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<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">ACTION ALERT: Act NOW to Save the
Endangered Species Act<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Immediate Action Needed:
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The Obama Administration has until
May 11 to reverse last-minute Bush era regulations changes that weaken the
Endangered Species Act. Write or call Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
today and demand that he restore the Endangered Species Act to its full
strength.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Call Secretary Salazar at
202/208-3100 during business hours. Send an e-mail letter (see a sample letter
below) to feedback@ios.doi.gov. Send a printed letter to <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Secretary Ken
Salazar<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Department of the
Interior<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><st1:Street><st1:address><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">1849 C Street,
N.W.</SPAN></st1:address></st1:Street><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><st1:place><st1:City><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Washington</SPAN></st1:City><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN><st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">DC</SPAN></st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN><st1:PostalCode><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">20240</SPAN></st1:PostalCode></st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Sample
letter<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-tab-count: 8">
</SPAN>Your Name and address<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The Honorable Ken Salazar,
Secretary<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">U.S.</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Department of the
Interior<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><st1:Street><st1:address><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">1849 C Street,
N.W.</SPAN></st1:address></st1:Street><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><st1:State><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Washington</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, D.C, 20240<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Date<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dear Secretary
Salazar:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I am writing to ask that you restore
the Endangered Species Act, as amended, to its full strength before May 11 to
protect </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">America</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">’s rarest plant and animal species.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In December 2008, the Bush
Administration authorized a rule change which altered the Endangered Species Act
regulations to eliminate the requirement that Federal agencies must consult with
the federal government’s two most scientifically qualified agencies – the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service - about the
potential impact their activity may have on federally-listed Threatened and
Endangered (T&E) Species. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Further, a rule was passed in
January which limited protection given to Polar Bears under the Endangered
Species Act to less than the level offered by its 'Threatened' status, including
permitting drilling offshore in the bear’s fragile Arctic environment.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Earlier this year, President Obama
called a halt to the immediate enactment of the Endangered Species Act changes
and charged your agency to assess these issues.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Congress gave you until May 11 to drop
the new regulations and to restore the Endangered Species Act to full
strength.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I urge you to do the RIGHT thing and
restore the Endangered Species Act to its full powers and to repeal the rule
that denies Polar Bear full Threatened species
protections.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Yours sincerely,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Your Name<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Background Information on the
Endangered Species Act: 2009 and Beyond<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">2008:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Bush Extinction
Plan<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In December, the Bush Administration
altered the Endangered Species Act through regulatory changes made by U.S.
Department of the Interior (DOI) that strip protections for
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">America</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">’s rarest and most imperiled
animals, fish and plants.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">DOI received more than 250,000
comments opposing the rule changes. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and the National Marine Fisheries Service recommended rule changes to the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, that purported to streamline the
consultation process required under Section 7 of the Act. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The new rule allows federal agencies
to decide for themselves whether their actions would negatively impact a
Threatened or Endangered Species (T&E) or adversely modify its critical
habitat. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The changes would eliminate the
current requirement that federal agencies consult with the
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">U.S.</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">’s two most scientifically qualified
agencies – the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries
Service - about the potential impact their activity may have on a
federally-listed species. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Prior to the rules change, the
independent consultative process was “designed to figure out how a project can
move forward without harming a species at risk of disappearing forever,” said
Jon Hunter, policy director of the Endangered Species Coalition, an ally of the
Sierra Club. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">“The new rule takes decision-making
on Threatened and Endangered Species listings out of the hands of scientists and
wildlife professionals at agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
and instead puts those decisions in the hands of agencies working on projects
that may be adversely affected by a listing,” said Carl Pope, executive director
of the Sierra Club in a statement after the proposed rule changes were made
public in the Federal Register. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The press in reporting on the issue last
summer noted that the rule changes were written by the U.S. Solicitor General’s
office, not scientists and administrators of either the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
or the National Marine Fisheries Service. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For example, the rules now permit
the U.S. Department of Transportation to decide whether a listed species'
habitat would be compromised by a highway project, rather than trained
biologists from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">In what the U.S. Department of the
Interior characterized as an effort to make endangered species considerations
“less contentious” between federal agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and
National Marine Fisheries Service and “to provide greater clarify and certainty
to the consultation process,” the rule changed the definition of “cumulative
impact” on a species. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The new regulation would permit a
federal agency to break up its projects into smaller pieces and assess how each
of those phases impacts a listed species, rather than the whole project. For
example, the new rule does not require the U.S. Department of Transportation to
consider whether a completed road would present a cumulative impact in the form
of road injuries and deaths for Endangered or Threatened species.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Most alarming to many conservation
activists these days, the new Endangered Species Act regulation “reinforces the
Services’ current view that there is no requirement to consult on greenhouse gas
emissions’ contribution to global warming and its associated impacts on listed
species.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The new rule redefines the
“essential causes” that might harm an Endangered species resulting from a
project of a federal agency. The revisions make explicit that while the impact
of tailpipe emissions (from a new highway) on local air pollution could be an
effect of the action, the greenhouse gas emissions’ contribution to global
warming and associated impacts to listed species are not and the effects of
those impacts would not need to be considered in any
consultation.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>According to the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change, global warming threatens up to one-third of all species on
earth with extinction. It is irresponsible of the
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">U.S.</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> government to shirk its
responsibility in requiring that its federal agencies assess the global warming
impact of their actions on Threatened and Endangered Species.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Across the
</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">U.S.</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, climate change is already
impacting humans and their wildlife through hotter summer temperatures and more
violent storms. The last thing the humans and the threatened and endangered
species that live across the </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">U.S.</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in national forests, state and
local parks, agricultural lands and in urban and suburban areas need is the
blatant disregard of the </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">U.S.</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> government when it comes to the
impact of federal projects. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Especially vulnerable to global
warming climate impacts, the Polar Bear was listed as a Threatened species in
May 2008, but another Bush Extinction Plan rules change passed in January
reduces its protection under the ES Act because it permits drilling in the Polar
Bears’ fragile Arctic habitat. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The Sierra Club and many of its
allies in the environmental community submitted comments opposing the U.S.
Department of the Interior’s proposals to weaken the Endangered Species Act.
Soon after the rules were finalized, the Sierra Club and other environmental
groups engaged in legal action regarding the changes because they violate the
requirements of the ESA. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">2009: Urgent Action Needed.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">There is a short window of
opportunity to stop what many wildlife conservationists call The Bush Extinction
Plan. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">On Inauguration Day, Jan. 20,
President Obama said his Administration would freeze all regulatory changes made
by the Bush Administration in its last days. The President charged Interior, the
USFWS and other agencies to examine the new Endangered Species Act and Polar
Bear protection regulations. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">On March 11, President Obama signed
the Omnibus Appropriations Bill (HR 1105) which included an amendment that gave
the administration 60 days to drop the Endangered Species Act rule changes and
to give the Polar Bear full protection as a Threatened species.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">That gives President Obama and
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar until May 11 to do the RIGHT thing by
restoring the Endangered Species Act to full strength and to protect the Polar
Bear to the full extent of the law. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Take Action:
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">It’s time you expressed your
opinion! Tell Secretary to save the Polar Bear and other Threatened and
Endangered Species by killing the Bush Extinction Plan.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Modify the sample letter and make it
your own. Tell Secretary Salazar how much you care about the future of American
endangered species and all wildlife.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Call Secretary Salazar at
202-208-3100 during business hours. Send an e-mail letter (see a sample letter
above) to feedback@ios.doi.gov. Send a printed letter to <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The Honorable Ken Salazar,
Secretary<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">U.S.</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Department of the
Interior<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><st1:Street><st1:address><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">1849 C Street,
N.W.</SPAN></st1:address></st1:Street><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><st1:place><st1:City><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Washington</SPAN></st1:City><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, </SPAN><st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">D.C.</SPAN></st1:State><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN><st1:PostalCode><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">20240</SPAN></st1:PostalCode></st1:place><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B
style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P></DIV></FONT><br/><font style="color:black;font:normal 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style="margin-top:10px"/><A HREF=http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220631252x1201390195/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B213968550%3B35701427%3Bh> Great deals on Dell’s most popular laptops – Starting at $479 </a></font></DIV></BODY></HTML>