>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Date: Sat, 29 Jun 1996 13:39:30 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Western Ancient Forest Campaign <wafcdc at igc.apc.org>
>Subject: Re: To: Oregon and Washington Activists
>To: Recipients of conference <mlist.wafcdc at conf.igc.apc.org>
>
>To: Oregon and Washington activists
>From: Jim Jontz
>Date: June 24, 1996
>
> A NEW PHASE OF THE RIDER REPEAL CAMPAIGN
>
>Wow! We came so close to winning the big vote(s) last week.
>This would be a poor time to quit. Let me share a few thoughts
>about where we are and where we are going.
>
>PRESSURE ON CLINTON
>
>It is to the credit of Northwest activists that every Democrat in the
>Northwest (McDermott, Dicks, Blumenauer, Furse, DeFazio, and
>Williams of Montana) voted for the Furse amendment to stop the
>rider. Obviously we want to thank all of them, especially Rep.
>Furse whose determination has been incredible. I know it took a
>great deal of work, particularly, to keep Dicks in line. In fact, out
>of 38 Western Democrats in the House overall, 35 of them voted to
>repeal the rider.
>
>This is an opportunity to put significant pressure on the White
>House to help us find the other votes in the House to stop the
>rider, to lobby in the Senate to stop the rider, and to cancel bad
>sales.
>
>The White House did nothing to help us with the vote on Furse.
>There were 33 Democrats from outside the West who voted the
>wrong way! These include Democrats in Pennsylvania, Texas,
>Michigan, West Virginia, Illinois and North Dakota (for example)
>who the White House could have lobbied and converted. I have no
>doubts that if the President would have sent a note to all of the
>House Democrats telling them that the vote on the Furse
>amendment was important to him, we would have won by a dozen
>votes.
>
>We must communicate to the White House that they have let us
>down. We must insist that they do their share. We should be
>angry about this, because the President could have helped us win
>this vote but did not. Just the week before, we had delegations of
>Western activists (during our lobby week) visit Katie McGinty, Ray
>Martinez of the White House political office, and Ag Secretary Dan
>Glickman delivering a letter asking for the President's public support
>for the Furse bill. They did nothing in response.
>
>PRESSURE ON REPUBLICANS
>
>The other side of the coin is that we received no help from Western
>Republicans, other than Campbell, Horn, and Bilbray in CA. I hope
>they didn't beleive that because of the 9th Circuit decision, the
>controversy over "Logging Without Laws" is over. It is important
>that we make the votes of these Republicans very visible, and keep
>the pressure on to make them personally accountable for all Clearcut
>Rider sales in the Northwest.
>
>THE KENNEDY AMENDMENT
>
>Regrettably, we did not have Democratic solidarity on the Kennedy
>amendment to cut $50 million for timber roads in National Forest
>roadless areas. As you may know, there were actually two votes
>on Kennedy: the first we won 211-210; the second (the one that
>counted) we lost, 211-211.
>
>Dicks voted against us both times, in fact he spoke against us.
>DeFazio voted against us both times. Blumenauer switched his
>voted for correct ("yes") the first time, to incorrect ("no") the second
>time. Thus, Portland's representative essentially was responsible for
>the defeat of the Kennedy amendment. (To be fair, there were a
>number of Representatives who switched both ways but nonetheless
>if Blumenauer would have stuck to his original position, the
>Kennedy amendment would have passed).
>
>This is not good. What kind of roadless areas do Dicks, DeFazio,
>and Blumenauer want to build roads in to, anyway? Are they
>roadless areas in Oregon and Washington? Or are they going after
>our National Forest roadless areas in Montana and Idaho?
>
>THE SENATE and THE HOUSE, PART II
>
>What about the idea of a similar amendment cutting funds off for
>the rider sales on the Interior Appropriations bill when it goes to
>the Senate side? What do you think -- would Senator Wyden and
>Murray support, or offer, such an amendment?
>
>We are also looking for the opportunity to get a second vote on
>rider repeal on the House side. What vehicle might provide that
>opportunity isn't clear at this moment, but we believe other vehicles
>will present themselves.
>
>WHAT'S AT RISK?
>
>Thanks to everyone who has helped us put together our "audits" on
>what forests are (still) at risk in WA and OR from the Timber
>Clearcut Rider. We have published the Washington audit, covering
>14 sales. The Oregon audit will be out soon. Please let us know if
>we need to make corrections or additions; also, please use these in
>any way you think is appropriate. We must let the media, opinion
>leaders, political decision makers, and the public at large know how
>much is still at risk from the rider, and why it is so urgent the
>rider be repealled.
>
>JESSICA HAMILTON
>
>Things have been happening so quickly -- our new Western
>organizer, Jessica Hamilton -- is starting her third week of work
>today and I still have not put a memo out to introduce her. Jessica
>is a Green Corps graduate organizer who was recently with the
>Columbia River Basin Institute. She organized the citizens in
>Pendleton who filed suit against Gordon Smith. She is now
>working in Portland at our office there (housed at ONRC). Reach
>her at (503)978-9454. Jessica is there to be of service to you so
>don't hesitate to call.
>

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416