AP Photo

Jeremy Symons, senior vice president of the National Wildlife Federation, said:

“It’s hard to tell what’s really new about TransCanada’s application, which continues to threaten Nebraska’s iconic Sandhills and its critical Ogallala aquifer. It’s just the latest broken promise from TransCanada, which has threatened to seize Nebraskan lands by eminent domain and claimed its Keystone I pipeline would spill very rarely, then spilled 12 times in its first year of operation.”

The Alberta-based company is already planning to move forward with the project’s southern segment(from Cushing, OK to the Port Arthur, TX). Because the southern segment won’t cross an international boundary, the State Department won’t require a presidential permit for it to be built, but the southern segment still needs water permits from the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). TransCanada wants limited review of this dangerous project and they want to stay out of the public eye after the bruising they took during the first round of this fight.They’re betting that it will be harder for the State Department to say no to the rest of the pipeline if a significant portion of it is already in place — However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already said more scrutiny is needed.

Gulf Coast Project

As NWF’s Jeremy Symons argues,

“The only thing this pipeline would guarantee is billions in annual profit for oil companies, while risking long-lasting damage to our waters and lands. That’s why oil companies have pushed so hard to have their allies in Congress take this decision out of the hands of safety regulators – they know if Keystone XL is judged fairly on its impacts on America’s land, water, wildlife and climate, it doesn’t stand a chance.”

Protesters carry an inflatable Keystone Xl pipeline around the White House during the Nov. 6th rally. (Photo: Marine Jaouen)

Help us make sure this dangerous pipeline gets the scrutiny it deserves. Speak up now for wildlife and people affected by tar sands and the Keystone XL pipeline:

It’s hard to pinpoint the moment when I began to see nature and the outdoors as my own personal refuge, but the video below does share an outdoor moment that I will never forget–when I was a kid and I encountered a mountain lion.  Don’t worry, I was about 30 yards away from the mountain lion so there wasn’t much to be afraid of.  Here are some tips on what to do if you do come across a mountain lion.

This post is broadcasted from the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

Click here to view the embedded video.

At that moment I realized that I was in someone else’s backyard–a species who had been calling those mountains home way before my Aunt and Uncle moved there.  These are the moments that I want to protect for other people, and is a reminder of why I love what I do. Wildlife habitat is being threatened at an unprecedented rate, and many are facing the threat of extinction, please take action!

National Wildlife Federation’s Storytelling Video Diary Series shares the candid tales of nine NWF staffers from around the country; armed with their cameras in the Great Lakes, California, South Dakota, the Pacific Northwest, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, these nine staffers will share with you their individual trials, epiphanies and stories as they unfold in their daily adventures.

From Me to We, a new book by Bob Doppelt.

From Me To We: The Five Transformative Commitments Required To Rescue The Planet, Your Organization, And Your Life

What:

Book talk and signing by leading climate and sustainability practitioner and author Bob Doppelt, author of “From Me To We: The Five Transformative Commitments Required To Rescue The Planet, Your Organization, And Your Life” (Greenleaf Publishing UK). Here’s a summary of the book.

Who:

Bob Doppelt

Bob is the author of The Power of Sustainable Thinking: How To Create a Positive Future for the Climate, The Planet and Your Life (Earthscan Publishing, 2008), which in the summer of 2010 was deemed by Audubon Magazine to be one of the “eleven most important books on climate change.” He also authored Leading Change toward Sustainability: A Change Management Guide for Business, Government and Civil Society (Greenleaf Publishing, 2003), which just six months after its release was deemed one of the “ten most important publications in sustainability” by a GlobeScan survey of international sustainability experts.

When:

Monday, April 23 from 6:30-8:00 pm

Where:

The Cullen Room at Busboys and Poets, 5th and K, 1025 5th St. NW
Washington DC

Please join us for a very inspiring talk!

Contact Kendall Mackey at MackeyK@nwf.org if you have any questions.

If you are not in the area, don’t worry: you can still take action to save wildlife!

Photo Credit: Shadia Fayne Wood

For the next 24 hours the movement is uniting in a serious way to blitz the Senate with messages from across the country demanding that they reject Keystone XL. Our goal is to collect and send 500,000 messages between now and the vote–and your voice is needed to reach that goal for the future of wolves.

This zombie pipeline would have devastating effects on the environment and the climate.  The news broke last week that Canadian tar sands are contributing to the decline in caribou herds.  Rather than improve environmental practices to protect and restore caribou habitat, Canadian wildlife officials are poisoning wolves with strychnine-laced bait.

The development of tar sands means investing in one of the dirtiest forms of energy on the planet.  That is why millions of people have joined together in the fight against the Keystone XL pipeline–a project that would drive a massive expansion of habitat-destroying tar sands operations. NWF’s Senior Vice President, Jeremy Symons, says

 ”there are too many games going on in Washington, it’s time for all of us to step up and demand our elected officials do the right thing.”

TAKE ACTION: Protect wolves from dirty oil by urging Congress to stop the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline.

courtesy greenscroll.org

But what if greenhouse gas emissions weren’t invisible? 

This year, power plants will no longer be able to deny what we can now see–they are polluting the air we breathe. Even in areas where asthma rates are directly correlated to a near-by power plant, they still deny their role in diminishing our public health. But now the EPA has released a new GHG reporting program that allows people to see the amount of pollution in their backyards.

How Much Do Power Plants Pollute Your State?

 

 

 

“The GHG Reporting Program data provides a critical tool for businesses and other innovators to find cost- and fuel-saving efficiencies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and foster technologies to protect public health and the environment.” –Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation

The Worst Offenders: Top 11 Carbon Polluters for 2011

Click on the map to find out more information

2. Bowen coal plant in Cartersville, Georgia. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 20,863,476 MtCO2e.

3. Miller coal plant in Quinton, Alabama. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 20,595,125 MtCO2e.

4. Martin Lake coal plant in Tatum, Texas. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 18,603,904 MtCO2e.

5. Gibson coal plant in Owensville, Indiana.Total greenhouse gas emissions: 17,853,899 MtCO2e.

6. Monroe coal plant in Monroe, Michigan. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 17,714,052 MtCO2e.

7. Labadie coal plant in Labadie, Missouri. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 17,233,324 MtCO2e.

8. Colstrip coal plant in Colstrip, Montana. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 16,994,687 MtCO2e.

9. Gen J M Gavin coal plant in Cheshire, Ohio. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 16,744,942 MtCO2e.

10. Rockport coal plant in Rockport, Indiana. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 16,539,699 MtCO2e.

11. W A Parish coal plant in Thompson, Texas. Total greenhouse gas emissions: 16, 459,497 MtCO2e.

See how your state compares >>

Help protect Alaska’s polar bears by urging your decision makers to oppose big polluter plans to undermine the Clean Air Act >>

Here is a little boy at the San Diego Zoo who definitely found a way to communicate with a curious river otter.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Find out how you can connect your kids to nature — right in your own backyard!

Last year, President Obama continued to back away from one of his top domestic priorities: a clean energy future for ALL Americans. This year, all of us should make a promise to protect our children and wildlife from dangerous air pollution.

“We know what air pollution can do to human health – asthma attacks, heart attacks, shortened lifespans. A new report from NRDC/La Onda Verde, U.S. Latinos and Air Pollution: A Call to Action, finds that the Latino population, in particular, is at an especially high risk. In fact, Latinos are three times more likely to die from asthma than other racial or ethnic groups.” — Clean Air Promise Blog

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Prometo proteger los niños y las familias de América del la contaminación atmosférica.”

Here in D.C., people often make promises they don’t intend to keep. I’ve heard it described as, “being truthful without being honest.” This kind of rhetoric has shaped the way we communicate on Capitol Hill and often results in more tongue twisters and less comprehensive dialogue among one another. This miscommunication translates across languages, communities and policies.

It has been over 3 months since the greenhouse gas rule was put on hold, and we are still waiting for its release. This unreasonable delay on the greenhouse gas rule, a rule that focuses on reducing emissions from oil refineries & power plants, makes me wonder what this administration will do in 2012 to combat climate change and invest in our future.

But every year we are reminded that promises are important and that we can create change for the better. We are all capable of breaking down these barriers that prevent us from understanding one another to make an honest promise to our children and their future. We all want what’s best for our children’s future, and this year we have an opportunity to make a change for the better. What could be more important than providing clean air for future generations to breathe?

Click here to view the embedded video.

“I promise to protect America’s children, families and wildlife from dangerous air pollution.”

That is why the National Wildlife Federation is asking you to promise to protect America’s children, families, and wildlife from dangerous air pollution.

Big Oil Has Big Plans to Move Forward with KXL

Delaying the Keystone XL pipeline project and the Canadian Northern Gateway pipeline, is a huge victory and a step toward ending our addiction to oil.  Both of these projects were delayed because of the public opposition of dirty tar sands oil demonstrated all over the United States and Canada. But the fight isn’t over yet, and Big Oil is bringing their Most Valuable Polluter’s to Capitol Hill.

Most notably, Stephen Harper, Canadian Prime Minister and tar sands enthusiast, had a meeting with President Obama today to discuss border security and undoubtedly the delay on the Keystone XL Pipeline. A crowd gathered outside the Canadian Embassy shouting, “Stephen Harper, can you hear us? We don’t want your tar sands oil anywhere near us!”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Already, Congress has tried expediting the Keystone XL pipeline project by attaching it to the payroll tax cut legislation that needs to pass before the end of the year.

In a press conference held after meeting with the Prime Minister, Obama pledged to veto any pay roll tax legislation that would shortcut the approval of Keystone XL.

Canada’s Track Record on Climate Change

Protesters carry an inflatable Keystone Xl pipeline around the White House during the Nov. 6th rally. (Photo: Marine Jaouen)

Canadian indigenous and youth activists protested tar sands at the Durban Climate Change Summit.  They were immediately kicked out of the conference, but did receive loud applause from the delegates who were hoping to establish stronger global commitments to combating climate change.

Why We Need to Take Action

The pressure from Big Oil to move tar sands projects forward is intensifying. They are lobbying our members of Congress, and one of their largest cheerleaders, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is growing anxious to see tar sands be developed and exported.

Help us show President Obama and our members of Congress that we are not beholden to Big Oil.

Now, the President has the final say on the disastrous tar sands oil pipeline.

Bracing Against the Odds

Over the past few months we’ve learned a lot about the decision-making process delegated to the State Department on TransCanada’s permit. And it doesn’t look pretty. Here are few of the recent scandals:

1. 2 months ago the public discovered that TransCanada’s lead lobbyist, Paul Elliott, was the deputy director of Hillary Clintons 2008 Presidential campaign. An email exchange showed a “cozy” relationship between Paul Elliott and State Department staff.
2. Last month, public hearings were held in the right-of-way states (Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Washington, D.C.). The State Department hired a contractor that considers TransCanada a “major client” and has worked with them on previous projects.
3. Last week, during a speech at the University of Colorado, Obama said he was “looking into it”.
4. Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney announced that Obama is handing off this “hot potato” issue to the State Department; Carney said, the State Department “are taking into … account public comment and comments certainly from experts, both environmental, as well as energy experts.”
5. Additionally, the State Department has lost thousands of testimonies from the public hearings.

After attending the public hearings in Kansas and Washington, D.C., and seeing union workers bussed in by the Koch Brothers, I thought the “Yes We Can” attitude had been buried. But Obama’s interview on KETV in Nebraska showed me a glimpse of what I had seen in him 3 years ago. Now, he is taking responsibility for the Keystone XL pipeline issue for the first time and telling Nebraskans that he will make the final decision about the pipeline.

Why We Need to Take Action

President Obama has stepped up to the plate on this issue, and here’s hoping Big Oil will finally strike out. But he hasn’t rejected the project yet. Now is the time to let Obama know that he must make the right decision. Now is the time to take action.

This Sunday, Nov. 6, join us and thousands of people will encircle the White House to send President Obama one clear message: YES YOU CAN. STOP THE PIPELINE.

Over 630,000 mercury postcards were delivered to the EPA in Boston, MA last week! The event was held at the Environmental Protection Agency’s office in Boston.

“This tremendous response signals that Americans know how important it is to cut down on mercury, arsenic and other dangerous pollutants in the air we breathe,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 1 office in Boston.

Hundreds of supporters came to encourage the Environmental Protection Agency to pass the proposed rule that would limit mercury contamination caused by coal fired power plants. The EPA is collecting comments until Aug. 4, 2011.  If you haven’t gotten the chance to take action against mercury pollution click here!

Last Friday, July 29, Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) held a press conference in support of an amendment to the House Environment and Interior Appropriations bill that would protect people and wildlife by striking a rider in the bill that delays the Environmental Protection Agency’s  ability to limit mercury and other harmful air toxics emitted from power plants. (Click here to read more)

Another event took place in Omaha, Nebraska where protesters  gathered  outside of Rep. Lee Terry’s (R-Neb) office to speak out against the Keystone XL Pipeline.  The Keystone XL pipeline–a pipeline that would cut through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas–carries dirty tar sands through America’s heartland and threatens public water supplies, crop lands, & wildlife habitats.

Rep. Terry (R-Neb) recently brought a bill to the house floor that expedited the permitting process and requires the President to make a November 1st decision on the $7 billion Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. After seeing the devastating effects of the Yellowstone Oil Spill last month, protesters dropped off 91 ears of corn representing the 91 leaks that are predicted to take place if the pipeline is built.

Hot Off the Press:

This article was published in the Boston Globe by Beth Daley.  It covers the mercury comment delivery to the EPA in Boston, MA.

What You Can Do:

USFWS

1. Stop Hard Rock Mines from Poisoning Grizzlies! Right now, grizzly bears of Bristol Bay, Alaska are at risk from the toxic pollution of hard rock mining.

2. Take Action! Help protect polar bears and many more wildlife by editing and sending a message to your members of Congress, urging them to stop this unprecedented attack on wildlife.