Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced legislation aimed at safeguarding wildlife and natural resources, and the essential goods and services they provide to every American, from the harmful effects of climate change. Co-sponsored by Senators Max Baucus (D-MT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Tom Udall (D-NM), the " Natural Resources Climate Adaptation Act" (S. 1933) provides a framework for protecting and restoring wildlife and natural resources from the existing and projected impacts of climate change. The bill calls for dedicated funding for these safeguards, which is expected to come from revenue generated by clean energy and climate legislation. The plan builds upon an earlier natural resources adaptation proposal championed by Senators Baucus and Whitehouse, which was included in the Senate's version of comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation introduced earlier this month by Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry (D-MA). "The support of these prominent Senators shows that safeguarding our communities, wildlife and natural resources from the impacts of climate change is as important as complementary efforts to curb the causes of climate change," said John Kostyack, executive director of Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming at the National Wildlife Federation. "This legislation prioritizes climate-smart conservation solutions that meet the scale and scope of the threats facing wildlife and natural resources today."
National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Larry Schweiger testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on the urgent need to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that includes large-scale dedicated funding to safeguard wildlife and natural resources from the harmful effects of climate change. In his testimony, Schweiger praised Senators Kerry and Boxer for their efforts to address the current and projected impacts of climate change in the Senate Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S. 1733). "As goes America's wildlife, so goes America. The health of wildlife and natural ecosystems is closely linked with the health of the economy, human health and safety, and quality of life," said Schweiger. "Congress must enact legislation that offers Americans a better way to power our future and a better way to protect the planet. We must address carbon pollution and the growing threats to our natural world. We cannot do one without the other, or we will fail to meet our moral obligations to the generations that will follow us." Schweiger added that the S.1733 provides long-term dedicated funding for a "strategic approach to natural resources adaptation" and will be an economic boon.
The hearing was the second in a series on the bill. Scientists, business leaders and the President of the Quinault Indian Nation joined Schweiger in testifying before the committee.
The House and Senate recently cleared a $32.2 billion Interior and Environment appropriations bill for the 2010 fiscal year that includes $385 million for programs that address global warming. The $4.7 billion overall program increase over 2009 funding levels will improve conservation efforts across the board and give agencies the resources they need to take on new climate change initiatives. President Obama signed the bill into law on October 30, 2009. The funds allotted for addressing the effects of climate change include $67 million for priority climate change research at the U.S. Geological Survey and an additional $15 million for that agency's National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, which will help wildlife adapt to climate change, and $55 million for on-the-ground monitoring and adaptation to climate change impacts in national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other public lands. "Like a shot of adrenalin, this bill will breathe new life into our nation's conservation programs," said Corry Westbrook, legislative director at the National Wildlife Federation. "For too long, key conservation programs and agencies and have been shortchanged and undercut. Congress has reached the bar set by President Obama by delivering the best Interior appropriations bill we have seen in years."
The U.S. Department of Treasury announced the allotment of $2.2 billion in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds for hundreds of public power companies and cooperatives, helping them access lower cost credit and encourage clean renewable energy production. "Because of the Clean Renewable Energy Bonds awards announced today, energy developers will be able to access lower cost credit to help make the shift to clean renewable energy production, benefitting both our economy and our environment," said Treasury Deputy Secretary Neal Wolin. The department considered more than 1,000 applicants for the highly-prized bonds, eventually choosing 805. Most of the money awarded will go toward solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass projects.
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) unveiled a newer, more ambitious version of climate and energy legislation that calls for reducing U.S. carbon pollution, promoting energy independence, and transitioning to a clean energy economy.
The proposal, cosponsored by Foreign Relations Committee Chair Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), builds on the House-passed American Clean Energy and Security Act, adding provisions that will further decrease U.S. production of harmful heat-trapping gases.
Among other new content in the 'Chairman's Mark' are provisions that ensure the majority of the bill's investments go to consumer protection, an increase in investments for energy efficiency and renewable energy, and a framework for the distribution of emissions allowances.
While the new carbon targets are more ambitious than those laid out in the House bill, they are projected to be easy on American pocketbooks: an Environmental Protection Agency analysis of the latest plan says it would cost the typical household about $100 per year, about the same as previous estimates.
The Environment and Public Works Committee opens debate on the bill this week.
A new report shows energy legislation would create millions of jobs, raise income levels, and strengthen the U.S. economy.
The analysis, released by Environmental Entrepreneurs, is based on collaborative research by teams at Yale University, the University of California, and the University of Illinois, and shows that legislation "would limit pollution and create incentives to drive large-scale investments in clean energy and energy efficiency."
According to the report, clean energy investments would create up to 1.9 million new jobs nationwide, boosting the GDP by up to $111 billion over the next decade.
"Using new modeling and the latest economic data, this analysis confirms that clean energy and climate legislation can strengthen our economy and create jobs," said Diane Doucette, Climate Campaign Director for Environmental Entrepreneurs. "America needs to move forward with this legislation to drive investment in clean energy technology, cut carbon pollution and make America a leader for the 21st century."
As the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works kicks off hearings on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, leaders from communities on the frontlines of climate impacts are on Capitol Hill, making their case for action - among other things, that global warming disproportionately impacts low-income and minority communities.
"We have a clear and simple message to our Senators: We're counting on you, to pass a strong climate and energy bill that will safeguard people and communities," said Marc Littlejohn, manager of Diversity Partnerships, National Wildlife Federation.
"Climate change is a civil rights issue and the most vulnerable people to its dangerous impacts are inner city African-Americans," said Hilary O. Shelton, senior vice president for Advocacy and director of the NAACP DC Bureau. "The time is now to enact comprehensive climate change policies."
A Zogby survey found that a majority of likely voters want the Senate to act quickly to bring about a new energy plan for America. The public's desire for action is also reflected by a majority of African Americans, who believe climate change is a growing problem that demands action now, according to a recent poll by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.
"We must take action to reduce global warming pollution now, while there is still time to avert the worst impacts," said Joe Mendelson, director of Global Warming Policy, National Wildlife Federation. "Investing in a clean energy future and reducing the carbon pollution that causes global warming will help communities nationwide, especially the most vulnerable. The good news is that a clean energy future can also create new economic opportunities for underserved communities."
The Christian Coalition has joined the National Wildlife Federation to push for comprehensive climate and energy legislation.
The religious grassroots organization teamed with NWF to release an advertisement calling for action by the U.S. Senate to jump-start America's clean energy economy and reduce foreign oil dependence.
"Defending the status quo is no longer an option. We need swift action to ensure America is the world leader in clean energy technology," the ad reads. "Senators should work together to move forward with a clean energy plan for America."
News of the partnership comes amid a broader shift in clean energy advocacy. More nontraditional groups are speaking out in support of a clean energy bill in recent months, including hunters, anglers, and Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran.
When the great-grandson of a former president and a respected former senator get together for a talk with a few thousand concerned citizens, people pay attention.
More than 13,000 hunters and anglers joined a national teleconference - a virtual town hall meeting dedicated to the discussion of global warming's effects on wildlife and the need for legislation to curb carbon pollution and safeguard natural resources.
The call was co-hosted by the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and American Hunters and Shooters, and included Ted Roosevelt IV, a noted conservationist, and former Sen. John Warner (R-VA).
The call generated "an unheard-of outpouring of interest and support from sportsmen and women for clean energy solutions to climate change," said Jim Lyon, National Wildlife Federation vice president for Conservation Policy, who moderated the event. "No collection of people has a better understanding of the impacts of climate change we are seeing and for the need to act."
Indeed, the teleconference represented the latest stage of a vocal movement by American sportsmen to move the issue of global warming to the fore. A recent NWF poll of hunters and anglers found that 66 percent of respondents believed the effects of global warming are already occurring, and many concerned sportsmen have taken to the nation's capital in recent months to lobby the U.S. Senate for comprehensive climate and energy legislation that would help protect the habitats and species they cherish.
"It's very important in my opinion that we do pass the climate change bill," said Roosevelt IV.
According to the latest edition of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) annual Arctic report card, drastically receding Arctic sea ice may alter the climate and weather balance for the entire planet.
"Basically, with less sea ice, we're messing with the thermostat for the whole globe," said Richard Spinrad, assistant administrator of the NOAA.
The report comes in the wake of findings that the Arctic may be virtually free of ice during non-winter months within the next 10-20 years, potentially leading to climbing temperatures worldwide.
As seasonal ice melts during the summer months, darker, sunlight-absorbing water is exposed, intensifying global warming's effects. Without ice cover for much of the year, these effects will deepen, creating a formidable feedback loop and spurring organisms ever northward while affecting circulation patterns.
"Climate change is happening faster in the Arctic than any other place on Earth - and with wide-ranging consequences," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "This year's Arctic Report Card underscores the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas pollution and adapting to climate changes already under way."
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