Weekly News Roundup – March 15, 2013
Want to know what National Wildlife Federation was up to this week? Here is a recap of the week’s NWF news: NWF: On First Ever Carbon Pollution Limits, We Can’t Wait March 15–The Obama administration may delay first-ever limits on carbon pollution from new power plants, according to a report Friday by the Washington Post. Larry Schweiger, […]
A Budget Wildlife Can Live On
On Tuesday afternoon, Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray released the Senate budget (for our take on the budget released by the House Budget Committee on Monday, see here.) While the Senate budget still reduces non-defense discretionary (NDD) spending — the spending category that includes virtually all conservation programs — it reflects NWF priorities of protecting […]
Don’t Let National Parks Become A Casualty of Budget Battles
Since the Budget Control Act was passed in August, 2011—and we all had to start pretending we know what “sequester” means—NWF and our friends in the conservation community have known that sequestration will be devastating for America’s wildlife and treasured public lands. Although we knew that federal agencies were scaling back under the threat of the […]
Weekly News Roundup – February 15, 2013
Want to know what National Wildlife Federation was up to this week? Here is a recap of the week’s NWF news: NWF hails reintroduction of legislation conserving Colorado’s San Juan Mountains February 15-Colorado Sen. Mark Udall’s reintroduction of a bill that would conserve about 61,000 acres in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado is […]
New Bill Lays Out Responsible Development of Renewable Energy on Public Lands
Today, a bipartisan group of Western representatives and senators introduced the Public Lands and Renewable Energy Development Act of 2013. I am feeling giddy. Let me tell you why. Growing up on the East Coast, our town playground and basketball court were the extent of my understanding of public lands. Though our eastern states […]
Weekly News Roundup – February 8, 2013
Want to know what National Wildlife Federation was up to this week? Here is a recap of the week’s NWF news: NWF Interior Nominee a Strong Voice for America’s Great Outdoors February 06-President Barack Obama will nominate Sally Jewell, chief executive officer of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), to head the Interior Department, as first reported […]
Will New Interior Secretary Put Conservation On Equal Ground with Energy?
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama nominated Sally Jewell, CEO for the outdoor outfitter REI, as successor to Ken Salazar as Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Conservation groups, senators and Western energy producers alike praised the selection as a smart choice to do everything from protecting land, connecting kids to nature, addressing […]
The Fiscal Cliff and Ohio
If you’ve been reading Wildlife Promise lately, you know that the impending fiscal cliff—which includes “sequestration,” a series of automatic budget cuts that will kick in starting in January unless Congress acts—could be pretty awful for wildlife (and people, too). These cuts will have a huge and devastating impact on conservation programs that safeguard wildlife, ensure our […]
Drilling Impacts on Public Lands Missing from Presidential Debate
A spirited exchange at this week’s Presidential debate centered around energy development on public lands, specifically oil and gas drilling. Per usual, fact checkers immediately began investigating the claims by both Governor Romney and President Obama. What was completely lost in the discussion is that increasing oil drilling in the United States will not bring down prices at […]
What Would Presidential Candidates Do To Protect America’s Public Lands?
Mitt Romney has launched Sportsmen for Romney, following Barack Obama’s Sportsmen for Obama effort. But will either campaign speak directly to the concerns of America’s outdoor enthusiasts? I called Land Tawney, the National Wildlife Federation’s senior manager for sportsmen leadership based in our Northern Rockies and Prairies Regional Center in Missoula, MT, for his take. “Sportsmen are […]