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Recently, President Bush announced that he would lift an executive ban on offshore drilling. While a congressional ban on such activity remains in place, making Bush’s move symbolic, the move is intended to aid the push for more drilling. 
Flooding and Our Future
Iowa has declared about two-thirds of the state a disaster area, as crops, homes and large chunks of cities lie underwater. Like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, residents along the Mississippi are living under curfews and having to pass through check points to see their damaged homes. Also, like New Orleans, government planning is to blame.
The Army Corps of Engineers, along with the rest of the federal government, must no longer waste money and endanger people with futile attempts to overpower Mother Nature – especially as we come to expect 100-year floods every decade. It is imperative that we stop playing the proverbial fool and start building our lives on secure ground.
Updated: Wonk Room: "Global Boiling: Climate Activists Call For Response To Extreme Weather"
Take Action | Learn More | Press Release | NWF: Higher Ground Report | Washington Post: Iowa Flooding Could Be An Act of Man, Experts Say
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New Biotechnologies: No Longer Science Fiction
Gillian Madill, Friends of the Earth's Genetic Technologies Campaigner, recently testified to the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade on new human biotechnologies. Her testimony addressed the implications of various biotech issues, from bioweapons to human-animal hybrids and gene doping -- technologies already gaining ground that can present a very serious threat to human life and the environment if not approached with caution.
Groups to World Bank: Clean means Clean
Friends of the Earth US, along with 120 other groups, issued a declaration opposing the World Bank's proposal for Climate Investment Funds. The statement comes during UN Climate Convention talks in Bonn and on the eve of a US Congressional Hearing on the Clean Technology Fund. Friends of the Earth President Blackwelder will testify Thursday, June 5 at a Hearing in Congress on the US Administration's proposal to establish and multilateral clean technology fund. The groups' statement urges developed country governments not to support the World Bank initiative and calls on developing country governments to raise these concerns with donor countries, the World Bank and other institutions.
Press Release | Read the Testimony | Learn More
Killer Cribs: Protecting Infants and Children from Toxic Exposure
Friends of the Earth has found that commonly used baby and children's products and upholstered household furniture contain dangerous levels of toxic chemicals called halogenated fire retardants.
The study finds that these toxic chemicals appear in a high percentage of portable cribs, strollers, car seats and infant carriers. Due to their prevalence in common household products, these chemicals have been found in breast milk and in children. Infants and children are especially vulnerable to the health effects of these chemicals as they impact development at critical stages of growth.
Take Action | Learn More about Killer Cribs | Press Release | Safe Baby Products | Part One and Part Two of CBS Evening News | Press Conference
DC Taxpayers Want a Clean Anacostia River, Not a Soccer Stadium!
Recent polls show a majority of DC residents oppose subsidizing a soccer stadium, just as a large majority opposed public financing for a baseball stadium. Friends of the Earth is collecting signatures to voice this opposition to the DC Council and Mayor. They need to know that the public would rather see leaders put public funds toward a clean environment and better services for residents than subsidize professional sports, especially at a time when the city is facing tremendous budget restraints.
DC Residents: Sign the Petition
EPA Administrator must resign!
Adm. Steven Johnson appears to be on course to do as much damage as possible to the EPA in the remaining months of President Bush's presidency. In just the last month, Johnson has shown contempt for his agency's mandate, its employees' viewpoints, and its independence from political manipulation. His abrogation of duty is a betrayal to the EPA's mission and Friends of the Earth calls for his resignation.
Visit our Coalition Member's websites: Johnson Must Go and Whistleblowers, Washington, D.C.
Chairman Markey's Timeline: Waiting on the EPA
Washington Post: EPA Scientists complain about political pressure
Take Action | Press Release | Letter from Representative Waxman
Out of the laboratory and onto our plates
Nanofood in the Grocery Aisles: Miller Light, Cadbury and Other Brands Have Toxic Risks
Untested nanotechnology is being used in more than 100 food products, food packaging and contact materials currently on the shelf, without warning or FDA testing, according to a report released by Friends of the Earth.
The report, Out of the Laboratory and On To Our Plates: Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture found nanomaterials in popular products and packaging including Miller Light beer, Cadbury Chocolate packaging and ToddlerHealth, a nutritional drink powder for infants sold extensively at health food stores including WholeFoods.
Update: Read coverage of our Report in Scientific American.
Learn More | Press Release | Download the Report | 
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