AAEA Meets With CEQ Chairman  AAEA President Norris McDonald met with Council on Environmental Quality ( CEQ) Chairman James Connaughton on August 10, 2004 to discuss AAEA's proposed Environmental Justice Act and other environmental matters. McDonald previously met with Chairman Connaughton on May 28, 2003 to discuss environmental issues that are vital to the future of our country. The meetings were productive and also included a discussion about some pressing local environmental issues. McDonald shared that he taught a National Environmental Policy Act ( NEPA) class at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School in 1997. CEQ was created by NEPA (1969) and has eight duties and purposes: - Assist and Advise the President in preparing an annual environmental quality report
- Gather, analyze, and interpret information on trends in the quality of the environment
- Review and appraise federal agency compliance with the environmental policies of NEPA
- Develop and recommend to the President national policies to foster and promote the improvement of environmental quality
- Conduct investigations, studies, surveys, research, and analysis relating to ecological systems
- Document and define changes and trends in the natural environment and their underlying causes
- Report at least once each year to the President on the condition of the environment
- Make recommendations to the President with respect to environmental policies and legislation
James L. Connaughton was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 14 and appointed by President Bush on June 18, 2001 to serve as the Chairman of the CEQ. Chairman Connaughton serves as the senior environmental advisor to the President as well as Director of the White House Office of Environmental Policy, which oversees the development of environmental policy, coordinates interagency implementation of environmental programs, and mediates key policy disagreements among Federal agencies, state, tribal and local governments and private citizens. In addition to the duties and functions listed above, CEQ also has four specific NEPA responsibilities: - Issue regulations and other guidance regarding NEPA
- Resolve lead agency disputes
- Mediate interagency disputes over environmental policy
- Provide training and advice to federal agencies regarding NEPA compliance
E.O. 11514 as amended by E.O. 11991 Sources: "Mastering NEPA: A Step-by-Step Approach," White House CEQ Website AAEA Meets with Republican Environmentalists January 2003 AAEA President Norris McDonald recently attended a dinner with Republicans for Environmental Protection in Old Town, Alexandria. The dinner was part of REP America's Board Retreat. It provided a unique opportunity for McDonald to meet REP President Martha Marks. McDonald and Marks have communicated before, but this was their first face-to-face meeting. McDonald also met many of REP's board members, staff and other attendees. The dinner conversation touched on a variety of environmental and other issues. AAEA looks forward to working with REP on mutually beneficial projects in the future. REP is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Republicans Sponsor African American Leadership Summit AAEA To Push For Alternative Energy, Air and Environment Reforms Approximately 400 African Americans from 40 states attended this summit on May 14, 2003 designed to update participants on pressing national issues and to generate ideas on effective policies. Participants included business owners, college presidents, pastors, doctors, elected officials and civic activists.  Secretary of Education Rod Paige, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison  (R-TX) and Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) cosponsored the conference with the following companies: American Airlines, BNSF, Coca Cola, Fannie Mae, Federated Department Stores, Goldman Sachs, GlaxoSmithKline, Hallmark, Kodak, The National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Black Association, SBC, Shell Oil Company, Texas Instruments, and Toyota.  Andrew H. Card, Jr., Chief of Staff to President Bush was the Luncheon Keynote Speaker. The delegates were welcomed to Washington, DC and the summit by Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). Several members of President Bush's  cabinet addressed the gathering, including Education Secretary Rod Paige, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Leo Mackay, U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona and Housing Deputy Secretary Alphonso Jackson. Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele and VA Secretary Leo Mackay discussed affirmative access. Alabama State Representative Johnny Ford and Kaaren Johnson Street, Associate Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration, discussed economic development. National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise President Robert L. Woodson and National Black Chamber of Commerce President Harry C. Alford also made presentations at the summit. Alabama State Representative Johnny Ford wowed the crowd with neo-con syllogisms and Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele was feted as power broker extraordinaire in recruiting significant numbers of African Americans to the Republican Party. Although the event was nonpartisan, it was obviously a blatant appeal to blacks to seriously consider an alternative to blindly 'giving away' loyalty to one party. It was an incredible event that addressed a number of important legislative issues: corporate responsibility, defense, economic growth, education, energy, environment, faith-based initiatives, financial literacy, health care, homeland security, homeownership, judicial nominations, retirement security, small business and welfare reform. It was a great opportunity for AAEA to interact with business owners and policy makers. Agriculture Creates Minority Loan Office The U.S. Department of Agriculture has created an office to help minority and socially disadvantaged farmers apply for federal farm loans. The Office of Minority and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers Assistance, operating under the Farm Service Agency, will operate a toll-free help-line to answer queries on USDA loans and programs (1-866-538-2610 or 202-720-1584 locally). This is an attempt by Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman (press release) to address a failed 1999 class action settlement, which was supposed to help farmers but many of the claims have been rejected under the settlement. Black farmers were so dissatisfied with the settlement that they filed a lawsuit to end the agreement. U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman denied a request to vacate the settlement under which more than $600 million has been paid out to nearly 13,000 farmers. He also denied the plaintiffs' request to fire the attorneys who negotiated the settlement.
Super Pollen, Ultra Allergy, Mega Asthma AAEA believes that the unprecedented pollen levels are attributable to global warming. This winter was so mild that virtually no plants were killed or even stressed. Nature's natural plant moderation mechanism appears to be compromised. We actually witnessed blooming trees in February in Manhattan. Some daffodils bloomed in January. The result is a pollen level of almost 2,000 when 60 was once considered very high. Unfortunately for allergy sufferers, misery from itchy eyes and runny noses  will probably deteriorate into emergency room visits and prescription medications instead of over-the-counter remedies. More ominous, asthma sufferer's lungs are being significantly stressed now; and if we get an early smog season, emergency room visits, suffering and additional premature deaths will result. Affected inner city and surburban households without air conditioners and nebulizers (asthma breathing machines used at hospitals and available to the public via prescriptions) will suffer. The suffering of children in these instances makes us angry. Global warming and smog are at the top of AAEA's environmental hit list. We will utilize all of our resources to combat these twin menaces. Comment to AAEA from subscriber: In your message about the recent high pollen counts, you transmitted a picture that illustrates pine, sweet gum, and hemlock pollen grains. However, all of these pollen grains are too large to cause serious problems in most people who are prone to develop allergic reactions in the respiratory tract. Because of the grains' large sizes, nasal hairs and respiratory mucous trap most of these grains before the pollens can reach sensitized cells in the respiratory tract. In some areas, pines, hemlocks, and other evergreens produce most of the airborne pollen grains that people count each spring. In these areas, pollen counts can become very high while the number of respiratory allergy sufferers can be very small. Oaks and other some other deciduous trees produce smaller pollen grains than do pines, hemlocks, and sweet gums. These are the pollens that commonly cause asthma and other respiratory allergies in the early spring. In some areas, oaks are the predominant producers of airborne spring pollens. When oaks create high pollen counts in an area, the area will have many allergy sufferers. Bernie Berne
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