Congratulations to the Obama team for the REAL progress in furthering the conservation agenda. Here’s my latest newspaper column:
Only about three months have elapsed since Barack Obama became 44th president. In that short period a great feeling of relief and joy has swept over the nation and the conservation community in particular. Why? Because the Bush/Cheney cadre had waged a relentless campaign against environmental priorities for eight years.
Now, the Obama team appears to be moving rapidly to reverse the tide of last-minute anti-environmental regulations imposed by the previous administration. While there is no universal agreement that President Obamas choices for jobs like the secretaries of Interior and Agriculture were wise picks, they generally reflect sensitivity toward the environment that the former administration lacked.
One of the first positive steps our new president took was his pledge to make science, not political ideology, the primary decision-making ingredient. With the words restore science to its rightful place in his inaugural address, the president brought new hope that, after two terms of ignoring and often suppressing science, the government will restore its scientific agencies to their rightful roles in protecting the environment. Ive read, more than once, that staff members of the Environmental Protection Agency and other governmental branches feel their long winter is over.
To learn more about the Bush administrations attack on science, I recommend reading Censoring Science: Inside the Political Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Surprising Truth about Global Warming by Mark Bowen. Hansen, interestingly enough, was among the on-camera guests as CBS News 60 Minutes recently explored the impact that burning coal has on the accumulation in the atmosphere of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. Hansen is director of NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
For fish and wildlife conservationists, good news arrived April 28 when the secretaries of Interior and Commerce jointly announced the restoration of the scientific consultation process under the Endangered Species Act. The Interior Departments Fish and Wildlife Service and Commerces National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration enforce the major conservation law.
The decision by Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Interior chief Ken Salazar means that federal agencies will once again have to consult with fish and wildlife experts at the two agencies before taking any action that could affect threatened or endangered species.
Salazar: By rolling back this 11th-hour regulation, we are ensuring that threatened and endangered species receive the full protection of the law. Because science must serve as the foundation for decisions we make, federal agencies proposing to take actions that might affect threatened and endangered species will once again have to consult with biologists at the two departments.
Locke: For decades, the Endangered Species Act has protected threatened species and their habitats. Our decision affirms the administrations commitment to using sound science to promote
conservation and protect the environment.
To read the full text of the secretaries joint statement, click on www.fws.gov
I photographed this eyesore in south Texas a few years ago. It’s a classic case study of what sprawl has brought us. Happy shopping!
