I have recently returned from the Friends Committee on National Legislation annual General Committee meeting in Washington where I represent New England Yearly Meeting on the General Committee. I always come away from the annual meeting with renewed hope for and increased enthusiasm for the work of FCNL. Both Committee members and FCNL staff were much more optimistic this year with respect to issues of importance to Quakers. Among the highlights of attending the meeting were hearing Representative Lynn Woolsey speak of her efforts opposing the war in Iraq, hearing from individuals who are involved in effort in Iraq to support the Iraqi people, touring the newly renovated FCNL building, opportunities of seeing several Friends who participated with us in the Earthcare Witness workcamp at Finca la Bella in Costa Rica earlier this year (Barbara Williamson, Lynne Heritage, Hollister Knowlton), renewing acquaintances and meeting other Friends active in Earthcare Witness (Bill Bliss, Jack Bradin, Ed Dreby, and Alice Ward), and meeting with FCNL staff working on environmental issues (Adam Klepper and Ned Stowe).

FCNL lobbyists spoke of recent successes on issues on which they have invested considerable effort including getting the STEP resolution introduced into the House, elimination of funding for nuclear bunker busters, removal of the provisions for oil drilling in ANWR. One lobbyist spoke of her participation in joint meetings of civil groups and individuals working for the State Department and the Department of Defense on conflict resolution and proactive nonviolent approaches to preventing deadly conflict. Last year she said it was difficult to get anyone to come to such meetings but this year there are always more than 50 in attendance. Thus FCNL staff is involved in providing education regarding these approaches in the administrative branch as well as the legislative branch of our government. FCNL has had a very good year with more than 100,000 messages sent to congressional representative through their web site.

One of the four statements in the short version of FCNL’s mission statement is: “We seek an earth restored”. Presently FCNL is working in two environmental areas: global climate change and energy/oil dependency. There are web pages on each of these issues on the FCNL web site http://www.fcnl.org/issues/issue.php?issue_id=102 (global climate change) and http://www.fcnl.org/issues/issue.php?issue_id=24 (oil dependency). During the period March through September 2005, FCNL featured oil dependency issues four times as the focus of the weekly legislative action alert. During the year ending in June 2005, approximately 6000 faxes or emails to congressional representatives on energy issues (compared to 9000 attributed specifically to Iraq issues) were generated through FCNL’s weekly legislative action alert service.

FCNL has two individuals who work on environmental issues Adam Klepper, a legislative assistant who divides his time between environmental issues and native American issues, and Ned Stowe who is Senior Legislative Specialist, the head of all lobbying activities and who focuses on budget and environmental issues. Several of us spent lunch on Friday talking with Adam Klepper. He described his work including talking about FCNL’s collaboration with other groups interested in environmental issues, and in particular a Washington based interfaith workgroup interested in environmental issues. He was very interested in remaining in contact with Quaker Earthcare Witness/Ministry and was interested in the NEYMEarthcare Yahoo group. Saturday I had lunch with Ned Stowe, who said that he hopes that it may be possible to identify someone else to work on budget issues so that he has more time to devote to environmental issues.

A particularly visible environmental witness by FCNL is the newly renovated FCNL office located across the street from the Hart Senate Office Building. It is featured on the FCNL web site (http://www.fcnl.org/building/index.htm) including a video tour of the building. The building will be receiving LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The building in one of only six in Washington DC to receive this certification and the only one on Capitol Hill. The building includes a vegetated roof to reduce global warming, uses a geothermal pump for heating and cooling, has floors made of bamboo (renewable rapidly growing wood resource), and has a light scoop that brings natural light to the center of all floors of the building. All windows open and there is so much light that the staff told us that they don’t turn on the overhead lighting for most of the day. The building also has bicycle parking and a shower for those riding to work (Joe Volk, Executive Secretary of FCNL is one of several staff who regularly cycle to work). FCNL is using the building to promote the importance of care for the earth and the environment. Groups, including Congressional staff and representative, frequently tour the building. One of the first visitors was a Republican congressman who lives several houses down the block from FCNL and who had never been in the FCNL office before. He brought his staff and, after learning about the bamboo floor, became excited about promoting bamboo as a renewable agricultural resource in his home state of South Carolina.

Visit the newly designed FCNL website at http://www.fcnl.org/, sign up for the electronic weekly action alerts and consider financially supporting this important Quaker witness in our Capitol.