Bush's environment policies in our target states or lending a hand in the office, we would not be where we are today without the help of all of you. Thanks! As we begin our campaigns in New Hampshire and Minnesota, we will need your help. How? Tell your NH and MN friends about Environment2004, help us on the ground, or send us information about important local news. If you are in the DC area, stop by the office after work and pitch in. Every bit helps! If you are interested in helping out, send us an email at <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] <http://bm23.com/x/track.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223&type=o> Environment2004 733 15th Street, NW Suite 314 Washington DC 20005 This message was sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] <http://advocacyinc.bm23.com/x/unsubscribe.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223> Unsubscribe from list | <http://advocacyinc.bm23.com/x/editinfo.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223> Change information | <http://advocacyinc.bm23.com/x/forward.php?i=1906741&k=OWfI&m=16223> Forward to friend <http://www.advocacyinc.com> ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
