Friends of the Earth

Friends Of The Earth

May/June 1978

Friends of the Earth is one of the most effective environmental groups in the world today. Although FOE publishes its own journal-a monthly tabloid called Not Man Apart -far too few of MOTHER's readers regularly see a copy of NMA . . . which is why we've agreed to publish this column, written by the FOE/NMA staff.

NEW MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE COLORADO RIVER

The National Park Service, which oversees the overwhelmingly beautiful Grand Canyon National Park, is about to adopt a new management plan for the Colorado River portion of the park . . . and Friends of the Earth thinks the proposals offered to date will help ensure cleaner, safer, and more peaceful recreation for all parties using the river.

In short, the plan will: [1] increase the number of visitors using the Park-and distribute their use more evenly throughout the year-by lengthening the summer season and establishing a winter season, [2] handle non-commercial permit applications on a first-come, first-served basis, [3] prohibit wood fires in summer and insist that group members use fire pans and remove all charcoal taken in, [4] require that each trip haul out all human wastes generated by its party, [5] designate a single trail at each heavily visited site and discourage off-trail walking, and-perhaps most controversial of all-[6] phase out motorized boats and rafts over a three-year period (1979-1981).

Public comments about the recommended policy (many of which were gathered at open meetings held during March) will be considered before a final plan is drafted.

MINNESOTA FARMERS PROTEST HIGH-VOLTAGE LINES

The modest village of Lowry, Minnesota-which, until recently, was no more politicized than any average small farming community-is now calling itself "the Bunker Hill of the 20th century" (or so reads a sign tacked on the firehouse wall).

The reason: 40 of the town's residents were arrested last January because they violated an injunction against hindering work crews that were surveying land for high-voltage power-lines . . . or, as the accused look at it, because they were "striking a blow for freedom" from the influential power companies, which have won the right to erect their enormous metal towers in "convenient" spots to carry electricity from central generating plants throughout the state.

Farmers in other parts of Minnesota are likewise up in arms over the prospect of the 400-kilovolt, direct current lines which may soon crisscross their croplands. Besides the obvious problems of maneuvering machinery and irrigation gear around the towers, the rural residents fear a buildup of electrical charges in their fences and equipment. As the Minneapolis Tribune summarized the farmers' view, "The race for new energy will trample their farms, affecting their property, their income, their sense of partnership with the land, their relished sense of isolation from city problems, and maybe even their health."

Understandably, the farmers feel helpless in the face of the utility companies' ability simply to condemn land they need for right-of-ways through an almost automatic process of hearings and appraisals. Though even reluctant landowners wind up with a cash settlement, they also involuntarily lose some of the property their families may have worked for generations.

The power companies, of course, see the situation differently. As one utility spokesman stated, "We literally have one million people in this state who depend on us for power, and if the lines aren't built, there are going to be a lot of people without lights. Say there are 1,000 protesters . . . they're a small minority. What about the rights of the others?"

The immediate situation has become even more crucial because five or six similar large-scale projects are being planned for Minnesota's countryside in the next decade. As a result, the Governor has already called for a Science Court to investigate potential health damage caused by the high-voltage lines (construction, nevertheless, is still underway).

The dissatisfied farmers, meanwhile, have staged additional civil protests (on January 23, for instance, more than 1,000 individuals went to the state capital to try to convince their legislators to invoke a moratorium on building until the Science Court concludes its investigation). They've also started legal battles against the power companies (at this writing, two suits are pending in Federal District Court: one arguing civil rights and the other charging that the preliminary environmental impact statement on one project was inadequate).

No one knows the solution to this dilemma, though at least one leader of the scattered anti-powerline groups-physics professor Wendell Bradley-has come up with a compromise: smaller, decentralized plants which would require fewer powerlines and cause less concentrated pollution. The utilities, of course, counter that such a system is not economical. The courts will have to decide.

NEW INFORMATION-PACKED POSTER

Did you ever wonder how you could keep your Brillo pad from rusting . . . or how to clean an oven without using a dangerous chemical? Maybe you're concerned about food additives, over-packaging, or the proper insecticide for your garden? Ever want a short statement on what's wrong with nuclear power, road salt, and aerosols, or exactly which cars are easiest on gas . . . but just couldn't put your finger on the information?

If you could use answers to these questions-or to hundreds of others that any environmentally concerned person might ask-then a new poster from a Canadian environmental group, Pollution Probe, will be well worth your $2.00 investment. Despite the fact that "The Unfinished Agenda" (a 34" X 22" poster printed front and back) was published with Canadians-and Toronto residents specifically-in mind, it contains enough info to become one of the most useful items in anyone's house.

To obtain your copy of this handy "action" poster, send $2.00 to: Pollution Probe, 43 Queen's Park Crescent East, Toronto, Ont., Canada M5S 2C3.

NEWSBRIEFS

A small California company, Sun-Wind Ltd., has developed a prototype wind-powered automobile that has already attained speeds of 55 mph in 13 mph crosswinds with no additional energy input . . . . Folks who try to improve gas mileage by tampering with their automobile's emission control system will soon find themselves under the gun of the new Clean Air Act amendments . . . . Researchers at the Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have found that a method of detecting breast cancer by measuring body temperature (Graphic Stress Tele-thermometry) is 80 percent accurate. The procedure-which appears to be completely safe-could replace the questionable practice of mammography for the preliminary screening of women undergoing a checkup.

To become a member of Friends of the Earth-and receive their excellent publication, Not Man Apart, year round-remit $20 to FOE at 124 Spear, San Francisco, Calif. 94,105.-MOTHER.