The House removed these clauses, but they remained in the Senate version of last year’s bill. The House bill has gone to the floor – the Senate Bill has not. Now is the time to ask the Senate Committee to delete these clauses. If they get to the floor we will have to fight them there, or later in conference. We have the best chance NOW.

Because there isn’t much time and our resources are limited, the plan of action is as follows. Three to six good people from each of the States of the committee members are needed to fax letters of concern ASAP to their Senator and the E&PW Committee. A list of Senators and faxes is attached. This is not a blast campaign, but one of targeted, limited communication with the Senators and their staffers. At this stage, we just want to inform them of the disaster to road construction that these clauses would bring.

In conjunction with this plan of action, we will later be asking folks who live in all States to contact their Senators/staff. The message for these folks will be more forceful and should create a buzz in the Senate. This creates a parallel universe and the two should merge in the halls of Congress if we get enough activism.

Below please find: 1) Action Alert; 2) Talking Points; and 3) Senate contact information. PLEASE email immediately to the 3 - 6 dependable people you know in the targeted states.

ACTION ALERT

Keep Invasive Species, EIS and NEPA Out of the Highway Bill

Please Fax your Senator ASAP

We’re asking just a few people in each state of a Senator on the Environment and Public Works, Transportation Subcommittee, to alert their Senators to the terrible unintended consequences of letting certain environmental sections stay in the bill.

Here’s why!

The highway bill died in House-Senate conference last year and is up for speedy passage right now. The House version is great. The Senate version has invasive species and broad new environmental impact and mitigation requirements that will hinder road construction, add huge expenses and give nationwide environmental organizations enormous power over all State highway projects. See talking points below.

The best place to get these new mandates removed is in the Transportation Subcommittee, where the staff of each member Senator goes over the bill before it is “marked up” by that committee. Your immediate faxes to your Senator will alert him and his staff to the dangers in these sections. Constituent objections sent to all the members have the best chance to prod them to delete the sections. If we don’t prevail in markup, we’ll have a floor fight and later a conference fight.

Please Help now. Fax a letter without delay. The bill is headed for immediate markup. If you personally know your Senator or his staffer, all the better. Email the staffer a note and attach your letter to it, in addition to sending the fax. Be sure also to fax the Senate E&PW Committee Majority. This means one short letter sent 2 places: 1) your Senator, 2) E&PW Committee Majority.

The letter can be short, just pick a couple of the talking points below.

All many thanks for helping!

Below are the talking points and the Senators’ fax numbers.

Your help will make a big difference!

Talking Points for Deleting Invasive Species, NEPA and EIS Requirements

from the

2005 Senate Highway Bill based on Last Year’s Bill

· The bill requires the State DOT’s to conform to new environmental assessments to receive Federal highway funding. Costs and delays will sky rocket.

· The House saw the dangers and removed the clauses from its version and the Senate should do likewise.

· Section 166 of last year’s version provides for dangerous and wasteful native and “Invasive Species” inventories, mitigation and restoration of native ecosystems.

· Effective nonnative species used for erosion control will be replaced by native plants that do not measure up to the task, are often much more costly to establish, and require perpetual maintenance.

· Subtitle E injects environmental issues into State and Local planning to include habitat protection, wetlands and “Invasive Species” mitigation.

· Subtitle E, Section 326 of last year’s bill contains ten pages of new EIS and NEPA requirements for project development processes.

· Subtitle F dictates control of “Invasive Species” and establishment of native species.

· “Invasive Species” has no meaningful definition, is in reality a natives-only agenda, and must not be codified into US law via the new highway bill or other legislation. Why ask for ESA reform only to introduce a new, back-door weapon with the same intent: control over all property owners.

· EIS, NEPA and “Invasive Species” requirements are an open door for litigation against highway projects similar to citizen suits under the ESA and Clean Water Act. Needed road construction will be delayed and even paralyzed. Imagine the long-range effect on military highways or new highways for border control.

· REMOVE ALL NEW ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS IN THE SENATE VERSION INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THOSE FOUND IN LAST YEAR’S BILL SECTIONS 1501, 1505, 1511, 1601, 3005, 3006 AND AMENDMENTS ‘Sec 166 and ‘Sec 326.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

email URL: http://epw.senate.gov/contact.htm

Majority - DC Phone 202-224-6176 DC Fax: 202-224-5167

Senators Inhoff (Fax: 202-228-0380) and Jeffords are ex officio members of all sub-coms

Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Christopher S. Bond, Missouri, Chairman Phone: 202-224-5721 Fax: 202-224-8149

John W. Warner, Virginia Phone: 202-224-2023 Fax: 202-224-6295

George V. Voinovich, Ohio Phone: 202-224-3353 Fax: 202-228-1382

Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island Phone: 202-224-2921 Fax: 202-228-2853

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska AK toll free: 877-829-6030 Fax: 202-224-5301

John Thune, South Dakota Phone: 202-224-2321 Fax: 202-228-5429

Minority – DC Phone 202-224-8832 DC Fax: 202-224-1273

Max Baucus, Montana Phone: 202-224-2651 Fax: 202-224-4700

Joseph I. Lieberman, Connecticut Phone: 202-224-4041 Fax: 202-224-9750

Barbara Boxer, California

Thomas R. Carper, Delaware Phone: 202-224-2441 Fax: 202-228-2190

Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York