Below is a recent bulletin from the NRDC (National Resources Defence Council) related to car manufacturers trying to block California’s new emissions control law.

It’s strange: we’re going to run out of oil – we have a finite amount. Estimates range from 20 to 80 years worth of oil left.

Doesn’t it make sense to start transitioning to other fuel sources before we all start killing each other over oil? Oh wait… Hmmm.

Scarcity with high demand makes the price go up…

But other than that – it’s a horrible way to power things – very, very dirty. And considering what we have accomplished, finding a good alternative to buring decayed stuff shouldn’t be too difficult.

So, a few people can get really rich, and we can melt the polar ice caps and cause global climatic changes.

Or, we can have people get not quite so rich, and find something nice and clean to keep us moving nicely into the future.

I dunno?? Which is better?

The nice and clean stuff is already there. We just have to start using it.

========================================
NRDC’s EARTH ACTION:
The Bulletin for Environmental Activists

February 16, 2005
========================================
In This Issue:

–Action Alerts–

Tell the auto industry to innovate, not litigate

======================================================
You will also find these alerts in NRDC’S Earth Action Center, which includes
tools for taking action easily online, at http://www.nrdc.org/action/

(Please do not reply to this message; see the instructions below for how to
unsubscribe or contact NRDC with questions or comments.)

=============
Action Alerts
=============

Tell the auto industry to innovate, not litigate

Car companies are spending a fortune selling us on a vision of cleaner cars. In
a recent ad, General Motors claims: “We’re making sure children today are in
clean cars tomorrow.” And DaimlerChrysler asserts: “Energy for the future: You
would like to drive an emissions free car? Come along with us.”

But instead of putting its money where its mouth is, the auto industry is
fighting progress by suing California to block a new law that would cut global
warming pollution from cars by 30 percent by 2016. Car exhaust is the second
largest source of heat-trapping gases that are changing the world’s climate and
harming our health.

California, the nation’s biggest car market, has adopted the world’s first
regulations to cut global warming pollution from automobiles. But instead of
relying on their engineers to deliver pollution-cutting technologies to
consumers, the auto companies brought in their legal teams to pursue backward
and unproductive litigation. Even Toyota, Honda and Ford, despite their recent
gas-electric hybrids, have locked arms against the clean car law.

The automakers filed suit in December to block California’s new emissions
standards from taking effect. If the companies prevail, they could effectively
hijack the future of clean cars for years to come.

== What to do ==
Send a message demanding that the auto industry withdraw from the lawsuit to
block the California clean cars law.

== For background ==
Big Auto Fights California’s Landmark Global Warming Law

http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/fauto.asp

== Contact information ==
You can send a message to the CEOs of DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Honda and
Toyota directly from NRDC’s Earth Action Center at

http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52451

Or use the contact information and sample letter below to send your own message.

G. Richard Wagoner, Jr.
President and CEO
General Motors Corporation
300 Renaissance Center
Detroit, MI 48265-3000

Juergen E. Schrempp
Chairman
DaimlerChrysler Corp.
1000 Chrysler Drive
Auburn Hills, MI 48326

William Clay Ford, Jr.
Chairman and CEO
Ford Motor Co.
The American Road
Dearborn, MI 48121

Koichi Kondo
President and CEO
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501

Hideaki Otaka
President and CEO
Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
9 W. 57th Street, Suite 4900
New York, NY 10019

== Sample letter ==

Subject: Innovate, don’t litigate over global warming

Dear Chief Executive Officer,

I am very disappointed to hear about your company’s lawsuit to stop progress on
an issue of critical importance to our health, our economy and our environment -
- the urgent need to cut global warming pollution.

Global warming is happening. We’re already seeing the polar ice caps melting
and changes in habitat with deadly consequences for many animal and plant
species. If that’s not enough, global warming will worsen smog, triggering more
asthma attacks and hospitalizations.

Cars and trucks make up the second largest source of global warming pollution,
sending heat-trapping emissions into the air for decades to come.

For more than 40 years, California has led the nation and the world in creating
sound, sensible air pollution standards — leadership that has long been
acknowledged in federal clean air laws. That’s why more than 80 percent of
Californians backed the world’s first law designed to reduce automotive global
warming emissions when it passed three years ago. The new performance standards
are supposed to phase in starting in 2009, giving you ample time to deploy new
technology. But instead of stepping up to meet the challenge, your company and
others have gone to court to try to block the law.

You have the know-how and technology to fix the global warming problem. Smart
engineering such as cylinder deactivation and continuously variable
transmissions are available today to build cleaner cars and trucks that get us
where we’re going with less pollution.

As a consumer, I urge you to call off your lawyers and use your resources to
innovate, not litigate. Withdraw your company from the litigation blocking
California’s pioneering safeguard.

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

========================
Subscription Information
========================

NRDC distributes three bulletins by email: the CALIFORNIA ACTIVIST NETWORK
ACTION ALERT, EARTH ACTION, and LEGISLATIVE WATCH. To subscribe to any or all
of them, go to: http://www.nrdcaction.org/join/subscribe.asp

If you already subscribe and want to change your subscriptions or update your
email address or other information, go to:

http://www.nrdcaction.org/profileeditor

You may also unsubscribe from Earth Action by sending an email message to
earthaction@nrdcaction.org with REMOVE in the subject line.

==========
About NRDC
==========

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a nonprofit environmental organization
with more than 550,000 members nationwide and a staff of scientists, attorneys
and environmental experts. Our mission is to protect the planet’s wildlife and
wild places and ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.

For more information about NRDC or how to become a member of NRDC, please
contact us at:

Natural Resources Defense Council
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-727-4511 (voice) / 212-727-1773 (fax)
General email: nrdcinfo@nrdc.org
Earth Action email: nrdcaction@nrdc.org

http://www.nrdc.org

Also visit:
BioGems — Saving Endangered Wild Places
A project of the Natural Resources Defense Council

http://www.savebiogems.org

===========