[S-C] Fwd: Sierra Club Action Alert: Bay Protection Campaign

[Kevin Shrieve]

Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 16:47:54 -0700
=46rom: Eric Saddik <eric@SFBAYSC.ORG>

ENVIRONMENTAL URGENT ACTION ALERT
SFO WASTES MILLIONS TO DESTROY SAN FRANCISCO BAY
SIERRA CLUB TO HAVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS

------------------------------------------------

TWO THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
1. COME A SIERRA CLUB COMMUNITY MEETING (choose one)
Wednesday, April 30, 7-8PM     OR     Tuesday, May 6, 6-7PM
Sierra Club Nat'l Headquarters, 85 Second St. (at the Montgomery St. BART
station)
**RSVP appreciated (Eric: 510-848-0800 x307) so we can order food and
drink**

2. TAKE 3 MINUTES TO LEAVE 3 PHONE MESSAGES FOR SWING-VOTE SUPERVISORS
Sophie Maxwell  554-7670, Gerardo Sandoval  554-6975, Fiona Ma  554-7460
Call their offices day or night, and just say:
"Please do not spend any more money on the SFO expansion."
[And leave your name and phone number so they know it is a legitimate
=20 call.]

------------------------------------------------

BACKGROUND...
San Francisco Bay is now being threatened with the most destructive attack
on its health in more than 60 years.  Even amidst critical financial crisis,
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) continues to spend millions of
taxpayer dollars on expansion plans to dredge, dump, fill, and pave over
1,000 acres of Bay water and wildlife habitat, permanently devastating our
Bay.

Despite the financial collapse of the airline industry and budget crisis at
SFO, the airport has spent over $75 million in a study for new runways. The
Board of Supervisors on 4/15 tabled an effort to provide $5 million more for
the project. Mayor Willie Brown is expected to propose an additional $13
million for the runway project in his budget for the fiscal year that starts
in July.

Now is the time for the public to make its voice heard:
"Stop the waste of taxpayer money on the SFO expansion project.  Focus on
running a safe, reliable, and efficient airport now, and implement the may
alternatives to Bay-fill that will meet the future transportation needs of
the Bay Area."

------------------------------------------------

ADDITIONAL FACTS...
SFO IS DEEPLY IN DEBT: The airport's previous capital projects piled
up more than $4 billion of debt. More than half of SFO's annual
budget ($300 million) goes to pay interest on that debt, and there is
no plan to reduce the debt. With airlines in turmoil and the economy
in recession, this is no time to take on more costly projects.

DON'T THROW AWAY MORE MONEY ON THIS WASTEFUL PROJECT: Airport
Director John Martin said last week that environmental assessments
alone will cost another $50 million to complete. The Air Transport
Association estimated that building the runways would cost $10
billion and take at least 10 years to complete.

PROJECT STUDIES ARE BIASED AND OUTDATED: Four environmental agencies
have criticized SFO's Environmental Impact Report outline for using
5-year old data on flight delays, and for failing to examine
alternatives to filling San Francisco Bay.

RUNWAYS THREATEN SAN FRANCISCO BAY One-third of San Francisco Bay has
already been paved or diked off. The proposed runway project at SFO
would fill and pave over 1.5 square miles of important Bay habitat,
forever changing the condition and shape of the Bay. Years of massive
dredging and dumping will pollute the Bay and cause massive damage to
habitat and wildlife.

------------------------------------------------

IF THE AIRPORT IS SERIOUS ABOUT PLANNING FOR A BETTER FUTURE, IT SHOULD:
* Upgrade their old Radar Technology so planes could land more safely in
foggy weather, as they do in London;
* Stop over-scheduling flights, and implement a regional air transportation
system, like they do in New York and Washington, DC;
* And plan for the coming of High Speed Rail trains that will link San
=46rancisco to LA in less than 2 =87  hours.  (This would free a lot of capa=
city
at the airport because 30% of flights from SFO go to LA!)

------------------------------------------------

DO SOMETHING TODAY TO PROTECT THE BAY AND YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
THANK YOU.
___________________________________________
Eric Saddik
Conservation Coordinator
Sierra Club, SF Bay Chapter
2530 San Pablo Ave., Suite I
Berkeley, CA 94702
Ph: 510-848-0800  x307
=46ax: 510-848-3383