Santa Claws is Checking His List for Naughty Anti-Environmental Riders

Santa Claws’ naughty list is getting longer thanks to over 50 anti-environmental riderswaiting to latch onto FY2012 spending bills in Congress. Clean air, clean water and wildlife are all getting scrooged by stingy legislation not in keeping with public health, nature or the holiday spirit. Here’s a list of some of the worst riders on this naughty anti-environmental Christmas list.

Dirty Water Rider
This proposed rider would cripple the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with guidance to clarify and restore the Clean Water Act. This nearly 40-year-old law protects the rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands that provide drinking water and wildlife habitat. Passing the Dirty Water Rider would threaten public health, fish and wildlife and force taxpayers to pay more to cleanup flood damage in communities.

Toxic Air Rider
Mercury is a toxic chemical that can damage the brain of children and unborn babies, and power plants are the largest industrial producer of this brain poison. The Toxic Air Rider would undermine the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to enforce the Clean Air Act’s upcoming Mercury and Air Toxics standards for power plants. In addition to harming kids, dangerous air pollution also aggravates asthma and increases heart attacks. High levels of mercury can also harm wildlife, making it harder for animals to reproduce, avoid predators and hunt.

Bad Bighorn Sheep Rider
Bighorn sheep are an iconic wild western species, and a congressional rider could prevent federal agencies from protecting them. The Bad Bighorn Sheep Rider stops federal land managers from separating domestic sheep from bighorn sheep on grazing lands. Domestic sheep can spread diseases to bighorn populations. If this bad wildlife rider passes, it could jeopardize hunting and recreation dollars bighorn sheep generate for western communities.

Clean air, clean water and healthy wildlife are wonderful natural gifts. Choose your cause and take action to keep these valuable resources safe this holiday season and every season.  Santa Claws is watching.