If you’ve watched C-SPAN at all recently, you’ve witnessed a monumental shift occurring on Capitol Hill. Or, you’ve fallen off your chair in disbelief.

For the first time, both the Senate and the House have not only called for a mandatory limits on U.S. global warming pollution, but committee leaders in both chambers have announced plans to bring such legislation before their committee’s in the next few months.

I’ve been at this game a while, but these latest developments truly stopped me in my tracks. I think the politicians in Washington, D.C. are finally listening to people outside the Beltway. The race has officially begun to see which chamber will bring a bill to the floor first that limits global warming pollution.

Last week, the Senate passed the first major overhaul in the nation’s fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks in three decades. And, Senate leaders promised to bring back a bill to set a nationwide renewable energy standard in coming months. Next, Sen. John Warner and Sen. Joe Lieberman, chairman and ranking members of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, announced that they have “begun...to draft a comprehensive bill to address global climate change.” Lieberman made a point to say they’d bring a strong bill before our subcommittee before the August recess.

On the other side of the Capitol, the House agreed 274-153 to a “Sense of the Congress” resolution recognizing the urgency of the global warming threat and calling for a mandatory program to cut global warming pollution. The resolution is the House complement to the “Sense of the Senate” resolution on global warming that passed in 2005. And in one of the surest signs that the race to enact meaningful climate legislation has begun, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., vowed to move a strong bill to cap carbon pollution through his committee. Dingell is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and any major climate bill must pass through his committee.

And to top it off, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership announced that Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Company have joined its coalition, which already includes many of the world's largest corporations and six of the nation's most respected non-governmental organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation. This means the ‘Big Three’ U.S. automakers (General Motors already is a member) have all joined the call for a federal cap and trade bill to reduce global warming pollution.

Odds-makers are having a field day predicting not if, but WHEN, the Congress will pass legislation that put us on a pathway to reduce global warming pollution by 2 percent per year, and 80 percent by 2050.

Delaying action puts wildlife at risk and will cost the nation more in the long run, placing more of the burden on future generations. It appears that more and more members in Congress agree.

To see where your member of Congress stands on this urgent matter go to:

http://online.nwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Cosponsors07&JServSessionIdr011=12iqoy67r2.app7a

To send a note to your lawmaker go to:

http://online.nwf.org/site/Ecard?ecard_id=1141

Your voice can make a difference for our children's future and for the future of wildlife.

Today marks an important moment in our nation’s conservation history and it’s one that conservationists everywhere will look back on with pride – on June 28, 2007, we officially removed the bald eagle from the nation’s list of threatened or endangered species.

Our senior science advisor Doug Inkley said it best in an interview with Reuters the other day: "This is a man-on-the-moon moment for wildlife."

We nearly lost the bald eagle – our nation’s symbol, for Pete’s sake – to DDT and major habitat loss that pushed it to the brink of extinction in the lower 48 states 40 years ago. But thanks to a ban on this nasty chemical, the Endangered Species Act - a law to protect wildlife from extinction, and the countless numbers of dedicated conservationists who worked tirelessly over the last four decades to see that the eagle recovered, the eagle has been saved. Rachel Carson's early leadership proves the point that one person with vision and determination can still make a difference.

From just 417 breeding pairs in the lower 48 states in the late 1960s to more than 9,000 today, we’ve proven that the Endangered Species Act works and that protecting wildlife is as American an endeavor as there ever was.

Jim Lyon, our senior vice president for conservation, represented NWF at the announcement this morning with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne at the Jefferson Memorial. President Jefferson, a passionate conservationist, would be proud to know that America had the good sense to protect the nation’s symbol and scores of other wildlife species from extinction.

While we need to celebrate this victory for wildlife, I can’t ignore the larger threat that is looming: global warming. DDT pales in comparison with the threat that global warming poses to wildlife and people everywhere. If we don’t tackle it head-on and immediately, the hard-fought conservation efforts of the last century could very well be lost by a rapidly warming climate that will become the leading cause of species extinction.

What does this tell me? That the fight is only just beginning. But it’s good to stop for a moment and appreciate the good news and hard fought success of the bald eagle that shows us what we’re made of. If we can bring the bald eagle back from the brink of extinction, we can tackle any threat to wildlife that comes our way.

In 1936, at the North American Wildlife Conference, legendary conservationist and political cartoonist "Ding" Darling addressed a group of conservationists to discuss how to best address the most pressing issues facing wildlife in their day. In his speech, "Ding" said that the only way to achieve success was that "Out of this meeting must come a definition of our common aims, free from the controversial differences inherent in group interests." Ding firmly believed in the power of our democracy and that if the people will come together and lead, the leaders will follow. He put his hope in the passion of the people in that room, believing it would be strong enough for them to put aside their differences and focus on the common interests that had brought them together. Ding believed in this so strongly that the National Wildlife Federation was created to help give voice to this common vision.

Today, wildlife are facing even more challenges than in Ding’s day. Global warming, habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species are pushing more plants, fish, and wildlife toward the brink of extinction. And on Monday, the Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Endangered Species Act by ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency need not consider needs of endangered wildlife in certain water pollution permitting decisions.

What would Ding say if he could speak to us today? I suspect he would say much the same thing that he said 71 years ago – that it is time for the millions of Americans passionate about protecting wildlife for our children’s future to speak out together on the most important issue of our time – global warming. Isn’t it time for us to put aside our "inherent differences" for this common aim?

Last night after midnight, the U.S. Senate voted to improve fuel efficiency standards, a major step forward in the fight to solve global warming.

The nation's energy plan was long overdue for a tune up. America's fuel efficiency standards for cars and SUVs haven't been updated since the era of the eight track tape player. Meanwhile, our dependence on oil has been squeezing our wallets and choking our skies with pollution, contributing one-third of the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming.

We are in a race to protect wildlife, and the planet as a whole, for our children. Scientists are warning that we are running out of time to cut back on the global warming pollution we are pumping into the atmosphere. This bipartisan vote helps put our country on the right track. Now it's up to the House of Representatives and the President to support the Senate's action, so that these mileage standards become law.

Ultimately, Congress needs to limit global warming pollution from all major sources, including power plants, in order to achieve the goal of cutting emissions by at least two percent every year, and a total of 80 percent by mid-century. That's the rate of cuts scientists say is necessary to avoid global warming's most catastrophic effects.

Remember what it was like to go camping on a warm summer night? The fresh air, sitting around the campfire, making s’mores? Camping was one of my favorite parts of summer.

This Saturday June 23, tens of thousands of people will be participating in The Great American Backyard Campout. Family and friends will be connecting with each other and with nature. They'll be making memories that will last a lifetime.

Consider going camping with your family this Saturday. Or take some friends and find a great place to pitch your tent and go for a hike. Learn more at http://www.backyardcampout.org/.

I recently went to Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky to talk with the League of Kentucky Sportsmen about their conservation priorities. Like other sportsmen’s groups around the country that I’ve been talking with, they have a strong conservation heritage that they want to pass on to future generations of hunters and anglers.

And they are starting to see and experience global warming in their own state. For example, Eastern Kentucky could see a loss of 90% of habitat for brook trout in headwater streams. And warmer fall and winter temperatures in northern regions in the U.S. will mean less waterfowl migrating south to the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in western Kentucky.

The sportsmen and women I met in Kentucky want to do something about the global warming they are seeing. And 85% of sportsmen surveyed by National Wildlife Federation in a recent poll believe we have a moral obligation to stop global warming to protect our children’s future.

Have you been seeing changes in your state? Do you want to know what role you can play? Go to targetglobalwarming.org to learn more about what others are doing and find out what you can do.

Last week when I was in Boulder, Colorado, I met Representative Cynthia Thielen from Hawaii. We had a fascinating discussion on the possibility of wave power. She sent over some links on technology that is being installed worldwide.

Isn’t it great that companies of all sorts are gaining competitive advantage from the new energy economy? America stands to create thousands of jobs and have a bright energy future if we take advantage of these opportunities to invest in clean new sources of power.

Check out these links to see examples of what can be done. Aloha.

Discovery Channel: Power Buoys

http://www.exn.ca/video/?video=exn20051114-buoy.asx

Ocean Power Delivery

http://www.oceanpd.com

Wave Dragon

http://www.wavedragon.net

Ocean Power Technologies

http://www.oceanpowertechnologies.com

Finavera Renewables

http://www.finavera.com/en/wave

Oceanlinx Australia Wave Energy System

http://www.oceanlinx.com

Archimedes Wave Swing

http://www.awsocean.com

Wavegen

http://www.wavegen.co.uk

Intel and Google announced yesterday that they are coming together with a consortium of major technology companies to implement the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. This energy-saving initiative will reduce global warming pollution the equivalent of taking 11 million cars off the road. And consumers are going to save money through reduced energy use.

Everyone has a role to play in reducing global warming pollution and creating a bright energy future for America. Isn’t this great innovation by corporate leaders? Check out the full article at:

http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/ViewNewsOnDemand.aspx?ArticleID=39_15779_7615684&Preview=true

New research from NASA and the Columbia University Earth Institute warns of severe consequences from global warming if we do not curb our production of global warming pollution within the next ten years.

NASA stresses that a dangerous tipping point concerning global warming pollution exists. If we cross this boundary, potentially uncontrollable feedback loops will result, releasing massive amounts of greenhouse gases.

NASA's announcement places more urgency on the need to reduce emissions than the report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in early 2007. NASA also asserts that the upper limits for global warming pollution concentrations in the atmosphere are lower than previously estimated.

The reports keep coming in. We still have time, but it’s time to act now. Think about a child you know who is ten years or younger. That child is the face of 2050. Do you want him or her to have a bright energy future?

The Earth’s largest carbon sink – the Southern Ocean – is no longer absorbing carbon.  This may lead heat trapping gases in our atmosphere to rise even faster because one of the planet’s natural abilities to keep greenhouse gases out of the air is the ability of oceans to absorb the carbon we are emitting, and we are harming this global cooling function. Such positive feedback loops, which are in fact one of the most dangerous results of global warming, have been predicted by scientists and confirm that we need to act now to reduce the worst affects of global warming.

From “Earth's natural defences against climate change 'beginning to fail'” by Michael McCarthy:

“The earth's ability to soak up the gases causing global warming is beginning to fail because of rising temperatures, in a long-feared sign of ‘positive feedback,’ new research reveals today. Climate change itself is weakening one of the principal ‘sinks’ absorbing carbon dioxide - the Southern Ocean around Antarctica - a new study has found. "As a result, atmospheric CO2 [carbon dioxide] levels may rise faster and bring about rising temperatures more quickly than previously anticipated. Stabilising the CO2 level, which must be done to bring the warming under control, is likely to become much more difficult, even if the world community agrees to do it.”

Check out the full article at http://environment.independent.co.uk/climate_change/article2556466.ece

We all need to continue to take steps to reduce America’s emissions of heat trapping gases like carbon dioxide by at least 2% a year to 80% by 2050. America can do this. Each of us can make a difference – by changing to compact fluorescent bulbs, buying goods with less packaging, and talking to our friends and neighbors, for starters.

What will you do today?