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1) Parks and Wildlife Funding Bill (CARA) Passes
Overwhelmingly in Congress 1. Parks and Wildlife Funding Bill (CARA) Passes Overwhelmingly in Congress - In overwhelming fashion and in a rare display of bipartisanship, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) H.R. 701 passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 315 to 102. The bill is now on its way to the U.S. Senate. If passed in its present form, the state of Alabama would receive more than $54 million a year for parks, recreation, historic preservation, wildlife, land acquisition, and conservation programs. Alabama Representatives Spencer Bachus (R), Sonny Callahan (R), Bud Cramer (D), Earl Hilliard (D) and Bob Riley (R) each cosponsored and voted for final passage. In a disappointing move, despite their cosponsorship of CARA (HR -701), Representatives Robert Aderholt (R) and Terry Everett (R) broke their promises and voted against the bill. This was a historic vote that crossed party lines. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate. If you would like to express your support for parks and wildlife to Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at: 202-224-3121. 2. State Parks and Scenic Byway Bills Pass the Alabama Legislature - Along with the historic vote in Congress yesterday (May 11), the Alabama Legislature passed two major pieces of environmental legislation. By unanimous votes the legislature passed State Park and Scenic Byway legislation. The State Park bill (HB-410) which passed 100-0, sets up the governmental entity needed to sell the bonds for renovation of the parks. HB-876, the bill which makes the tax cap permanent (the way we are going to pay for the bonds) is expected to pass on Monday. Either way, (they will fund through the tax cap whether or not the bill is passed) with the passage of HB-410 through the Alabama legislature, all that awaits making the State Parks Bond bill a law is Governor Don Siegelman's signature. Siegelman, a supporter of the State Parks legislation, is expected to sign the bill. In another triumph, through the leadership of Sen. Wendell Mitchell and Rep. Jack Venable, Alabama will become the 44th state in the nation to establish a system for designating Scenic Byways. The bill, which passed the Alabama Senate 35-0 was pushed by the Alabama League of Environmental Action Voters (AlaLeavs), Scenic Alabama, Mobile Bay Watch and numerous environmental and preservation groups throughout the state. 3. Alabama Industries Released 147.9 Million Pounds of Toxics in 1998 - This week the Environmental Protection Agency released its annual state by state report on toxic emissions. The report which is called the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), is an annual report of toxic pollution that is released into the air, water and land. In 1998, the earliest the report can be released, Alabama industries reported 147.9 million pounds in emissions. Here is a breakdown of the releases in categories. Manufacturers - 88.6 million pounds; electric utilities - 46.1 million pounds; solvent recovery facilities - 12.2 million pounds; coal mining - 1 million pounds; chemical wholesalers - 25,916 pounds; and petroleum bulk terminals - 9,530 pounds. Nationally, industries released 7.3 billion pounds of toxic pollution into the environment in 1998. For more in-depth information, you can access the national TRI report by visiting the EPA website at: http://www.epa.gov/tri 4. Upcoming Events and an Announcements - Like always, the events and announcements keep coming to the BEN home office. Please check them out! National Wildflower Week Declared By Governor - Did you know that Alabama has 22 endemic plant species found no where else in the world? Something to think about this week, while we celebrate National Wildflower Week (May 7- 13) in the state of Alabama. Thanks to the Governor's declaration, perhaps we can stop for a minute and celebrate our biodiversity and admire the beauty of the plants and flowers that touch our lives. Hiking Giant Coming to Birmingham - The Cahaba Group of the
Sierra Club is proud to have Eb Eberhart (trailname - Nimblewill
Nomad) coming to speak to the group on Tuesday, May 16th at 7:30
at the Birmingham Zoo. In 1998, Nomad Sipsey River Swamp Lovers - Come explore with Discovering Alabama's Dr. Doug Phillips, one of Forever Wild's newest purchases - the Sipsey River Swamp. Alabama Public Television will be airing this new show May 28 at 7:30 and May 30 at 6:00. AWF's Governors Awards - The Alabama Wildlife Federation is seeking nominations for its annual Governor Conservation Achievement Awards. The deadline is June 9th. A nomination packet can be obtained by calling 1-800-822-9453 Please share BEN with friends and fellow conservationists. If you have any questions or comments about this publication, contact Pat Byington, the author and publisher of BEN at 205-226-7739 or pkbyington@aol.com We also encourage readers to visit our website at : http://www.BamaNews.com |
