Three Years Later, Panhandle Leaders Say Gulf Restoration Could Be Economic Boon

Anchor-handling tugboats battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

For more information on the state of the Gulf, check out the report Restoring A Degraded Gulf of Mexico.

Three Years Later: BP Still Needs to be Held Accountable

April 18-Three years ago, on April 20, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and killed 11 workers. Two days later, the rig sank. Before BP finally capped the well, months later, 206 million gallons of oil had been released along with huge quantities of hydrocarbon gases.

Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“Nearly three years later, the impacts of the Gulf oil disaster continue to unfold. Dolphins and sea turtles are still dying in high numbers. Just this month scientists announced the spill’s underwater oil plume caused a massive die-off of creatures at the base of the Gulf’s food web. It’s clear that we will not know the full fallout from the disaster for years.

“BP needs to be held fully accountable. The outcome of the ongoing trial must send an unmistakable signal to every oil company that cutting corners on safety is simply not a smart thing to do.

For more on the Gulf 3 year mark, check out the blog Deepwater Horizon: The Disaster that Keeps on Harming.

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

According to the poll, skepticism that has plagued many climate change champions in recent years has given way to greater acceptance and growing concern amongst the general population.  The resurgence comes at a pivotal time in the battle to solve the climate crisis and prevent further, perhaps irrevocable damage to the Earth and its ecosystems and wildlife.

Will voters rise up en masse to tell politicians to say no to dirty deeds like tar sands and coal exports?

Digging Into the Numbers

• Gallup reports that an average of 58%of Americans say they are worried a “great deal” or “fair amount” about global warming.  While below the apex of 72% reported between 1999 and 2001, it’s up sharply in the last two years from the 51% recorded in 2011.
• 78% of Americans professed some level of concern about global warming with 33% having said they worried “a great deal,” 25% “a fair amount,” and 20% “only a little.”
• 54% of Americans believe that global warming has already started to alter the climate which is also an upward trend after a recent dip in belief over the last several years.    At the same time, Americans are also reporting higher confidence in media coverage of global warming and acknowledging a broadening consensus amongst scientists.
• Up 10% over the past four years, 62% of Americans believe that scientists are in agreement that global warming is in fact occurring; this is the closest public opinion has gotten to the peak of 65% observed between 2006 and 2008.
• The new poll also shows human accountability trending back upward as 57% of Americans say they believe global warming to be the result of human activities.  This represents a 7% rebound since 2010 in which 50% of the population felt similar responsibility.

To round out the current picture of the American public’s opinion on climate change is the question of whether Americans feel as if all this has any effect on their lives. How immediate do average Americans feel the threat actually is to themselves and their families?  Or to stick with the AC/DC theme, do voters think we’re on a “highway to hell?”

Not Enough Concern

The results to this question are more disparaging to the climate change debate as the upward trend in this case means more people feel climate change isn’t a serious threat to them in their lifetime.  Those who believe otherwise make up a mere 34%, which matches the historical average.  In other words, there has been no change in this line of thinking since these polls began in 1998.

So with all this progress and getting back in black, we’re not there yet.  Moving forward, the challenge that remains in keeping things on a positive upswing in the mind of the public and the health of the planet, is getting public opinion in concert with real-time events like the recent Superstorm Sandy or the ongoing and very immediate changes happening right now to the climate and the balance of its ecosystems and the wildlife they sustain.

If you’re feeling thunderstruck that anyone could doubt the connection between man-made carbon pollution and climate change, it’s in your hands to help spread the scientific truth.  If someone mentions weird weather–from droughts to heat waves to wildfires–mention global warming and that you hope our leaders act to cut carbon pollution.  You don’t need to know every single scientific fact–send them to nwf.org/ExtremeWeather and climate scientist Dr. Amanda Staudt will do the heavy lifting for you.

So whatever motivates you best—whether it’s protecting wildlife, working to save the planet, positive cash flow, or simply rockin’ out—keep on keepin’ on, because our work isn’t done here and good work never is.

The Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing historic limits on the industrial carbon pollution that’s fueling climate change.  Tell President Obama:  For those about to act, we salute you.

NWF: Keystone XL Tar Sands Vote a Test of Climate Commitment

March 22-The U.S. Senate is set to vote today on what’s known as the Hoeven amendment, a non-binding amendment that expresses support for building the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline regardless of its impacts on wildlife, climate change, and clean water.

Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“We’re coming off America’s hottest year on record as the cleanup from climate-fueled superstorm Sandy is still ongoing, and what’s the Senate hard at work on? Earning its low approval rating by capitulating to polluting special interests with a meaningless vote on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Check out more on Keystone XL

Westerners Praise Salazar Plan to Protect Water from Costly Oil Shale Speculation

March 22-Westerners praised the Salazar oil shale plan released by the Interior Department today for its smart approach to protecting water and local communities from costly oil shale speculation.

“We commend Secretary Salazar for developing a commonsense plan that makes public land available for research but requires results and environmental safeguards before any commercial leasing can proceed,’’ said Michael Saul, attorney with the National Wildlife Federation. “This new plan aims to ensure that we won’t risk precious water, air quality, fish, wildlife and the regional economies that depend on those resources on a gamble that might never pay off.”

The plan requires that companies conduct successful research operations of oil shale and prove oil shale’s economic viability before the Bureau of Land Management will consider commercial development. Companies will also be required to put proper safeguards in place to protect water supplies, land, wildlife, air quality and local economies.

For more on Carbon Pollution, visit  Stopping Carbon Pollution

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, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“The Environmental Protection Agency went through a rigorous process to design the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from new power plants. They’re long overdue, desperately needed to protect America’s wildlife and communities from climate change, and over three million Americans have spoken up in support of them. Any signal they’re stalled just ensures further delay in confronting climate change at a time when the Americans are looking for momentum.

Spread the word about these cuts to conservation spending in your region! Share this image on Facebook.

Thanks to Addie Rolnick for research contributions to this piece.

Holding BP Accountable: Oil Spill Trial Set to Begin Monday

The National Wildlife Federation hosted a teleconference with representatives from three of America’s leading conservation organizations to explore how much BP could be facing at trial, what this case means for restoring the Gulf of Mexico and what a just outcome for the American people would look like.February 22-With a February 25 trial date looming, BP and the U.S. Department of Justice will either reach a settlement or go to trial within the next few days.

For more on the BP Oil Spill, check out the Gulf Oil Disaster page.

You can also check out the latest BP blog “Speak Up for Gulf Dolphins”

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 welcome news to hunters and anglers, said John Gale of the National Wildlife Federation.

The San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act, reintroduced Thursday, would protect important fish and wildlife habitat, watersheds and hunting, fishing and recreation areas in San Miguel, Ouray and San Juan counties.

“Sportsmen have been strong supporters of this legislation from the start. The bill has wide, grassroots support and was developed from the ground up,’’ said Gale, NWF’s regional representative. “The National Wildlife Federation applauds Sen. Udall for his foresight in protecting one of the region’s most iconic places to hunt and fish.”

House “Sodsaver” Measure Would Protect Native Prairie Habitat

February 14-Representatives Noem (R-SD) and Walz (D-MN) today introduced legislation to save America’s grasslands through a national sodsaver provision. The Protect Our Prairies Act, which has the support of eight bipartisan co-sponsors, is common-sense legislation that would reduce taxpayer-funded incentives to destroy vital grassland resources.

Aviva Glaser, Legislative Representative for Agriculture Policy at National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“America is at risk of losing one our most iconic ecosystems. Native prairies, along with the wildlife that are dependent upon them, are disappearing at an alarming rate.”

To learn more about Sodsaver, read our Sodsaver Factsheet (pdf).

Obama Outlines Bipartisan Path to Climate Action

February 12-President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address tonight, issuing a strong call to action on climate change. “For the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change,” said President Obama. “The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth.”

Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“President Obama made it clear tonight that we need to confront the climate crisis – but that he hasn’t given up on reaching across party lines to forge a bipartisan solution. The climate-fueled extreme weather that’s battered America from Cape May to Waldo Canyon has destroyed Democratic and Republican homes and businesses with equal malice.

For more on the Climate Crisis, check out the report: Wildlife in a Warming World 

Porpoises Make Amazing Return to the San Francisco Bay, Need Help from Citizen Scientists

February 12-After a sixty-five year absence, porpoises have made an amazing return to the San Francisco Bay. To celebrate this success and to ensure the marine mammal’s continued residence in the Bay, National Wildlife Federation and Golden Gate Cetacean Research have partnered on a “Return of the Porpoise to San Francisco Bay” campaign.

Sightings of harbor porpoises have recently delighted visitors to and residents of San Francisco, yet most do not realize the significance of seeing this animal in the Bay.

“The return of porpoises to the San Francisco Bay tells us that the ecosystem is healthier than it has been in a long time,” said Beth Pratt, California Director for the National Wildlife Federation.

To learn more about the campaign, visit www.sfbayporpoises.org.

Tester Bill “A Win-Win” for Clean Energy, Public Lands

February 11-Conservation and clean energy leaders today welcomed the reintroduction of the Public Lands and Renewable Energy Development Act of 2013, championed by Montana Senator Jon Tester, Nevada Senator Dean Heller, Idaho Senator Jim Risch and bipartisan champions in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would create the framework for more efficient, responsible renewable energy development on public lands and would strategically direct the revenue from development to pay back local communities, fish and wildlife resources, and hunting and angling access potentially impacted by this clean energy development.

“This is a win-win strategy to facilitate needed renewable energy development on suitable public lands,” said Tom France, Senior Director of Western Wildlife Conservation of the National Wildlife Federation’s Rocky Mountains and Prairies Regional Center. “This bill works because it balances the need to expand our renewable energy base and still protect key fish and wildlife habitats.”

Learn more about National Wildlife Federation’s work to promote safe development of renewable energy on public lands.

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

• The Washington Post: Farmers, environmentalists await seventh analysis of 60-year-old Mississippi levee plan
• The Washington Post: Climate change could burn a hole in the government’s finances, GAO says
• Reuters: Pressure builds for Keystone decision after Obama speech
• The Voice: Columbus Township property certified as Wildlife Habitat
• Great Falls Tribune:  Beetle Outbreak worst ever, professor says
• North Andover Citizen: North Andover Wildlife Team forms
• sctimes.com: Groups Rally behind benefits of recess
• YNN: App Wrap: “Ranger Rick’s Treehouse,” “GeoDash”
• The Times and Democrat: Making the most of the wind
• dallasnews.com: Water experts weigh in on financing, project priority
• The Philadelphia Inquirer: Obama must act on climate change
• The Mercury: Global warming effects on the planet

For more visit www.nwf.org/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 by the Washington Post.

Jim Lyon, vice president for conservation policy at the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“Sally Jewell is a business leader who knows that conserving America’s natural resources is fundamentally linked to a healthy and strong economy. Outdoor recreation contributes $646 billion to America’s economy and delivers $49 billion in tax revenue annually, but faces a critical challenge as Washington considers even more cuts to conservation programs on top of steep cuts already made.

For more on Sally Jewell’s nomination, check out the blog post: Will New Interior Secretary Put Conservation On Equal Ground with Energy? 

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

• UPI: NWF: Enbridge pipeline review lax
• Associated Press (MA):  Report: Climate change affects region’s wildlife
• Star Tribune: State species at risk as climate heats up (Editorial)
• MinnPost: Where the wild things aren’t: Moose, other species fade with climate change
• WFIR: Changing climate could have big impact on Virginia’s wildlife
• The Mercury: What is the purpose of National Wildlife Week?
• Dunwoody Crier: Create a wildlife habitat in your backyard

For more visit www.nwf.org/news

Report: America’s Wildlife Struggling to Keep Up with Changing Climate

January 30-The climate crisis is already changing the playing field for wildlife and urgent action is needed to preserve America’s conservation legacy, according to a new report released today by the National Wildlife Federation. Wildlife in a Warming World: Confronting the Climate Crisis examines case studies from across the country illustrating how global warming is altering wildlife habitats. It recommends solutions to protect both wildlife and communities across America from the growing climate-fueled threats such as extreme weather, sea level rise and wildfires.

“Some of America’s most iconic species—from moose to sandhill cranes to sea turtles – are seeing their homes transformed by rapid climate change,” said Dr. Amanda Staudt, climate scientist at the National Wildlife Federation. “Climate disruption is the most serious threat facing America’s wildlife and requires action at the local, state and federal levels.”

For the full “Wildlife in a Warming World” report, check out nwf.org/ClimateCrisis

Concerned Landowners and Groups Seek Clarity that Vermont Can Protect Its Environment From Tar Sands Pipeline

January 29-Six Northeast Kingdom residents and landowners joined conservation groups in filing a request with the Act 250 District Coordinator in St. Johnsbury seeking affirmation that Exxon cannot use an existing 63 year-old pipeline to ship corrosive tar sands oil through Vermont without Act 250 state land use approval. The filing seeks a jurisdiction opinion that reversing the flow of the Portland-Montreal Pipe Line and using it to transport tar sands – a tarry, viscous, substance mined in Alberta – would be a “substantial change in use” requiring a state land use (Act 250) permit. Unrefined tar sands is different than conventional crude oil and poses major environmental and economic risks: it is extremely carbon intensive, must be transported at high pressures and temperatures which threaten pipeline integrity, and is more difficult and expensive to clean up when it does spill.

For more, check out the following blog post:  A Changing Climate and Keystone XL — Yes They’re Connected

Restoration Council Starts Critical Conversation with “Path Forward”

January 29-Today, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council released its proposed path forward for restoring the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 BP oil disaster. Leading restoration organizations released the following statement in response:

“The draft Path Forward released today is a welcome and encouraging first step as the Council clearly commits to directing 30 percent of the RESTORE Act funds to ecosystem restoration under the comprehensive plan.

For more on Gulf Restoration, check out the following blog post: 1,000 Days Late and Billions of Dollars Short

Bring Daily Recess Back

January 29-Most adults remember daily recess as a time they were able to let off steam, exercise their bodies and refresh their minds. Today however, as many as nine million children (approximately thirty percent of elementary schools) get far less recess time according to a 2011 study by researchers at the University of Illinois. Worse still is the fact that schools with predominately non-white student populations are least likely to have sufficient recess periods.

The National Wildlife Federation is tackling this problem head on by launching their “Ranger Rick Restores Recess Campaign”. Ranger Rick of course is the beloved mascot of NWF’s award-winning children’s magazines Ranger Rick and Ranger Rick Jr.

For more on Ranger Rick Restores Recess Campaign, go to nwf.org/recess

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

• USA Today: Report: Climate change a threat to wildlife
• Fly Rod & Reel: Report: America’s Wildlife Struggling to Keep Up with Changing Climate
• Vermont Public Radio: Tar Sands Pipeline Should Get Act 250 Review, Groups Say
• Public News Service: Climate Change: The Impact on Minnesota Wildlife
• Bloomberg: Obama’s Climate Vow Elevates EPA Role in Keystone XL Review
• Washington Times: Greens bank on Kerry to quash Keystone pipeline
• The Hill (blog):  Green group official joins colleague on Senate enviro committee staff
• equities.com: Regulators OK Michigan oil pipeline replacement
• The Lens: Eco vs. econo: 11th-hour dispute over plan to spend $20B in BP fines
• Insurance Journal: Coalition Pushing for New National Framework for Disasters
• HeraldNet: Photos of woodpeckers, owls exhibited at Edmonds museum

For more visit www.nwf.org/news

118 Sportsmen’s and Conservation Groups Urge Congress to Extend Wind Tax Credits

December 04-Congress should extend critical tax incentives that encourage renewable energy production and energy efficiency, 118 sportsmen’s, business and conservation groups from all over the U.S. urged in a letter to Congress today. The letter, with a list of sponsors, also appears as an ad in Politico today.

“Investment and growth in properly-sited, wildlife-friendly clean energy and conservation are the best ways to combat climate change, sustain communities, create American jobs, and promote economic growth across the country,” they wrote.

The letter asks Congress to continue the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Investment Tax Credit (ITC), tax incentives that will expire this year if Congress does not reauthorize them. The letter is consistent with a September poll of sportsmen that found 72 percent of hunters and anglers back renewable energy solutions.

For more, check out the following blog post:

• Sportsmen’s and Conservation Groups Letter to Congress (pdf)

Report Warns Planned Tar Sands Pipelines a North American Menace

December 06-Inviting an unprecedented expansion of tar sands pipelines in the U.S. and Canada would commit the countries to decades of doing business with companies that have a long record of disregard for the environment, human health and landowner rights, says a new report. The report release comes just a short time before the Obama Administration is slated to make an historic decision on the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

A tally of the new capacity, over 9,000 miles of pipe, finds the vast majority would be overseen by Canadian pipeline giants TransCanada and Enbridge. The report documents the two companies’ history of bullying landowners, influence peddling, wildlife deaths, oil spills and other bad acts that led the authors to name the report, “Crude Behavior: TransCanada, Enbridge, and the Tar Sand Industry’s Tarnished Legacy.”

While voters in the U.S. just rebuked an unprecedented fossil fuel industry effort to defeat President Barack Obama, who received widespread support from conservationists during his campaign, his administration will face an early test on the direction of its second-term climate and energy policy when it issues a final decision on TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. Defeated challenger Mitt Romney had promised to approve Keystone XL on his first day in office.

“Politicians cannot be serious about addressing extreme weather and slowing global warming if they ignore the pollution, wildlife, and property rights impacts of Keystone XL,” said Joe Mendelson, National Wildlife Federation’s director of climate and energy policy. “The carbon pollution math simply does not add up.”

For more on the report, check out the following blog post:

• Pipeline Companies’ Crude Behavior Exposed

For the full “Crude Behavior” report, check out:

• www.nwf.org/crudebehavior

Ranger Rick Goes Digital! Introduces the First Truly Interactive Magazine for Kids

December 05-Ranger Rick, everyone’s favorite raccoon, is introducing a new, highly interactive magazine app called Ranger Rick’s Tree House. The National Wildlife Federation, publisher of Ranger Rick magazine, and also Ranger Rick’s Tree House, has entertained and educated generations of children about the wonders of animals and nature for 50 years. Like the print magazine, all educational content within the magazine app is aligned to national curriculum standards and meets the fun-factor that Ranger Rick readers have grown to know and love.

“This product totally re-envisions how children ages 7-12 read and consume magazine-like content on digital devices,” says Mary Dalheim, Editorial Director of Ranger Rick Publications.  “No other digital children’s magazine is more innovative, interactive, or just plain fun.”

For more on Ranger Rick’s Goes Digital, check out:

• Ranger Rick’s Tree House
• Ranger Rick Goes High Tech (blog post)

Win a Pass for a Private Screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

December 04-National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is teaming up with Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM) and New Line Cinema for the Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The film opens in theaters and IMAX® 3D December 14. As the education partner for the film, the National Wildlife Federation is providing online resources to help students, educators, parents and individuals start their own unexpected journey outdoors and is hosting a sweepstakes for a complimentary private screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The sweepstakes deadline is 11:59 p.m. on December 13. Enter on NWF’s website www.nwf.org/thehobbit

Report: Crude Behavior

December 06-Up north of the border, past Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, the planet’s biggest carbon bomb is ticking. It’s called the tar sands region, and it represents both incredible feats of industry and incredible hubris —– and potentially the last blow to the fight against global climate change.

Tar sands are sludge. A sticky, viscous, tarry material that literally oozes from the ground in certain areas of northern Canada and other places like Russia, Venezuela, and even right here in the US. Technically called “bitumen,” tar sands can be processed into gasoline and other petroleum products, though it takes more effort and causes a lot more pollution than conventional oil, the liquid we’re used to seeing drilled up by rigs in Texas or Saudi Arabia. The cornerstone of the argument against tar sands is that because it requires so much energy to turn from sludge into gasoline, it produces a significantly greater amount of the carbon dioxide which is turning our atmosphere into a heat-trapping blanket and fundamentally altering nearly every ecosystem on Earth. About 100 trillion gallons of tar sands have been discovered so far, enough to fill 160 million Olympic swimming pools. The vast majority is in Canada, which holds around three quarters of the world total.

For more on Tar Sands, check out the following blog post:

• Pipeline Companies’ Crude Behavior Exposed

For more on the oil industry, check out the following blog post:

• The Push for Oil Shale: News Ripped from Last Century’s Headlines

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

• E&E Greenwire: Enviros Blast Pipeline Companies Ahead of Obama’s Decision
• Public News Service: Tar Sands Pipeline Project “Slinking Forward” Towards Maine
• Public News Service: Tar Sands Pipeline Project “Slinkning Forward” Into New England
• The Pittsburgh Press:  Aviary’s birds prep for national TV spot
• About.com: The Hobbit Private Screening Contest Details
• Mother Nature Network:  New magazine brings wildlife wonder to little adventurers
• Public News Service:  Ohio Hunters and Anglers Back Clean Wind Energy
• The New York Times: A New Wildlife Magazine Aimed at the Very Young
• Wicked Local Lexington: Lexington backyard certified as wildlife habitat

For more visit www.nwf.org/news