“Gina McCarthy has already been approved once by the Senate and since then has only strengthened her record as a non-partisan voice for sensible reductions in pollution to protect America’s wildlife, clean air and water, and public health,”  says Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. ”The full Senate should give her a clean vote as soon as possible. We’ve already wasted enough time watching polluter allies play political games with her confirmation process.”

The protest by polluter allies on the committee didn’t win them any friends. Christine Todd Whitman, EPA administrator under President George W. Bush, told Amy Harder of National Journal, “They looked like sore losers when they walked out the way they did.”

Learn more about Gina McCarthy and her work to protect wildlife and connect children with nature at StandWithGina.com.

Tell your senators you support Gina McCarthy to serve as America’s next Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

A pair of bald eaglets in West Newbury, MA (MA Energy & Environmental Affairs on Flickr)

Success Story

First, the good news. Massachusetts announced this week that bald eagles, once completely wiped out in the state, are now soaring to a strong comeback:

Officials from the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) verified 30 active nests in the Commonwealth, including eight nests along the Connecticut River, six at the Quabbin Reservoir and four along the Merrimack River during Massachusetts’ first Bald Eagle nesting survey. The survey, coordinated by the DFG’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) and involving agency staff and 35 volunteers, was conducted on April 5, 2013.

In addition to the principal bald eagle nesting territories along the Connecticut and Merrimack rivers and at Quabbin Reservoir, other active nests were observed at Wachusett Reservoir, and in the towns of Framingham, Brookfield, Pittsfield, Webster, Middleborough, Fall River and Plymouth. One nest failure was reported at Assawompsett Pond in Lakeville, where the wind blew a nest and two eggs out of the nest tree in early April. Additional eagle sightings were reported in Arlington, Carver, Lunenburg, Russell, Sandisfield and along the Housatonic River.

Bald eagles, the largest bird of prey native to Massachusetts with a body length of about 3 feet and a wingspan of up to seven feet, have increased in numbers in Massachusetts since being reintroduced to the Quabbin Reservoir between 1982 and 1988. The species was down listed from Endangered to Threatened status in Massachusetts in 2011 and removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007.

To report a bald eagle sighting in Massachusetts, email the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program natural.heritage@state.ma.us.

Mercury’s Threat to Bald Eagles

Bald eagles, our national symbol & once common across North America, were pushed to the brink of extinction by the pesticide DDT, pollution from heavy metals like mercury, hunting, habitat loss, and other factors. While we stopped using DDT, banned hunting, and restored what Aldo Leopold called our land ethic, mercury pollution remains a major threat to bald eagles.

Heavy metals are emitted through the burning of fossil fuels and are washed to our waterways, then bioaccumulate in predators at the top of the food chain:

• If a small fish eats 50 mercury contaminated plants.
• And a large fish eats 100 small fish
• And an eagle eats 100 large fish.
• 50 x 100 x 100 = 250,000. The concentration of mercury in the eagle is 250,000 times larger than it was in the plankton.

It’s not uncommon for sick bald eagles to test positive for mercury poisoning.

Presenting Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, with comments from NWF’s activists.

A Fighter for Wildlife

That’s why it’s so critical for America’s wildlife that Gina McCarthy is confirmed as Environmental Protection Agency administrator as soon as possible. She has a long track record of experience limiting mercury pollution at both the state and federal levels, working for both Democrats and Republicans. Appointed by Gov. William Weld (R-MA) to be executive director of the administrative council at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, McCarthy ran the nation’s largest pollution prevention program, called the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Program.

Then working as head of the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation, McCarthy oversaw development of the new Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS) setting emission limits for power plants in order to reduce mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollution. The MATS rule will not only protect wildlife, it will deliver huge public health benefits for Americans, preventing up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks every single year.

But polluter allies in Congress are working hard to block Gina McCarthy’s confirmation. Republicans on the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee refused to even show up for a vote, delaying McCarthy’s confirmation indefinitely. “Given Gina McCarthy’s long record of non-partisan public service, it’s inexcusable for her nomination to be politicized by senators prioritizing industrial polluters over public health protection,” said Larry Schweiger, president & CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. Some of those senators did, however, make time that same morning for fundraisers with lobbyists for big polluters like BP & Exxon Mobil.

Ask your senators to protect wildlife by giving Gina McCarthy a clean vote.

I sat a few rows behind her, beaming with Massachusetts pride.  Before moving to DC a couple of months ago, I had only ever resided in my home state, and as I frequently tell people: “Massachusetts is not an easy place to leave.”  I grew up on the beach and went to school in the mountains.  I enjoyed four seasons, lively sports, and model politics.  As did Ms. McCarthy, I appreciated the acclaimed public university system that our state has to offer.  Today, as I watched MA Senators Warren and Cowan introduce President Obama’s widely supported nominee, I enjoyed that unique inspiration that can only come from the renowned accomplishments of someone who shares your roots.

Gina McCarthy, nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency

Repeatedly commended for her pragmatism and common sense, McCarthy carries a set of qualities that appeal to everyone who sits across from her.  She reiterated her intentions, which have evidently guided her through much of her career: to act with integrity to the law and to science, and to keep an open door for all who are ready to work with her.  Upon the hearing’s question and answer segment, Ms. McCarthy proceeded to please those who supported her.  She addressed patiently and thoroughly any points of skepticism.

When it comes to the tasks our next EPA Administrator will face, Gina McCarthy is clearly a woman who gets it—all of it.  She speaks comprehensively of the overlapping needs to create jobs, protect people from environmental health threats, and respond to the overwhelming science of climate change.

McCarthy states with commanding simplicity that environmental protection is not a partisan issue, and her track record represents her confidence in partnering with officials on both sides of the aisle.   Her regulatory background reflects that she does not regard clean air and clean water as matters to compromise on.  She calls for accountability and expects others to require the same of her.  The severity of climate change demands that everyone accepts responsibility for their piece of the solution, and in Gina McCarthy we have an example.

Overall, Gina McCarthy’s hearing was just the event most had anticipated.  But as I walked off the Hill today, I noticed an extra skip in my step—and it came from more than the view of the Capitol, the 80 degree weather, or the shower of fluttering cherry blossom petals that surrounded me.  My skip was one of invigorated optimism, both for the future of environmental policy and in the leadership that will bring it to fruition.  I felt a motivating connectedness to a something that really worked.  During Senator Warren’s introduction, she called Gina McCarthy a “talented and hard-working daughter of Massachusetts.”  She and Senator Cowan spoke of President Obama’s nominee with more than approval.  They spoke of her with pride.  In camaraderie, I hurried back to my desk to do the same.

NWF Celebrates New Certified Sustainable Biofuel Flight Route Across The Atlantic

March 8 – The National Wildlife Federation and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) are pleased to announce a milestone in the sustainable biofuels industry and commercial air travel. A new KLM Royal Dutch Airlines route between Amsterdam and New York’s JFK is the first ever to use RSB certified fuel.

The fuel is supplied by SkyNRG, the first worldwide biofuel operator to achieve the RSB certification for their entire supply chain—“from feedstock to flight.” SkyNRG is the only fuel operator that can supply sustainable jet fuel into wing at any airport in the world. The inaugural flight and this new RSB biofuels route demonstrate that there is a market for next generation sustainable biofuels.

NWF: EPA Nominee a Strong Advocate for America’s Conservation Heritage

March 4 – President Barack Obama will reportedly nominate Gina McCarthy to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. McCarthy is currently Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

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

“Gina McCarthy has decades of experience working across party lines with officials at the local, state and federal levels to protect our air, water, wildlife, public health and the jobs that depend on them. Whether as serving as Mitt Romney’s top environmental advisor or as the key broker of a historic agreement between unions, industry, states and environmental groups to boost fuel economy, Gina McCarthy has proven herself to be fair and pragmatic while determined to carry out her responsibilities under the law.

A New Frontier for Sustainable Style

Each of the sustainable leather bags comes with its own Passport, detailing the products sustainable credentials and traceability.

The GCC, Gucci and the NWF have worked to create an exemplary supply chain that ensures all Brazilian cow hides for the line are legally produced from the Amazon region of Brazil and do not cause deforestation. Each Gucci for the Green Carpet Challenge bag carries a passport containing the precise history of the chain of supply, from the birth of the cow to the beautiful final product. The bags are made using leather from cattle ranches that have achieved Rainforest Alliance certification, covering environmental and social justice criteria as well as the ethical treatment of cattle. The range becomes the first ever leather line to achieve this.

• For more, read our blog post: “Gucci Goes Green at Paris Fashion Week“

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

• Politico: Jewell nomination hearing today
• Arizona Daily Star: Town of Ajo is awarded wildlife-friendly title
• The Melissa Harris Perry Show (MSNBC): BP Put on Trial 3 Years Later 
• E! Online: Gucci Launches Sustainable Line of Luxury Handbags
• New York Live: Exotic Animals with David Mizejewski & The National Wildlife Federation
• Associated Press:  Advocates ask Congress to spare Great Lakes funds
• Times Picayune: New Orleans, state officials and National Wildlife Federation to discuss spending BP oil spill money on coastal issues
• Columbus Dispatch: National Wildlife Week, March 18-24, Celebrates Branching Out for Wildlife

For more visit www.nwf.org/news

Click here to view the embedded video.

The National Wildlife Federation and a coalition of allies, including Environment America, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Interfaith Power and Light, just delivered more than 2.1 million comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in support of carbon pollution standards for coal-fired power plants. The massive delivery marked the largest number of public comments ever submitted to a federal agency!

The Environmental Protection Agency’s new safeguards are a historic step, setting the first-ever national limits on the amount of dangerous carbon pollution that new power plants can emit into our air. These limits are critical to protecting public health and tackling climate change that threatens the future of wildlife.

Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, accepted the comments on behalf of the EPA and thanked the coalition for giving voice to millions of Americans who are concerned about our environment. The record-breaking 2.1 million comments—over 100,000 of which were submitted by NWF activists—will give the EPA the support they need to finalize strong carbon emissions standards. McCarthy told us:

Presenting Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, with comments from NWF’s activists.

It’s  going to take these voices – loud voices – to make all the right things happen here in Washington, D.C., and your ability to bring millions of those voices to the table will make a difference…It’s going to make a difference in how this administration can achieve the kind of goal that it promises to achieve.

While these carbon pollution standards for new power plants are an important first step in the EPA’s work to address climate change, they are not enough, and we look forward to the EPA’s release of a proposal to safeguard the public and wildlife from carbon emissions from existing power plants. We know our activists will be up to the challenge of setting yet another comment record.

The official comment period is over, but EPA is still accepting comments in support of limiting carbon pollution from new coal-fired power plants. Add your voice to the 2.1 million!