The 23 million-acre Reserve is home to incredible array of migratory waterfowl, grizzly and polar bears, caribou, wolves, and wolverine as well as beluga and bowhead whales, walrus, and several species of seals.

Please share this exciting news and thank Secretary Salazar for protecting critical wildlife habitat in the western Arctic by sharing this image on Facebook.

For too long, America has ignored an immense clean energy source sitting right off our shores.

We’ve chosen to remain dependant on fossil fuels that cause dangerous air and water pollution, threaten our national security, and place future generations of people and wildlife in jeopardy from climate change. And we’ve overlooked a golden economic development opportunity that can create thousands of high-quality jobs while revitalizing our maritime industrial heritage all along the Atlantic Coast.

Today, we are one step closer to change. Secretary Salazar just announced that the Obama Administration has hit the accelerator in developing our offshore wind energy resources off the Mid-Atlantic coast. NWF applauds this decision (NWF & VCN statement of support) to responsibly expedite the permitting process for offshore wind projects, recognizing the important role that offshore wind must play in securing a clean energy future for America. We believe developing offshore wind energy is critical for protecting wildlife from the dangers of climate change when designed and constructed in an environmentally responsible manner.  It is possible to protect our coastal and marine wildlife in the pursuit of offshore wind energy, and today’s announcement sets the stage for both.

What does today’s announcement mean?

Because of this important decision, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) can now move forward with the leasing process for offshore wind projects off the coast of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. With strong environmental conditions, developers will now be able to begin site assessment activities on their reserved blocks of ocean in order to collect the data necessary to design construction and operations plans for their projects. A comprehensive environmental review, including an Environmental Impact Statement, will be required at that point to ensure that the proposed projects are safe for people and wildlife. NWF believes this approach will allow for an efficient permitting timeline for this critical clean energy source without sacrificing environmental review.

 When will offshore wind energy leases be issued?

There is so much interest by the offshore wind industry in developing projects off the Mid-Atlantic that BOEM will have to grant leases through a competitive auction process. The auction logisitics are still being finalized, although NWF and our allies are calling for a swift, efficient process (see BOEM Auction Signon Letter) that gets leases into responsible developers’ hands as quickly as possible. We expect as many as 10 leases to be granted across these 4 states in the Mid-Atlantic region by the end of 2012.

 Offshore wind energy – a wildlife-friendly energy solution

National Wildlife Federation applauds the Obama Administration for hitting the accelerator in the pursuit of offshore wind energy for America. By expediting the permitting process for responsible offshore wind energy without sacrificing critical environmental review, America is one step closer to harnessing the massive economic and environmental benefits that will come from tapping this immense domestic clean energy source.

But this is just beginning! The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated that well over 200 GW of wind energy potential is available in the Atlantic Ocean using current technology, as much as is generated each year by nearly 200 average coal-fired power plants. And the Department of Energy has set a goal of developing 54 GW of offshore wind generation by 2030. Launching a robust offshore wind industry in the U.S. has the potential to create thousands of high quality jobs while producing clean, domestic energy that does not produce harmful pollution.

There is much more work ahead to ensure that America does not continue to leave this enormous clean energy opportunity on the table, but today’s announcement is a critical step forward.

Yesterday Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced his decision to finalize a 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims on public lands surrounding this national treasure–a move that has drawn praise from water authorities, sportsmen, wildlife advocates, businesses, families looking to go on vacation, and more.  Don’t believe me?  Check out this thank-you video from local leaders across Arizona, including the Arizona Wildlife Federation.

Secretary Salazar signs the 20-year moratorium on new mining claims around the Grand Canyon

At an event at National Geographic to announce the decision, Secretary Salazar said

“Every generation of Americans faces moments when we must choose between the pressures of the now and the protection of the timeless.”

Secretary Salazar and the Obama administration was faced with such a scenario and made a bold decision: to leave the timeless Grand Canyon as it is.

Salazar also said at the event that “conservation is not always popular.”  At the National Wildlife Federation, conservation is always popular, and here are 3 reasons why Secretary Salazar is an early favorite for “Most Popular” in 2012 for his decision to ban new uranium mining around the Grand Canyon.

1. The decision is a win for the drinking water of 25 million Southwest residents

The Colorado River provides drinking water for over 25 million people in the arid southwest United States, including residents of Las Vegas and Los Angeles.  The river also irrigates over 2.5 million acres of farmland.  Increased drought and warmer temperatures from climate change combined with population growth puts the watershed in serious danger: water contamination from uranium ore would turn a serious situation into a crisis.

2.  The decision is a win for wildlife

Uranium mining often results in water contamination, which puts the Colorado River and its tributaries at risk. Wildlife depend on this clean water to drink, and the Colorado River is a unique fishery with world-class trout fishing opportunities.  Mining activities would also result in habitat fragmentation, a major threat to the unique biodiversity of the region.

3.  The decision is a win for jobs

Outdoor recreation and tourism bring in big dollars every year for Arizona.   For example, the Arizona State University recently found that hunting, fishing and wildlife-related recreation in Arizona generates an economic impact of $1.34 billion for the state annually.  In addition, Grand Canyon National Park receives almost 5 million visitors each year and these visitors spent more than $400 million in 2009 alone.  Protecting the area surrounding the Grand Canyon provides a positive economic benefit and supports sustainable long term jobs.

Secretary Salazar is quite fond of quoting President Theodore Roosevelt, and Salazar was definitely heeding TR’s words this time around:

“Leave it as it is.  You cannot improve on it.  The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.  What you can do is keep it for your children, your children’s children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at all should see.”

-Theodore Roosevelt on the Grand Canyon

We tip our hat to Secretary Salazar for taking action to benefit families, residents of the Southwest, sportsmen and women, and wildlife.

Photo by Phil Hollman

Today, Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar joined Governor Lincoln Chafee and Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation for a press conference to announce a key step forward in the process to develop offshore wind energy in New England.

There are significant wind energy resources in the federal waters off the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and today’s announcement means that we are one step closer to bringing that clean, job-producing energy ashore.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE), the agency tasked with managing the permitting process for offshore wind energy, will now formally collect information from developers interested in the area as well as information about environmental and other issues needed to prepare an Environmental Assessment. Once these steps are complete, BOEMRE will move forward and begin issuing leases for site assessment activities off of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which Secretary Salazar today said will happen in 2012.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, U.S. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline and Governor Chafee. Photo credit: Providence Journal

National Wildlife Federation is thrilled to see this continued commitment by the Obama Administration to pursue offshore wind energy in an efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

And it can’t come soon enough. There are over 1,000 offshore wind turbines creating jobs and clean energy overseas and the U.S. is behind – way behind – in taking similar advantage of our offshore wind resources.

Today’s announcement builds on progress also happening in the Mid-Atlantic region. A draft Environmental Assessment has already been prepared for specific areas in federal waters off of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, where offshore wind leases are also expected to be issued early next year. NWF was joined by over 11,000 of our activists in voicing strong support for moving forward with offshore wind development in these areas in a way that is protective of our coastal and marine resources.

Offshore wind holds great potential to create jobs, cut pollution, and reduce our reliance on dirty fossil fuels. This is a win-win for our economy and our environment, and it is exciting to see America move closer to tapping the massive domestic energy source sitting right off our shores.