Weekly News Roundup- July 19, 2013

What’s happening at National Wildlife Federation this week?

• What’s happening in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon? Manatees, dolphins and other wildlife are mysteriously dying in large numbers. Read this Wildlife Promise blog on how you can help protect Florida’s wildlife.
• Keystone XL could raise gas prices. Take action and tell President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
• We “musk ox” you…what do you think of these cool Arctic photos?

 

NWF Taking Action

NWF: Path Cleared for McCarthy to Get to Work at EPA

July 19- The U.S. Senate today confirmed Gina McCarthy as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

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

“New Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy is a true champion for America’s conservation heritage. President Obama will need her leadership at EPA as he works to implement his plan to act on climate change.Cutting industrial carbon pollution has strong bipartisan support and Americans have written a record-breaking 3 million comments in support of EPA action.”

 

“No Child Left Inside Act” Essential for Creating Next Generation of Innovators

July 17- Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD), Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced the No Child Left Inside Act, legislation to assist states in the development and implementation of stronger environmental literacy programs for K-12 students.

Research shows that most children do not receive basic education to help them understand and cope with the many environmental issues they will face in their adult lives around water and air quality, toxic substances, community development, home, workplace and personal health. Moreover, they are not learning about the importance of forests, farmland, wetlands, rivers, bays, estuaries and groundwater, to species and human survival. The No Child Left Inside Act would, for the first time ever, provide a comprehensive framework for advancing environmental education in schools and position American students to compete in the global economy of the 21st century.

Learn more about what NWF is doing to promote environmental education in America’s schools.

 

And now here are highlights from NWF in the news

Los Angeles Times: Enbridge to increase oil flow under Straits, rally planned

“We have concerns that (Enbridge) is increasing capacity on a 60-year-old pipeline that has not been upgraded at all, and has one of the most sensitive water crossings in the world,” said Beth Wallace, community outreach coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation.

Boston.com: Climate Change Threatens N.E. Coastal Birds

The National Wildlife Federation recently released “Shifting Skies”, a large study accompanied by a more local report by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, detailing the adverse effects climate change is having on Northeastern birds such as Piping Plovers, Roseate Terns, and Saltmarsh Swallows.

Washington Post: Environmental group sues EPA, seeking stronger ship discharge rules to halt species invasion

The National Wildlife Federation’s lawsuit asks a federal appeals court to rule that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to meet Clean Water Act requirements with a permit issued in April that applies to an estimated 60,000 vessels longer than 79 feet.

Newsleader.com: 4,300 businesses threatened as Louisiana marshland erodes

“All of them are at serious risk of losing their jobs because of coastal erosion.
Louisiana has lost 1,900 square miles of coast since the 1930s. That’s more than three times the area of Lake Pontchartrain. The marshes continue to waste away today.”

For more visit www.nwf.org/news