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VOLUME 47, NUMBER 2 | SUMMER 2017

Sacrificing public lands for private profit

TRUMP'S GIVEAWAY TO BIG OIL AND GAS

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Michelle Chan, vp of programs

Dear Friends,

I recently celebrated my 20 year anniversary at Friends of the Earth. Like our President Erich Pica, I came to this organization fresh out of college on a Friends of the Earth fellowship.

People have often asked me about the changes I have seen in the environmental movement over the years. And while there have been huge shifts, in some ways things are as they have ever been.

Corporate consolidation of power, over both our economic and political lives, remains at the heart of our struggle for a healthier planet and just society. As Antonio Roman-Alcalá describes in his article, “Top Five Reasons Why We Must Block Agrichemical and Seed Mega-Mergers,” three proposed mergers will give mega-corporations unprecedented control over our food and farming systems, and lock in our dangerous dependence on pesticides, genetic engineering and industrial monocultures. Today corporate consolidation looks like Bayer+Monsanto, Dow+DuPont and Syngenta+ChemChina. Back when I first started at Friends of the Earth, it was Exxon+Mobil, Chevron+Texaco and JP Morgan+Chase.

That’s not to say that there is nothing new under the sun with the Trump administration. Indeed, today we have an Exxon CEO helming our State Department, making the corporate capture of our government glaringly obvious. But we also have the likes of Steve Bannon, Scott Pruitt and Jeff Sessions in power, and they have made our politics uglier, more hateful and more dangerous. My article, “Our Connected Struggle,” is a personal reflection on how Trump has stoked the flames of racism and militarism in our country. It calls on us as Friends of the Earth to use our ecological mindset to see how the struggles of women, Muslims and people of color are intertwined with the fight to save our planet. It argues that the only way we can win is by being united.

Finally, being an old-timer has provided some grounding and perspective in these turbulent days. I remind myself that some of Friends of the Earth’s best campaign work was actually done during the dark days of the George W. Bush administration. For example, we ran a campaign to successfully oust – and eventually imprison – J. Steven Griles. Griles was second in command at Bush’s Interior Department and intent on giving away our public lands and resources to his cronies.

As our cover story describes, today we are facing the same situation with Trump’s Interior Department, which is similarly awash in conflicts of interest. So we are taking a page from our Griles ethics campaign and making it new again. With solid research and hard-driving advocacy, who knows: we might see some Trump appointees going to jail, too.

We know we have the strategies to fight Trump. And with Friends like you and inspiring activist Janet Henderson (see page 10) helping to lead the ever-growing movement to resist Trump, we also have the power and strength to win.

Thank you for standing with us.

Michelle Chan, vice president of programs

Big Changes, but Familiar Fights

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Get involved in issues and debates affecting human health and the planet by signing up for Friends of the Earth action alerts. Visit us at www.foe.org today!

COVER ART: Keiko Okisada

PROGRAMMATIC CONSULTANTS

STAFFErich Pica, presidentLisa Archer, food and technology program directorJenny Bock, economic justice campaignerMichelle Chan, vice president of programsMegan Coglianese, membership associateJeff Conant, senior international forests program managerStacey Conn, administrative assistantDenise Cummings, data systems administratorJason Davidson, food & tech campaign associatePatrick Davis, press officerKate DeAngelis, international policy analystJulie Dyer, director of operationsAndrew Fandino, international forests campaignerTiffany Finck-Haynes, food futures campaignerAudrey Fox, communications associateJon Fox, senior democracy campaignerKari Hamerschlag, deputy director of food & technologyEmily Hendrick, grant writerGary Graham Hughes, senior California advocacy campaignerErin Jensen, press officer John Kaltenstein, senior marine policy analystLiz Kazal, organizing associateMarcie Keever, oceans and vessels program directorKendra Klein, staff scientist, agroecology and environmental healthAdam Lugg, membership and donor services managerKatharine Lu, China sustainable finance campaignerCarrie Mann, senior manager for digital membership and advocacyJosette Matoto, graphic designer and video producer Justice Mirzakhani, digital organizing associateDamon Moglen, senior strategic advisorDoug Norlen, economic policy program directorKeiko Okisada, graphic designer and video producerKaren Orenstein, deputy director of economic policyDana Perls, senior food and technology campaigner Louisa Phillips, planned giving officerLukas Ross, climate and energy campaignerDanielle San Miguel, operations coordinatorKathy Sawyer, grants managerBen Schreiber, senior political strategistYin Shen, accounts payable specialistSharon Smith, senior accountantPeter Stocker, vice president of membership & developmentHallie Templeton, senior oceans campaignerJahnavi Trivedi, finance manager William Waren, senior trade analyst

Arlie Schardt, chairSoroush Shehabi, vice chairJeffrey Glueck, treasurerHarriett Crosby, secretaryWhitey BluesteinJayni ChaseCecil D. Corbin-MarkJudith Browne DianisDan GabelArturo Garcia-CostasMike Herz

Chloe MaxminStephen NemethChris PabonChris PaineLaura Turner SeydelDoria SteedmanMarc ZiontsDavid ZwickBrent Blackwelder, advisor, president emeritus and ex-officio

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Liz Butler, Movement Strategy Center Fred Felleman, Wildlife & Visual EntDavid Freeman

Ian IlluminatoMichael Khoo, Upshift StrategiesGayle Schwartzberg

Ayres Law GroupDunkiel SandersEarthJustice

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & EisenbergKeyes, Fox & Wiedman, LLPMeyer & Glitzenstein

LEGAL ADVISORS

2 VICE PRESIDENT'S LETTER

4 OUR CONNECTED STRUGGLE

by Michelle Chan

6 TRUMP'S GIVEAWAY OF OUR GREAT PUBLIC LANDS

by Benjamin Schreiber

10 BEING AN ACTIVIST FOR FRIENDS OF THE EARTH IS MY SILVER LININGAn interview with volunteer Janet

Henderson

by Adam Lugg

12 TOP FIVE REASONS WHY WE MUST BLOCK AGRICHEMICAL AND SEED MEGA-MERGERS

by Antonio Roman-Alcalá

14 FIGHTING FOR BEES ON CAPITOL HILL

by Tiffany Finck-Haynes

15 ECO BITES

VOLUME 47, NUMBER 2 – SUMMER 2017 –

CONTENTS

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Friends of the Earth staff and activists attend the People's Climate March in Washington D.C.

Environmentalists understand one thing above all others: in any ecosystem, everything is interconnected. Bears rely on salmon, which rely on rivers, which rely on trees – all the way down to the

microorganisms that sustain our soil. Every part plays a critical role, even if we don’t understand it. All of life – and our fates – are intertwined.

This is why, as environmentalists, we cannot sit on the sidelines, letting women, Muslims, people of color, immigrants and others fight their own battles while saving our strength to speak for the trees.

When the crises of mass incarceration and police brutality rip up black and brown communities, and immigration raids tear families apart, these phenomena ultimately hurt everyone. I may not face these trials personally, but as an environmentalist I understand that poison travels.

Nature also teaches us that the web of life is powerfully resilient. Poison can spread quickly, but so can healing. Restoring eelgrass in the San Francisco Bay can protect spawning grounds for herring, which in turn supports

tuna, which helps sustain us. So when three million people around the world marched for women’s rights the day after President Trump’s inauguration, it gave me hope.

Nature inspires us to love

Nature inspires hope and awe: The mind-boggling 3,000-mile migration of the monarch butterfly, alight on paper-thin wings; the damp quiet of ancient redwoods, which have stood in witness to history for thousands of years.

Nature also inspires humility. Those of us who are spiritual see a glimpse of the Divine in nature. For those who are not believers, nature reminds us that there is so much we don’t understand, and that there is something far bigger than ourselves.

When we are at our best, nature inspires us to love boundlessly. It inspires us to overcome the meagerness of our hearts and the smallness of our prejudices, to mirror the expansiveness and abundance that we see in nature.

As Pope Francis writes in Laudato Si, “A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if

FEATURE STORY

Our Connected Struggleby Michelle Chan, vice president of programs

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our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings…When our hearts are authentically open to universal communion, this sense of fraternity excludes nothing and no one.”

Excludes nothing and no one. Our fraternity with one another, and with nature, cannot exclude Muslims, immigrants, people of color, or those who disagree with us politically. This communion does not build walls or prohibition lists; it doesn’t divide the world between “worthy” or “unworthy” people, or into places to be protected and those to be sacrificed. As our nation becomes increasingly divided and laden with hate, fear and militarism, it flies against nature’s most powerful and enduring lesson: everything and everyone is intrinsically valuable and vital to the whole.

Our ethical challenge

When we embrace the dignity and interconnection of all things, this recognition gives our lives beauty, meaning, and even sacredness. It also brings responsibility.

Our environmental ethic requires us to consider not only our planet’s crisis, but our role in creating and solving it – which includes both ecological and social dimensions . We begin by making changes in our own lives to get in “right relationship” with the planet and with others. Then we take that to the systemic level, to transform the institutions that perpetuate environmental and social injustice – understanding that these are interconnected.

Working for systemic change is hard. But an ecological mindset enables us to see relationships and to look for the root of our problems and solutions. When overwhelmed by systemic battles, sometimes we need to start by taking care of what is most vulnerable. That could mean planting eelgrass in the bay – protecting one part of the ecosystem that ultimately helps nurture the whole.

Nature teaches us that all things are interconnected and intrinsically valuable. As environmentalists, we have the opportunity, and responsibility, to let our interconnectedness inspire and animate us to overcome these turbulent and dangerous times. Let us exclude nothing and no one.

Fighting hate and division at the May Day March in Oakland, CA

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Marianas Trench Marine National Monument

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Hawksbill turtles from Marianas Trench are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act

USFWS/Southeast

In a publicity stunt disguised as a nod to Theodore Roosevelt, the Trump administration’s new Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke rode a National Park Service horse to his first day at the office.

But Zinke, a former one-term congressman from Montana, has values more closely aligned with his fossil fuel-loving boss than those of our “conservationist president.”

While Roosevelt famously expanded the national parks system and championed conservation, in Trump’s America, the lands set aside for all Americans are under threat.

The great public lands giveaway

Since taking office in January, Trump has shown himself to be a powerful ally of the fossil fuel industry, prioritizing their profits over the planet and people at every opportunity. With the appointments of former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, and industry loyalist Scott Pruitt as head of the EPA, the Trump administration has proven its

loyalty lies with its industry cronies, not with the American people.

Trump has signed legislation to reverse President Obama’s rules giving the public more input into public land management decisions and requiring more transparency from oil companies. He lifted the moratorium on federal coal leasing and has promised to expand offshore drilling. He ordered the EPA to begin dismantling Obama’s signature initiative to reduce the power sector’s carbon emissions. And of course, he announced his intention to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

our Great Public Landsby Benjamin Schreiber, senior political strategist

Trump s Giveaway of

'

COVER STORY

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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, UtahMarianas Trench Marine National Monument

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These destructive moves are just the beginning of a broader and more insidious effort to hand over our publicly owned lands and waters to the fossil fuel industry.

For a few billion dollars and a few more years of profit from planet-destroying coal, oil and gas, the Trump administration and its congressional allies are more than willing to trash over 100 years of public lands conservation efforts – betraying the public they are supposed to serve.

It didn’t take long for the attacks to start. Just days after Trump’s inauguration, the House passed an arcane rule change to make it easier to sell off public lands by telling the Congressional Budget Office to ignore the budget implications.

A few days later, House Republicans introduced a bill to allow drilling in pristine Grand Teton, the imperiled Everglades, and more than 40 other national parks.

The Senate then cleared a resolution decreasing the input of local communities into land use planning – a transparent move enabling fossil fuel companies to

steamroll communities in their quest for fossil fuel leases.

Meanwhile, over at Zinke’s Interior Department, a regulation to keep coal companies from cheating taxpayers was put on hold – a move that could prove illegal. The so-called “valuation rule” is mainly meant to stop companies from dodging royalties, and reversing it could mean windfalls of as much as $85 million a year for coal companies and other polluters.

…the Trump administration

and its congressional allies

are more than willing to trash

over 100 years of public

lands conservation efforts

– betraying the public they

are supposed to serve.

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Giant Sequoia National Monument, California

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And in a huge blow to the planet – and a massive giveaway of taxpayer dollars – Trump has indicated that he will lift President Obama’s moratorium on federal coal leasing and end the current review of the environmental impacts from the entire coal program – potentially reopening this fossil fuel floodgate.

There is some good news. Many of these moves are too extreme even for some Trump allies. That means we have a real shot at keeping our public lands in public hands – and not in the clutches of the fossil fuel industry.

Friends of the Earth fights back

Friends of the Earth has long been a leader in the fight to keep polluting companies out of our precious public lands and waters. And right now, we’re redoubling our efforts.

We’re exposing the cozy ties between the fossil fuel industry and the Trump administration. Friends of the Earth conducted a new analysis of congressional lobbying reports, revealing several links between the industry and the administration:

Ք During the first quarter of 2017, oil companies lobbied Congress extensively to kill an Obama-era regulation that charges royalties on natural gas wasted through flaring on public lands. One of the key lobbyists now works as a top energy policy aide for Trump.

Ք An official from George W. Bush’s Interior Department, who later joined a lobbying firm with financial ties to destructive fossil fuel projects, has been chosen as the new deputy secretary of the Interior. This position gives him the power to approve projects worth millions of dollars to his former lobbying firm.

Ք ExxonMobil hired the Nickles Group to lobby Congress on their behalf, including on the specific subject of the flaring rule. Former U.S. Senator Don Nickles (R-Okla.) is listed as a registered lobbyist for both companies in the first quarter.

Trump ran on a promise to “drain the swamp,” so we’re making sure the public knows just how “swampy” the Trump administration really is.

We’re uniting a new and invigorated corps of community activists. Our new training program is honing the powerful public resistance to the Trump administration into an effective force for our planet. These activists are joining us at town hall

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meetings, political fundraisers, and anywhere we can find members of Congress. Together, we are sending the message to our elected officials that they will pay a punishing price for their neglect of climate issues, the environment and the health of our planet.

We’re taking the Trump administration to court. Friends of the Earth won’t hesitate to pursue legal action against the administration’s illegal moves. We’ve already relaunched a lawsuit about the federal coal leasing program that was set aside after Obama initiated an environmental review of potential new coal leases on federal lands and put in place a moratorium while the review was being conducted. Now that the Department of Interior has undone Obama’s decision, we’re asking the Washington, DC Circuit Court to let our suit move forward.

We’re winning key battles. From the moment Trump took office, Big Oil has tried to overturn the Obama-era Bureau of Land Management rule regulating methane emissions from oil and gas developments on public lands.

The new rule forced fossil fuel companies who drill on our public lands to pay taxpayers and tribes for any wasted natural gas – a common practice as companies often burn away excess natural gas when they drill, sending climate-harming CO2 straight into the atmosphere and polluting air in local communities.

Despite a massive push from Big Oil, we prevailed in the Senate – a victory for the American people and for our climate.

This was a key win for another reason: it proved that we can fight back against the dangerous and irresponsible administration efforts to hand over our government and public assets to the fossil fuel industry.

The Trump administration’s vision for our environment is clear. They want to give polluters free rein over our forests and oceans and our other precious public lands and waters.

And they think that putting on a good show – like Zinke riding a horse to work – will distract the American people from their truly anti-environment agenda.

Friends of the Earth and Members like you have a different vision…one we’re willing to fight for – in Congress, in court, and on the ground across the country. And we will not rest until we have created a more just, healthy and green planet for us all.

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Volunteer activist Janet Henderson collects petition signatures at the July 4th golf cart parade in Cuttyhunk Island, Mass.

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Being an Activist for Friends of the Earth Is My Silver Lining

MEMBER PROFILE

Like millions of Americans, Janet Henderson was stunned when Donald Trump shocked the nation last November. But that distressing election jolted her into action. Instead of mourning the defeat,

Henderson, of New Salem, Massachusetts, quickly joined Friends of the Earth as a volunteer activist.

“Remorse at not having done more during the campaign got me motivated,” said Janet. Under the dark cloud of a Trump presidency, she found hope in volunteering. “Being an activist for Friends of the Earth is my silver lining.”

Friends of the Earth spoke with Janet in July, and she shared what being a volunteer activist for Friends of the Earth means to her.

What inspired you to volunteer for Friends of the Earth?

An email from Friends of the Earth was the catalyst. I had planned to go to the Women’s March on Washington but had to cancel due to the flu. I was so disappointed, but also motivated to do SOMETHING. The email from Friends of the Earth was an invitation

to learn about being an activist. I forwarded the email to my nephew as he had been making noise about going into politics as a result of the election. He had too much work but I thought, “Hey, why don’t I do it?” So I filled out the application, got a call, and suddenly I had committed to going to Washington for a two-day training which would culminate in marching in the People’s Climate March.

What did you think about the activist training?

It was a wonderful experience. I met like-minded people from all over the country, which gave me a feeling of solidarity, learned about activism from experienced activists, and got to participate in a huge demonstration in support of the planet. WOW!

How are you applying what you learned at the activist training in your own community?

I do a tabling activity on Thursday afternoons at the Orange, Massachusetts farmers’ market. My table is decorated with Friends of the Earth posters and handouts, and it’s a great place to be visible and talk about the cause with locals. I also use a visioning

An interview with volunteer Janet Henderson

by Adam Lugg, membership and donor services manager

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Volunteer activist Janet Henderson collects petition signatures at the July 4th golf cart parade in Cuttyhunk Island, Mass.

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strategy to get people engaged. This activity asks people to think about and then draw a picture of what they want to see in their community.

I also heard that you used your musical talents to spread word about the cause?

I am in two musical acts that often perform at community events, and I’ve used my music (and the microphone!) as a way to promote our cause and get people to sign petitions in support of the EPA. I even got the conductor of the Orange Community Band to promote the cause between their song selections!

What are the most rewarding (and challenging) aspects of volunteering for Friends of the Earth?

For me, the most challenging aspect of being an activist is going up to that first person and asking them to read and sign your petition. It’s kind of a step into the unknown. But once you start, it gets a lot easier. People are curious and when they see one person signing they often approach you and ask what the petition is about.

Another challenge is when you ask someone who is

adamantly against your cause. I recommend simply asking that person to read the petition before they decide it’s not for them. Sometimes you do get a person to change their mind, and sometimes you don’t. But when you do, it’s very rewarding! Seeing how many people are supporting your position by signing the petition gives that feeling of solidarity and comfort. You are not alone, and being an activist helps more people get involved by offering them a chance to support a cause that they believe in, too.

What would you say to someone thinking of volunteering for Friends of the Earth?

If you are thinking of volunteering with Friends of the Earth – just go right ahead. The training gives you skills necessary to make a difference, and you will get that feeling of being one of many who care about the planet. You will also experience the thrill of going forth and helping other people experience that feeling of support for an issue they care about.

If you’d like to follow in Janet’s footsteps and become a volunteer activist for Friends of the Earth, please visit foe.org/volunteer or call 1-866-217-8499.

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Top Five Reasons Why We Must Block Agrichemical and Seed Mega-Mergers

by Antonio Roman-Alcalá

T hree mega-mergers between six corporate giants threaten to further consolidate agricultural seed and pesticide markets – leading to more dangerous corporate control over our

farms and plates.

The U.S. has already approved the mergers of Dow+DuPont and Syngenta+ChemChina, and Monsanto+Bayer are up next. President Trump’s pre-inauguration meeting with CEOs from Bayer and Monsanto indicates that politics may trump antitrust law and precedent.

But the merger is not a done deal. Widespread opposition is mounting from farmers, consumers, workers, environmentalists and regulators. A recent poll shows that 9 in 10 Americans have serious concerns about the potential merger and 90% of Americans, including 92% of Trump voters, believe that the Trump administration should take a more aggressive stance towards corporate monopolies.

These mergers endanger nearly every sector of society, and must be stopped.

1. Agribusiness mergers harm farmers

Polls show that 67 percent of United States farmers oppose the mergers – farmers know the mergers will reduce options for seeds, meaning higher prices for these and other inputs.

Monsanto already controls much of the global seed market. If the merger is approved, Monsanto+Bayer and just one other company will sell 77% of all the corn seed grown in the U.S.; meanwhile, about 95% of all seed for corn, soybean, cotton, canola and wheat will contain a Monsanto+Bayer gene that enables the extensive use of herbicides like Roundup® on the fields. In addition, Monsanto+Bayer will be the world’s largest seed business for vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, carrots and onions.

This monopolistic ownership is a recipe for price collusion and the reason why antitrust law exists: to prevent firms from having so much power that they control markets and prevent competition.

Already, commodity farmers struggle with falling prices for their soy and corn due to the small number of buyers who dominate grain markets. These mega-

FOOD & OUR CLIMATE

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mergers will squeeze farmers further: as they lose money and default on loans, we could see a repeat of the 1980s farm foreclosure crisis.

For organic farmers, greater market penetration of genetically engineered (GE) seeds will increase the potential for cross-farm genetic contamination, when wind-blown GE pollen drifts onto their fields and into their crop. This contamination could mean more company lawsuits against farms alleging improper use of patent-protected traits.

2. Consumer food prices will rise

Higher prices for farmers’ inputs will likely drive up consumer prices for all foods with commodity-crop ingredients, and for animal products. Previous mergers of telecommunications and airlines industries show that mergers hurt rather than benefit consumers.

3. Workers will suffer

Despite Trump administration assurances that the mergers will add jobs, mergers are designed to increase profits by cutting costs and reducing “redundancies” by creating “synergies” – code words for layoffs. Already, DuPont announced it would cut 1,700 jobs in Delaware. Dow plans to eliminate 2,500 jobs and close some plants before the mergers go through.

Farmworkers could suffer even more, both financially and physically. As farmers absorb higher input costs, they may pay farmworkers less. Increased pesticide use due to these firms’ pesticide-associated seed varieties will mean worse pesticide exposures for farmworkers.

4. Industrial agriculture will expand its environmental damage

These corporations’ expanded power will further entrench destructive industrial agriculture. Since Roundup® Ready seeds were introduced in 1996, usage of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup®) has expanded 15 times over. Combined with consolidation in dairy, meatpacking and other sectors, these mergers will reinforce the environmentally damaging practices of Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), which rely on feed grown with the genetically engineered, industrial farming technologies pushed by the merging companies.

5. Locking in industrial agriculture will harm alternatives for people, pollinators and planet

Expanding corporate agrichemical power could harm vital efforts to create a sustainable and just food system. The “pesticide treadmill” that keeps farmers hooked on chemicals will further shrink opportunities for more sustainable and healthful farming.

As industrial methods dominate both private and public investments, research into more sustainable methods will shrivel, further shrinking the availability of diverse, non-GE, locally appropriate seed varieties. These mergers harm our environment, farmers and consumers by reducing seed diversity and undermining alternatives.

Take action!

Ք Sign Friends of the Earth’s petition to the DOJ to stop the Bayer+Monsanto merger: http://bit.ly/stopthebayermonsantomerger

Ք Tell your state attorney general to join DOJ’s investigation into the merger, and outline your concerns about the mergers and their impacts on you as a constituent.

Ք Urge your senator and representative to speak up and take a critical stand by sending a letter to the Department of Justice opposing the mergers. Call them today: (202) 224–3121.

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Fighting for Bees on Capitol Hillby Tiffany Finck-Haynes, food futures campaigner

Friends of the Earth’s Bee Action campaign created some serious buzz this June, organizing a congressional briefing and “fly-in” to raise awareness about the $66 billion Bayer+Monsanto merger and the

dangerous grip these companies have over our food and agriculture system. The top six agrichemical and seed companies are negotiating mergers which could result in just three powerful multinational corporations controlling this market. If approved, the toxic Bayer+Monsanto mega-merger will devastate American consumers, farmers, workers and our environment.

Teaming up with farming, food, beekeeping, environmental and consumer groups, Friends of

the Earth helped mobilize over 15 farmers and beekeepers from ten states to lobby Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice, the agency responsible for approving the merger. These farmers and beekeepers shared their concerns about the mega-merger in over 40 meetings with senators, representatives and Department of Justice officials, including five in-person conversations with members of Congress.

These grassroots efforts persuaded a number of House and Senate offices to ask their state attorney general to join the Department of Justice’s investigation of the Bayer+Monsanto merger. And we achieved success on both sides of the aisle, convincing three Republican offices to consider pursuing a hearing on the merger. These meetings also helped secure the signatures of 19 Democratic senators on a letter that was sent to the Department of Justice in July, which expressed their concern over the Bayer+Monsanto merger. The issue was elevated and highlighted as an area of concern as part of the Democrats’ new policy agenda, which calls for a crackdown on corporate monopolies and adoption of new standards for merger review.

Perhaps our biggest achievement was securing the commitment of two House offices to work with Friends

of the Earth to craft federal legislation protecting farmers and the American public from agribusiness consolidation and concentration.

Successful efforts like these are only possible thanks to support from Friends of the Earth Members like you. Your continued generosity will help us keep the pressure on as we seek commitments from state attorneys general to join the Department of Justice investigation into the mergers in the coming months. Thank you for all you do to protect people, the planet and our pollinators.

BEE ACTION UPDATE

Farmers and beekeepers meet Representative Hank Johnson (D-Ga.)

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EMAIL: lphillips@foe.org PHONE: (866) 217-8499

VISIT: foe.org/YourLegacyATTN: Louisa Phillips

CONTACT US TODAY!

Your legacy and ours...A bequest is a simple way to pass on your values. You can make Friends of the Earth part of your life story by naming us in your will, trust, retirement plan, life insurance policy or financial accounts. Anyone can make a bequest, and every gift makes a difference. Together, we can create a lasting legacy for the planet.

Friends of the Earth Urges Major Investments in RenewablesIn July Friends of the Earth and allies released “Talk is Cheap,” a report outlining how G20 nations – including renewable energy advocates Germany and Canada – invest nearly four times more in public financing for polluting fossil fuels than for clean, renewable energy. The United States is the fourth-largest investor in fossil fuel projects, spending almost $6 billion a year on oil, gas and coal projects. These toxic investments directly contradict the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, while ignoring the economic, environmental and job-creation benefits of renewable energy. The report calls for G20 nations to live up to their climate commitments and end all public fossil fuel financing by 2020.

Sanderson Farms’ “100% Natural” Advertising Claim is 100% FalseFriends of the Earth and two ally groups have filed a lawsuit against poultry company Sanderson Farms, Inc., the nation’s third largest chicken producer, for falsely advertising as “100% Natural” products that contain a wide range of unnatural and in some cases prohibited substances. USDA inspections of Sanderson products at five processing plants revealed steroids, human antibiotics, and the hallucinogenic drug ketamine in the chicken they sell. “The presence of drug residues in chicken is anything but natural,” said Kari Hamerschlag, Friends of the Earth’s deputy director of food and technology. “This scandal is a wake-up call to all consumers who want healthier meat.” Sanderson sells its chicken in grocery stores across the U.S., and supplies restaurant chains including Olive Garden, Arby’s and Dairy Queen.

Friends of the Earth Members Turn Up the Heat on KrogerIn June, Friends of the Earth and allies delivered over 400,000 Member signatures to the CEO of Kroger at Kroger Company’s annual general meeting, urging the grocery retailer to protect pollinators by removing food produced with bee-killing pesticides from store shelves. “Kroger’s bottom line will suffer if it doesn’t take steps to address its contribution to the bee crisis,” said Tiffany Finck-Haynes, food futures campaigner with Friends of the Earth. “From the produce section to the dairy aisle, food sold at top U.S. food retailers is produced with pollinator-toxic pesticides. Polling shows the majority of consumers believe grocery stores should eliminate these harmful pesticides from the food they eat.”

ECO BITES

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United States Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation1. Publication Title: Friends of the Earth 2. Publication Number: 10541829 3. Filing Date: 7/13/2017. Issue Frequency: Quarterly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 4 6. Annual Subscription Price: N/A 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 Contact Person: Adam Lugg Telephone: 202-222-0732 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: Erich Pica,1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 Editor: Adam Lugg, Friends of the Earth, 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 Managing Editor: Peter Stocker, Friends of the Earth, 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 10. Owner: Friends of the Earth, 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months 13. Publication Title: Friends of the Earth 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: SPRING 2017 (5/22/17)

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

15. Extent and Nature of Circulation Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press run) 14,725 14,093

b. Paid Circulation(By Mail and Outsidethe Mail)

(1) Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies)

14,525 13,893

(2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies)

0 0

(3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS®

0 0

(4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail®) 0 0

c. Total Paid Distribution [Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)] 14,525 13,893

d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

(1) Free or Nominal Rate Ourside-County Copies included on PS Form 3541 0 0

(2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 0 0

(3) Free of Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail) 0 0

(4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means) 200 200

e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution [Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3) and (4)] 200 200

f. Total Distribution [Sum of 15c and 15e] 14,725 14.093

g. Copies not Distributed [See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3)] 0 0

h. Total [Sum of 15f and g] 14,725 14,093

i. Percent Paid [15c divided by 15f times 100] 98.6% 98.6%

16. Electronic Copy Circulation Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

a. Paid Electronic Copies 0 0

b. Total Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) 14,525 13,893

c. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) 14,725 14,093

d. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c x 100) 98.6% 98.6%

I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print) are paid above a normal price.

17. Publication of Statement of Ownership If the publication is a general publication, publication of this statement is required. Will be printed in the SUMMER 2017 issue of this publication. (8/22/2017)

18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner Date 7/13/2017

The Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine is printed on 100% recycled paper with 100% post-consumer content and processed without chlorine.

CFC #12067

A copy of the latest Financial Report and Registration filed by this organization may be obtained by contacting us at Friends of the Earth, 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. Toll-free number: 877-843-8687. Or, for residents of the following states, by contacting any of the state agencies: CALIFORNIA - A copy of the Official Financial Statement may be obtained from the Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts, Department of Justice, PO Box 903447, Sacramento, CA 94203-4470 or by calling 916-445-2021. FLORIDA - A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-435-7352. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Florida registration # CH960. KANSAS - Annual financial report is filed with Secretary of State #258-204-7. MARYLAND - For the cost of copies and postage: Office of the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401. MICHIGAN - MICS 10926. MISSISSIPPI - The official registration and financial information of Friends of the Earth, Inc. may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office by calling 1-888-236-6167. Registration by the Secretary of the State does not imply endorsement by the Secretary of State. NEW JERSEY - INFORMATION FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY BY CALLING 973-504-6215. REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT. NEW YORK - Office of the Attorney General, Department of Law, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. NORTH CAROLINA - FINANCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ORGANIZATION AND A COPY OF ITS LICENSE ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE SOLICITATION LICENSING BRANCH AT 1-888-830-4989. THE LICENSE IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT BY THE STATE. PENNSYLVANIA - The official registration and financial information of Friends of the Earth may be obtained from Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within the state 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. UTAH - Permit #C495. VIRGINIA - State Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, PO Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218; 1-800-552-9963. WASHINGTON

Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine (ISSN: 1054-1829) is published quarterly by Friends of the Earth, 1101 15th St. NW, 11th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005, phone 202-783-7400, fax 202-783-0444, e-mail: foe@foe.org, website: www.foe.org. The words “Friends of the Earth” and the Friends of the Earth logo are exclusive trademarks of Friends of the Earth, all rights reserved. Requests to reprint articles should be submitted to Adam Lugg at ALugg@foe.org. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C.

OUR MISSION: Friends of the Earth defends the environment and champions a healthy and just world.

Adam Lugg, Membership and Donor Services Manager