Sportsmen Support Common-sense Energy Planning to Conserve Fish and Wildlife Habitat

Note: Steve Belinda led a group of us from the American Wildlife Conservation Partnership on a tour of the Pinedale anticline where gas drilling has turned a prime wintering mule deer area into an industrial site.  Eric
The following from the Outdoor Wire:

Thursday, July 14, 2011

WASHINGTON - In response to criticism by some Western lawmakers of a new federal energy-planning protocol, a coalition of prominent sportsman-conservation groups has reasserted the need for balanced public-lands energy leasing that enables responsible development while sustaining the West's fish and wildlife heritage and hunting and fishing traditions.

Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development underscored its support of the policy issued last year that included the use of "master lease plans," or MLPs, for future leasing of public lands in areas not experiencing significant energy activity. The approach would address deficiencies in the old process that have led to high conflict with fish and wildlife values and significant public objections, or "protests," to lease sales. The MLPs also would require an analysis of impacts from development of leases, a key evaluation that was not done in the past, before leases are sold, providing an opportunity for the public and other affected stakeholders to be involved earlier to resolve any conflicts.

"Upfront planning and conflict resolution will lead to greater certainty for management of fish and wildlife habitats and for industry," said Steve Belinda, director of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Center for Responsible Energy Development and former BLM biologist. "The old process was not developed for leasing in the sensitive areas that now are being sought for development, nor did it adequately address other values like fish and wildlife before commitments to develop were made." The TRCP is a member of the SFRED coalition.

Members of Wyoming's and Utah's congressional delegations, however, have denigrated the new master leasing process in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, requesting that the Department abandon implementation of the process.

"It's unfortunate that any Western politician would oppose reforms specifically designed to protect the West's public lands and allow for more public involvement on public lands that help define us as region," said Steve Torbit, regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation, an SFRED member.

"MLPs provide ample opportunity for energy companies to exploit oil and gas deposits but allow for a more careful process to evaluate how best to avoid or minimize impacts to our wildlife and other natural resources," Torbit continued. "As a native of this region and a lifelong hunter and angler, it saddens me to see elected representatives show their disdain for the wildlife resources that are part of our Western heritage and culture."

Brad Powell, energy director for Trout Unlimited, an SFRED member, and former regional forester for the Forest Service, questioned why the members of Congress would attack a process that enables a rational approach to leasing and will better balance multiple uses of public lands.

"This new approach to leasing incorporates sensible reforms that allow the public, including hunters and anglers, to be more involved in the management of their lands and allow for earlier conflict resolution rather than having to resort to protests when poorly planned lease sales are announced," Powell said.

"We understand that energy development will occur, and we support it," Powell continued, "but as sportsmen we believe that fixing problems early in the leasing process enables industry to receive leases that they can use rather than backlogged leases held up by protests. The previous process led to thousands of protests and a system that was broken for both industry and sportsmen."

"We have documented dramatic declines in our mule deer herds because of poorly planned and hastily approved energy leasing in parts of the West," Belinda concluded. "Threatening the West's fish and wildlife populations using the old, broken model for public-lands leasing makes no sense. The MLPs and other lease reforms allow responsible energy development without jeopardizing our fish and wildlife habitat, our streams and rivers, and our public lands."

Learn more about the Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development coalition.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.

Contact:
Brad Powell, 928-300-5451, bpowell@tu.org

Update from the NWF international climate team from Copenhagen

From the National Wildlife Federation:

Team,
Here's today's "This just in" update from NWF Director of Global
Warming Policy Joe Mendelson:

" Hello NWF from Copenhagen! Here is a quick update from your
international climate team.

The negotiations are going slower than one would hope and have been
overshadowed, in part, by massive logistical problems at the Bella
Centre negotiation site. Many are standing hours in the cold and snow
today trying to get in to the conference only to be turned away.
Regardless, your team remains undaunted and is working hard to push the
U.S. to up its ambition to facilitate a final deal.

There has been a public rift between China and the U.S. over the low
U.S. offer on global warming pollution emission cuts and the failure of
the U.S. and other developed countries to offer long-term financing for
the impacted developing nations. In response, China is refusing to
allow any international verification of its recently announced actions
that would significantly reduce the growth of its emissions.

In response, NWF is spear-heading an effort to push the U.S. to change
its position. We’re working to get the Administration to offer a new
long-term finance package based upon the significant money pledged to
stop deforestation that is in the House and Senate legislation and
redirecting other money by phasing out fossil fuel subsidies - an offer
President Obama made at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh this fall. The
hope is that this offer would compel other developed nations to add
their own pledges of money culminating in a huge effort on deforestation
as a means to fight climate change led by the U.S.

Barriers remain to this effort. The State Department is reluctant to
put this forward because the legislation is not final and fear a
Congressional backlash. In contrast, Senate and House staff in
Copenhagen say putting this forward is okay and may actually help lock
the Administration into fighting for the legislation at home. So, one
effort is to get Congressional staff to push the Administration.

If we solve the finance issue, we then think the Chinese would submit
to some international oversight of its emission reductions efforts. Of
course, this is critical for the Senate battle back home.

Will this all happen? It is tough to say. We are trying hard. The
heads of states are starting to arrive so we hope that ups the pressure
to get a deal done. We will keep you posted on progress and expect
massive protests over the next several days about everyone being shut
out of the Bella Centre facility.

Joe

Victory for Ducks - Clean Water Act provisions on its way to being restored

Press release from the National Wildlife Federation:

Senate Moves to Restore Strong Protections for America’s Waters

“America’s waters are closer to again having the comprehensive Clean Water Act protections that Congress intended”

Washington, DC (June 18, 2009) – The National Wildlife Federation today praised Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and the members of the Environment and Public Works Committee who voted today to restore Clean Water Act protections for all of the nation’s lakes, streams and wetlands. The Committee voted 12 to 7 to advance an amended S. 787, the Clean Water Restoration Act to the full Senate.

“America’s waters are closer to again having the comprehensive Clean Water Act protections that Congress intended,” said Jan Goldman-Carter, Wetlands and Water Resources Counsel, National Wildlife Federation. “This bill restores critical protections for our nation’s increasingly-precious fresh water resources while respecting private property rights and continuing longstanding Clean Water Act exemptions for agriculture and forestry.”

The Clean Water Restoration Act would clarify Congress’ intent to extend Clean Water Act protections to all the nation’s wetlands, streams and other waters. Supreme Court decisions in 2001 (SWANCC v. Army Corps of Engineers) and 2006 (Rapanos v. United States) threatened Clean Water Act protections for thousands of miles of streams and rivers and millions of acres of wetlands. These legal decisions and federal agency guidance to implement them have created confusion and uncertainty nationwide, undermining efforts to enforce the Clean Water Act. This has left millions of acres of waters vulnerable to pollution and destruction, and has creating long delays in obtaining permits for work in wetlands and other waters due to confusion over the scope of the Act’s protections.

Senators Baucus (D-MT), Klobuchar (D-MN) and Boxer clarified through an amendment to the bill that broad, existing Clean Water Act exemptions for agriculture and forestry were to be retained. While other amendments to create new and broader exemptions for agricultural pollution were offered, none were accepted by the committee.

“The bill, as amended today, represents a balanced approach to ensuring the integrity of the nation’s waters into the future,” said Jim Murphy, Wetlands and Water Resources Counsel, National Wildlife Federation.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 59 percent of stream miles in the continental U.S. are intermittent or ephemeral and many of these have been losing Clean Water Act protection since 2006. These streams provide important drinking water, flood control, and aquatic habitat functions. An estimated 20 million acres of wetlands – or 20 percent of all remaining wetlands in the lower 48 states – are already losing Clean Water Act protection, and many more are at risk. EPA estimates that more than 111 million Americans get their drinking water from public supplies fed in whole or in part by intermittent or ephemeral streams vulnerable to pollution under these decisions.

“Today was the first step for this important bill. Now the full Senate and the House of Representatives need to finish the job and ensure the health of our nation’s wetlands, lakes and streams for current and future generations of both wildlife and people,” said Goldman-Carter.

The National Wildlife Federation inspires Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

Immediate Release: June 18, 2009

Contacts:
Aileo Weinmann, communications manager, 202-797-6801, weinmanna@nwf.org

Jan Goldman-Carter, wetlands & water resources counsel, goldmancarterj@nwf.org,
202-797-6894

Jim Murphy, wetlands and water resources counsel, 802-552-4325, jmurphy@nwf.org