Photo: Colin Ruggiero

New NWF Report Tells Story of Mining and Tribes

The National Wildlife Federation has just released a new report, Honoring the River: How Hardrock Mining Impacts Tribal Communities, which tells the story of mining and tribes, from the checkered history of federal legislation allowing mining companies to lease minerals on tribal lands—often without tribal consent—to the many new mines being proposed near tribal communities and lands.

Photo: Earthworks

One of the key points of the report is that tribes view water as sacred, something to be honored. Our government could certainly learn from this perspective. Despite its commitment to clean water and environmental justice, the Administration has been slow to make the relatively simple rule changes needed to close the loopholes in the Clean Water Act. It hasn’t honored the river.

Tribes Speak Out Against Mining

Even as tribes continue to suffer from poisoned rivers, contaminated sacred sites, and other devastation caused by old and abandoned mines, they face a new round of threats. Mines are being proposed from Alaska’s Bristol Bay, a watershed that supports the greatest remaining runs of wild sockeye salmon on earth, to the Great Lakes basin, which contains 84 percent of North America’s supply of fresh surface water.

Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Chairman Mike Wiggins is fighting to stop the permitting of the largest iron-ore, open-pit mine in the world slated for the headwaters of the Bad River, six miles from the reservation border in northern Wisconsin ceded territory. The Gogebic Taconite mine’s proposed location threatens the Kakagon and Bad River Sloughs, a 16,000-acre wetland complex at the mouths of the two rivers that contains valuable flora and fauna, including wild rice beds of cultural significance to the tribes. These resources are within the Bad River Reservation and contain 40 percent of the Lake Superior Basin coastal wetlands.

“This ecosystem is as good as what we have left in the state and in the world. We all have an impact on the environment. We really have to humble ourselves. Environmental stewardship is a sacrifice.”

-Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Chairman Mike Wiggins

We may not be able to undo all of the inequities of the past, but we can learn from the original stewards of the land and require mines to operate responsibly. Surely nobody can argue that mines should be able to store untreated industrial waste in living waters. Closing the mining loopholes would not stop hardrock mining, but it would help protect tribal communities, all of our communities, from the chemicals, heavy metals, and acid mine drainage produced by modern mines.

Urge the EPA and Army Corps to close these mining loopholes to protect our nation’s waters and wildlife.

Flickr photo by Jerry Oldenettel.

The recent Jaguar sightings come at a time when a few local policy battles could determine the size and scope of the species US habitat. After years of lawsuits and controversey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently issued a plan to recover the endangered species to its historic US terrain. FWS proposed designating 838,232 acres as critical jaguar habitat—covering four stretches of mountains in southeastern Arizona, a section of the Peloncillo Mountains on the Arizona–New Mexico border, and a tiny piece of New Mexico’s San Luis Mountains.

In addition to this ongoing controversy over critical habitat there also exists a potentially frightening roadblock to the Jaguar recovery as well as other species such as the Chiricahua leopard frog. Not too far from where this recent photo was taken is a pending proposal to develop a large scale copper mine. Rosemont, the local subsidiary of a Canadian mining corporation, is requesting permits to dig a mile-wide, half-mile deep pit and dump waste rock and tailings on more than 3,000 acres of National Forest land.

The draft Environmental Impact Statement  lists 27 imperiled plants and animals that would be directly harmed by the mine, including the jaguar. It says that the proposed action would directly destroy more than 6,000 acres of wildlife habitat and negatively affect another 90,000 acres. It describes significantly elevated levels of air and water pollutants associated with the mine, including greenhouse gases, and it states that groundwater impacts would dry up 84 springs and diminish or eliminate the flow of important perennial streams.

In addition to these issues highlighted by the Forest Service draft EIS,  EPA and DEQ have also issued concerns including:  Serious impacts to drinking water to local residents, potential violations to Arizona aquifer water quality standards as well as issues with 11 Indian Tribes. The mine site is alleged to contain up to 80 cultural sites, including burial sites, that must be considered and mitigated according to the National Historic Preservation Act.

Utah mine similar to Rosemont Mine proposed in Arizona- photo Earthworks

In this dry arid environment where water is arguably more precious than any metal, Rosemont Copper is proposing to dump untreated mining waste on 10–15 miles of streams and desert springs.

If you care about clean water and responsible energy development, and if you care about helping the endangered species such as the jaguar recover, please speak up today and ask the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to prevent mining companies such as Rosemont Copper from endangering our fish, wildlife, and communities with industrial pollution.

Let’s give wildlife a fighting chance!

Speak up to protect jaguars, grizzlies, and many more wildlife from toxic mine pollution.

February 4, 2013 correction: This post was updated to better reflect the historic reasons for the decline of jaguars in North America, and to provide a broader view of the environmental and cultural impacts of the proposed mine. It was also changed to correctly attribute the recent jaguar photograph.

Obama Administration Delivers on Longstanding Promise to the American People Drakes Estero Receives Full Wilderness Protection 

November 29-The National Wildlife Federation applauds the Obama Administration and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for granting full wilderness protection to Drakes Estero, the ecological heart of Point Reyes National Seashore in northern California. This decision guarantees vital protection to the hundreds of fish and wildlife species that rely on the Estero and fulfills a longstanding promise to the American people.

“This is the right decision for people and wildlife,” said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Secretary Salazar honored this historic agreement with all Americans to protect marine wilderness, and this legacy will be enjoyed for generations of people and wildlife to come.”

For more on this historic decision, check out the following blog post:

• Victory for California’s Harbor Seals!

EPA Takes Tough Stand with Suspension of New BP Contracts

November 28-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today its temporary suspension of BP from new contracts with the federal government, citing “BP’s lack of business integrity as demonstrated by the company’s conduct with regard to the Deepwater Horizon blowout, explosion, oil spill, and response.”John Kostyack, vice president for wildlife conservation of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:“The federal government should throw the book at BP for its criminal and negligent actions, using the full weight of the criminal and civil laws.  Today’s decision helps to send a loud and clear message: Recklessly damaging America’s natural resources will be met with harsh penalties.The Environmental Protection Agency’s move is a tough accountability measure designed to deter oil companies from cutting corners on safety and putting profits ahead of people, like BP did in the Gulf oil disaster.

For more on the BP Settlement, check out these blog posts:

• Lagniappe for the Mississippi River Delta—and the Gulf of Mexico
• Thanksgiving: A Note of Gratitude to NWF Supporters
• Gulf Dolphins are Still Dying—Don’t Let BP Off Easy

Newly Announced Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Leases Mark Progress

November 30-The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today announced plans to sell leases for preliminary offshore wind energy development activities in two areas of federal waters recently identified and reviewed off the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Virginia. The leases will be sold through a competitive auction in 2013. Catherine Bowes, senior manager for new energy solutions at National Wildlife Federation, said today: “Today’s announcement is a major step forward in America’s pursuit of offshore wind energy. Properly-sited clean energy like offshore wind is critical for protecting wildlife from the dangers of climate change, and we applaud the Obama Administration for taking action to advance an important new clean energy source for America.

For more on clean energy, check out the following blog post:

• Sandy’s Mandate: Time to Get Serious About Clean Energy

Report: Water Under Pressure
November 29-What Oil Shale Could Mean for Western Water, Fish and Wildlife–For more than a century, efforts to wring oil out of rock formations in the Rocky Mountain West have waxed and waned. The deposits underlying northwestern Colorado, southwestern Wyoming and northeastern Utah have been portrayed as “the Saudi Arabia’’ of oil shale, a vast source of domestic energy that would cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil, create many jobs and produce millions of dollars of revenue for state and local governments.

That same area, the 16,000-square-mile Green River Formation, is home to some of the nation’s most valuable fish and wildlife habitat. Colorado’s Piceance Basin boasts North America’s largest migratory mule deer herd and some of the country’s largest elk herds. The huge tracts of public land also support greater sage-grouse, Colorado River cutthroat trout, black bear, bald eagles and mountain lions. Hunting, fishing, other wildlife-based activities and outdoor recreation are cornerstones of the regional economy and integral to the area’s lifestyle, heritage and identity.

For more on Oil Shale, check out the following blog post:

• The Energy Future is Now: Extend wind tax credits

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news:

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Expert says swift action needed to calm climate
• Public News Service: BP Suspended from New Off-Shore Contracts
• UPI:  NWF: EPA ban for BP sends ‘loud’ message
• CoEXIST: How Nonprofit Social Media Can Connect Supporters To The Cause
• E&E Energywire: Outdoors coalition launches campaign to support cautious development

For more visit www.nwf.org/news

Kayakers, SUPers and boaters join together for a Clean Water Act celebration on the Potomac River. NWF Photo by Jan Goldman-Carter.

Mike Bolinder, Anacostia Riverkeeper, speaks at the recent Clean Water Act rally on the Potomac River. NWF Photo by Jan Goldman-Carter.

Fast forward to 2012 and a beautiful September Saturday when ECC joined the National Wildlife Federation, Anacostia and Potomac Riverkeepers, and Water Keeper Alliance nationwide in honoring the 40^th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act–and recommitting ourselves to clean rivers and clean water for all—here along the Anacostia and nationwide.

Since Congress passed the Clean Water Act in October 1972, we have made incredible progress in cleaning up our rivers and streams. The Potomac River is our source for drinking water and many people are using the Anacostia and Potomac rivers to canoe, kayak and fish.

But we have much more work to do to restore the streams and wetlands that flow through the District of Columbia and on to the Chesapeake Bay.  Please join the Earth Conservation Corps, the National Wildlife Federation, and our local, regional, and national clean water partners in celebrating the 40^th birthday of the Clean Water Act and standing up for a strong Clean Water Act, and fishable swimmable waters for all.

Kellie Bolinder is Executive Director of Earth Conservation Corps. She has been working with the organization for over nine years. Earth Conservation Corps became the DC affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation in 2008, joining the network of 48 state and territorial affiliates across the country.

Download the report: Troubled Waters: How Mine Waste Dumping is Poisoning Our Oceans, Rivers and Lakes

Acid mine drainage from the Zortman Landusky mine in Montana. Photo: Earthworks.

Mining companies are dumping more than 180 million tonnes of hazardous mine waste each year into rivers, lakes, and oceans worldwide, threatening vital bodies of water with toxic heavy metals and other chemicals poisonous to humans and wildlife.

For too long, the mines that produce our gold, silver, copper, and uranium have been using our nation’s most pristine streams, lakes, and groundwater as dumping grounds for their toxic wastes. These are the waters from which we drink, in which our children swim, and which support our fish and wildlife.

In theory, the Clean Water Act should halt this destructive practice. Unfortunately, there are two “loopholes” in the regulations implementing the Clean Water Act that have allowed mine developers to circumvent the purpose of this critical law. A key recommendation from the “Troubled Waters” report states:

Two loopholes in the U.S. Clean Water Act, a law that was passed to protect water from industrial pollutants, allow mining companies to dump toxic mine waste untreated into rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands. Governments should close loopholes and create a regulatory environment that puts the health of our water and ecosystems over corporate profits by prohibiting this unnecessary practice.

Grizzlies in Bristol Bay, Alaska and in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in Montana are at risk from proposed mining projects. Photo: USFWS.

The good news is, with a simple rule change, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers can close these loopholes and stop Big Mining from using our waters as industrial waste dumps. Closing the loopholes would not prohibit hard rock mining but it would greatly reduce the negative environmental impacts from large mines.

National Wildlife Federation, along with Earthworks and other partners, is working to stop irresponsible mining practices which pollute the waters that sustain our communities, fish, and wildlife.

Urge the EPA and Army Corps to stop Big Mining from using our waters as industrial waste dumps.

River otter by Flickr's ArcheiaMuriel

Americans consistently list clean water as their top environmental concern. After all, water is life. It creates jobs, provides transportation, hunting, fishing and other recreation opportunities. Wetlands provide vital wildlife habitat for animals like waterfowl and river otters, flood protection for communities and clean drinking water. However, there was a time when our waters truly burned from the nasty sludge, slime and filth dumped into them.  The Clean Water Act was created through bi-partisan efforts to save the lifeblood of our country, to protect our irreplaceable wetlands and water resources.  Now, a partisan effort is attempting to undo nearly 40 years of safeguards for our nation’s waters.

Water resources are scarce in many regions, but big polluters are only thirsty for money. Introducing legislation that could destroy our rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands is bad economics, bad politics and just a bad idea.

Tell Congress that clean water is the only choice. Send lawmakers a message that Americans care about protecting the Clean Water Act.

It’s a tradition to play the 1960s classic hit Dirty Water as a victory anthem after every Red Sox win. True to its name, the lyrics mention how polluted the Charles River and Boston Harbor were at the time. It’s a past we don’t want to go back to, a past the Clean Water Act helped clean up.

Listen and learn, lawmakers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In fact, toxic stormwater runoff is the number one source of pollution to Puget Sound. Compounding the problem, climate change is projected to bring more intense rainstorms and even more floods to the region, increasing the risk to residents.

So how is Seattle handling the problem? Green Infrastructure.

A street-side swale and adjacent pervious concrete sidewalk in Seattle, WA helps decrease stormwater runoff. Photo: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Green infrastructure is a loose term that can refer to wide range of landscape sizes and settings. Essentially, it encourages restoring natural areas to cleanse stormwater, improve water quality, and control floodwaters. In doing this, communities are also creating wildlife habitat and opportunities for outdoor recreation.

For the home gardener, green infrastructure could mean simple things such as planting trees and tree boxes; or getting a little more complex with methods such as:

• Permeable paving
• Roof gardens
• Rain water collection systems
• Rain gardens
• Green walls

In Seattle, green infrastructure is popping up everywhere; in part, because there are many programs to support the local green gardener.

Seattle Public Utilities has created RainWise, a program for managing rainwater at home. The website offers solutions and step-by-step processes for controlling stormwater, links to other local projects, a vendor directory of certified RainWise contractors, and information on receiving rebates if you live in a targeted sewer overflow basin.

Washington State University and Stewardship Partners have teamed up to create the 12,000 Rain Gardens campaign.  The goal of this program is to filter 160 million gallons of polluted runoff by helping install 12,000 rain gardens in Puget Sound by 2016. You can find everything you need on their website — including a rain garden handbook, YouTube videos, and local workshops.

Incorporating these green infrastructure techniques in your garden is a great first step in certifying your yard as a wildlife habitat. As a small incentive, May is Garden for Wildlife Month and as a special offer, when you certify your yard any time this month, NWF will plant a tree on your behalf.

So get out there. You have nothing to lose — beautify your garden, improve the environment, and create habitat for wildlife simultaneously!

Flickr's Library of Congress photostream

As a kid, I spent every possible minute of my free time outside.   I grew up in a heavily polluted city in Poland, and my parents took me to the countryside nearly every weekend to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.   But even I remember the “no swimming or fishing” signs posted at many of the lakes and rivers I frequented as a child.  Poland is heavily dependent on coal for power (over 90 percent of generated electricity comes from coal-burning power plants), and as a result, it was among the most polluted countries in the world when I was growing up there.   Back then it didn’t occur to me to stop and ask WHY I couldn’t go swimming in those lakes and rivers.  I didn’t think about the unbelievably high levels of mercury contamination affecting fish throughout the country and causing developmental disorders in children exposed to it.  Pollution was simply a fact of everyday life. 

In the US we generate about 50 percent of our electricity from coal-fired power plants.  Coal is not only the dirtiest form of fossil fuel, but the emissions released when it is burned are currently unrestricted.  That’s why the rules proposed by the EPA are so critical.  For the first time, we actually have the chance to put in place strong rules to take charge of the emissions of mercury, arsenic and other toxic pollutants from coal-burning power plants that harm our health and wildlife.  According to the EPA, these proposed rules would:

• Avoid 6,800 – 17,000 premature deaths
• Result in savings of $59 – 160 billion per year
• Result in a 78 percent reduction of mercury emissions

Right now we have the opportunity, through the EPA’s proposed rules, to save thousands of lives and ensure a cleaner and healthier future for our kids – something I couldn’t imagine having the chance to attempt in Poland. 

TAKE ACTION TODAY
Tell the EPA why clean air is important to you and why they should enact and enforce strong air toxic rules. You can quickly send your comments by:

1. E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, Attn: Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR- 2009-0234.
2. Regulations.gov website (http://www.regulations.gov/). Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
3. EPA Air and Radiation Docket Web Site ( http://www.epa.gov/oar/docket.html). Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

If you’re having trouble coming up with the right words then take a look at some sample language below and feel free to use them as your own!

I strongly support the new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that would limit mercury, arsenic, dioxin, and other toxic emissions from power plants.

Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury contamination in the U.S, amounting to about 50 percent of emissions affecting humans and wildlife. The pollution settles on lakes, rivers and forests where it exposes fish and other wildlife and makes its way into the food chain. In many places, mercury warnings are increasingly common.

A highly potent neurotoxin, mercury adversely affects the function and development of the central nervous system in both people and wildlife. Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to mercury exposure.

For too long, mercury and other toxic pollution has gone unchecked in America. It is time that we require power plants to clean up the pollution that is inflicting such devastating damage to our health and environment.

Thank you for moving forward with the proposed Mercury and Air Toxics standards. I urge you to move forward and finalize strong rules that reduce these harmful emissions. These pollution limits will be one of the largest steps forward in protecting our nation from toxic air pollution in a generation.

Lake Michigan Shoreline, photo by Mick Stolz, Battle Creek, MI

If you’re from the Great Lakes region, chances are you’ve dipped your toes in the cold waters of Lake Superior, watched the sun set over Lake Michigan or fished off a pier in Lake Huron.

The Great lakes offer so much to those that live near and far; most people that are lucky enough to experience their beauty, walk away with a feeling of passion and enthusiasm to protect them.

Unfortunately, because industry and some legislators do not understand their importance, the Great Lakes are at risk of becoming the next oil spill victim.

Our country is allowing industry, like Enbridge Energy partners, to transport an unstable toxic oil and gas mix (diluted bitumen or dilbit), in and around our waters.

The growing concern around this unstable product was highlighted in a recent report titled: Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks.

Because the  issues discussed in the report impact the Great Lakes so severely, the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center held a forum in Battle Creek, MI to talk with residents directly about their personal impacts due to a tar sands oil spill, which spilled nearly 1 million gallons of toxic oil into the Kalamazoo River Watershed. When a tar sands oil spill occurs, the impacts are more devastating and much different than a conventional crude oil spill.

Residents from Calhoun County, MI learned more about this product and why they should be concerned about their health, the health of the river ecosystem, and long term impacts to their communities.

We also wanted to warn the public, representatives and government agencies that the same pipeline that has caused an insurmountable amount of damage to their homes has the potential to do the same over and over again – especially near the Great Lakes.

Residents from communities impacted by the Enbridge oil spill were asked to reach out to their members of Congress requesting that new laws and regulations be developed to safeguard the Great Lakes region from becoming the next victim.

Concerned community members also made a formal call for a long-term health study so that those still dealing with health issues can have the support they deserve and so first responders can better understand how to properly respond to a spill of this nature, once it occurs.

To learn more about this issue and help prevent expansions of these pipelines in our heartlands, please visit NWF Action Fund Center.

Also, watch these videos on how landowners are being bullied into having these dangerous pipelines built under their land.

The top three locations at risk of a raw tar sands oil spill from the Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks report

Impacted residents request support for a long-term health study at NWF’s forum, which disclosed impacts due to a raw tar sands oil spill.