DM Fans:<br><br>Take action now.
<br><br>Prominent musicians across the nation today launched a
nationwide grassroots effort to stop the Senate from passing
the dangerous energy plan which oil lobbyists helped
write. Musicians and tens of thousands of their fans
will be contacting their Senators to tell them to vote
against the plan, which has already won approval from the
House.<br><br>"Drilling in our last wild places like the Arctic Refuge?
Risking Three Mile Islands with more nuclear power? That
thinking is as old as fossil fuels. We would all benefit
from a plan inclusive of environmental conservation,
fuel efficiency and alternative energy sources,"says
Mike Diamond of the Beastie Boys, who has been
organizing members of the music community in this effort,
called the New Power Project, since last
May.<br><br>Starting on February 11th, dozens of well-known musicians
will mobilize their fans by encouraging them to visit
the www.saveourenvironment.org/newpower site where
they can send a free fax to their senators about the
plan. Kevin Richardson (of the Backstreet Boys), REM,
the Roots and Live join the effort that has already
included the Beastie Boys, Barenaked Ladies, Tom Petty &
the Heartbreakers, Dave Matthews Band, Blues
Traveler, Moby, Trey Anastasio (from Phish), Jackson
Browne, Alanis Morissette, James Taylor and
others.<br><br>The Energy Plan being considered by the Senate was
passed in the House last year, after heavy lobbying by
the oil drilling industry. The plan calls for
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other
public lands, weakening the Clean Air Act, and
increasing subsidies to coal and nuclear industries. An
alternative bill is being proposed by Senate Majority Leader
Tom Daschle (D - S.D.) that would prohibit drilling
in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, invest in clean
energy and raise fuel efficiency standards.<br><br>By
raising fuel economy standards for new cars, SUVs, and
trucks to 40 mpg, we would save four million barrels of
oil a day by 2020 – more oil than we import from the
Persian Gulf each day and could expect to get from
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, combined!
America needs an energy plan that emphasizes efficiency
and conservation. The New Power Project artists
believe that is the kind of plan the Senate should
pass.<br><br>Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys said, "Our
country consumes 25 percent of the world's oil and holds
less than three percent of the world's reserves. The
House's position that drilling our way out of dependence
on foreign oil is ridiculous. If we are to be truly
self-reliant, let's be leaders and increase our fuel efficiency
instead of violating our natural treasures."<br><br>The
music community has allied with the Save Our
Environment Coalition--a collaborative effort of over a dozen
of the nation's most influential environmental
advocacy organizations. Dubbed the New Power Project, the
innovative effort has rallied tens of thousands of fans and
other supporters to sign petitions and to fax their
members of Congress, expressing outrage over the plan's
disregard for environmental protection and failure to
support conservation and renewable energy
programs.<br><br>Visit
<a
href=http://www.saveourenvironment.org/action/index.asp?item=345&step=2&ms=depec\
hemode
target=new>http://www.saveourenvironment.org/action/index.asp?item=345&step=2&ms\
=depechemod
e</a> to contact your legislators. Put up this
banner<br>(<a href=http://www.saveourenvironment.org/npb/banner_np.html
target=new>http://www.saveourenvironment.org/npb/banner_np.html</a>) on your
website to link to the aforementioned
page. Forward this email to your friends.