Nearly 400 Kansas Schools to be Recognized as Part of Eco-Schools USA Agreement

April 20 – Nearly 400 pre-K-12 Kansas schools will be nationally recognized for their achievements in ‘greening’ school buildings and grounds, conserving natural resources and integrating environmental education into their curricula as part of an agreement between the Kansas Association for Conservation & Environmental Education (KACEE), Kansas Green Schools Network, Project Learning Tree GreenSchools! and NWF’s Eco-Schools USA programs.

Participating schools now have access to a wealth of resources, including supplementary hands-on activities and lesson plans, investigative studies and equipment, teacher professional development and grant opportunities to improve their school—indoors and outdoors—and save their school money. This agreement will also help many more schools start on the path to providing a more healthy and safe learning environment for students and staff, as well as grow students’ interest and academic performance in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Two Years Into Oil Disaster, Promise to Restore Gulf Remains Unfulfilled

April 19 – Friday marks two years since the blowout on the Deepwater Horizon rig that killed 11 workers. The rig sank and the resulting gusher would eventually release nearly 206 million gallons of oil. The disaster dealt a new setback to a Gulf ecosystem already struggling with years of wetlands degradation and the destructive power of Hurricane Katrina.

“Two years later, the oil remains, the promises are forgotten, and Congress still hasn’t done its job,” said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Now that both the House and Senate have voted on the RESTORE Act, it is time to get a strong bill, without poison pills, to the President’s desk. The only fair and right solution is for fines from the oil disaster to be reinvested in the Gulf region to help the people and communities hurt by the disaster. A healthy Gulf ecosystem will lead to economic recovery.”

Transportation Bill Hits Dangerous Detour

April 18 – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a second 90-day extension of the existing transportation bill. The bill would extend transportation funding through September 30.

“House leaders are grandstanding on the Keystone pipeline once again for their oil company allies, but this effort to take the decision out of the hands of safety regulators should die in conference,” said Jeremy Symons, senior vice president for conservation and education of the National Wildlife Federation. “The Senate has already voted down this poison pill during their debate on the transportation bill, and the White House yesterday issued a veto threat if Keystone and other polluter loopholes are included in the bill.”

America’s Great Waters Coalition Designates New Waterways to Advocate for Restoration Needs

April 18 – From the Great Lakes to the Colorado River, from Puget Sound to the Everglades, our Great Waters are the lifeblood of our nation, providing critical jobs, drinking water, and amazing recreational opportunities for millions of people. Today, the America’s Great Waters Coalition adds the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin and the St. Johns River in Florida to its list of Great Waters. In addition, the Coalition is expanding the already recognized New York/New Jersey Harbor to include the Hudson River.

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

• Public News Service:  Report Recommends Mud Pies for Earth Day
• UPI: Lawmakers try again with Keystone XL
• The Grand Rapids Press: Question of the day: Are today’s kids too afraid of dirt?
• The Environment Report: Stopping Hitchhikers in Ballast Tanks
• The Ledger-Enquirer: Chattahoochee basin named one of America’s Great Waters

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News

Iconic waters, like the Chesapeake Bay and the Everglades, provide jobs, food, drinking water, transportation, power, recreation and wildlife habitat. They also provide a sense of regional and national identity for many Americans. Members of the Great Waters Coalition traveled from all over the country to reach out to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.  Water advocates spoke out about how extreme budget cuts to restoration funding and harmful policy riders are placing vital water resources at risk, as well as the people and wildlife that depend on them. Great Waters Coalition members also met with water champions, like Great Lakes lawmaker Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who are also committed to protecting our precious national resources.  

Sen. Stabenow & Great Waters Coalition

“We need to hold government accountable to reduce our debt, but abandoning clean water protection and putting thousands of jobs in jeopardy is shortsighted and wrong,” Sen. Stabenow said. 

 “America’s Great Waters are essential to our nation’s growth and prosperity, providing not only drinking water but valuable jobs to millions of Americans,” said Malia Hale, co-chair for the America’s Great Waters Coalition and director for national restoration and water resources at the National Wildlife Federation.  “For example, a recent study by the Brookings Institution found that restoring the Great Lakes will bring the eight-state region at least $2 in economic benefits for every $1 of federal investment.”  

 More than 75 local, regional and national organizations speak with a united voice as part of America’s Great Waters Coalition. Click here to find out more about the coalition partners and the important work that they do.