Contact: Heather Cusick, 612-659-9124
New Sierra Club "Communities at Risk" Report Brings Home the Impact of the Bush Administration's Environmental Policies
Find a copy of the report at: http://www.sierraclub.org/communities/mn/
Minneapolis — On July 12th, Minnesota's Sierra Club North Star Chapter released "Minnesota Communities at Risk," a new report that highlights the experiences of ordinary Minnesota citizens who are finding their quality of life degraded and threatened by Bush administration policies. The report offers more than the usual generic recitation of facts and statistics on risks to the environment.
Subtitled "How Bush Administration Policies Harm Minnesota Communities", the report's personal accounts are interwoven with an explanation of the policies that are taking their toll on citizens' health and well-being, such as the Bush administration's weakening of laws and regulations protecting clean air, clean water, and wildlife habitat. The report states: "the Bush administration's undermining of our environmental protections leaves the people of Minnesota exposed and vulnerable." "Few people are making the connection between the actions of the Bush administration and their impact on our local communities, because Washington and its policies seem so far away from the daily lives of people here," says Heather Cusick, conservation director for the Chapter. "But we hope to change that perception by actively getting this report out to Minnesota households."
Sue Aiken, a licensed Minneapolis school nurse featured in the report, sees the effects of polluted air in increased cases of asthma, which disrupt the school day for many students and are a prime cause of absenteeism. According to the report: "asthma prevalence among students in the Minneapolis Public School system is greater than 11 percent, considerably higher than the national average of 7.5%."
Many Minnesota mothers like Laurel Crewe Cibik, also featured in the report, won't risk feeding locally caught fish to their families for fear of mercury poisoning. More than three million acres of lakes and more than four thousand miles of rivers in Minnesota are contaminated with mercury according to a report produced by the United States Public Interest Research Group. Despite proven ill effects of mercury on the brain development of children and fetuses, the Bush administration has proposed a plan which will allow for increased coal-fired power plant emissions, a major source of mercury pollution.
Hunting is a popular, and threatened, Minnesota activity, as noted by report participant Ken Little, an avid hunter from Detroit Lakes who finds it ironic that so many Minnesota duck hunters must travel to the Dakotas where seasonal wetlands still thrive. The loss of our wetlands will be accelerated by new Bush administration rules that lift protection from so-called "isolated" wetlands, those that seem not to be connected to larger bodies of water. But Little and other hunters know that these wetlands are invaluable for migrating waterfowl. Loss of habitat not only means less enjoyment for hunters, but could impact revenue from hunters who are forced to leave the state to pursue their hobby.
"The report points out that cleaner air can be regained by enforcement of the Clean Air Act; mercury emissions can be reduced with known technologies; we can protect our remaining national forests; and we can protect our wetlands," concludes Cusick. "The Sierra Club North Star Chapter believes that making people conscious of the connections between Minnesotans and Bush administration policies will enable them to push back against these destructive and damaging policies."
The North Star Chapter is having a series of report release event, getting as many copies into the hands of community members as soon as possible. Check out our calendar for an event coming up near you, or contact us at 612-659-9124 or if you would like to help distribute the reports!