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Dear EPA: If Momma Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy

2008-02-27T19:34:55Z

I worry about my kids and what they are exposed to in this world. They are the main reason that I work for NRDC and believe me, there is plenty to do around here to protect them. If you pore through the Switchboard blogs (some light reading for bedtime, perhaps), you can definitely see this Administration’s blatant failure to protect our kids, not to mention those of us who are a bit more “seasoned”. Just this month, the court ruled that EPA had basically broken the law by conveniently allowing coal fired power plants to ignore safeguards to reduce air pollution – including mercury (one of my colleagues and an attorney on the case, John Walke, provides the details here and here). This is just the most recent example of what has become a lost agency.

Of all of the things that upset me about this Administration’s EPA, it is the basic disregard for public health and PEOPLE that distresses me the most. Case in point is an email to EPA’s Deputy Administrator, Marcus Peacock (which I have included below) from a Mom who just wants to protect her kids. This email was first posted to Mr. Peacock’s blog and not only does it describe the daily challenges of parents trying to protect their children from environmental harms, it shows the appallingly cavalier attitude of the EPA towards such concerns.

I’ll let this little exchange speak for itself.

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EMAIL FROM CONCERNED MOM:

Dear Mr. Peacock,

I think starting a blog with the idea of having more transparency is wonderful. I am glad to have the opportunity to express my views to an actual person (well, hopefully, anyway). In fact, I would be more than happy to receive a response. I have included my email.

I have a somewhat short story for you. I’ll keep it as brief as I can. I am the mother of two small children, lovely girls age 2 and 4. Because I adore them and think the care of all children is all of our sacred charge, I have done absolutely everything that I can to ensure their health – now and 20 years from now. I’m a bright woman and I’m an educated woman. I don’t just run around screaming, “The sky is falling” over every scary chain email I get. When I see something that concerns me, say in a news article or on a blog, I start researching it, checking the science, looking for studies, journal articles, by universities, cancer centers, government agencies both here and abroad. I go to the EPA website, in fact, among a number of others.

From the time I was pregnant with my first child, like any reasoning person, as I have discovered a potential threat, I have addressed it to the best of my ability. I didn’t take any medications when I was pregnant, I did not use artificial sweeteners (once I found out about them, that is). When I heard about heavy metals, I reduced the types of fish I ate to only shellfish, salmon, and small whitefish. I also installed an additional filtering system for my water as it was impossible to tell what toxins were in bottled water, since it’s not regulated very well (and, of course, there are the plastic bottles). When I found out about the levels of hormones, pesticides, etc., and possible contamination by E. Coli in meat, eggs, fruits, leafy greens, vegetables, etc., even after washing thoroughly, well, I went right out and began buying almost solely organic and free range foods – even though that meant that my family’s food costs more than doubled – and even though that was no guarantee when it came to E. Coli either thanks to contamination of the ground water. When I started finding out about the dangers of the chemicals in my household – including those in my babies’ soaps, lotions, and shampoos – I got rid of them and started buying only products for which I could identify all the ingredients – no easy task, let me tell you, though these products seem to be working just as well and often even better than those more expensive potions I was buying in the grocery store. Though I breastfed both of my children, they did drink water and juice from a bottle as they got older. And when my first child was a baby, I had to work outside the home, so she was given my breast milk in a bottle – a bottle made of polycarbonate plastic. I’m sure you’ve heard about polycarbonate plastic and the issues with it, though I had not, of course, at that time.

So then one day, when my youngest child was about a year and a half, I saw an article about rocket fuel in babies’ blood – not just a couple of babies either, but in samples of babies’ blood from different areas all over the country. Our country. I have to tell you, I cried for a week when I read that. Just could not stop. Shortly after reading that article, I was getting ready to sell those soft snuggly footie pajamas both my kids wore all through the winter when they were babies, and I accidentally rubbed my finger against the first tag, showing what it was made of, and saw a second tag, outlining how to care for the garment’s flame retardancy. FLAME RETARDANCY. My babies were sleeping in flame retardant, which, by the way, is found in babies’ blood along with bisphenol A and a number of other not-naturally-occurring chemical compounds and mercury and lead – oh, and arsenic, which until only a couple of years ago, all the lumber used to build children’s playgrounds, and say, our back deck, was soaked in. Many of these chemicals and metals are not naturally flushed from the body, as I’m sure you know. And we have no real idea what the long term effects are of even one of them, much less their combination – in our babies. Do you understand? IN OUR BABIES. Though, of course, the science does show, incontrovertibly, that they have hormonal effects, or that they are cancer causing, or that they cause brain damage.

Now I sort of assume that if you’ve stuck with me this far, perhaps you can see where I’m going with this. I have been doing absolutely everything that one person can do to protect my kids. I have been given an impossible job, because the agencies – and I understand that you are only one of those agencies – charged with protecting us, whose sworn and basically only duty it is to protect us (the consumers), are failing more than miserably. I pray to a god I’m not even sure I believe in anymore that you will do your job.

Most sincerely,

Shannon McLeish

Posted by: Shannon | February 11, 2008 at 04:00 PM <http://flowoftheriver.epa.gov/my_weblog/2008/02/what-one-man-ca.html#comment-101236120>

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RESPONSE FROM EPA’S MARCUS PEACOCK:

Shannon, thanks for your story. I can't say every action this Agency takes (or doesn't take) is one you would agree with, but your story should remind us why we are here and, I hope, prompt us to continue to look for ways to improve how we do what we do.

Posted by: Marcus | February 14, 2008 at 01:58 PM <http://flowoftheriver.epa.gov/my_weblog/2008/02/what-one-man-ca.html#comment-101997500>

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Niiiice, Mr. Peacock. Thanks for your “concern” and your pledge to keep working to improve the agency. Maybe next time you can take more than 2 minutes out of your day to respond to someone who has obviously taken a lot of time to express her real fears about protecting her children. This would’ve been a good time to talk about all of the great things the Agency is doing to address her fears – OH YEAH, that would mean that you would actually have to have great things to talk about….

Think about it.

Lame Budget from a Lame Duck Administration

2008-02-06T17:31:01Z

Ah….the last budget of the Bush administration. I would say that I will miss this Administration and its legacy of slash and burn spending but that would be a lie (and would mean that I would be out of a job). After seven years of consistently underfunding important environmental programs and initiatives, and at a time when global warming is a pre-eminent concern for many Americans, this was the last chance to repair the enormous damage that had been done to these issues. Apparently, that was not to be.

The Administration released their FY09 budget on Tuesday. At $3+ trillion, one would think that there could be room for significant reinvestment in these programs and in new ones to help us fight the effects of global warming (not to mention doing something crazy like ensuring that communities have clean water or that our natural places are protected).

There is investment, but mostly in technologies of the past. For a President who proudly calls himself a cowboy, this budget’s most telling failure is that is short-changes those programs that inspire innovation, one of America’s most fundamental traits. For instance, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs were scaled back by almost half a BILLION dollars while federal investments in coal and nuclear saw their budgets increase by almost exactly the same amount.

In some cases, programs that could make a real difference immediately in the battle to curb global warming were completely left on the cutting room floor. The most obvious example is the widely-lauded Weatherization Assistance program under the Department of Energy. This program is intended to help low income families reduce their electricity bills by installing energy efficient technologies in their homes. DOE itself has declared it as possibly the most successful energy efficiency program in our history – weatherizing 5.5 million homes in the U.S. It is inexcusable and short-sighted to even consider axing this program.

Instead of funding for a clean energy future, the Administration found plenty of room to provide incentives for dirty industry such as nuclear and liquefied coal. They expect to consider permits for 75,000 new oil and gas wells on Tribal and Federal Land, 40 liquefied natural gas terminals, 100+ re-permitting for nuclear power plants and 25 new nuclear plants. In stark contrast, funding for the research and development of newer, cleaner technologies such as renewable fuels and other energy efficiency measures was cut by 28%.

All this from a president who recently has been strongly touting his commitment to reducing our dependence on oil through clean energy technologies. I would say that it is time for this Administration to stop paying lip-service without action but I think after 7 years, that is all that we can expect. Here is to hoping that Congress feels the same and will ignore this budget proposal.

The Closer

2007-12-12T21:01:34Z

During my time spent on Capitol Hill, I had the pleasure of working in the minority party. It was a pleasure for a number of reasons beyond my politics. One of the best parts of my former job was that I got to live each day on the moral high ground by helping my boss stand up for the little guy. I went to bed each night claiming the high ground because I never had to compromise what was right because it wasn’t like those in power were ever really concerned about what the minority party thought.

Oh, how times have changed. Today, my former bosses are in power and it is their job to actually get something done. If you have picked up a paper today, you probably saw that getting something done has become a challenge. Bills get passed but either don’t make it past both chambers or are shot down by the President…. Funny how he didn’t ever do that when the Rs were in charge - hum. Congress is even having trouble passing bills that fund the federal government – their only Constitutionally-mandated responsibility.

Why? You may have noticed that we are gearing up for an election. Not only are we getting ready to elect a new President, every seat in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate are up for grabs. Republicans are determined to show that last year’s trend of electing Democrats was a mistake by trying to show that the Democrats can’t get anything done when in power. That means lots of filibusters and finger-pointing. Meanwhile, the Democrats are trying to find consensus among their diverse membership on all policy items, which also can lead to filibusters and finger-pointing. And we can’t forget that the President is desperate to prove that he isn’t a lame duck so it is his way or the highway on everything. You guessed it - this also leads to filibusters and finger-pointing.

In the past few months, there has been tremendous work done in Congress on our most pressing issues. The House passed an energy bill with a great fuel mileage standard. They also approved spending that reaffirmed our country’s commitment to environmental funding. The Senate started the work of seriously addressing climate change. Unfortunately, none of these priorities have resulted in new, better programs because of all of the filibustering and finger-pointing.

We are approaching the finish line of the first session of the 110th Congress so it is time to close the deal on many of the issues they promised to address. Congress and the President need to put aside the politics and do the jobs that they were elected to do.

Getting Our Priorities Straight

2007-12-07T19:51:25Z

A few weeks ago, I committed a cardinal sin – I didn’t call my mother on her Birthday. I was travelling with my family so I was rushing around packing, saying goodbye, trying to get to the airport and once we got back to DC, I was trying to get my very cranky kids home for bed. About once every hour, I would say to myself or to the nearest person in the vicinity, “I need to call my Mom.” In the end, I ran out of time. I didn’t have my priorities straight. I should’ve made time for my Mom.

In politics, I deal with a lot of people who don’t have their priorities straight. Folks get so involved with the “chess game” associated with passing laws; they forget why these laws are needed. They oppose proposals based on technicalities or they just completely start to lie when faced with the prospect of losing. The list of good bills that have died a slow and painful death due to misplaced priorities and trickery is a long one. One proposal that is currently at risk would clean up uranium enrichment facilities in Appalachia.

In the 60s, the feds and the nuclear industry made a deal. The government had a few underutilized uranium enrichment facilities from the WWII era. The nuclear folks were looking for a cheaper way to generate energy. It seemed like a good idea to let the nuclear industry use these plants. Everyone agreed that they would need to help the government clean up the sites later but no one had the forethought to actually require that the companies put something in the bank to make that happen. Flash forward to 1992, Congress tells the nuclear industry that they need to join the government and pay for about 30% of the cleanup of these sites. The industry complied and has been making payments for the last 15 years.

There are very few laws on the books that live on forever. Congress likes to revisit most laws every so often to make sure that they are working. So, this cleanup requirement is up for review right now and the industry is suddenly out there saying they don’t want to pay anymore. Ridiculous! The nuclear waste that they helped generate is still polluting these communities. The Department of Energy has said that it will take at least $11 BILLION more to decontaminate these facilities and that it will take until at least 2040 to get the job done. Still, the nuclear industry is trying to wipe their hands of these towns and the people who will pay for their pollution.

But, here is where it gets complicated. To date, most of Congress has been disinterested in hearing the industry whine about cleaning up their mess. So now the nuclear industry is making up stories about how people in CALIFORNIA are trying to steal the money that is meant to clean up these facilities. It is true that there has been talk about combining lots of bills into a giant package in order to overcome political and procedural huddles in Congress but come on – NRDC (and quite frankly, the bill's champion, Senator Sherrod Brown) is never, ever going to advocate selling out one community’s health and environment in order to help another. Bundling bills is a practice that happens every day in Congress. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures and these guys are just making it up as they go along. Unfortunately, if folks in Congress listen to these mistruths, these Appalachian communities are going to be left holding this radioactive bag.

It is time for all of us to get our priorities straight. If the nuclear guys want to be part of our energy future, they need to compete in the market; they need to obey the law, and the need to always clean up the messes that they leave behind. Just like I should’ve stopped rushing around and called my mother on her Birthday, it is time for these guys to stop playing games and start keeping the commitments that were made decades ago to the government and these communities.

Have a good weekend… and Mom, I am sorry.

Heather

I Don't Like Surprises

2007-10-10T20:46:21Z

I don’t know about you but I am not a thrill-seeker. I don’t especially like spontaneity or flying by the seat of my pants. As many modern women know, the only way that I can create the illusion of balance is to be organized. My family, friends and job generate enough excitement, and I find life to be pretty good when I know what is going to happen and when it is going to happen. You might say that I am – wait for it – boring.

Good thing that I am not alone. Most businesses are most successful when they have a bit of certainty. That is why I am so excited about the Pesticides Registration Improvement Renewal Act (PRIA) reauthorization that just got signed into law. I know, you haven’t heard about it. PRIA is not as sexy as reversing climate change or getting a car to run on nothing but smiles but, let me assure you, we have all been better off because of its existence in the past few years.

This is what you need to know about it: PRIA is all about stability. Stability in funding for the government, stability in science for the public, and stability for companies who are trying to get products to those market shelves. To elaborate a bit, PRIA makes sure that new chemicals being sold to your family are safer. We are talking about the stuff underneath your kitchen sink, like cleaning products. PRIA gets these new products to the market in a more predictable time frame and this gives incentives for companies to pull those older, outdated chemicals. It also makes industry provide the Environmental Protection Agency with a stable source of funding so they can get the job done in the most responsible and expedient way possible.

One of the best parts about this bill is that NRDC worked with the industry folks, like the Consumer Specialty Products Association and BASF, to come to an agreement that everyone could live with. I have to admit that when my boss asked me to take over this issue for him, there was a high “ick” factor. Me? Work with the industry? One of the reasons I left Capitol Hill for the environmental community (besides the insanely reasonable work hours) was so I didn’t have to meet with or engage the “dark side”. But I am always telling my 4 year old to play nice, so working with industry was a way to practice what I am preaching. Times are a changing and in a world where Congress isn’t even able to pass the spending bills that they are directed to handle by the freaking Constitution, we all have to entertain the possibility that the best way to get something done may be to look for some common ground with some [note: throat clearing ] “non-traditional” allies.

The weird thing is that this experience was great and I think that the entire coalition of unlikely bedfellows really feel like this program makes a difference. I hate to sound like I have a school-girl crush, but I am hoping that this fluke relationship with the dark side can become something more. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want NRDC to become permanently hitched to the industry. In fact, we are probably going to disagree most of the time but it would be nice to look for some other places where we can work together.

It would be great to get more “boring”, stable bills enacted into law that will protect my family – and yours.

Have a great day!

Heather

Mercury in Fish is STILL Bad for Me and My Kids

2007-10-04T19:31:01Z

If the government or some prestigious health organization tells me that I need to avoid something in order to protect my child, there is no question that I will follow that instruction. I am a first-born with first-born tendencies. Besides being too bossy and obsessively on time, one of my most annoying first-born compulsions is that when someone in authority tells me to do something, 99.5% of the time, I do it.

So, in my 4 ½ years as a pregnant and nursing mom, I have avoided certain fish because of their mercury content. Why? Because the government and health organizations told me to avoid certain fish in order to protect my children from mercury exposure. Easy, right? Well, following the rules is always easy until folks start to muddy the waters. Today, I opened the Washington Post to find the headline, “Mothers Again Urged to Eat Fish: Advisory at Odds With FDA Stance.” Ugh! My internal conversation went between being bitter about having boycotted tuna-melt sandwiches all of these years and being seriously irritated that people are putting out information in a manner that is confusing.

It isn’t confusing if you know the facts. Here is the deal: it isn’t even a real, true change from what everyone has been saying for years. Here is what you need to know:

FISH IS GOOD, MERCURY IS BAD. IF YOU ARE A PREGNANT OR NURSING WOMAN, AVOID FISH THAT HAS A HIGH CONTENT OF MERCURY IN IT. Pardon the caps but I wanted to make sure that all of you moms who have no time to read this entire blog can at least get the bottom line before you have to rush off to tend to boo-boos or, like me, need to take a conference call so you can leave work in time to make dinner.

There are still some people who want more science about how much fetuses and babies are exposed to mercury by their moms but until that science is done, stick to the current American Academy of Pediatrics policy and FDA and EPA recommendations. Avoid eating shark, tilefish, king mackerel and swordfish because of high mercury content, and eat no more than six ounces per week of albacore tuna. If you want more information, not only can you go and visit their websites, but you can also visit NRDC’s site at www.nrdc.org/mercury.

In the meantime, allow me to take a moment to talk directly to those much appreciated, prestigious health organizations and government officials who urge moms to eat fish: Dear smart folks, I am a working mom. I barely have time to take a shower much less keep up the pros and cons of each of your recommendations. I understand that science changes, evolves and gets better but can you do me a favor and just be clear of what I need to do to protect my children? If the mixed signals are confusing me – a person who actually works in the environmental world – than how are the other moms feeling? Thanks.

Weekend Warriors of VA – Unite and Pull Out That Credit Card

2007-09-18T19:07:53Z

Back in the day before my hubby and I had children, we were at war – not with each other or with a neighbor. We were at war with our 1973-built townhouse. We were determined to turn our energy sucking behemoth into a model of efficiency. So each weekend, we would get up on Saturday morning, head to our neighborhood home improvement store and get ready for a weekend of battle. We painted, we redid our bathrooms (although I admit we kept the high-flush, inefficient toilets), we insulated the attic, and we strategically placed hardwood and carpeted floors throughout our home. When all of that was done, we decided to really test our marriage. We tackled the kitchen, making it a lean, mean Energy Star blessed machine. We were definitely what one would call weekend warriors. Flash forward a few years. Now each Saturday morning, you can now find me and my husband trying to sleep while attempting to ignore the sound of Sesame Street and praying that the baby doesn’t wake up.

For those of you from our neck of the woods, who are still waging the weekend renovation wars, I have some good news that will save you a few dollars and make your home a more efficient place:

The Dominion State has decided to give Virginians a sales-tax holiday on Oct. 5-8 for purchases of select Energy Star-related appliances to save energy and money and to protect the environment. During the four day-day holiday, customers won't have to pay state and local sales tax on Energy Star-qualified products that cost $2,500 or less. This gift to weekend warriors includes everything from light bulbs to ceiling fans and refrigerators. Click here for more information.

They're BAAAck!!

2007-09-04T20:35:27Z

I was nodding off (as usual) while I was nursing my daughter at 3 a.m. this morning when terror hit my heart, like an arrow. I sat up in bed, a painful proposition when nursing a 20 pound child. This wasn't a case of indigestion – it was the realization that my August recess was over and Congress is coming back into town.

If the Leadership of the House and Senate are to be believed, we are going to have a very busy fall. Anything that needs to get done in this Congress will have to take place before Members go home for the holidays because most Congresses are not very good at getting anything done in an election year. I am hoping that Pelosi and Reid are a bit more proactive, but usually election year brings about legislation dealing with guns, abortion, gay rights and other polarizing issues. With the race for the White House going full-steam ahead (how many debates have we had?), I have a sneaking suspicion that if an issue isn't done by the time Santa is scheduled to go chimney diving, we are up a creek.

Autumn's sprint will include passing federal spending bills, a potential energy conference, and actions on global warming, pesticides, agriculture, and water. This doesn't even include other important pieces of legislation that Members are planning, like reauthorization of the "No Child Left Behind" bill or even some immigration reform. No matter what actually makes it to the floor, one thing is clear: we are going to be very busy this fall.

So, here is hoping that we can get something done that really moves the ball forward. The clock is ticking.

God's Environment

2007-08-24T18:07:39Z

I have been planning to write this post for weeks but have struggled, procrastinated, and generally tried to avoid any deep thought that this kind of post would demand. That changed last night. I will explain…

If you talk to me for more than a half hour, you will probably hear me talk about my faith. I was blessed to have been brought up in the church so God's presence in my life has been the foundation of my relationships, my marriage, the way I raise my kids – and now, my career. I wish I could tell you that my upbringing has made me perfect. I am far, far from it. There are days when I curse like a sailor and others when I am selfish or self-righteous. Bottom line – don't go to Church to find the perfect. We are all sinners and I personally have to ask God's forgiveness every day (sometimes several times in one day). Despite and because of that imperfection, I believe that God has a purpose for my life and that part of that purpose is taking care of God's creation.

I am not going to lie. There are many of people in my business who do not believe in God and find my faith frustrating, ignorant, and naïve. They do not try to intentionally persecute me and in fact, many come to my office to sincerely try to figure out how I can believe in a God that allows things like Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 or the crisis in Darfur to happen. I tell them that I trust God's plan. I pray for ways to help them come to know God's love. Unfortunately, that just got a little harder.

Everyone knows about the mega-church/evangelical boom that has been taking place across the country. People are pouring into these places where they are finding support, fellowship, and the word of God. As these churches have grown in numbers, so has their stature in the political arena. The increased political activism has made me worry about their choice in priorities.

One such evangelical group that carries a lot of clout is The Family Research Council (FRC). The FRC put out a statement yesterday that called global warming "hype" and stated, "The environment ranked last among the priorities of evangelicals" in a survey done by the George Barna Group . I am not surprised. This group has long warned their faithful flock that stewardship of the environment – and in particular, efforts to slow global warming - will prove detrimental to the economy and families. Are they reading the same Bible that I am reading? One only has to turn to their Bible's here , here , and here to see that the Lord values his creation. So, why don't they get it? Is it false teaching or poor priorities?

Far be it from me to know their motives and I am not going to analyze them here (although a quick Google search reveals that others have). If there is one Bible verse I know, it is Mathew 7:1 – "Judge not, that ye be not judged." That being said, I guess I shouldn't be offended that they rank environmental protection at the bottom of their priorities. The FRC brags that the evangelicals also didn't prioritize the improvement of care and resources devoted to children in the survey despite the fact that Jesus clearly values children ; and they didn't think much about enhancing the lives of the poor and disadvantaged either even though the Bible mentions the poor or those in poverty more than any other subject in the Good Book.

Surveys and press statements like these are what alienate people who are currently non-believers. As someone who spends most of my days with many of those people, I am sympathetic to how they judge Christians. I am not sure how we can relay God's love in a fair way to those people when the principles that we advertise and brag about are less about grace, love and forgiveness and more about judgment and ridicule. Fortunately, there are many faith groups out there (including the one that I belong too) that overwhelmingly support efforts to protect our environment and public health. I have a sneaking suspicion that some members of the evangelical church may even be softening to the idea. Hopefully, their voices will be heard soon. I will continue to walk the path that God has prepared for me but I hope they figure it out – it is getting lonely out here.

Have a good day!

Heather

West Virginia - Flat-top Mountain Mama

2007-08-23T20:35:57Z

I like to start my morning with a little bit of reading from the Washington Post, the New York Times, Roll Call and the Drudge Report. Not only does reading the news give my body time to absorb my coffee before the sprint of each day begins, it helps me figure out what is going on in the world and what to expect from DC.

I am hoping that this morning was just an off day because today's top stories were about a study that confirms that sex exists beyond 50 (TMI), the food-fight like skirmish between Stephen Colbert and British Billionaire, Sir Richard Branson (which was hilarious), and the sad details of a dog-fighting ring run by a pro-athlete (sick). There were other important stories in the news about Iraq and the Utah mines but they didn't necessarily receive top billing. One story that went largely unnoticed was done by John Broder of the New York Times titled, Rule to Expand Mountaintop Coal Mining.

My family is from West Virginia. When I was little, we spent most summers traveling around from church to church with my grandfather, who was a minister in the state. With its lush forests, beautiful shallow streams and genuinely kind-hearted people, it is a lovely place to visit. Unfortunately, that might not last. The Bush Administration is set to finalize a regulation tomorrow that would expand mining operations that literally blast off the top of mountains in a quest to find coal. More of the debris that is left over will be dumped in the nearest waterway where it will no doubt pollute the very water that most drink from. It is unfortunate that West Virginia is ground zero for this practice and its people and environment are going to be on the raw end of the deal.

What is also unfortunate is that the President is using the timing of a national tragedy to boost this new policy. Most people have been watching with hopeful hearts the horrible events that happened at the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah. I think most have said a prayer for those miners who are trapped, their families and the rescue teams that have literally lost life in search for their fallen colleagues. The Administration is quick to point out that mountaintop coal mining is safer and cheaper that the type of mining done in Utah. Maybe it is logistically safer in the short run but it won't be safer in the long run if the land and waterways are destroyed.

West Virginia's state slogan used to be "Wild and Wonderful." Now it is "Open for Business." Although this new policy may be good for business in the short run, it lacks any long term thought. What is going to happen when no one wants to fish in your streams? What happens when the mining operations cease and you are left with even higher unemployment and blighted flat-top mountains? What happens when public health is in danger because there is no clean water to drink due to mining-slurry contaminated wells? West Virginia may still be open for business when this happens, but who is going to want to do business there? Not me.

New Congressional Ethics Rules - Detrimental to the Environment?

2007-08-21T19:40:45Z

Congressional ethics. Let me just start off by saying that I know putting the word "Congress" anywhere near the word "ethics" seems to be a bit of an oxymoron in today's society. But since I have had the pleasure of working for two different, very ethical Members of Congress, I can attest that there are a few good ones working here in Washington. The 110th Congress has recently taken steps to make sure that other, less ethical Members of Congress stay on the right track with new rules.

The new rules contain many new provisions that will ultimately make DC a better place. I think that the biggest improvement is making sure that Members "own" money that they request for projects back home. Gone are the days of Congressmen screaming about bloated federal spending while secretly asking for taxpayers to foot the bill for enormous projects in their backyards. Although unlikely, I am hoping this will get rid of some of the hypocrites in DC, or at least silence them. The new rules also ensure that people can't go straight from the Congressional payroll into a new job where they will lobby their former bosses without any type of "cooling off" period. These types of rules have been needed in DC for years and I applaud the Congressional leadership for putting them in place.

Unfortunately, even with all of this good, there is still a fundamental flaw in the new ethics package — it makes it even harder for nonprofits to compete with the big corporate bad actors. The rules package bans Congressmen and their staff from accepting gifts, travel and meals from lobbyists. On its surface this sounds terrific. You might say, "Yeah, no more golf trips to Scotland for those scumbags!" Unfortunately, I have some news for you — banning a little thing, like lunch, is not going to stop special interest influence. In fact, all it does is lessen the ability of nonprofits to influence the legislative process.

The fat cats on K Street are going to be just fine because they can still donate to the campaign coffers of their favorite public official. Nonprofits are banned from making political donations, so we have often depended on relationships with Congressmen or their staffs to influence the process. The best way to build a relationship is to get someone off of the Hill. When I worked for Congress, most people were lucky to get 15 minutes for a meeting. That is hardly enough time to develop a level of trust or to talk about dramatic policy changes. Lunch, coffee, or even an educational trip not only gets someone away from their blackberry (the Arctic has no cell phone service), it can give people a chance to bond and discuss ways to work together. One of my most valuable Congressional relationships began during a staff trip to a dump in Los Angeles. What we saw at that landfill was important (and stinky), but the professional friendship that we started has been invaluable.

What is more powerful than the all-mighty dollar — especially in DC? If Congress really wants to control special interest influence, it will not only cut out lunches, it will also consider cutting out certain political donations. I never asked either of my former boss' to vote a certain way because of $20 lunch or a trip. I did, however, find out during those lunches who my boss could trust — and believe me, the guys who spent the most didn't always see a return on their investment. These new rules just make the all-mighty campaign dollar even more powerful while the rest of us are stuck begging for just a few minutes of a staffer's time.

NRDC will continue to be one of the most effective organizations out there. It is tough to argue with the facts that we present because our work is based on reality. All we ask for is a level playing field.

Have a good day!

Heather

PS — I want to wish my mom well. She is a public school teacher and today is her first day with 20+ new third-graders in Cincinnati. Her school doesn't have any air conditioner so I am thankful that it is only 77 degrees there and I wish her a good school year.

A Little Lead Paint Won't Hurt Anyone

2007-08-20T17:11:32Z

It is "take our daughter to work" day here at NRDC since my baby-sitter called in sick this morning (thank you for being family-oriented, NRDC). Apologies if there are a few extra characters today in my blog. My daughter is entranced by my computer’s keyboard.

Since I am in mommy-mode today, I thought it was the perfect time to really dive into a subject on the minds of most moms in recent weeks – lead in toys. First off – it is 2007! Why is lead paint anywhere near something that might go into a child’s mouth? Wasn’t most of this stuff outlawed in 1978? Now I come to find out that although technically illegal, a little thing like the law has not stopped the import of toys into our country that have been manufactured using lead paint. Seriously.

So, lately, I have been spending my time sifting through my son’s toys in search of his beloved little Thomas™ trains, worn Elmo™ wubbies, and “Sarge” of the die cast Cars™ series, in search of those that will have to go in the trash because of a series of massive recalls of certain toys made in China. Bitter!!!

Although our country’s playgrounds are abuzz, a few parents haven’t taken these recalls seriously. In fact, a friend of mine who is a mom of two said, “A little lead won’t hurt anyone.” As soon as the words burst from her mouth, I went from an ally – fellow mom, professional, one who understands the challenges of life – to the enemy – statistic reciter, know-it-all, peer pressurer – as I told her that lead causes nervous system damage, hearing loss, stunted growth, reduced IQ, and delayed development. It can cause kidney damage and affects every organ system of the body. It also is dangerous to adults, and can cause reproductive problems in adult men. She laughed at that last one and threatened to slip some lead chips in her husband’s coffee – no more kids for that couple!

Regardless of that mom’s view, we have to take these recalls seriously. First and foremost, take those toys away from your kids. I know it stinks. I personally live in fear of a day when the Consumer Specialty Products Safety Commission recalls “Lightening McQueen” Cars™, but a little lead paint can have a dramatic impact on your child’s well-being. Next, make sure that your public officials and those folks who manufacture these toys – I am looking at you Mattel – know that this situation is unacceptable. Finally, become more generally informed about how you can protect your family. Babycenter.com just put out a great article about toy recalls and steps you can take to keep your kids safe. We have to be informed so we can be good parents AND good consumers.

Well, I should get back to work. Elia is asleep so I should probably try to get something done. Hopefully, they won’t recall my baby sling next or I am going to have a really long day.

Have a good week!
Heather

Why I Do What I Do

2007-08-16T20:19:37Z

Late last month, Grist published an article titled, Women Are From Earth, Men Are From Terra Firma by Kira Gould and Lance Hosey. Basically, this exceptional article drew the conclusion that the environmental movement is moving in a more masculine direction. By and large, the greenies are talking about "energy independence" and trying to support the CIA's characterization of the environment as "the national-security issue of the early 21st century" and "the core foreign-policy challenge from which most others will ultimately emanate." These messages bring up strong images in my mind of battle-worn soldiers in military fatigues and men in navy-blue power suits sitting around a table. I can almost smell the testosterone dripping from the words when they come out of someone's mouth. Trying to frame the environment with more of a security focus in a post-9/11 world has, for good or for bad, gotten this issue on the front pages and will ultimately elevate policies concerning the environment to a new level – but at what cost?

The article pondered whether this shift in messaging and focus would alienate women – you know, the ones who tend to actually vote and buy with a pro-environmental agenda. Women tend to care about this issue because we usually want everyone to be happy. It is simple – healthy kids make people happy (quiet kids also make people happy, but that is another blog). Cancer clusters and environmental injustice usually enrage our internal "Mother Bear" instincts and that rage influences my money, my time, where I live – and how I vote.

The article got me wondering – how do I feel about the new Rambo focused message of our movement? And that got me to the next step – why do I spend everyday working to protect the environment?

Here is why – I still remember my first day of school many years ago at Cooper Elementary in Ashland, KY. I wore a purple jumper with a plaid shirt. My hair was shoulder length and my bangs were curled under with so much hairspray on them, I don't think that my entire head of hair moved all day. Although not cool by today's standards, I was definitely a fashionista for the time period. I was so excited. My mom gave all of us the gift of staying home with us while we were little so 1st grade was my first experience going to a new place by myself for an entire day.

When it came time for recess on that first day, I didn't think much about the trailer in the field behind the school that had what looked to be "Number 5" type of robots on the roof. I also didn't think a lot about the huge, mountainesque tanks owned by Ashland Oil that were down the hill from the playground. I especially didn't think about the little white spots on all of the cars in the area. I saw more than a few cars that had "WASH ME" written on the trunk, so I just thought it was dirt. All I wanted to do that first day of school was get to the swings before the second-graders.

Flash forward a few years and the air monitoring trailer in the field became a fixture in our kick-ball games. It was an automatic homerun if you hit the station when you were up to "bat". I am sure the operators just loved us and our plastic ball. The PTA of the school was starting to ask questions about how the kids were being impacted by the dirty air being produced by Ashland Oil. I remember sitting in the back of the school gymnasium coloring a picture of Scooby-Doo as the parents discussed what to do about our school. Eventually, it closed down because of the pollution and its impacts on our health. When people ask me why I do what I do, I have many reasons but this experience was one of my original inspirations.

Ultimately, I don't care how we message protection of the environment and public health. I just want us to make sure that the message gets us on the agenda for our government. If we have to be more masculine and adopt a muscle-headed Rambo, Conan the Barbarian, and Underdog as our mascots, terrific – as long as I get a bobble head. The point is that I hope people who are currently in the movement hold onto their own stories because that is where we will all find our passion, regardless of whether our message is girlie or a little butch.

Have a great day!

Heather

A Week with the Family -- the ENTIRE Family

2007-08-15T17:39:33Z

My family is a pretty normal one. We have our good times and we have our bad times. So, when my mom and I started talking about taking a vacation with the ENTIRE family, I thought this is going to either be the best vacation or the worst vacation ever.

Our family agreed to meet in Deep Creek Lake in McHenry, MD, near Wisp Resort. My husband and I honeymooned there almost 10 years ago (man, I am getting old) and we always wanted to go back. This gave us the perfect opportunity.

So, we loaded up the kids and traveled up to meet my mom, step-dad, sister, brother, sister-in-law and their three active boys for a stay in a house without an air-conditioner. The baby was oblivious but my poor 4 year-old son is a bonified city-kid. He feels at home in a museum or going to a show. He can fly a kite on the National Mall or is a pro at riding the metro. Nature is something entirely new to him.

RECOGNIZED TANGENT: I know what you are thinking – “Heather, you are an environmentalist. How can you not take your child to the woods?” My answer – I am deathly, tragically, miserably afraid of snakes. I am talking so afraid that I used to tuck the edges of my covers under my body when I went to bed each night for fear that a snake would somehow find its way into my room. To this day, I don’t go into a reptile house at the zoo and don’t even get me started on those crazy people who allow their kids to have snakes as pets. So, no, I don’t generally go into the woods. Anyway, I digress…

My son doesn’t necessarily feel comfortable in the woods and here he was in the middle of a beautiful state forest with my brother’s boys, who spend most of their days outside. At first, he was skeptical. The first morning we were there, he took the Spiderman fishing pole that his Grandfather gave him and pretended to fish over the edge of the porch. He had no interest in going to the river to find real fish. He was perfectly content to stay dry and catch his fake, red, plastic fish. Now, I am sure that my colleagues who are working so hard to promote sustainable fishing practices would love for more people settle for skipping the water, sitting on their porch and pretending to fish, but my nephews had different ideas for my little boy. We were going near the water whether he liked it or not.

As the week progressed with boating, swimming, light hiking and wading in the river, I watched as my son went from a city slicker to a child that truly enjoyed being outdoors. I had a “eureka” moment when I suddenly understood what I had been preaching for all of these years – all things, all people are connected. Even though my son hasn’t grown up climbing trees or swimming in ponds to this point, loving nature is part of his natural being.

What could’ve been a week of disasters turned out to be one of the best I have ever had. Not only did we get to enjoy our ENTIRE family in paradise, we got to witness the transformation of a kid to what he always was – someone who loved the gifts of the outdoors. I hope that love stays with him forever.

Have a great day!
Heather

Working with the Enemy

2007-08-14T15:42:06Z

Ahhhh. It is August, and in Washington, that means that you can literally see stress roll off of people as they decompress from the marathon that is the 110th Congress. People smile more, they forgo power lunches in favor of sitting with an old friend to catch up, and Washingtonians even go so far as to try to meet with their usual enemies to find common ground (or at least find some good coffee).

I pride myself in being one of those lobbyists who likes to work with unlikely allies, hence forward know as the “black hats”. During my time on Capitol Hill and now at NRDC, my greatest successes have come by looking for situations where everyone wins and sitting down with those people who I wonder how they sleep at night. During the last days before August recess, one such victory came with the Senate passage of the Pesticides Registration Improvement Act reauthorization. Negotiated by those who manufacture pesticides and NRDC, this bill will help protect public health and the environment, is taxpayer friendly, and even benefits the industry by helping them get safe products to market in a more predictable timeframe. I am sure I will write more about this bill when it goes to the President for his signature but for now, I would say that we are in a great place with this bill and the reason we are in such a good place is because of the cooperation of our coalition of strange bedfellows.

So, I was feeling positive about our work with the black hats…. that is until I went to lunch with one of my industry “allies” to talk about other areas where we might work together. I expected a nice meeting where we discussed our vacations and our elation that Congress was gone for a few weeks. Unfortunately, when the topic turned to business, my lunch companion explained how many in the industry think of the “young environmental movement.”

He said – and I am paraphrasing here – “you have to understand, Heather, we are like the parents and as parents, we usually have to say no to our children for their own good and the environmentalists are the children.” He kept talking after this comment, but I was so astonished by his statement that I admittedly didn’t hear much else.

After my blood pressure normalized and I got over being offended by his patronizing explanation, I realized that if we are to build on the success of the environmental movement, we have to look at this analogy and reflect.

So, I now reflect –

Are we children? No. Although the youth of America and beyond do tend to be more environmentally aware and enthusiastic about protecting the world around them, our movement is diverse in age, race and culture. Furthermore, our objective is anything but childish. What could be more adult than sacrifice and trying to get business to operate in a responsible manner that helps sustain and lift up communities and special places. It is, in fact, childish to think that one’s bad actions should be blanketly excused because of the almighty dollar. Jobs and development are important, but we can achieve those goals while protecting public health and the environment. Children are short-sighted as they fail to look beyond the next holiday or play date. As adults we must have a long-term vision that considers more than just our pocketbooks.

Next question - are they the proverbial parent? No. This particular organization represents America’s original businesses so that does make them old – but does that age make them responsible enough to be a parent? As Moms and Dads, we have to make hard decisions. Just the other day, my 4 year old son asked to stay in the hot car as I ran into a store. I told him no. I could’ve gotten my errands done in a faster and easier manner if I had said yes, but in the long run it would have put him in danger. Now, this wasn’t a tough decision for me but it does illustrate that as parents, it isn’t always about us or about right now. We have to consider what is best for all. If this organization and the industries they represent are really the parents, they are neglectful at best and I personally would like to ask for emancipation.

So, I think his analogy was off base but it does give us a look into the mind of our opponents. If we want to become more efficient and effective, we must remind the black hats that the story always ends with the person in the WHITE hat riding off into the sunset.

Have a great day!

Heather