Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1998 Colleagues: Just a few suggested thoughts for today's Alert: Nice going, folks! There was a tremendous outpouring of opposition from all of you to Senate offices and the White House yesterday, opposing the latest ploy to pass the anti-ESA Kempthorne bill, --the "Sneak Rider Attack". Many key Senate offices were flooded with calls, the press picked it up, and the furor provoked a fierce internal debate inside the White House itself, over whether or not to rein in Bruce Babbitt's unseemly haste to try to jump on the Republican's Rider bandwagon. Bottom line: as of this morning, the "Kempthorne Sneak Rider" is still scheduled to be offered for a Senate vote this afternoon (EST), but without an official statement of support from the White House. However, all this may fall apart, the Rider Attack may be pulled from consideration--as a Rider. That would be good news, but it's not the end of this saga, unfortunately. The information we have is that, if the Rider Attack fails, the anti-ESA forces, lead by Sens. Kempthorne and Trent Lott may then attempt to obtain a "time agreement" from Democratic Senators, to permit a vote on the whole thing (S 1180) as a free-standing bill. No way! We cannot permit this, either. So what do we need to do? Keep pouring it on! If you've already made your calls--please make them again: to your senators, demanding a NO vote on S. 1180, in whatever form it takes...and to the White House, saying "how can you possibly support this outrageous and contriversial bill that is opposed by EVERY environmental group, religious organization, and scientists?" Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott should get a call too, since he is the one who has permitted this Sneak Rider to be offered in the first place, and because he apparently wants to add some language that would weaken the ESA even further. He needs to hear that we oppose this method of back-door legislating. These are dangerous times, and we can expect that everything we care about will continue to be on the line until Congress finally goes home. It's too bad that we have to keep rallying over and over again--but that's what it's going to take to win now: endless pressure, endlessly applied. The stakes--a strong ESA,intact, not gutted, are worth it, aren't they? We've been winning our battle to save the ESA all year, and thanks to your calls we won another victory yesterday. Keep going, keep it up, keep driving them now, just a few weeks longer. Senate office general number: (202) 224-3121 Senate majority Leader Trent Lott: (202) 224-6253 White House (Ron Klain, Gore Chief of Staff--best bet): (202) 456-6605) Brock Evans, Campaign Manager The Endangered Species Coalition 1101 14th St. NW, Suite 1400 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 682-9400 phone (202) 682-1331 fax
-- BEGIN included message
- Subject: Words from Brock
- From: Melissa Metcalfe <assilem@mindspring.com>
- Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 14:35:38 -0400
- References: <101F4E18D4@defender.defenders.org>
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1998 Colleagues: Just a few suggested thoughts for today's Alert: Nice going, folks! There was a tremendous outpouring of opposition from all of you to Senate offices and the White House yesterday, opposing the latest ploy to pass the anti-ESA Kempthorne bill, --the "Sneak Rider Attack". Many key Senate offices were flooded with calls, the press picked it up, and the furor provoked a fierce internal debate inside the White House itself, over whether or not to rein in Bruce Babbitt's unseemly haste to try to jump on the Republican's Rider bandwagon. Bottom line: as of this morning, the "Kempthorne Sneak Rider" is still scheduled to be offered for a Senate vote this afternoon (EST), but without an official statement of support from the White House. However, all this may fall apart, the Rider Attack may be pulled from consideration--as a Rider. That would be good news, but it's not the end of this saga, unfortunately. The information we have is that, if the Rider Attack fails, the anti-ESA forces, lead by Sens. Kempthorne and Trent Lott may then attempt to obtain a "time agreement" from Democratic Senators, to permit a vote on the whole thing (S 1180) as a free-standing bill. No way! We cannot permit this, either. So what do we need to do? Keep pouring it on! If you've already made your calls--please make them again: to your senators, demanding a NO vote on S. 1180, in whatever form it takes...and to the White House, saying "how can you possibly support this outrageous and contriversial bill that is opposed by EVERY environmental group, religious organization, and scientists?" Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott should get a call too, since he is the one who has permitted this Sneak Rider to be offered in the first place, and because he apparently wants to add some language that would weaken the ESA even further. He needs to hear that we oppose this method of back-door legislating. These are dangerous times, and we can expect that everything we care about will continue to be on the line until Congress finally goes home. It's too bad that we have to keep rallying over and over again--but that's what it's going to take to win now: endless pressure, endlessly applied. The stakes--a strong ESA,intact, not gutted, are worth it, aren't they? We've been winning our battle to save the ESA all year, and thanks to your calls we won another victory yesterday. Keep going, keep it up, keep driving them now, just a few weeks longer. Senate office general number: (202) 224-3121 Senate majority Leader Trent Lott: (202) 224-6253 White House (Ron Klain, Gore Chief of Staff--best bet): (202) 456-6605) Brock Evans, Campaign Manager The Endangered Species Coalition 1101 14th St. NW, Suite 1400 Washington, DC 20005 (202) 682-9400 phone (202) 682-1331 fax
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