Sen. Bingaman Champions Legislation to Address Climate Impacts on Wildlife

Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced legislation aimed at safeguarding wildlife and natural resources, and the essential goods and services they provide to every American, from the harmful effects of climate change.
 
Co-sponsored by Senators Max Baucus (D-MT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Tom Udall (D-NM), the "Natural Resources Climate Adaptation Act" (S. 1933) provides a framework for protecting and restoring wildlife and natural resources from the existing and projected impacts of climate change. The bill calls for dedicated funding for these safeguards, which is expected to come from revenue generated by clean energy and climate legislation.
 
The plan builds upon an earlier natural resources adaptation proposal championed by Senators Baucus and Whitehouse, which was included in the Senate's version of comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation introduced earlier this month by Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry (D-MA).
 
"The support of these prominent Senators shows that safeguarding our communities, wildlife and natural resources from the impacts of climate change is as important as complementary efforts to curb the causes of climate change," said John Kostyack, executive director of Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming at the National Wildlife Federation. "This legislation prioritizes climate-smart conservation solutions that meet the scale and scope of the threats facing wildlife and natural resources today."

Published: November 5, 2009