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Kathleen McGinty's Files
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FOIA Number: 2012-0769-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin: Council on Environmental Quality
Series/Staff Member:
Kathleen (Katie) McGinty
Subseries: [Correspondence]
OA/ID Number:
2256
FolderID:
Folder Title:
[R- January 1994] [Loose]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
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S
61
5
3
1
January 28, 1994
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with pleasure that I recommend Rachel Rubenfaer for your
graduate program. She worked as a volunteer for the White House
Office on Environmental Policy from February to August 1993.
Rachel played a pivotal role in the organization of the Forest
Conference which strove to bridge a gap between environmentalist
and logging communities throughout the country. She assisted in
assembling the President's and Vice President's briefing book, a
compilation of research regarding the format and content of the
upcoming conference on forest management.
In an exceedingly stressful environment, Rachel was able to
excel and rise to challenges presented to her. Rachel brought into
the office a positive attitude, an eagerness to learn, and a
responsible work ethic. Rachel consistently followed through with
her assignments and went beyond what was asked. Her ability to
converse with people of diverse backgrounds and disparate
educational levels made her an asset as a skilled communicator.
I am confident that Rachel will excel in your graduate
program. I highly recommend her to you.
Sincerely,
Kathleen A. McGinty
Director, White House Office on
Environmental Policy
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 20, 1994
Mr. Ted Raczek
Rural Route 1, Box 149
Maceppa, MN 55956
Dear Mr. Raczek:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your thoughts about
President Clinton's Forest Management Plan. It was good to hear
from you.
As you know, President Clinton announced his Forest Plan for
a Sustainable Economy and a Sustainable Environment, based on the
analytical work of three working groups established at the Forest
Conference. This Administration believes that the Forest Plan is
scientifically-sound and legally responsible and will provide a
sustainable harvest. This plan also includes a new economic
assistance program that helps local workers, businesses and
communities in strengthening the region's economy by creating
family-wage jobs, offering new economic opportunities, and
ensuring the region's long-term economic health.
After receiving over 100,000 comments on the proposed plan,
we are now working to refine it further and expect to submit it
to the court by the end of March. I appreciate learning your
views on this very important issue.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
Sincerely,
Kathleen McGinty
Director, White House Office on
Environmental Policy
KAM/avl
RRI BOX 149
MAZEPPA, MN
55906
Hotel Ocean Terrace Nov 6, 93
Ms. /c. McGinty
Directa- office F Gnv. Pilicy
washington, DC 20501
Hope this letter is received in time for
input M the Ancount Forest Issue. I'm
writing this letter From Japan, where saving
the last traces oF nature is becoming a concern,
The us needs to set an example it cariy
For things such as ancreat Forests, I
would hope that economics and Lobby
interests I $ is not oF the most
important issue. I would l.k. to be
proud of the ust in the manner
in which it protects environmental
resources such as ancient Firests.
Thank you.
TED RACZEK.
Ted Rand
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 20, 1994
Ms. Erin Raber
318 Wiebking Hall
Greeley, CO 80631
Dear Ms. Raber:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your thoughts about
President Clinton's Forest Management Plan. It was good to hear
from you.
As you know, President Clinton announced his Forest Plan for
a Sustainable Economy and a Sustainable Environment, based on the
analytical work of three working groups established at the Forest
Conference. This Administration believes that the Forest Plan is
scientifically-sound and legally responsible and will provide a
sustainable harvest. This plan also includes a new economic
assistance program that helps local workers, businesses and
communities in strengthening the region's economy by creating
family-wage jobs, offering new economic opportunities, and
ensuring the region's long-term economic health.
After receiving over 100,000 comments on the proposed plan,
we are now working to refine it further and expect to submit it
to the court by the end of March. I appreciate learning your
views on this very important issue.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
Sincerely,
Kathleen A. McGinty
Director, White House Office on
Environmental Policy
KAM/avl
Dear Environmental Policy Director McGinty:
Thank you for trying to protect the forests. However, your
Option No. 9 needs much improvement (1) Give permanent protection
to the reserves created. A different Forest Service, Bureau of Land
Management, or President could decide to cut the reserves later
without needing any Congressional vote. (2) Stop thinning and salvage
operations in the reserves. These have often been used as excuses to
cut in protected areas. Thinning is an experimental technique that
should not be used on our last remaining old growth forests. (3) Give
more protection to salmon and other rare species. Option 9 only gives
a 65% probability of protecting the salmon and fish populations from
extinction. (4) Protect the forests in Northern California and east of
the Cascade Mountains. They are left out of protection in Option 9.
(5) Ban raw log, chip and pulp exports. Over 50% of the trees cut are
shipped abroad as cheap minimally processed logs. (6) Please oppose
H.R. 2473, a bad Montana Wilderness bill. (7) Please support the
following three bills: the Forest Biodiversity and Clearcutting
Prohibition Act (H.R. 1164), the Northern Rockies Ecosystem
Protection Act (H.R. 2638), and the Headwaters Forest Act (H.R.
2866).
Sincerely Cainlabu
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 20, 1994
Ms. Judith O. Rebach
351 North Drive
Apartment 46
North Plainfield, NJ 07060
Dear Ms. Rebach:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your thoughts about
President Clinton's Forest Management Plan. It was good to hear
from you.
As you know, President Clinton announced his Forest Plan for
a Sustainable Economy and a Sustainable Environment, based on the
analytical work of three working groups established at the Forest
Conference. This Administration believes that the Forest Plan is
scientifically-sound and legally responsible and will provide a
sustainable harvest. This plan also includes a new economic
assistance program that helps local workers, businesses and
communities in strengthening the region's economy by creating
family-wage jobs, offering new economic opportunities, and
ensuring the region's long-term economic health.
After receiving over 100,000 comments on the proposed plan,
we are now working to refine it further and expect to submit it
to the court by the end of March. I appreciate learning your
views on this very important issue.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
Sincerely,
Rather Kathleen A. a. McGinty Masis
Director, White House Office on
Environmental Policy
KAM/avl
Dear no. m c Ginty
4 January 1994
Thest Coast, like the Seo keyon Forestin
Increat forest ecosys temo 02 the
Oregon, hind or must of development. be producted from The Fideral logging
expenditures any do not return fair value the to
the local or national economics &
loot hobitat is insplaceable.
Sincerely Jush I' Rebad
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 14, 1994
Mr. and Ms. Alan and Starla Rollo
808 52nd Street South
Great Falls, MT 59405
Dear Mr. and Ms. Rollo:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your thoughts about
federal wetlands policy. It was good to hear from you, and I
sincerely apologize for the delay in responding.
President Clinton and Vice President Gore are committed to
the preservation of our natural resources in a way that leads to
strong and sustainable economic growth. As you know, an
Interagency Working Group on Federal Wetlands Policy was convened
on June 4 to review and seek to clarify the issues surrounding
federal wetlands policy in anticipation of the reauthorization of
the Clean Water Act. It included representatives of all federal
agencies involved in, or impacted by, the protection of wetlands.
In addition, the working group solicited a broad range of views,
including those of the Congress; state and local government;
environmentalists; developers and homebuilders; agricultural
interests; and others. The wetlands policy announced last August
is the culmination of the hard work of this working group.
With regard to your specific concerns about mitigation, the
section 404 regulatory program relies upon a sequential approach
to mitigating the harmful effects of such activities by first
avoiding unnecessary impacts, then minimizing environmental harm,
and, finally, compensating for remaining unavoidable damage to
wetlands and other waters through, for example, the restoration
or creation of wetlands. We believe that this sequential
approach to mitigation provides an effective and environmentally-
sound framework for addressing this important issue.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
Sincerely,
Tahlen a. Misis
Kathleen A. McGinty
Director, White House Office on
Environmental Policy
KAM/avl
MT
Alan and Starla Kollo
808 52nd St. So.
Great Falls, MT59405
Dear Ms. McGinty,
l have enclosed a copy of a letter that
I sent to the president concerning the
issues of water and wetlands. I would
appreciate your support in protecting these
valuable resources.
If I can assist in any way , please
let me know.
Thankyou for your assistance.
Olan Sincerely, Rollo
Dear Mr. President,
I am writing to you to voice my sincere
distress concerning the environmental issues
of our country. as I become more involved
as a concerned citizen in trying to resolve
one of the worst water quality problems in
the state of Montana, I feel frustrated
with the inadoquacy of the laws that are
suppose to protect the general public.
To try to help protect our waters l have
started to pay attention to Congress' and
your ad ministrations proposed changes to
protect our waters and wetlands, and I
am concerned that your policies may be
a compromise that will have a less than
desirable impact on ours and future generations.
I realize that you and your staff
are spending alot of time and effort to try
to achieve a "middle of the ground" solution
on these issues but I feel that it is
not the best philosophy to take with water,
a resource that we all depend so much
upon.
Businesses and communities are
claiming a loss of jobs and too costly
requirements to incorporate pollution
prevention measures, but l disagre.
Companies all over the would are Pindeng
ways to do things environmentally safe
and till earn a good profit, So why
can't they all do it in the U.S. it
appears most companies would prefer to
spend their money lobbying against
these regulations us. trying to work
within them.
Please review your policies and
insure that the public have to pay several
times in costs and public health to keep
our waters clean while some people
make more than their fair share in profits.
lf you need specifics about what is
happening to our waters and wetlando I
would be glad to show you some examples
and facts on low bad things really are
Thank you.
alam Sincerely Rollo
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 7, 1994
Mr. Andrew Romanoff
Conservation Organizer
Southeast Alaska Conservation
Council
419 Sixth Street, Suite 328
Juneau, AK 99801
Dear Mr. Romanoff:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your continuing
efforts at Southeast Alaska Conservation Council on the
designation of the Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park as a World
Heritage Site. It was good to hear from you, and I sincerely
apologize for the delay in my response.
I certainly appreciate learning about continuing efforts in
gathering local input on the World Heritage Site designation of
this region, one of the crown jewels of the Americas. As you
know, we are currently in the process of reviewing how best to
proceed with the application process, and your ideas are useful
to us. I also appreciate your thoughts on future World Heritage
application sites.
Again, thank you for bringing your recommendations to my
attention. I look forward to working together on these issues,
and please keep me informed of your efforts.
Sincerely,
Jahleen A. Kathleen A. McGinty McBus
Director, White House Office on
Environmental Policy
KAM/avl
Southeast Alaska Conservation Counci
SEACC 419 Sixth Street, Suite 328 Juneau, Alaska 99801 (907) 586-6942
October 13, 1993
Katie McGinty
Office of Environmental Policy
Old Executive Office Building, Room 358
Washington, DC 20501
Dear Katie:
The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) supports the
designation of British Columbia's Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness
Park as a World Heritage Site. We also support future studies to
consider expanding the World Heritage program to include adjacent
Alaska parcels.
There are potentially great benefits in expanding Alaska's
contribution to the World Heritage program. However, SEACC
recommends that studies with input from local residents preclude
any such designations. We are a grassroots organization and work
hand-in-hand with the local people who call this great country
home.
This letter is the result of countless communications with our
friends in Yakutat. Without their "local" input, knowledge, and
assistance, such a package could have never come together. With
this relationship in mind, SEACC:
1. Fully supports the nomination and designation of the
British Columbian Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park as a
World Heritage Site in accord with the United Nations
(UNESCO) World Heritage Site convention and system.
2. Recommends that an open public study be undertaken to
consider the possibility of nominating the Russell Fiord
Wilderness Area, the Brabazon Range Addition, the Tongass
Land Management Plan "Management Area C59," and the Yakutat
Forelands Legislative LUD II Roadless Area as World Heritage
Sites in the future.
SEACC is truly excited about this nomination and the subsequent
creation of the largest internationally-recognized and protected
PELICAN FORESTRY COUNCIL
FRIENDS OF BERNERS BAY, Juneau
WRANGELL RESOURCE COUNCIL
SITKA CONSERVATION SOCIETY
FALSE ISLAND-KOOK LAKE COUNCIL, Tenakee Springs
LYNN CANAL CONSERVATION, Haines
TAKU CONSERVATION SOCIETY, Juncau
NARROWS CONSERVATION COALITION, Petersburg
FRIENDS OF GLACIER BAY, Gustavus
TONGASS CONSERVATION SOCIETY, Ketchikan
ALASKA SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FORESTDWELLERS, Point Baker
JUNEAU GROUP SIERRA CLUB
YAKUTAT RESOURCE CONSERVATION COUNCIL
PRINCE OF WALES CONSERVATION LEAGUE, Craig
ALASKANS FOR JUNEAU
printed on recycled paper
area on the planet. We look forward to working with you on our
recommendations over the coming year.
and Sincerely Rud
Andrew Romanoff
Conservation Organizer
CC: Tom Cassidy, American Rivers
Peter Enticknap, Haines
Beth McKibben, City of Yakutat
Caroline and Larry Powell, Yakutat
Greg Streveler, Friends of Glacier Bay
TATSHENSHINI-ALSEK WORLD HERITAGE NOMINATION
KEY POINTS
Introduction:
*
Alaska and the United States successfully nominated Glacier
Bay National Park and Preserve and America's largest national
park--Wrangell-St. Elias--as World Heritage Sites.
*
The Canadian government successfully nominated the Kluane
National Park as a World Heritage Site.
*
In Alaska, the Russell Fiord Wilderness Area and the
Brabazon Range Addition [to the Tongass National Forest] and the
Yakutat Forelands Legislative LUD II (Roadless) Area are all
managed by the U.S. Forest Service to preserve their wildland
character in a natural and undisturbed condition.
The decision by the British Columbia Provincial Government
to establish the Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park completes the
largest contiguous expanse of protected wilderness on earth.
*
The contiguous protected preserve encompassed by the
Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park, Wrangell-St. Elias National
Park, Kluane National Park, Russell Fiord Wilderness Area, the
Brabazon Range Addition, the Yakutat Forelands Legislative LUD II
Roadless Area, and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
constitutes an international heritage of unprecedented and
magnificent proportion.
*
The values of the Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park and the
contiguous wildlands are both natural and cultural. The natural
values are obvious and awesome: towering, ice-clad mountain
ranges; spectacular glaciers; verdant river valleys; vitally
productive salmon runs; and bountiful wildlife populations--all
interwoven in the complex tapestry of an intact and primeval
wilderness ecosystem. The cultural values of these wilderness
lands are equally powerful and significant: Native Tlingit
spiritual and subsistence traditions that still live in harmony
with the wilderness; traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering
activities that sustain local families in Yakutat and the
surrounding "bush;" traditional and established fishing, hunting,
and subsistence camps that connect local Yakutat residents to the
land in a balanced and sustainable manner; and historical and
archaeological sites that mark the long-term inter-relatedness of
Native and non-Native people with the wilderness.
3
Recommendations:
*
Because the heritage values of the areas of concern are both
natural and cultural, future nominations to the United Nations
for World Heritage Site classification should recognize cultural,
historical, and human values as well as natural values, and
should involve the residents of Yakutat in both the preparation
of nominations and in the management and protection of the
Heritage Sites themselves. Local uses, traditions, and needs
should be protected and incorporated into the protection of the
natural values of the Heritage Sites.
*
World Heritage Site designations should be in accord with
the current existing federal (U.S. and Canadian) and Provincial
(British Columbian) land designations and management schemes.
The World Heritage Site designations should affirm the
international recognition of and commitment to the special
wildlands of this region without creating new jurisdictions or
restrictions.
*
We fully support the nomination and designation of the
British Columbia Tatshenshini-Alsek Wilderness Park as a World
Heritage Site in accord with the United Nations (UNESCO) World
Heritage Site convention and system.
*
We recommend that an open public study be undertaken to
consider the possibility of nominating the Russell Fiord
Wilderness Area, the Brabazon Range Addition, the Tongass Land
Management Plan "Management Area C59, and the Yakutat Forelands
Legislative LUD II Roadless Area as World Heritage Sites in the
future. Additional lands might be considered but only if
proposed by Yakutat residents.
*
We recommend that this open public study directly involve
the residents of Yakutat and incorporate residents' traditions,
needs, and concerns as consistent with existing U.S. federal laws
and land designations.
4
Background on Alaska lands contiquous to the Tatshenshini-Alsek
Wilderness Park and to existing World Heritage Sites:
1.
The "Brabazon Addition" is unclassified federal land
administered by the Forest Service. It lies between the Glacier
Bay National Park and Preserve boundary to the southeast and the
Russell Fjord Wilderness Area to the northwest, and between the
Canadian Border to the northeast and the Yakutat Forelands to the
south and southwest. The Brabazon Addition is composed of
spectacular rock nunataks rising out of an extension of the
Fairweather-St. Elias Icefield, with extraordinary valley
glaciers winding down to termini in Russell Fjord Wilderness Area
and above the Forelands. There are no obvious conflicts with
designation of the Brabazon Addition as part of a World Heritage
Site. The addition comprises approximately half a million acres
of geologic wonders and world-class alpine scenery.
2. The Russell Fjord Wilderness Area includes one of the
world's greatest glacial phenomena: the Hubbard Glacier. The
Hubbard is one of the most active of all the tidewater glaciers;
it is literally calving all of the time. In 1987 the Hubbard
advanced across Russell Fjord and blocked it completely, creating
a dam against the tide and initiating the first step in formation
of a "Russell Lake¹.' That same year the ice dam broke and with
a massive roar of rushing water the lake poured out and the
marine fjord was reestablished. Russell Fjord and the Hubbard
Glacier remain an awesome and unique wonder today. The
Wilderness Area is managed very conservatively by the Forest
Service, and inclusion in a World Heritage Site designation would
be very unlikely to raise any conflicts. The Russell Fjord area
includes nearly 39,000 acres of mountains, glaciers, tundra, and
early successional forest habitats.
3.
The Yakutat Forelands Legislative LUD II roadless area
(Management Area C58) is one of the most important areas,
biologically, in the Yakutat area and even in all of Alaska's
coast. It is of critical importance to Yakutat residents for
both subsistence and commercial salmon fishing, moose hunting,
and other subsistence uses. Guided sport fishing in the Foreland
rivers is extremely popular, and guided hunts for moose and brown
bear bring a significant amount of money into the local economy.
1
This advance and fjord blockage could well occur again,
and could back up water to the point that it would threaten to
wash out the Situk River and severely impact the Situk salmon
fishery upon many Yakutat residents depend. Management options
to assist Yakutat in that event should not be foreclosed. The
relationship between Russell Fjord, the Hubbard Glacier, and the
Situk River must be kept in mind.
5
Fish camps are located along the beaches and streams of the
Forelands. In many respects the Forelands are the biological
breadbasket for Yakutat; Yakutat is located where it is in large
part because of the unique juxtaposition of Yakutat Bay and the
Yakutat Forelands. Decisions that affect or might affect
residents' use of the Forelands deserve special attention. Local
people must be thoroughly informed and intimately involved in any
new decisions. No new decisions should be made without adequate
concurrence from Yakutat residents.
4. Between the Brabazon Addition and the Yakutat Forelands
Legislative LUD II is a strip of land denoted on the Tongass Land
Management Plan map as "Management Area C59." This tract is not
part of the Legislative LUD II, and it is not part of the
Brabazon Addition. "C59" includes Akwe, Ustay, and Tanis Lakes,
each of which marks the terminus of a major glacier and the
headwaters of an important salmon river. This management area
comprises the transition zone between the Brabazon Mountain Range
and the Yakutat Forelands. It is designated as a roadless area
by the Forest Service, but that designation is administrative
rather than legislative, so it is more subject to change than is
the Legislative LUD II designation of the Yakutat Forelands
themselves. Decisions concerning "C59" should also be made with
adequate concurrence from Yakutat residents.
5. West and northwest of the Yakutat Forelands Legislative LUD
II, from the Dangerous River to the Yak-tat Kwaan Native
Corporation land around Yakutat itself, is an extension of the
Forelands including the drainages of the Arnklin, Seal, and Situk
Rivers. This area is accessible in places by a road, constructed
by the Forest Service, to the Dangerous River-Harlequin Lake
area. It is denoted on the Tongass Land Management Plan map as
Management Areas 53, 55, 56, and 61. These management areas are
designated administratively by the Forest Service as follows: 53
= LUD IV (intensive timber harvest) ; 55 = LUD III (less intensive
timber harvest) ; 56 & 61 = LUD II (roadless). Management Area 61
is the floodplain and adjacent corridor of the Situk River,
Yakutat's cultural and traditional bread-'n-butter salmon
fishery. At this time, none of these areas should be included in
nominations for additional World Heritage Sites. If, in the
future, the residents of Yakutat have interest in such
designations they will let us know.
6
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 4, 1994
Mr. Didacus Ramos
President
Ms. Carol Miller
Vice President
Beverly Hills Democratic Club
P.O. Box 905
Beverly Hills, CA 90213
Dear Mr. Ramos and Ms. Miller:
Thank you for contacting me regarding your thoughts about
the proposed Ward Valley, California, radioactive waste facility.
It was good to hear from you, and I sincerely apologize for the
delay in responding.
I appreciate learning your concerns about the proposed
siting of a nuclear waste facility at Ward Valley. Secretary
Babbitt contacted Governor Wilson expressing this
Administration's interest in conducting a formal hearing on the
record, with expert testimony and cross-examination, before any
decisions on land transfers are made.
After careful consideration, this Administration is not
prepared to transfer the Ward Valley site to the State of
California under the Federal Land Policy Management Act without
there being a formal hearing. Because this project has created a
substantial amount of controversy and genuine public concern, I
believe that a formal hearing would prove beneficial. We have
asked Governor Wilson to hold this hearing, which should be
presided over by a disinterested party.
I understand and share your concern that the problem of low-
level radioactive waste disposal is a serious one. I think that
the current situation will provide the opportunity necessary to
open the process for additional review.
Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with me.
Sincerely,
Mipas
Kathleen A. MoGinty
Director, White House Office on
Environmental Policy
KAM/avl
BEVERLY HILLS DEMOCRATIC CLUB
November 19th, 1993
Honorable Kathleen McGinty, Director
White House Office on Environmental Policy
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
President
Washington, D.C. 20500
Didacus Ramos
Re: Possible Contaminant Paths from Ward Valley Site to Colorado River
Vice-President
Prog
Dear Director McGinty:
Sue Reimers
Recent studies by both U.S. Geological Survey geologists and by the
Metropolitan Water District (both of which show the quite real possibil-
Vice-President
Issues
ity of contaminant pathways from the proposed Ward Valley radioactive
Carol Miller
waste dumpsite to the Colorado River) further strengthen the feelings of
the Beverly Hills Democratic Club that an adjudicatory hearing with full
Vice-President
discovery of evidence is absolutely essential for a true examination of
Fundraising
whether the Ward Valley site (managed by U.S. Ecology) is appropriate
Lauren Simon
for the dumping of large amounts of radioactive waste.
Vice-President
Three U.S. Geological Survey geologists prepared a 2½ page memo rela-
Membership
ting to the proposed Ward Valley dumpsite for Secretary Babbitt's office
Abe Maurer
(dated June 2nd, 1993). Secretary Babbitt sent it to Ed Hastey, CA State
Director of B.L.M.; it was Mr. Hastey who (along with Lujan and Wilson)
T
:
Harold Hahn
worked hard in attempting the shady Ward Valley land transfer last Janu-
ary. Mr. Hastey gave this memo to licensed dump operator U.S. Ecology,
Corresponding
who provided answers back to Babbitt's office. Sec. Babbitt held on to
Secretary
these answers, rather than sending them back to the geologists. Senator
Lee Youkeles
Boxer extracted these answers from Babbitt's office and provided them to
the geologists. Two of the three geologists responded in more detail
Recording
Secretary
especially on Possible Contaminant Pathways from the Ward Valley Site to
Judith Davidson
the Colorado River, and provided a map showing five possible contaminant
pathways from the proposed nuclear dumpsite to the main water supply for
the Southwest. In an attempt to quiet these geologists (and others who
might try to leak truth or act in the public interest), Secretary Babbitt
ordered that no employee in the Interior Dept. is to discuss the Ward
Valley radioactive waste dump in their official capacity--which is why
only 2 of the 3 U.S.G.S. geologists responded to U.S. Ecology's answers
to their memo, and also explains why the two geologists' responses to
U.S. Ecology's answers are not on U.S.G.S./Interior Dept. letterhead.
Our club understands that Secretary Babbitt has privately assured dump
promoters that he will approve the transfer of land for the Ward Valley
nuclear dump. Yet, he has called for a "little hearing" (for p.r. value)
and has suggested a time schedule which would not allow for legal discov-
ery of evidence. Governor Wilson waited until the State Legislature
adjourned to respond to Sec. Babbitt's call for a hearing--and specified
many topics which would not be allowed to be discussed at the proceedings
such as alternative disposal methods, alternative sites, and operating
record of U.S. Ecology. The hearing has been delayed while Babbitt and
Wilson seek a "souter"-type presider, who they know the industry can con-
trol but who appear unbiased due to a lack of a paperwork trail.
The Beverly Hills Democratic Club implores the White House to act deci-
sively to guarantee that an adjudicatory hearing with legal discovery be
held on the recent disturbing geohydrological findings about the Ward Val-
ley aquifer's links to the Colorado River and other issues. What we don't
need is a continuing Interior Dept. cover-up and clampdown leading to a
major scandal, but a forum to find out the truth about the massive radio-
Dia,MR active waste dump planned in unlined trenches near the Colorado River.
Sincerely yours,
Carol Jimiller Carol J. Miller
Didacus Ramos, President, BHDC
Carol Miller VP-Issues. BHDC
Post Office Box 905, Beverly Hills, California 90213-0905 (310) 854-5955
BUILDING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN BEVERLY HILLS AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 27, 1994
Dr. Arthur H. Rosenfeld
Director
Center for Building Science
Lawrence Berkeley Labiratory
Mailstop 90-3058
Berkeley, CA 94720
Dear Dr. Rosenfeld: at
Thank you for your recent letter regarding Erez Kalir's
interest in working in my office. It was good to hear from you.
Unfortunately, as my staff has communicated to Mr. Kalir,
due to the irregular timing of his availability, we will be
unable to incorporate him into this spring's internship program.
I agree that Mr. Kalir's resume is impressive, and I will keep
his information on file in the event that an opportunity should
arise.
Again, thank you for calling Mr. Kalir's interest to my
attention.
Sincerely,
Ratie Kathleen M.D.S. A. McGinty
Director White House Office on
Environmental Policy
KAM/avl
Dr. Arthur H. Rosenfeld, Director, Center for Building Science
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Mailstop: 90-3058, Berkeley, CA 94720
Phone: (510) 486-4834, Fax: -5394, Home: (510) 527-1060
E-mail on Internet: [email protected] / on Bitnet: [email protected]
December 23, 1993
TO:
Katie McGinty
Office of Environmental Policy
Old Executive Office Building, Room 360
Washington, DC 20501
FROM:
Art Rosenfeld antil
I have brilliant neighbors in Berkeley who have a brilliant son, Erez Kalir, who is at
Oxford on a Rhodes scholarship. Last summer he interned with the Natural
Resources Team of VP Gore's National Performance Review and loved it. Before he
left, he wrote the attached letter to Kurt Zwally, but as far as I know has not heard
positively, or at least didn't e-mail a joyous message that he got accepted again for
1994.
His resume is the best I've seen among those who want an internship for this
summer, and I want to testify that his social skills and dedication are also A+. So I
want to put in a good word for him.
I'm pleased to let you know that I just heard from DOE that I am to be the recipient
of the 1993 Carnot Award for LBL's and my contributions to energy efficiency.
Happy holidays!
cc(w/enc): Howard Geller, ACEEE
Steve Wiel, LBL-DC
[Note to Howard and Steve: Erez is really impressive. If OEP can't use him, you
might want to consider offering him an internship at ACEEE or LBL-DC. His father
is a very successful lawyer, so I don't think he needs much or any money.]
EREZ C. KALIR
Permanent Address:
During Academic Year:
150 Southampton St.,
Lincoln College
Berkeley, CA., 94707
Oxford, OX13DR
(510) 526-9261
England, U.K.
OBJECTIVE: To intern in the White House Office on Environmental Policy during spring, summer, and fall 1994.
EDUCATION:
10/93
Rhodes Scholar, University of Oxford, Oxford, England. Will study for an MSc. in
Environmental Management and Conservation.
9/89 6/93
Stanford University, Stanford, CA. B.A.S., with Honors and Distinction, in Biology and English.
Admitted Phi Beta Kappa as a junior. GPA: 4.0.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE:
6/93 9/93
Natural Resources Team, Vice-President Gore's National Performance Review
(NPR), Washington, D.C.
Prepared confidential memoranda and briefing papers for meetings attended by Vice
President Gore, Carol Browner, and high-level NPR staff.
Full contributing author on NPR's 73 page report on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and 87 page report on the Department of Interior (DOI).
Collaborated with policy planners from EPA and DOI to assemble NPR monographs.
6/92 7/92
Sierra Club Legal Defense Division, San-Francisco, CA.
Researched and assembled 'amicus' briefs for Endangered Species Act applications throughout
California.
Served as a liaison between Sierra Club legal experts and scientists working at the Stanford
Center for Conservation Biology. Facilitated translation of biological data into legal advocacy.
1/92 6/93
Students for Environmental Action at Stanford (SEAS), Stanford, CA.
Co-directed Bay Area Earth Day 1993, bringing environmental organizations, business interests,
and local leaders from around Northern California to Stanford.
Planned and sponsored an array of grassroots events, including a continuing speaker series on
environmental justice which has attracted leaders nationwide.
6/91 9/91
Graham and James, Attorneys at Law, San-Francisco, CA.
Drafted briefs on several specific environmental cases.
Assembled position papers on questions relating to law and technology.
9/89 6/93
Branch Program, Stanford, CA.
Founded Branch, a program bringing students from Stanford and U.C. Berkeley to tutor
underprivileged youth at James Logan High School, Union-City, CA.
Volunteered eight hours a week freshman through senior years teaching courses there, including a
summer offering on ecology and tropical rainforest biodiversity.
CAMPAIGN WORK
9/92 10/92
Field Organizer, Clinton/Gore Campaign, Northern California.
8/88 10/88
Volunteer, Rep. Ron Dellums for Congress.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Language:
Fluent in Hebrew; intermediate reading and writing ability in French and German.
Speaking:
Past president of the Stanford Debate Society (membership 75+). Placed 2nd out of 300 at the
Harvard U.S. Parliamentary Debate Championship 1991.
Computers:
Fully literate in IBM and Macintosh operations (WordPerfect, Lotus, Lexis, Excel etc.). Typing:
100 W.P.M.
Erez Kalir
150 Southampton St.
Berkeley, CA., 94707
(510) 526-9261
Kurt Zwally
Internship Director
W.H. Office on Environmental Policy
Dear Mr. Zwally,
Pursuant to our phone conversation, I am writing to apply for an internship in the White House Office on
Environmental Policy.
My commitment to environmental issues is substantial. In October, I will begin graduate study in
Environmental Management and Conservation on a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford. As a biology major at
Stanford, I took every course related to environmental affairs in the university's curriculum, gaining a
comprehensive education in science and policy. By doing coursework at the law school, I acquired a close
familiarity with the major federal 'green' statutes (e.g., CERCLA, CWA, CAA, PPA, ESA, etc.). As my
resume indicates, I have applied this knowledge in the private and public sectors and at both local and
national levels, dealing with a diverse array of voices and stakeholders in the environmental community.
Most recently, I worked for the Natural Resources Team of Vice-President Gore's National Performance
Review (NPR, also known as the Reinventing Government Task Force). The Natural Resources Team
assembled comprehensive audits of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior,
and the Department of Agriculture. I played a role in researching and drafting all three reports, interacting
frequently with high-level policy staff at EPA and DOI and gaining an inside perspective on the strengths
and weaknesses of U.S. natural resources policy. Working at NPR also provided a window on the political
dimension of environmental policymaking, a reality I had experienced from a very different perspective as
co-director of the San-Francisco Bay Area's Earth Day 1993.
I am interested in all aspects of environmental policy, but especially in issues related to species and
ecosystem conservation. My experience with the Sierra Club.Legal Defense Division and the Graham and
James law firm yielded close familiarity with the Endangered Species Act, and I would be particularly
excited to work on its reauthorization and interpretation, or any germane areas. I am likewise interested in
the Administration's "compromise" proposal for logging the Pacific Northwest's old growth forests, and in
the general challenge of reconciling conservation and development (both in the U.S. and abroad). Finally, as
I will be studying overseas and hope to do field work in tropical rainforest habitat, I am interested in the
United States' role promoting sustainable environmental practices internationally (and particularly in the
Third World).
As I mentioned in our phone conversation, I could intern in the spring for eight weeks, roughly from mid-
March through mid-May. I understand that due to the nature of the internship requirements, the Office is
inclined to favor candidates who could provide a longer time commitment. However, I could fully commit to
returning for two months in the summer, fall, and winter respectively if such a plan could be arranged
(perhaps through a long term project?). I realize that this request is out of the ordinary, but I very much
hope an exception can be made. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Erez C. Kalir