14 Jan 1998 Relief Report #59: January 14, 1998

Momentum Builds Against Kempthorne/Babbitt/Chafee Endangered Species Act Reauthorization BillOpposition to the Endangered Species Recovery Act (S. 1180), an Endangered Species Act reauthorization bill worked out in negotiations between Senator Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID), Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt, Senator John Chafee (R-RI) and others, is building momentum as three influential state Farm Bureau federations have come out against the bill in recent months. The three are the California, Florida and Washington state Farm Bureaus. “We firmly believe that the Kempthorne bill does nothing to help our farmers or ranchers or the rural communities that currently bear the brunt of the ESA,” wrote Steve Appel, President of the Washington State Farm Bureau. “Our members have worked long and hard to achieve reform of the Endangered Species Act, however this bill makes the Act even a less fair and open process than it is today.” Among the key weaknesses of S. 1180: 1) It does not provide compensation to landowners for property value losses resulting from implementation of the ESA; 2) It exempts biological information from the Freedom of Information Act, thereby preventing challenges to such data; 3) It gives the Fish and Wildlife Service greater power to make decisions unilaterally; and 4) It retains definition of “harm” to include habitat modification. For more information, contact David Ridenour of The National Center for Public Policy Research @ (202) 507-6398.

It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity: Analysis Finds Bad Policies, Not Global Warming, to Blame for Tropical DiseasesA Brief Analysis issued by the Dallas, Texas-based National Center for Policy Analysis finds that the spread of such tropical diseases as malaria, cholera and dengue fever has more to do with bad government policies than global warming. The Brief Analysis, “Sick Argument: Global Warming and the Spread of Tropical Diseases,” notes that Peru had been cholera-free for decades until 1991, when Peruvian officials took the advice of the U.S. EPA and ended water chlorination. More than 300,000 Peruvians contracted cholera the following year. The paper also notes that malaria was fairly widespread in the United States earlier this century when the temperatures were presumably cooler, with more than 120,000 cases in 1934. For more, contact Sterling Burnett at The National Center for Policy Analysis at 972/386-6272 or visit their website at www.ncpa.org.

The Myth of Scientific Consensus on Global WarmingForget what you’ve read in the press or watched on television: There is no scientific consensus on global warming. A survey of over 400 German, American and Canadian climate researchers conducted by Dennis Bray of the Meteorologisches Institut der Unversitat Hamburg and Hans von Storch of GKSS Forschungszentrum found that 67% of the researchers either disagreed or were uncertain about the proposition that climate change will occur so suddenly that a lack of preparation would devastate certain parts of the world — the underlying assumption of the Kyoto treaty. Close to half of the researchers — 48% — indicated that they don’t have faith in the forecasts of global climate models. For more information, obtain a copy of National Policy Analysis paper No. 177 by calling Mike Quickel at The National Center for Public Policy Research, (202) 507-6398, or by visiting our website at www.nationalcenter.org/NPA177.html.

Oh, the Hypocrisy of it AllEnvironmental activists who went to the Kyoto global warming conference to lobby for sharp curbs on fuel use burned up a lot of fuel to do so. An activist travelling from New York to Kyoto, for example, would have been responsible for burning 299 gallons of jet fuel, assuming he/she travelled by DC-10-30. Oh, the hypocrisy of it all.

New Releases from The National Center for Public Policy Research
National Policy Analysis Papers

• Myth of Scientific Consensus on Global Warming. Quick-read, two-page paper showing that scientific consensus on global warming has not been reached. The paper cites numerous surveys of climate researchers, including one conducted by German researchers.
• A Real Life “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Quick-read two-page paper telling the regulatory horror story of a New York couple faced with the prospect of jail time over the Christmas holidays for a crime they didn’t commit.

Talking Points Cards

Talking Points on the Environment cards are concise, media-friendly, pocket-sized cards covering environmental issues ranging from global warming to Superfund to wetlands issues. Just-released editions include:

• We Have But One Thing to Fear: Fear Itself — Parts I and II. Cards detail five unfounded public health scares over the past several decades, based on a study by the American Council on Science and Health.

Special Publications

• Kyoto Earth Summit Information Center “Earth Summit Fact Sheet.” Three-page quick reference fact sheet on everything you need to know about global warming, including the global temperature predictions; satellite, weather balloon, and ground temperature measurements; economic forecasts; history of climate negotiations; and more. Also published were eight “Kyoto Daily Bulletins” published each day of the Kyoto Global Warming confrence based on information from our on-site correspendent in Kyoto.
• Ten Dumbest Things Environmentalists Did in 1997. Description of ten of the dumbest actions and statements made by environmentalists during 1997, compiled by The National Center’s Environmental Policy Task Force. Published in Scoop #182.