As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take the reins of government, Audubon is working tirelessly with the environmental community and the Obama transition team to ensure a smooth transition that reclaims the environment and clean energy as top national priorities.
Audubon and our colleagues from the major national environmental organizations met in late November with Carol Browner and Obama transition representatives to address issues relevant to the Departments of Interior, Energy, and Agriculture; the Council on Environmental Quality; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in a productive wide-ranging 90 minute exchange.
On November 25, thirty leading conservation groups, including Audubon, issued a 380+ page environment and energy transition plan to the Obama transition team. The plan is already garnering significant media attention and represents a bold departure from the policies of the last eight years. Download the Transition to Green document (3.1 MB PDF)
Audubon had a very active presence in developing the transition document recommendations, and chaired a number of key work groups. Dozens of Audubon staff, including the Washington DC policy office staff, education and science division leaders, state office directors, and conservation staff worked to hammer out the transition team recommendations. The recommendations span all areas of environmental policy and all relevant federal agencies. Get a list of experts across the environmental community who worked on the transition plan (71 KB PDF).
Audubon continues to have active meetings with the Obama transition team and will press for organizational priorities such as bird conservation, ecosystem restoration, protection of national wildlife refuges, environmental education, conservation science, and of course, solutions to reduce global warming, end our dependence on oil, and create a more sustainable future for all.
2008 Brings Victories, Challenges, Opportunities
We brought you news of many issues in 2008. Here's a quick look at where we celebrated victories together, where we made some progress with hopes to wrap it up in the next Congress, and some of the coming issues in 2009.
Victory! Mixed Bag,
More Work to DoBattleground Issues
in 2009Teshekpuk Lake - In summer 2006, we thought we would lose this globally important Alaskan wetlands to oil and gas development. An 11th hour lawsuit halted the sale and required the Bureau of Land Management to conduct a proper environmental impact statement. In May 2008, the BLM relented and announced it would defer any leasing for ten years. We'll press now for permanent protection.Invasive Species - Whether to prevent invasives in our waterways or stem incursions in refuges and other habitat, various pieces of legislation stalled out. We'll be back next year.Global Warming & Energy - We view this as the single biggest threat to biodiversity. Cap and trade, energy efficiency, electricity from clean renewable energy, plug-in hybrids, more mass transit, breaking our oil addiction, cleaner air, green jobs. It's all out there, and the push is on for 2009 as President-Elect Obama and the new Congress continues to make this issue one of their top priorities.Farm Bill - This major land law puts more private land aside for wetlands, wildlife and other conservation goals than any other. We'll crow about the good parts — over 30 million acres for the Conservation Reserve Program, retaining the Wetlands Reserve Program, an additional $2.4 billion under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, $1.1 billion for the Conservation Stewardship Program, and 300,000 new acres eligible for the Grassland Reserve Program. The rollback on sodbuster provisions in five states is one of a number of provisions we worked to defeat with no luck.Red Knot - This tiny shorebird with its very long migration got some relief when a moratorium on horseshoe crab takings was declared in New Jersey, but not in Delaware. Red Knots depend upon horseshoe crab eggs on eastern seashores during their migration. We'll keep working to save this bird!Public Lands, Refuges - We'll be alert for threats to the Arctic Refuge, and any other bad ideas that pop up for our public lands. For instance, the proposed road through the heart of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge went from hearings to markup and came perilously close to a floor vote. And with a new Congress and administration, it's not clear whether plans to put a border fence through our Sabal Palm Sanctuary and Center in Texas will progress. The fence also threatens to close wildlife off from critical habitat and water in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Wildlife Refuge.Incentives for Landowners to Protect Endangered Species - Audubon has long pushed for financial incentives to encourage landowners to protect endangered species. With the passage of the Farm Bill, landowners who choose to engage in projects on their land that help provide habitat for endangered species will now be eligible for $300 million in tax benefits, a win-win solution for private property owners and endangered species.Conservation Funding - While Congress ultimately rolled agency funding into a Continuing Resolution which funds programs at last year's levels, we made the case for increased funds for: refuges and other public lands programs; Audubon Centers; international family planning; international conservation; ecosystem restoration funds for Everglades, Coastal Louisiana, and Long Island Sound; and more. It lays a foundation we can build on for next year.Green Stimulus - The Obama Administration and Congress are working to put together an economic stimulus package that is expected to provide between $500 billion and $1 trillion to create 2.5 million jobs and get the economy moving. Audubon is working hard to make sure that substantial investments are made in clean energy infrastructure, energy efficiency, habitat restoration on national wildlife refuges and other public lands, and large-scale ecosystem restoration in the Everglades, Coastal Louisiana, the Mississippi River, and Long Island Sound.Polar Bears - The world's largest land predator was finally listed as threatened, though the Bush Administration offered oil lease sales in its critical Arctic Sea habitat. We will work to ensure polar bear habitat is in the Arctic Ocean is protected.Neotropical Migratory Bird Act - This legislation took flight in both the House and Senate but didn't get very far. The groundwork is laid for next year and the good news is that both versions significantly increase funding levels for this important songbird bill.Endangered Species Act - Even as legislative threats diminished, the Bush White House waged war on ESA regulations. It moved to delist species that did not warrant such action, claimed the lowest record of listing new species of any administration, and rammed through 11th hour regulations to weaken key aspects of the Act. We'll be working with both Congress and the Obama White House to bring science back to ESA and reverse many of the damaging actions taken to date.Great Lakes - The Great Lakes contain more than 90% of the fresh surface water in the United States, and 20% of the world's supply. The Great Lakes Compact was signed by the President in October, providing sweeping protections that culminate a decade's worth of work by Audubon and other conservation organizations.
This post was modified from its original form on 12 Dec, 13:56
- Audubon North Carolina put the kibosh on plans to land Navy jets near the Pocosin National Wildlife Refuge.
- Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) and the Yazoo Pumps projects were finally dumped to the great relief of Louisiana and Mississippi wetlands.
- A court settlement in North Carolina protected Piping Plovers endangered sea turtles from offroad vehicles on Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
- The Bureau of Land Management adopted a critical part of Audubon's recommendations to save the most important Sage-grouse habitat in Wyoming while allowing some compatible energy development activities to proceed.
- Audubon's Alaska Road show brought the wonders of Alaska and the threats to wildlife and habitat in that state to over 100 delighted chapters.
- Audubon joined lawsuits to protect polar bears, endangered birds in Hawaii, Spotted Owls, and Piping Plovers.
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