58 Groups Support Senate Bill 2220, New National Bottle Bill; Rallies Continue

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58 Groups Support Senate Bill 2220, New National Bottle Bill; Rallies Continue

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON, Jul. 10 -/E-Wire/-- The Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council and 55 other national, state & local organizations & businesses â including the City and County of San Francisco -- sent a letter to U.S Senators today supporting Senate Bill 2220, the National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act introduced by Senator Jeffords (I-VT). A copy of the letter is attached below.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is holding Recycling Hearings on July 11 that will include testimony on declining beverage container recycling and the need for brand owners responsibility to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of the Senate Recycling Hearings, rallies will continue on July 10 and a press conference on July 11.

On July 10, recycling advocates will rally in front of two 25-foot tall Pepsi and Coke bottles 12:30 to 1:00 PM at the current site of the New Pepsi-Coke Challenge, at the Capitol Reflecting Pool on 3rd Street.

On July 11, Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, Container Recycling Institute and GrassRoots Recycling Network will hold a press conference before the Senate Recycling Hearing. The event will be at 8:45 to 9:00 A.M. at the Upper Senate Park (Constitution Ave. N.W. between Delaware and New Jersey Avenues). The two 25-foot tall Coke and Pepsi bottles will also be present.

Rally and press conference photos are posted at http://www.grrn.org/media/ as they become available.

Sign-on Letter in Support of Senate Bill 2220, The National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act

To: Environment and Public Works Committee

From: 58 National, State & Local Organizations & Businesses

The 11 national organizations and 45 state and local organizations and businesses listed below, in addition to the City and County of San Francisco, are writing to urge you to co-sponsor the National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act, S. 2220, and attend the Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on July 11th.

For over thirty years, bottle bills have been extremely effective at achieving economic, social and environmental goals. The 10 states with deposit laws recycle more containers than all the other 40 states together. But bottle bills have also been unpopular with the regulated parties. The National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act presents an opportunity to provide a new approach that addresses concerns of the industry stakeholders without compromising the public interest.

A recent study shows that over 114 billion beverage containers are wasted each year. The aluminum can recycling rate for 2001 dipped below 50% for the first time in 16 years. Plastic bottle waste has doubled in the past decade while recovery rates in non-deposit states are on the order of 10%.

The National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act sets a performance standard which industry must meet and allows industry the freedom to design the most efficient deposit-return program to reach the standard. By providing beverage companies the flexibility to structure and operate their own container recovery programs, this legislation simply extends the beverage company's 'supply chain' to include the management of empty containers after consumption. This approach is appealing because it reduces the administrative burden on government and takes full advantage of the business skills of industry.

Recycling is an easy way to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve natural resources. An 80 percent recovery rate would save the equivalent of 640 million barrels of oil over a ten-year period, or enough energy to meet the needs of 5 million households a year.

Join with Senator Jeffords in holding the beverage industry responsible for increasing bottle and can recycling by challenging the industry to create cost-effective solutions.

Please co-sponsor S. 2220 and attend the Environment and Public Works Committee hearings on July 11th.

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Natural Resources Defense Council Mr. Allen Hershkowitz, Senior Scientist New York, NY [REDACTED-PHONE]

Sierra Club Ms. Debbie Sease, Legislative Director Washington, DC [REDACTED-PHONE]

Physicians for Social Responsibility Dr. Robert K. Musil, Executive Director & CEO Washington, DC 202- 667-4260

Friends of the Earth Dr. Brent Blackwelder, President Washington, DC [REDACTED-PHONE]

Scenic America Ms. Meg Maguire, Executive Director Washington, DC [REDACTED-PHONE]

US Public Interest Research Group Mr. Jeremiah Baumann, Environmental Health Advocate Washington, DC [REDACTED-PHONE]

Clean Water Action Ms. Lynn Thorp Washington, DC [REDACTED-PHONE] x109

Co-op America Ms. Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director Washington, DC [REDACTED-PHONE]

GreenPeace USA Mr. John Passacantando, Executive Director Washington, DC [REDACTED-PHONE]

GrassRoots Recycling Network Dr. Bill Sheehan, Executive Director Athens, GA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Container Recycling Institute Ms. Pat Franklin, Executive Director Arlington, VA [REDACTED-PHONE]

STATE & LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS & BUSINESSES:

Center for Environmental Citizenship Joshua Feldmark Executive Director Washington, DC [REDACTED-PHONE] ext. 12

Alabama Environmental Council Ms. Jayme Hill, Director Birmingham, AL [REDACTED-PHONE]

City and County of San Francisco Department of the Environment Mr. Jared Blumenfeld, Director San Francisco, CA [REDACTED-PHONE]

California Resource Recovery Association Mr. John Davis, President Folsom, CA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Californians Against Waste Mr. Mark Murray, Executive Director Sacramento, CA [REDACTED-PHONE]

SLV Redemption-Recycling Centers, Valley Women's Club Ms. Nancy Macy, Director of Recycling Boulder Creek, CA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Valcore Community Recycling Ms. Jane Bogner, President Vallejo, CA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Urban Corps of San Diego Mr. Michael Wonsidler, Recycling Coordinator San diego, CA [REDACTED-PHONE] ext. 309

Gary Liss & Associates Mr. Gary Liss, Principal Loomis, CA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Richard Anthony & Associates Mr. Richard Anthony, Principal San Diego, CA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Eco-Cycle Eric Lombardi, Executive Director Boulder, CO [REDACTED-PHONE] x114

Earth Alert, University of Miami Mr. Stefan Fairchild, President Coral Gables, FL [REDACTED-PHONE]

Florida Chapter Sierra Club Mr. Dwight Adams, Solid Waste Issue Chair Gainesville, FL [REDACTED-PHONE]

Florida Public Interest Research Group Mr. Mark Ferrulo, Executive Director Tallahassee, FL [REDACTED-PHONE]

Friends of Georgia Mr. Larry Winslett Dawsonville, GA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Georgia Sierra Club Mr. Sam Booher, Co-Chair Augusta, GA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Waste Not Georgia Mr. Bob Woodall, Executive Director Atlanta, GA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Iowa Public Interest Research Group Amber Hard Des Moines, IA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Iowa Recycling Association Mr. Dewayne Johnson, Executive Director Des Moines, IA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Chicago Recycling Coalition Ms. Betsy Vandercook, President Chicago, IL [REDACTED-PHONE]

Illinois Public Interest Research Group Ms. Diane E. Brown, Director Chicago, IL [REDACTED-PHONE]

Dump & Run, Inc. Ms. Lisa K Heller, Executive Director Brookfield, MA [REDACTED-PHONE]

MASSPIRG Ms. Iris Vicencio-Garaygay, Environmental Advocate Boston, MA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Ecology Center Mr. Mike Garfield, Director Ann Arbor, MI [REDACTED-PHONE] ext. 104

Flowerfield Enterprises, Inc. Ms. Mary Appelhof, President Kalamazoo, MI [REDACTED-PHONE]

NO WASTE - Network Of Waste Activists Stopping Trash Exports Mr. Jeff Surfus, Coordinator Dexter, MI [REDACTED-PHONE]

St. Jude's Episcopal Church Rev. Elizabeth Morris Downie Fenton, MI [REDACTED-PHONE]

Society for Species Management and Survival Earl & Sue Lane, Co-Directors Hannibal, MO [REDACTED-PHONE]

Montana-CHEER Mr. Tony Tweedale, Missoula, MT [REDACTED-PHONE]

Anson County CACTUS Ms. Denise Richardson, President Clemmons, NC [REDACTED-PHONE]

Dogwood Alliance Ms. Danna Smith, Director of Programs Asheville, NC [REDACTED-PHONE]

Mr. David Kirkpatrick, Managing Director Sustainable Jobs Fund * (for ID only) Durham, NC [REDACTED-PHONE]

NJ/NY Environmental Watch Joe Parrish, Director Elizabeth, NJ 908-352-121

NYC Waste Prevention Coalition Mr. Timothy J.W. Logan, Chair New York, NY [REDACTED-PHONE]

Oregon State Public Interest Research Group Ms. Maureen Kirk, Executive Director Portland, OR [REDACTED-PHONE]

Recycling Advocates Ms. Tanya Schaefer, Spokesperson Portland, OR [REDACTED-PHONE]

Creative Artists' Resource Project Mr. C. David Hall-Cotrill, Director Bala Cynwyd, PA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Cumberland Countians for Peace & Justice Rev. Walter Stark Pleasant Hill, TN 913- 277-5239

Foundation for Global Sustainability Mr. Thomas Fraser, President Knoxville, TN [REDACTED-PHONE]

Knoxville Recycling Coalition Mr. Jim Homa, Program Manager Knoxville, TN [REDACTED-PHONE]

Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility Mr. Donald B. Clark, Convener Pleasant Hill, TN [REDACTED-PHONE]

Obed Watershed Association Rev. Charles Lord Pleasant Hill, TN [REDACTED-PHONE]

Utahns for an Energy Efficient Economy (UE3) Sarah Wright, Chair Salt Lake City, UT

Campaign Virginia Mr. Jim Sharp, Executive Director Richmond, VA [REDACTED-PHONE]

Northeast Kingdom Waste Management District Mr. Paul A Tomasi, Executive Director Lyndonville, VT [REDACTED-PHONE]

Blue Heron Environmental Network Ms. Sherry Evasic, President Hedgesville, WV [REDACTED-PHONE]

Waukesha County Environmental Action League Ms. Charlene Lemoine, Waste Issues Representative Waukesha, WI [REDACTED-PHONE]

Sunflower Consulting Mr. Billy Stern, President Madison, WI [REDACTED-PHONE]

GrassRoots Recycling Network

GrassRoots Recycling Network,

Container Recycling Institute,

http://www.grrn.org/media

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