Oct 15, 2008 -- Fight the Right-Wing Wackos Links of the Day.

** The PEW Environment Group **
On August 25, 2008, President Bush signed a memorandum directing his administration to develop a plan for protecting the U.S. waters around the Northern Mariana Islands, including the Mariana Trench; Rose Atoll in American Samoa; and seven remote islands in the Central Pacific Ocean. Designating these areas as marine national monuments with permanent, full protection would establish the largest conservation area in history - larger than all our national parks combined - and make the U.S. the world leader in ocean conservation!

Unfortunately, the final designation of these areas may allow some fishing and mineral extraction. Declaring these monuments as fully-protected no-take reserves designated for conservation, research and education only is crucial for meaningful stewardship of our imperiled oceans.

Before the October 26, 2008 deadline, thank the President's Council on Environmental Quality for considering protection and ask them to grant comprehensive protection and marine national monument status to these remarkable places.

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** Earth Justice **
The Federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) is poised to finalize a rule that would allow thousands of natural streams and valleys in Appalachia to be buried by waste from mountaintop removal coal mining. OSM's plan directly conflicts with the decades-old Stream Buffer Zone Rule, which prohibits surface coal mining activities from disturbing areas within 100 feet of permanent and seasonal streams.

For years, federal agencies have looked the other way as the coal industry has been allowed to blast away the tops of mountains to reach thin seams of coal. Already, mountaintop removal mining has flattened more than 500,000 acres and permanently buried 2,000 miles of streams, destroying sources that feed drinking water. These actions were taken in defiance of the existing Stream Buffer Zone Rule. Now, OSM wants to legalize this destruction, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must first give its approval for the change in rules to become law.

Please take action by telling the EPA that the destruction of Appalachia's valleys and streams is unacceptable. Tell EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to protect these valuable resources by keeping the Stream Buffer Zone Rule in place!