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For Immediate Release
Fast Track is Wrong Track, Defenders Says
WASHINGTON -- Today's House vote in favor of H.R. 3005, the Thomas Fast Track bill, is a terrible mistake and a betrayal of the American public, according to Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.
"The Thomas Fast Track bill is bad for the environment, bad for public participation, and bad for this country," said Schlickeisen. "America’s workers, environmentalists, humanitarian relief agencies, small businesses, family farmers, and women’s groups all recognized this; and we all united to oppose the Fast Track bill. Only big business supported it. And 215 members of Congress supported big business. I suspect a lot of Americans will be calling their representatives in the coming days to ask: ‘Whom did you vote for?’"
"We will be looking to Senator Baucus and Senator Daschle to show leadership, and stop this bill in the Senate until this issue has had the public hearings and full and open debate it deserves," said Schlickeisen. "It’s time to change the way we make trade policy. People care about their environment and they care about having a say in making the laws that protect it. Americans simply will not stand for trade agreements that threaten those laws and undermine the democratic process itself. It is possible to expand international trade and protect the environment at the same time; indeed, in the long run we can only maximize trade if we protect the environment."
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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 480,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on environmental issues. For timely information on environmental issues, visit www.defenders.org and subscribe to DENLines, a free e-mail alert newsletter.
