Groups Ask Court to Block U.S. From Opening Roads to Mexican Truckers; Coalition claims that the move, part of NAFTA compliance, would worsen air quality..
President Bush ended restrictions on Mexican trucks in the U.S. but U.S. truckers fear that this will hurt business. Environmentalists are worried about diesel emissions from Mexican trucks and legislators and a trucking association in Mexico said regulations were tougher than on trucks from Canada. Small operators in Mexico argued against the change, fearing that U.S.-based corporations would consolidate the industry, turning them from independent operators to employees. Unions and US truckers face competition for jobs and contracts, environmentalists fear pollution. They filed suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals arguing that Mexican trucks pollute more than U.S. rigs because of less stringent standards. Proponents counter that Mexican trucks are subject to the same regulations as U.S. trucks. 130 Mexican firms have applied for permits and 60 have been approved pending audits. Mexican truckers agreed that few would take advantage of the opening because of restrictions imposed by Congress last summer. Only about 30,000 trucks meet U.S. standards for hauling cargo north of the border.
December 03, 2002 Los Angeles Times
Global Warming to Sap the West's Water Needs.
Global warming will reduce the water supplies in the Western U.S. Supplies will fall short of demands although precipitation levels will remain constant. Warmer temperatures mean rain instead of snow. Snow pack stores water through the winter and melts in the spring and summer. Rain fills rivers and streams when demand is low. As California's population will double in 35 years, reservoir levels along the Colorado will drop by more than a third which will cut hydropower by 40%. The Sacramento River will have less water for irrigation, cities and hydropower. The Sacramento Delta will increase in salinity, disrupting the ecosystem. The Columbia River will have water in the summer and fall to generate electricity, or in the spring and summer for salmon runs but not both. The problem in the West is too many people using too much water. In California, the state water plan will include consideration of climate change. One outcome is to increase its network of dams, adding storage capacity. 40% of California's population increase is from immigration, 50% the result of births to those immigrants. For the U.S. immigration and the births to immigrants is accounting for 70% of our population growth and will double the US population in 54 years.
November 21, 2002 Los Angeles Times
'Arab Terrorists' Crossing Border - Middle Eastern Illegals Find Easy Entrance Into U.S. From Mexico.
May , 1998
Differing Demography of United States, Western Europe.
The United States is becoming younger, while Europe's population is aging. Between 1960 and 1985, the U.S. rate dropped to 1.8 births per woman. In the 1990s the rate rose to just below 2.1 births per woman - possibly because of "higher-than-average fertility" among immigrants and the U.S. "economic boom,". Europe's women average fewer than 1.4 births in their lifetime.
August 24, 2002 The Economist;
Immigration: Reforms Unleashed a Tidal Wave.
[Note: this article gives background on U.S. immigration. While some of us may not want immigration reduction, it is important to understand that there are serious environmental and sustainability reasons for wanting less immigration. They are much the same reasons for wanting fewer births.] ... In 1964 Congress had passed the Civil Rights Act guaranteeing protections for all Americans, regardless of race or ethnicity. Next came reform of the nation's race-based immigration laws that shut out most non-whites. Every country was allowed the same number of immigration slots, regardless of population or demand, plus a certain amount is allowed for family and employee-based immigration. In countries where the demand is high, people must wait for years for a chance to be in that country's annual immigration allotment. Large numbers of applicants from a handful of Asian and Latin American countries wait and wait, and then turn often to illegal immigration, with about 275,000 entering the country illegally each year. Also there are many exceptions to the immigration caps. Spouses, parents and minor children of U.S. citizens can come within a year or two of applying. Foreigners who come on student visas can often become permanent residents regardless of the cap. Tens of thousands of refugees and people seeking political asylum are also admitted. This year's cap is 70,000.
July 16, 2002 Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.)
Immigration Headlines
