ABOUT NRDC

A Message from NRDC President Frances Beinecke
and Executive Director Peter Lehner
January 2009

It is with great pleasure that we write this letter at the dawn of a new era, one mixed equally with challenge and opportunity. America is gripped by the worst economic crisis in decades, and yet President Barack Obama recognizes that the path to economic stability must be built upon green solutions.

Obama is entering office with a commitment to restore environmental governance and the integrity of science. Most important, he has pledged to enact a visionary energy policy that tackles our economic, oil, and climate crises all at the same time. He realizes that investing in clean energy -- wind and solar power, energy efficiency, mass transit, and smarter electricity grids -- is the fast track on America's road to prosperity.

America is ready for this kind of bold leadership, and just as NRDC was more than a match for the Bush agenda, we are ready with the forward-looking solutions America needs right now.

NRDC's policy experts -- the same ones who last year moved groundbreaking global warming legislation into the Senate -- are already working with lawmakers to hammer out a new climate bill that will cap global warming pollution and annually generate billions of dollars of clean energy capital. Our economists have analyzed the potential for green-collar job creation in several states. And our land and wildlife specialists are mapping out which landscapes offer potential for renewable power and which must remain off limits to energy development.

Even with the solutions in hand, the road ahead will be difficult. We cannot undo eight years of environmental damage overnight. And we must not underestimate the severity of the economic downturn. But NRDC has prevailed in the face of formidable odds before, from back when we became the first law firm to hold polluters accountable to the many times we fought federal and state agencies on behalf of America's wildlife and won.

What is so exciting about this moment in time is that we have the chance not just to beat back destructive forces, but to actually propel America forward. With the extraordinary talent of our staff and the passionate support of our members, we can realize the promise of a cleaner, more sustainable future. Starting today.

Frances G. Beinecke
President

Peter Lehner
Executive Director

» Back to Frances Beinecke main page