People for the West, Globe Miami  

PFUSA Arizona

Frontiers for Freedom

August, 2001

TTige Rice, President; Bob Ladendroff, Vice President; Pat Ioli, Treasurer; Editor, Jim Clark, Chapter Secretary

PFW-Globe Miami; PO Box 1802; Claypool, AZ 85501; 425-3754 or 473-7374

Point to Ponder

One of the driving forces behind the increase in SUV popularity during the 1990’s has been banks putting money into auto leases.  What banks are realizing the used-car-market is quite weak and the banks have been overly optimistic about this market.  The net result is the banks are incurring losses on their balance sheets.  So what the banks are beginning to focus on lessening their lease offerings (especially SUV’s) which does what both over zealous federal regulations (increased fuel CAFÉ standards – especially focusing on the evil SUV) and green advocates say we need.

Remember as truism:  Free market forces  and reality usually will win out and bring about a better correction than anything the government can wrought on us. 

Environmental Saviors at it again

General Motors is attempting to meet or exceed the government's quivering, wavering and two step side step on the fuel standards.  GM is looking at increasing their production of diesel engines to increase the fuel economy of light

trucks by up to 30%.  Sounds pretty good!  Let’s see improved fule economy for the GM fleet of light trucks.  Well, as always, our environmental Godfathers say yes fuel economy is important bu diesel is still evil.  Why are we so surprised at this??

The UN and Private Property

The farmers in the Klamath basin do not know that the U.N.'s policy on land, adopted in 1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, says explicitly that:

Land ... cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth and therefore contributes to social injustice; Public control of land use is therefore indispensable …

Comments on Arsenic – Please Review (Exerpted from the Federal Register-(July 19, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 139;Page 37617-37631)

should be reduced from 50 ppb (yes that’s parts per billions with a “B”) to 10ppb.  The document they are looking for comments that support lowering the standard to 5ppb or 3ppb.

People for the West! Do not support any change in the standard.  This newsletters published a well-written essay from the Wall Street Journal that backs up this position. 

Please take time to write your comments (Remember this is a popularity contest!  Science rarely wins out, so vote now and vote often).  One of the hit points to tell the EPA is: Claims have been made that elevated Arsenic increases the incidence of bladder cancer.  In the state of New Mexico with higher than our eastern brothers with respect to Arsenic, New Mexico has a marked decrease in bladder cancer.

You do not have to get technical.  Tell the EPA that there is no basis for changing the standard.

Send you comments to:

Avenue, NW.; Washington, DC 20460.

Email to : ow-docket@epa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Safe Drinking Water Hotline,
phone: (800) 426-4791 or (703) 285-1093, e-mail: hotline-sdwa@epa.gov  for general information, meeting information, and copies of arsenic regulations and support documents. For inquiries about the on-going cost of compliance review, contact: Mr. Amit Kapadia, (202) 260-1688, e-mail: kapadia.amit@epa.gov. For all other questions about this
document, contact Irene Dooley, (202) 260-9531, e-mail:
dooley.irene@epa.gov.

Global Warming What?

"Ten years ago, I believed the modelers that global warming was a serious problem that needed attention and intervention. As I studied the issue year by year, I became less and less convinced that the 'problem' was truly serious... I believe that even if we controlled every molecule of human emissions we would still see substantial climate change, just as we always have." - George Taylor, President of the American Association of State Climatologists, from an article in a January 2000 issue of Electricity Daily.

Myth: There is widespread agreement among scientists that carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, cars and other human activities are causing significant global warming that is threatening the planet's environment.

*Fact: More than 17,000 scientists signed a petition organized by the Oregon Institute of Science and Health which declares that, "There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of... greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere." The signers include 2,100 climatologists, meteorologists and environmental scientists who are especially well-qualified to evaluate the effects of carbon dioxide on the Earth's climate. One prestigious signatory is Dr. Frederick Seitz, President Emeritus at Rockefeller University and a former President of the National Academy of Sciences. Even scientists who subscribe to the global warming theory have admitted that their dire predictions were proved wrong. Dr. James Hansen, the NASA scientist widely considered a leading exponent of the global warming theory, said in 1988 that rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would lead to severe climate impacts such as increased drought by the end of the 20th century. In 1998, Dr. Hansen candidly admitted that his predictions did not come true because he failed to take into account the significant amounts of carbon dioxide absorbed by forests, the soil and the ocean. Dr. Hansen now believes that carbon dioxide emissions have not contributed to global warming.

Endangered?

ESA is to list imperiled species, assist them in recovering, and then remove them from the list once they are considered safe. Of some 1,400 species listed, however, a mere 27 have been officially delisted. Analysis by the Competitive Enterprise Institute reveals that the ESA has not actually saved a single species. Source: R.J. Smith, "The Endangered Species Act: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up, Big Government and Bad Science: Ten Case Studies in Regulatory Abuse," Institute for Policy Innovation, November 1999.

The EPA's new clean air standards, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in February 2001, will impose economic costs of up to $150 billion per year. Lives will also be lost because higher regulatory costs result in lost wages and higher prices, making fewer dollars available for such things as health care and better nutrition. The Reason Public Policy Institute estimates that up to 27,000 Americans could die due to the more stringent air quality standards. Source: United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, American Trucking Associations v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, May 14, 1999.

The National Center for Public Policy Research
777 N. Capitol St. NE, Suite 803
Washington, DC 20002
202/371-1400
Fax 202/5408-7773
National Center E-Mail: info@nationalcenter.org
Earth Day Information Center E-Mail: EarthDay@nationalcenter.org

There Has Been No Global Warming for the Past 70 Years
Volume 3, Number 13: 1 July 2000

In our editorial of 15 June 2000 - The Global Surface Air Temperature Record Must Be Wrong - we reviewed a large body of evidence that suggests that the highly-hyped "unprecedented global warming" of the past two decades never actually occurred.  This evidence includes (1) the satellite microwave-sounding-unit temperature record, which in the absence of the massive 1998 El Niño heat pulse shows no warming whatsoever from 1979 to the present, (2) the weather-balloon temperature record, which for the same circumstances also shows no warming, (3) the surface- and satellite-derived temperature records of earth's polar regions, which also show no warming, and (4) the high-quality U.S. Historical Climatology Network data base, which, not surprisingly, also shows no statistically significant warming over this period.  We now augment this substantial body of empirical evidence for no global warming over the last two decades with observations gleaned from tree-ring reconstructions of surface air temperature.

record over the last 70 years, with the instrumental record depicting unprecedented 20th century warming, but with the tree-ring record showing nothing of the sort.  And the reason for the discrepancy? In the words of Briffa, "the reason is not known."  We, however, believe that the reason should be obvious: the instrumental temperature record is simply wrong.

Second, there is the somewhat contradictory story told by a number of temperature reconstructions derived from tree-ring width chronologies.  As Briffa (2000) recounts it, "tree-growth, as represented in various standardized tree-ring chronologies in various parts of the world, often seems anomalous in the 20th century as compared to earlier centuries."  This widespread anomaly is extremely important, for he notes that "the recent high growth rates . . . provide major pieces of evidence being used to assemble a case for anomalous global warming, interpreted by many as evidence of anthropogenic activity," specifically mentioning Mann et al. (1998, 1999) in this regard.  But as Briffa further notes, the empirically derived regression equations upon which the temperature reconstructions are based may be compromised if the growth rates of earth's trees have been substantially enhanced over the past century or so by some other global environmental influence that has increasingly manifested itself over the same time period.

number of plant physiological processes that become increasingly more efficient in response to this phenomenon; and he explains how this influence could act in opposition to the declining tree-ring density phenomenon described in the preceding paragraph.  Indeed, LaMarche et al. (1984) and Graybill and Idso (1993) demonstrated several years ago that the historical rise in the air's CO2 content could readily explain the anomalous 20th century growth spurt in tree-ring width expansion; and Briffa states that "widespread evidence is accumulating of 'enhanced' productivity (ring-width, basal area and wood mass) in the 19th and 20th centuries, similar to positive growth trends observed in earlier studies," that is, in the studies of LaMarche et al. and Graybill and Idso.

seven decades, earth's true surface air temperature has likely experienced no net change.

This latter conclusion may sound incredulous to some; but it follows directly from the likely fact that there has been no net warming from 1979 to 2000, as we indicated in our editorial of 15 June 2000, plus the fact that even the contaminated surface air temperature records depict no warming (they actually show a cooling!) from 1930 to 1979, as can be verified by visiting the World Temperatures section of our website and computing the surface air temperature trend from 1930 to 1979 from both the Global Historical Climatology Network and the Jones et al. data bases.

In view of the extreme likelihood that there has thus been no net warming of the planet over the past 70 years, during which time the vast majority of all anthropogenically-produced CO2 has been emitted to the atmosphere, we conclude that since there should have been a sizeable CO2-induced increase in atmospheric radiative forcing over this period, there must have been a suite of compensatory negative feedbacks that totally overwhelmed the standard "greenhouse" impetus for warming (see our Position Paper on Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming: Where We Stand on the Issue).  Hence, there would appear to be absolutely no foundation in factual data of any sort for supposing that any further man-induced increases in the air's CO2 content would warm the planet either.

Center For Carbon Dioxide Study and Global Change

Who Side are They On or Can you Believe This Award!!!

CATERPILLAR AWARDS $625,000 GRANT TO THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

CHICAGO, Illinois, July 16, 2001 (ENS) - Caterpillar Inc. is giving a $625,000 grant to the Nature Conservancy in support of its work along the Illinois River.

The grant, given over the next five years, is the construction equipment company's largest single investment to a conservation organization to date.

"Few, if any, organizations have as big of an impact on our environment as The Nature Conservancy, and we could not be happier to support their work," said Bud Davis, general manager of Caterpillar's component manufacturing/marketing services group and vice chair of the Conservancy's Illinois Chapter Board of Trustees. "This investment is just part of our on-going commitment to build and sustain our environment for future generations, and The Nature Conservancy is in an excellent position to help us achieve that goal."

The Conservancy will use the Caterpillar gift to fund its work along the Illinois River, including restoration of Emiquon, a 7,600 acres stretch along the Illinois River, believed to be the largest floodplain wetland restoration in the country.

"Caterpillar's continued support and leadership in the conservation of the Illinois River is critical to our success," said Michael Reuter, chief conservation officer and associate state director of the Illinois Chapter of the Conservancy. "The Illinois River has enriched the lives of generations of people in Illinois. But our quality of life is now at risk because the Illinois River ecosystem is threatened. Throughout the Illinois River system, from the Mackinaw and Fox Rivers to Peoria Lakes and Emiquon, the Conservancy is working with local communities to sustain the river for plants, animals and people, too."

Proposed Federal Environmental Regulations Confusing for Cattle Industry

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Makes Recommendations on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Proposal

Washington (August 1, 2001) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) initiative is impractical  for the diverse United States cattle industry, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) said today.

 “The cattle industry supports efforts to protect the environment,” said Faith Burns, NCBA Associate Director, Environmental Affairs, “however, environmental initiatives work best when they are scientifically based, site specific and economically viable.  The EPA CAFO proposal is broad and confusing.”

CAFOs as point sources.  The newly proposed CAFO regulations would broaden the number of operations that are considered point sources.  The proposal sets out various “Options” for defining a CAFO.  A “Two-Tiered Option” would define a CAFO as any farm or ranch with 500 beef cattle.  A “Three-Tiered Option” would define a CAFO as any farm or ranch with 300 beef cattle that failed to meet certain risk factors.

 In comments delivered to the EPA, NCBA made several recommendations to improve the complex proposed regulation, including:

 ·        Allowing states the flexibility to develop programs that achieve goals.

 ·        Recognizing that manure management procedures should take into account regional environmental differences.

 “EPA has the authority to delegate certain Clean Water Act functions to individual states,” Burns said.  “Cattlemen believe that programs in many of these states are achieving positive environmental results.  These state programs take into account regional and local variations that require different types of environmental protections.”  The EPA proposals would require states to alter their current programs.

 The public comment period on the EPA CAFO proposal ended July 30.  All comments will be subject to extensive review and final rules are scheduled to be published in December 2002.

From Dave Barry:

eventually North Americna will be covered by water as far inland as Mason City, Iowa, the result being that – among other disasters- the nation’s entire pig population could be stung to death by jellyfish?  Well, what if the real problem is not that the oceans are rising?   What if, in fact, the continents are sinking under the weight of all these new fuitcakes, which are the densest objects on Earth…”

GOP Senators offer climate legislation (from Frontiers of Freedom)

Six Republican Senators introduced comprehensive climate change legislation last week.

At a press briefing announcing introduction of the Climate Change Risk Management Act of 2001 (S. 1294), the Senators said the measure offers a long-term, global, technology-based approach to reducing emissions and meeting our future energy needs. They stressed that S. 1294 addresses the

issue with applied technology and incentive-based efforts rather than

burdensome regulatory constraints that penalize our economy."

Specifically, S. 1294 provides for:

*          A procedure to develop both a short-term and long-term national climate change strategy that considers science and economics.

*          New funding, $2 billion over 10 years, to advance the research, development and deployment of new technologies to reduce, avoid or sequester

greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

*          The creation of a national registry to recognize the voluntary

*          A pilot program to assist in the exports of advanced technology to developing countries ($1 billion loan program over 10 years).

*          Better coordination of federal scientific research.

*          An office in the Energy Department to coordinate the research and

development efforts for new technologies, accountable to the Energy Secretary, the President and the Congress.

The Senators emphasized that although S. 1294 is compreh-ensive, "there are still more steps Congress can take to responsibly address this issue." One of those steps is better government-wide coordination of scientific efforts

"to solve the remaining mysteries of climate change."

S. 1294 was cosponsored by Senators Chuck Hagel (NB), Frank Murkowski (AK),

Larry Craig (ID), Pete Domenici (NM), Pat Roberts (KS) and Christopher Bond

(MO).

"This bill offers a positive, long-term approach to addressing the climate change issue," NMA President and CEO Jack Gerard said. "It is complementary to and supports President Bush's program and recognizes that climate is a