Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution
“Emission Control Area” Means Healthier Air for Millions of Americans
A new report finds that more than 87 million Americans live in port areas that are not meeting federal health-based air quality standards. The report, Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution, documents the public health effects associated with air pollution from global shipping, including container ships, tankers, cruise ships, and bulk carriers. The report, released by the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, National Association of Clean Air Agencies, and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, is available online at: www.edf.org/documents/9466_ECA_report_March2009.pdf.
The coalition strongly encourages and supports action by the U.S. government that to apply to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the establishment of an Emission Control Area: an area where rigorous pollution limits apply to global shipping activity. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will announce the U.S. application to the IMO during a noon news conference today in Port Newark, NJ. Foreign-flagged vessels make 90 percent of the ship calls on U.S. ports. Leading researchers estimate that shipping pollution is associated with 60,000 global deaths annually. EPA’s Analysis shows that the establishment of an Emission Control Area could dramatically reduce lethal particulate pollution in U.S. coastal communities.
COALITION STATEMENTS
Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: “In my career as a U.S. Navy Captain, I saw firsthand the staggering amounts of pollution that cruise ships, container ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels released into the atmosphere. These ships dock at more than 100 ports along our coastline and along navigable waterways far inland. Their smog- and soot-forming emissions threaten the health of those living far from our nation’s maritime ports.”
Statement of Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund: “The dangerous air pollution from these floating smokestacks is a serious health threat to tens of millions of Americans who live and work in port cities. Cleaning up these big ships will chart a course for cleaner air and healthier communities.”
Statement of Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Air Agencies: “These big ships are big emitters. We need all hands on deck to help state and local air pollution control officials reduce the pollution from global shipping and restore healthier air in our communities.”
Statement of Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency: “Approval of an Emission Control Area for the coasts of North America at the earliest possible date will save hundreds of lives across the U.S. and Canada. In the Pacific Northwest, ocean-going ships travel hundreds of miles inland before reaching the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and we will see significant air quality improvements in a wide area of Washington State when an ECA is put in place.”
BACKGROUND
An Emission Control Area, or ECA, would provide the strongest clean air standards available under international law. It would dramatically improve fuel quality and reduce smog-forming oxides of nitrogen for all ocean-going ships in the exclusive economic zone of the United States, an area that typically extends about 200 nautical miles from the coast. To secure these vital protections, the U.S. government must submit an application to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) demonstrating the need to prevent, reduce and control global shipping emissions. The IMO would review the application at its July meeting and take final action on the U.S. request in 2010.
Container ships, tankers and the other large sea-going vessels that dock at more than 100 U.S. port cities burn low grade “residual fuel” or “bunker fuel” that is a major source of air pollution, including the formation of particulate pollution. Residual fuel contains sulfur levels 1,800 times greater than U.S. law allows for other diesel engines. A recent study by two leading researchers on shipping pollution, Corbett and Winebrake, shows shipping-related particulate pollution contributes to approximately 60,000 global deaths annually, with impacts concentrated in coastal regions on major trade routes.
In October 2008, the IMO, with active participation from the U.S. government, adopted new baseline global emission standards for ocean-going ships and their fuel. The IMO also provided for more rigorous, heightened protections in designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs). The fuel used to power these ships currently contains about 27,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. In an ECA, the sulfur in fuel will be limited to 10,000 ppm in August 2012 and then to 1,000 ppm in January 2015.
Within an ECA, ships must also achieve an 80 percent reduction in smog-forming oxides of nitrogen starting in 2016.
EPA air quality analyses shows the pollution reductions required in an ECA will reduce exposure to lethal particulate pollution for millions of Americans.
Ocean-going ships contribute to unhealthy air quality across the United States. According to EPA, in 2001, these large ships emitted approximately:
- 745,000 tons of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen, a precursor to ground-level ozone. Ozone can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function in addition to other health effects;
- 450,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, a key contributor to acid rain that can also be transformed into lethal particulate matter; and
- 54,000 tons of fine particulates, microscopic sized particles, which can be breathed deep into the lungs, bypassing the body’s defense systems. They are implicated in thousands of premature deaths each year. Other harmful health effects also result from breathing fine particulates.
Ocean-going ships are also responsible for about 3 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas pollution.
American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The American Lung Association is “Fighting for Air” through research, education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.lungusa.org.
Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.
National Association of Clean Air Agencies comprises the air pollution control agencies in 53 states and territories and over 165 metropolitan areas across the country. NACAA’s members have primary responsibility for ensuring that everyone in our nation breathes clean, healthful air. For more information, visit www.4cleanair.org.
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is the regional air quality agency for the area including the major container ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. We work together the clean the air we breathe and protect our climate through education, incentives and enforcement. For more information, visit www.pscleanair.org.
Source: Environmental Defense Fund
Eagle Forum Warns U.S. Treasury Secretary: The American People Do Not Want a New World Currency That China Would Control
Eagle Forum, a leading conservative grassroots organization founded by Phyllis Schlafly, applauds Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN-6th) for introducing a resolution which would bar the U.S. dollar from being replaced by any foreign currency. Bachmann’s legislation was prompted by a series of contradictory public remarks made by U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner last week.
During a House Financial Services Committee hearing last week, both Secretary Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke clearly stated that they “categorically renounce” the proposal offered by China’s top central banker to replace the devalued U.S. dollar with a new global currency. But, just 24 hours later, while speaking at the liberal Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Geithner contradicted his previous statement and declared that the U.S. Treasury Department was “actually quite open” to the idea of a global currency.
“The American people do not want a new world currency that China would control,” said Eagle Forum President Phyllis Schlafly. “It is the Obama Administration’s and the Federal Reserve’s policies that are causing the dollar to take even bigger hits against other currencies.”
“Simply replacing the dollar is not the solution,” Schlafly said. “It would be yet another Band-Aide to cover up the real source of the problem which is Obama’s tidal wave of unlimited bailouts, nationalization of the banks and the auto and mortgage industries, stimulus bills, and his proposed budget that will inevitably cause massive inflation and further strangle our economy.”
“Eagle Forum commends Congresswoman Bachmann for aggressively questioning both Geithner and Bernanke during the committee hearing on Wednesday and for ensuring that they remain accountable for their sworn testimony,” concluded Schlafly. “Congresswoman Bachmann is an example of the kind of leader that grassroots Americans are demanding from their elected officials, and we encourage even more Members of Congress to take direct action, like Michele, and to go on the offensive against this Administration’s economic recklessness.”
Rep. Michele Bachmann’s resolution, H.J. Res. 41, was officially introduced on March 25, 2009. It currently has 29 cosponsors and has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Because the U.S. Constitution allows the President to engage foreign governments in treaties, Bachmann’s resolution provides for a constitutional amendment which would prohibit the President from entering into a treaty or other international agreement that would provide for the U.S. to adopt a currency issued by an entity other than the United States.
Source: Eagle Forum
Zero Motorcycles to Set World Record With 24 Hour All-Electric Vehicle Endurance Race
Innovative Santa Cruz Company Races into History Books With Never-Before Attempted Event –
Zero Motorcycles will make history again the weekend of April 4-5, when they host their 24 Hours of Electricross. The event will be the first international endurance competition for off-road all-electric vehicles and is a landmark moment in the electric vehicle industry. Teams from around the world have signed on to be a part of making history and for a chance to be included in the Guinness World Records.
“This event is pulling together an incredibly diverse group of people from around the world. Everyone from lifelong motorcyclists to environmentally-conscience trend setters are fielding teams. Some are traveling thousands of miles at their own expense for this opportunity to make motorcycle history,” said Neal Saiki, inventor and founder, Zero Motorcycles.
Created by company founder, entrepreneur and former NASA engineer Neal Saiki, the Zero Motorcycles’ 24 Hours of Electricross will take place in the heart of the Silicon Valley at the 408MX Motocross Track in San Jose, California. Given the grueling nature of this 24-hour endurance race, the limits of competitor’s skills and their electric vehicles will be tested as they battle it out for a chance at setting a Guinness World Record. The event is designed to spark competitive innovation in electric vehicles everywhere.
Zero Motorcycles is the next step in motorcycle evolution and represents the ultimate electric motorcycle technology. Unencumbered by conventional thinking about how they design, manufacture, and sell high performance electric motorcycles, they are on a mission to turn heads and revolutionize their industry by combining the best aspects of a traditional motorcycle, with today’s most advanced technology. The result is an electric motorcycle line that’s insanely fast, and environmentally friendly.
Collaborative efforts between Zero Motorcycles, Blue Ribbon Coalition, California State and Private Parks and numerous industry sponsors have made this seminal event possible.
Event Sponsors: Hi-Ball Energy Drink, Fox Racing, Alpinestars, We All Ride Motorcycle Shop, Scotts Valley RV, Custom Culinary Concepts, Watchwear.com.
For more information about the “24 Hours of Electricross,” visit http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/electricross/.
Want to Jump Start the Economy? Let’s Get Back to Making Things
The following is a statement by Mark C. Tomlinson, Executive Director and General Manager, Society of Manufacturing Engineers:
Before AIG got its recent comeuppance on Capitol Hill and in public opinion, members of the manufacturing community, in the form of the Big Three, sat before Congress like errant schoolchildren waiting to be expelled.
After several days of Congressional finger-wagging, the CEOs of Chrysler and GM were sent to detention, while the banks got a free hall pass to run amok in the Federal Reserve.
There was even a whiff of classism in the air. Somehow Wall Street’s “Masters of the Universe,” who created “paper” wealth got more help than an industry that creates real wealth by making things.
Manufacturing creates wealth when your eco-conscious neighbor buys new solar panels to decrease his energy bill. Payment then goes to the store, other vendors, and the manufacturer. The money continues its journey down the supply chain to other service providers, where it’s reinvested in companies to purchase new equipment and develop new technologies. It also pays employees – one of whom goes out to buy new solar panels and the cycle continues.
Yet, with the arrival of the $787 billion stimulus package, manufacturing was dismissed from class again when funds to boost the industry were noticeably missing from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
If our government truly wants to stimulate the economy, it has to focus on helping the country get back to making things – not simply throw money around. It all goes back to Econ 101: economic growth occurs with innovation and technological advances, both of which are deeply rooted in manufacturing.
Manufacturing fundamentally improves daily life by making it brighter with energy-efficient windows; faster with high-speed rail; safer through state-of-the-art-defense capabilities; easier with improved household appliances; and better with customized medical devices.
It is also is the source of much of our world-renown “Yankee ingenuity.”
Your iPhone was imagined by American innovators. Our medical manufacturing professionals created a camera that locates and dissolves clots in your arteries. Right now, engineers and scientists are working on alternative energy systems to heat your house and power your car.
And it is manufacturers who are fulfilling President Obama’s vision for an “innovation economy.” Manufacturing accounts for two-thirds of the nation’s private-sector research and development activity. R&D isn’t just about people in white lab coats conducting “weird science,” it’s about inventions that solve problems and have the potential to create jobs.
Nanotechnology, for instance, is on target to become a $3.1 trillion industry by the year 2015. And as 76 million Baby Boomers age, medical device manufacturing is slated to become a $165 billion a year industry within the next five to ten years.
Look at it by the numbers. Manufacturing contributes $1.6 trillion or 13 percent of the country’s GDP. It also multiplies every dollar spent into an additional $1.37 of economic activity, greater than any other sector. Even today, it still keeps more than 12 million Americans working.
Now that the financial sector seems to be on its way to detention hall, perhaps Washington can provide tutoring for the real source of America’s wealth — manufacturing. Here are six ways to begin.
Encourage innovation which can spur the economy as it leads to new products, processes and jobs.
Recognize lean and green manufacturers who eliminate waste and use fewer resources whether they make “green” products or not.
Help the transitional workforce gain the skills needed for 21st century jobs.
Support the small to medium-sized manufacturers that create jobs in their communities.
Enhance the image of manufacturing so more people understand that today’s manufacturing jobs are high paying, high-tech, challenging and available.
Place educational emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math so that future generations are able to maintain America’s lead in the innovation race
If we want to see the economy do anything other than get a failing grade, the Obama Administration, Congress, and even those left on Wall Street, cannot continue to dismiss the backbone of the America – manufacturing. Let’s stimulate the economy by getting this country back to making things.
Source: Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Americans Consume Too Much Salt
Lower sodium recommendation applies to almost 70 percent of American adults
Most Americans consume more than double the amount of their daily recommended level of sodium. A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than 2 out of 3 adults are in population groups that should consume no more than 1,500 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium. During 2005-2006 the estimated average intake of sodium for persons in the United States age 2 years and older was 3,436 mg per day.
A diet high in sodium increases the risk of having higher blood pressure, a major cause for heart disease and stroke. These diseases are the first and third leading causes of death in the United States.
“It’s important for people to eat less salt. People who adopt a heart healthy eating pattern that includes a diet low in sodium and rich in potassium and calcium can improve their blood pressure,” said Darwin R. Labarthe, M.D., Ph.D., director of the CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. “Reducing sodium intake can prevent or delay increases in blood pressure for everyone.”
“People need to know their recommended daily sodium limit and take action to reduce sodium intake,” Labarthe said. Most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged, processed and restaurant foods. CDC along with other HHS agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, will be working with major food manufacturers and chain restaurants to reduce sodium levels in the food supply.
The study in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a survey designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States.
This study is the first to use national data to show that 69.2 percent of the adult population belongs to a specific group that should aim to consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day. This group includes persons with high blood pressure, blacks, or middle-aged and older adults (more than 40 years old). The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults in general should consume less than 2,300 mg (approximately one teaspoon of salt) of sodium per day.
The dietary guidelines, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provide advice for people 2 years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. For more information on the guidelines, see http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/.
Nationwide, 16 million men and women have heart disease and 5.8 million are estimated to have had a stroke. People who reduce their sodium consumption benefit from improved blood pressure and reduce their risk for developing other serious health problems. Choosing foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, when eating out, asking that foods be prepared without added salt, and reading the nutrition label of foods before purchasing can improve health for all adults.
CDC has commissioned an Institute of Medicine study that will outline strategies to reduce sodium consumption to levels recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more about the report, visit http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/59128.aspx
For more information about heart disease and stroke, visit CDC’s Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
First Section of Canada’s Commercial Seal Hunt Closes – Over 17,200 Seals Killed in Just Over Two Days
Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) closed the first zone of the seal hunt today after the earliest group of sealers killed 17,200 harp seals thus far. DFO is set to re-open the hunt in another area of the Gulf this Friday.
Observers with IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org) have just returned after witnessing the slaughter of harp seal pups during this year’s commercial seal hunt.
“We witnessed today a classic example of the cruelty associated with this hunt. An injured, bleeding seal escaped into the water before a sealer could get to it. The sealer tried to pull the seal out by the hind flippers but it slipped underwater anyway,” said Cheryl Jacobson, hunt observer with IFAW. “This wounded seal will most likely die underwater and unbelievably, that kill won’t even be counted in the official catch number.”
“I’m confident we will gather enough footage to provide European policy makers with the cold hard facts about Canada’s commercial seal hunt – that it’s unacceptably cruel,” said Sheryl Fink, a senior researcher with IFAW. “Sealers rush to club as many seals as possible in a short period of time, combine this with slippery ice conditions and we quickly see animal welfare fall to the wayside in the blind pursuit of profit,” added Fink.
Canada’s commercial seal hunt comes just weeks before the EU considers banning the trade in seal products throughout its member states.
Recent economic evaluations have indicated that the market for seal fur is saturated, causing prices to drop by almost half. Processors report that sales of seal pelts all but stopped at the end of 2007, and in early 2009, still do not appear to have recovered.
This hunt for harp seal pups is the largest hunt for a marine mammal in the world, with this year’s commercial total allowable catch limit set at an unsustainable 280,000 seals.
To learn more about IFAW’s efforts to end the Canadian commercial seal hunt, visit www.stopthesealhunt.org today.
Source: International Fund for Animal Welfare
Department of Justice Announces Resources for Fight Against Mexican Drug Cartels
Deputy Attorney General David Ogden announced increased efforts and reallocation of DOJ personnel to combat Mexican drug cartels in the United States and to help Mexican law enforcement battle cartels in their own country. Deputy Attorney General Ogden was joined in announcing a comprehensive response to the situation on the Southwest border by Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano and Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg.
“For more than a quarter century, U.S. law enforcement agencies have recognized that the best way to fight the most sophisticated and powerful criminal organizations is through intelligence-based investigations to target the greatest threats,” said Deputy Attorney General David Ogden. “The Department’s Mexican Cartel Strategy confronts those cartels as criminal organizations. As we’ve found with other large criminal groups, if you take their money and lock up their leaders, you can loosen their grips on the vast organizations they use to carry out their criminal enterprises. The Department of Justice is committed to taking advantage of all available resources to target the Mexican cartels and to help our Mexican counterparts in their courageous effort to take on these criminal organizations.”
Today the United States announced it will be investing $700 million this year in enhancing Mexican law enforcement and judicial capacity and working closely to coordinate efforts against the cartels. The Department of Justice, through the FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the Criminal Division and the Office of Justice Programs, will work to investigate and prosecute cartel members for their illegal activities in the United State and with law enforcement colleagues to disrupt illegal flows of weapons and bulk cash to Mexico.
The Mexican Cartel Strategy, led by the Deputy Attorney General, uses federal prosecutor-led task forces that bring together all law enforcement components to identify, disrupt and dismantle the Mexican drug cartels through investigation, prosecution and extradition of their key leaders and facilitators, and seizure and forfeiture of their assets. The Department is increasing its focus on investigations and prosecutions of the southbound smuggling of guns and cash that fuel the violence and corruption and attacking the cartels in Mexico itself, in partnership with the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP).
DEA, already the largest U.S. drug enforcement presence in Mexico with 11 offices in that country, is placing 16 new positions in its Southwest border field divisions. With this increase, 29 percent of DEA’s domestic agent positions (1,180 agents) are now allocated to its Southwest border field divisions. DEA is also forming four additional Mobile Enforcement Teams (METs) to specifically target Mexican methamphetamine trafficking operations and associated violence, both along the border and in U.S. cities impacted by the cartels.
ATF is increasing its efforts by relocating 100 personnel to the Houston Field Division in the next 45 days as part of a new ATF intelligence-driven effort, known as Gunrunner Impact Teams (GRITs). The teams will focus ATF’s violent crime-fighting and firearms trafficking expertise, along with its regulatory authority and strategic partnerships to combat violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
As part of the Recovery Act funding, ATF received $10 million for Project Gunrunner efforts, aimed at disrupting arms trafficking between the U.S. and Mexico, to include hiring 25 new special agents, six industry operations investigators, three intelligence research specialists and three investigative analysts. The funding will establish three permanent field offices, dedicated to firearms trafficking investigations, in McAllen, Texas; El Centro, Calif.; and Las Cruces, N.M. (including a satellite office in Roswell, N.M.). Project Gunrunner has resulted in ATF referring more than 1,500 defendants for prosecution involving more than 12,000 weapons.
ATF will also continue its eTrace initiative with Mexican officials, which allows law enforcement agencies to identify trafficking trends of drug trafficking organizations and other criminal organizations funneling guns into Mexico from the United States, as well as to develop investigative leads in order to stop firearms traffickers and straw purchasers (people who knowingly purchase guns for prohibited persons) before they cross the border. In FY08, Mexico submitted more than 7,500 recovered guns for tracing, showing that most originated in Texas, Arizona and California.
The FBI is stepping up its efforts along the Southwest border by creating a Southwest Intelligence Group (SWIG), which will serve as a clearinghouse of all FBI activities involving Mexico. The FBI will also increase its focus on public corruption, kidnappings and extortion relating to Southwest border issues.
Already, the FBI has undertaken successful initiatives in Mexico and Central America, including the Central American Fingerprint Exchange (CAFE) initiative. The FBI will continue this initiative, which was developed to collect, store, and integrate biometric data from El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and the Mexican state of Chiapas into a central database accessible to U.S. law enforcement, as well as the Transnational Anti-Gang initiative, which coordinates the sharing of gang intelligence between the U.S. and El Salvador.
USMS has stepped-up its efforts along the Southwest border, deploying 94 additional Deputy U.S. Marshals during the last eight months and sending four additional deputies to Mexico City to assist the Marshals Service Mexico City Foreign Field Office.
USMS is increasing its efforts in the Southwest border region under the Mexico Investigative Liaison Program, a cross-border violent fugitive apprehension initiative where USMS personnel, through daily contact with Mexican law enforcement, provide a rapid international response to law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border in the apprehension of fugitives who commit crimes and flee across the international border.
Twenty-five new Criminal Investigators-Asset Forfeiture Specialists have been placed in USMS asset forfeiture units in the field. The new positions are unique in that they will be solely dedicated to the USMS Asset Forfeiture Division and will support U.S. Attorneys Offices and investigative agencies in investigations of cartels and other large-scale investigations.
In addition, DOJ’s Organized Drug Enforcement Task Forces Program (OCDETF) is adding analyst personnel to its strike force capacity along the Southwest border and the Office of Justice Programs will be investing $30 million in stimulus funding to assist with state and local law enforcement to combat narcotics activity coming through the southern border and in high intensity drug trafficking areas. State and local law enforcement organizations along the border can apply for COPS and Byrne Justice Assistance grants from the $3 billion provided for those programs in the stimulus package.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Court Rules FDA Must Reconsider Plan B Decision
FDA Ordered to Make a Decision Based on Scientific Fact, Not Politics
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York rejected the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision to limit over-the-counter access to the emergency contraceptive Plan B to women over 18, ruling that it was based on politics and ideology, rather than science. The court ordered the agency to reconsider its decision. It also ordered the FDA to act within 30 days to extend over-the-counter access, which is currently limited to 18 year olds and over, to 17 year olds.
“Today’s ruling is a tremendous victory for all Americans who expect the government to safeguard public health,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which brought the suit against the FDA.
“The message is clear — the FDA should put medical science first and leave politics at the lab door. We are encouraged that the agency, now under new leadership, will take that message to heart.”
The Center for Reproductive Rights sued the FDA in 2005 for failing to grant over-the-counter status to Plan B against the advice of scientific experts and in violation of its own procedures and regulations. In 2006, the FDA agreed to make Plan B available without a prescription, but only to women over 18 and only behind the pharmacy counter. The Center continued to pursue its lawsuit, Tummino v. von Eschenbach, to ensure that Plan B would be granted true over-the-counter status and made available to all women, including young women who might benefit most from this form of contraception.
“According to the FDA’s own rules, the only legitimate criteria for making a drug available without a prescription are safety and efficacy,” said Northup. “Emergency contraception is proven safe and effective and today, all women — including young women for whom the barriers and the benefits are so great — are one step closer to having the access they need and deserve.”
The Court found that the FDA “acted in bad faith and in response to political pressure,” “departed in significant ways from the agency’s normal procedures,” and engaged in “repeated and unreasonable delays.” In addition, the court found that the FDA’s justification for denying over-the-counter access to 17 year olds “lacks all credibility,” and was based on “fanciful and wholly unsubstantiated ‘enforcement’ concerns.”
Before its action on Plan B, the FDA had never restricted a non-prescription drug based on a person’s age, nor had the Bush Administration ever been consulted by the FDA about an over-the-counter drug application. Depositions of senior FDA officials by the Center in 2006 indicated that the Bush Administration sought to unduly influence the agency during the Plan B application review process. Testimony also indicated that officials involved in the decision-making process were concerned about losing their jobs if they did not follow the Administration’s political directives.
Other evidence uncovered during the lawsuit showed that the agency repeatedly departed from its own established procedures during the FDA case, from filling the reproductive health committee with political “operatives” to making a decision to reject over-the-counter access to Plan B before completion of the standard review.
The Center’s battle to make Plan B available over-the-counter to women of all ages began in 2001, when it filed a citizens’ petition with the FDA on behalf of over 70 medical and public health organizations to grant the drug over-the-counter status. On January 21, 2005, the Center filed Tummino v. von Eschenbach in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP); National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health; individuals from a grassroots advocacy group, the Morning-After Pill Conspiracy; and parents who seek over-the-counter access for their daughters. On March 30, 2007, the Center asked for summary judgment in the case, arguing that the evidence gathered during discovery made it unnecessary for the court to hold a trial and that the court should order the agency to make Plan B available without a prescription to all women.
For more information on this case and the Center for Reproductive Rights, please visit www.reproductiverights.org.
The Center for Reproductive Rights is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and defending women’s reproductive rights worldwide.
Source: Center for Reproductive Rights
National Walk to Work Day is April 3
If you can’t walk to work, maybe you can walk at work instead.
Friday, April 3 is National Walk to Work Day. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the sixth-annual event encourages Americans to turn their commute into an exercise opportunity.
The reason is clear: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity among adults aged 20-74 more than doubled between 1980 and 2006, soaring from 15 percent to nearly 33 percent. Meanwhile, study after study indicates that moderate exercise for 30 minutes per day reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.
Participation guidelines for National Walk to Work Day couldn’t be more flexible. If walking to work is impractical, at least shun the elevator and walk up the stairs. If you take public transportation, get off a stop early and walk the rest of the way. And if your commute is too long to consider walking, simply pretend it’s National Walk to Lunch Day instead.
Here’s another idea, one that expands on the spirit of the national observance: Why not try walking at work, too? It’s now possible with the Walkstation, a combination treadmill and worksurface. Developed by Details, a Steelcase company, the Walkstation integrates an electric height-adjustable worksurface with a low-speed, commercial-grade treadmill exclusively engineered for Details.
The Walkstation enables office workers to stay active while chatting on the phone, sending e-mails, reading, and working on a computer. The device is most often used as a shared resource. Employers are apt to place them in common areas or conference rooms, where employees can take turns enjoying the benefits. The integrated treadmill operates within a limited range of one-half to two miles per hour, slow enough to allow users to focus on their work, yet fast enough to burn up to 100 calories per hour.
“The Walkstation isn’t intended to work up a sweat the way a gym workout can,” says Details President Bud Klipa. “The purpose is simply to increase movement while on the job and enjoy the health benefits that can result.”
The American Heart Association website, www.americanheart.org, offers a wonderful online support community for people to supplement their wellness commitments. It provides tips for helping reach fitness goals, as well as nutritional information, and information about their National Start! Walking day which is April 8.
For more information about the Walkstation or other Details products, visit www.details-worktools.com. Details is recognized by the American Heart Association as a Start! Fit-Friendly Company for promoting physical activity and health in the workplace.
Fast Facts:
- Obesity is rapidly becoming the number-one healthcare problem in North America, Europe and Asia.
- Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the Physical Activities Guidelines for Americans to help people understand how much exercise they should be getting. According to the guidelines, adults can gain substantial health benefits from two-and-a-half hours of moderate physical activity each week, while children benefit from an hour or more of physical activity each day.
- As recently reported by Reuters (“Will Americans put on recession pounds?” – Jan. 9, 2009), Americans may wind up gaining weight during the recession even if they spend less on food. Reason: Buying foods high in sugar, saturated fats and refined grains is an easy, if unhealthy, way to economize.
Details, a Steelcase company based in Grand Rapids, Mich., provides innovative worktool solutions compatible with most furniture systems. Details worktools are sold through a network of 450 dealers and are featured in 20 Steelcase showrooms throughout North America. For more information about Details, visit www.details-worktools.com.
Vivid Sydney – A Celebration of Music, Light and Creativity
Largest International Light and Music Festival In The Southern Hemisphere Transforms Sydney Into A Spectacular Living Canvas Of Inspiration And Artistic Expression
Australia’s Tourism New South Wales (TNSW) announces Vivid Sydney, the biggest international music and light festival in the Southern Hemisphere. From May 26 through June 14, Vivid Sydney transforms one of the world’s greatest destinations into Asia-Pacific’s creative hub, showcasing the city’s creativity, colors, ideas and innovations. Replete with amazing light, breathtaking vistas and diverse villages as well as residents who embrace creativity and individuality, Sydney welcomes artists to exhibit their extraordinary avant-garde work on a grand scale.
“The inaugural year of Vivid Sydney is an exciting milestone in the establishment of Sydney as the cultural epicenter of the Asia-Pacific,” says Jodi McKay, New South Wales Minister for Tourism. “Our city possesses a wealth of creative talent across a variety of industries and this unique event illuminates the city’s most vibrant citizens.”
The cultural explosion will include four major events, artistic villages, demonstrations and performances in and around the Sydney Opera House, The Rocks, Circular Quay and the City Center. Vivid Sydney features Luminous, a music festival at Sydney Opera House, curated by one of the biggest names in international music, Brian Eno. A founding member of Roxy Music, Eno is one of the most significant record producers on the contemporary music scene, having worked with David Bowie, Coldplay, U2 and Talking Heads. The breathtaking concert boasts a ground-breaking collaboration that brings together music, art and light to stunning effect.
Smart Light Sydney will showcase dynamic light art sculptures using smart technology with a free Light Walk around Sydney’s iconic harbor precinct. With dozens of beautiful and atmospheric light creations, Smart Light Sydney will inspire in its innovative approach to revitalize urban spaces. Conceived by Sydney born lighting designer and composer Mary-Anne Kyriakou, the event is themed Cities and Memories.
A third major component, Fire Water, a free event, will offer three nights of ‘flame, food and spectacle’ in the city’s famous Rocks district. For the first time ever, a spectacular interpretation will show the dramatic burning of the convict ship the Three Bees, which sank in Sydney Cove in 1814. Stunning wooden fire sculptures and lighting installations will create a warm, magical atmosphere while chefs rustle up flame-grilled food on outdoor barbeques.
Luminous, Smart Light Sydney and Firewater will be augmented by Creative Sydney, a festival of ideas centered around a series of creative industry seminars, workshops and events celebrating the wealth and diversity of Sydney’s artistic talent. Staged over the course of the festival, programming covers disciplines such as visual arts, music, performing arts and design and will also showcase the city’s emerging creative talents.
“We have some of the city’s best creative minds working on this festival, and we are confident that in time Vivid Sydney will attract the same level of international attention as the City’s New Year’s Eve celebrations on Sydney Harbour,” says Geoff Parmenter, Chief Executive Officer, Events New South Wales.
For more information on Vivid please visit www.vividsydney.com.au