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Action Results 2006
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Working together, we can make a difference -- below are lots of examples of what we've accomplished with your help. And although we can't celebrate a victory in every case, we know you're in the fight with us for the long haul -- so thank you and keep up the good work!
"Threatened" listing proposed for polar bears imperiled by global warming
After receiving more than 120,000 comments from NRDC activists throughout the spring and summer of 2006, on December 27, 2006 the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing polar bears as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act due to Arctic ice melt caused by global warming. If the listing is finalized, the Fish and Wildlife Service would be required to prepare a recovery plan for the bears, and federal agencies would be barred from taking any action that could harm polar bears or their habitat. The Fish and Wildlife Service has one additional year to gather and analyze peer reviews and public comments before making a final decision, but in the meantime, thanks to all of you who urged the agency to take this historic first step to ensure the survival of this iconic species.
In final moments, 109th Congress passes bill to benefit nation's fishing communities
Throughout 2006 we asked you to contact your senators and representatives concerning the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management Act, the nation's premier fisheries management law. Following almost two years of negotiations on the myriad provisions of the act, both the House and Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent just hours before adjourning on December 9, 2006. The new law strengthens the current version by requiring an end to harmful overfishing, emphasizing science-based fisheries management and imposing penalties for illegal fishing in international waters. Your tens of thousands of messages clearly helped push this bipartisan bill past the finish line in the waning moments of the 109th Congress -- thanks to all of you who helped achieve this terrific victory!
Congress approves offshore drilling; opens 8 million acres in Gulf of Mexico
During the latter half of 2006 we asked you to urge Congress not to open 8.3 million acres of Gulf Coast waters to offshore drilling rigs. Despite your tens of thousands of messages, Congress approved the drilling provision as part of a broad tax-breaks extension bill in the final hours before it adjourned on December 9, 2006. As part of the compromise reached to ensure the provision's passage, just four states (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas) will receive billions of dollars in revenues from oil and gas drilling that otherwise would have been shared by all 50 states. Another part of the deal that persuaded Florida lawmakers to vote for it keeps drilling rigs 125 miles from Florida's Gulf Coast until mid-2022. Little could be done to defeat the drilling provision once legislative leaders attached it to the popular tax-breaks bill, but thanks nevertheless to all of you who contacted your senators and representatives.
Cleaner cars coming soon to Pennsylvania
In October 2006 we asked those of you living in Pennsylvania to urge your state House representative to vote against a bill that would repeal the Pennsylvania Clean Vehicles Program. Although supporters of the bill had tried to sneak it through the legislature during the end-of-session frenzy, the session ended without consideration of the bill, clearing the path for implementation of this important initiative. The Clean Vehicles Program will help bring new cleaner cars into Pennsylvania to cut smog, fight global warming and save car owners money. Thanks to all of you who contacted your state representative and helped achieve this impressive victory!
Election day brings mixed news for California's environment
In the weeks leading up to election day, we urged those of you living in California to help pass or defeat three state ballot initiatives. On November 7, 2006, environmental voters in California helped pass Proposition 84, the $5.4 billion bond measure that will improve protection for the state's water, parks and coast, and defeat Proposition 90, which would have turned polluting and other destructive activities into property rights. Oil industry money, however, helped defeat Proposition 87, the Clean Alternative Energy Act, which would have promoted clean alternative energy and reduced California's annual oil needs by about 25 percent. Thanks to all of you who voted in California for these important initiatives.
Washingtonians vote for cleaner energy, lower utility bills
During the first half of 2006 Washington Earth Activists helped gather the 160,000 signatures needed by the June 30th deadline to place Initiative 937, the Clean Energy Initiative, on the November ballot. Washingtonians then voted on election day to pass I-937 and make clean and renewable energy a reality in Washington state; the initiative's passage means that at least 15 percent of Washington's energy will come from clean, renewable sources like wind and solar by 2020, and ensures that utilities help their customers save money and energy through conservation. Thanks (and congratulations!) to everyone who took part in this fantastic grassroots effort!
Court grants reprieve for Alaska's Western Arctic Reserve
In August 2006 we asked you to urge the Bush administration to cancel the sale of oil and gas drilling leases in the sensitive wetlands surrounding Teshekpuk Lake in Alaska's Western Arctic Reserve. You sent almost 12,500 messages to Interior Secretary Kempthorne (thank you!), and although the administration had intended to proceed with the lease sales, we're pleased to report that, on September 25, 2006 (two days before the lease sales were scheduled to occur), a federal judge blocked the sales on the grounds that the administration's environmental studies did not consider how leasing would affect the reserve and its wildlife. While the Teshekpuk Lake region is safe for now, the administration intends to eventually go back to court with a revised plan to proceed with the lease sales, so stay tuned.
Leading the way once again, California enacts landmark global warming law
Throughout 2006 we asked California activists to urge their state legislators to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), which would be the first law in the United States to set enforceable limits to cut global warming pollution. Thousands of messages later, legislative leaders and Governor Schwarzenegger reached an agreement on this historic legislation on August 30, 2006, just one day before the end of the 2006 legislative session. The law will impose new controls on utilities, oil refineries and other major polluters, with the ambitious goal of reducing the state's global warming pollution 25 percent by 2020. Other states and countries often adopt California's environmental policies, so AB 32's passage could represent a significant turning point in the global battle to thwart the effects of catastrophic climate change. Congratulations (and thank you), California!
Unanimous decision means stronger protections for California marine life
In August 2006 we asked California activists to urge the California Fish and Game Commission to endorse the strongest possible plan for implementing the state's historic Marine Life Protection Act. After receiving thousands of your messages in the week leading up to its decision, on August 15, 2006, the commission voted unanimously to place a total of 18 percent of state waters off California's central coast in some type of protected area -- eight percent as fully protected marine reserves, with the rest allowing limited types of fishing. The proposal must pass regulatory and environmental review before being finalized in February 2007, so stay tuned. In the meantime, thanks to all of you who were instrumental in achieving this path-breaking step toward keeping California's ocean ecosystems healthy and creating a statewide network of underwater wildlife havens.
New law clears the way for America's first offshore wind farm
In early 2006 we asked you to urge Congress not to approve legislation that would kill plans for America's first offshore wind energy project. You sent more than 28,000 messages in support of Cape Wind, a proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound that would provide inexpensive, clean and renewable energy to almost three-quarters of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and its surrounding islands. We are thrilled to report that, shortly before final floor votes were held, Cape Wind's opponents agreed to a compromise that gives the Coast Guard the authority to determine whether the project poses any navigational harms, allowing plans for Cape Wind to proceed in the meantime. The House and Senate both unanimously approved the legislation at the end of June, and President Bush signed the bill into law on July 12, 2006. Thanks to everyone who took action to help win this major victory for clean energy!
Heeding outcry, Gov. Schwarzenegger moves to protect state's wild forests
Several times in 2005 and 2006 we asked you to urge Governor Schwarzenegger to oppose Bush administration plans to repeal the "roadless rule" that banned logging and roadbuilding in the last wild areas of our national forests, and to petition the administration to fully protect California's remaining wild forests. You sent thousands of messages, and we're thrilled to report that, on July 11, 2006, the governor announced he would indeed petition the Forest Service to protect California's 4.4 million acres of wild national forest lands. In doing so, Governor Schwarzenegger joined governors around the country, from Virginia to New Mexico, in rebuking the administration's policy and supporting full protection for wild forest areas in their states. Huge thanks to everyone who contacted the governor to help persuade him to take this critical step to ensure the survival of California's wild forests.
Despite protests, urban farmers evicted from Los Angeles community gardens
In June 2006 we asked California activists to support the sale of the South Central Farm community gardens to the farmers who had tended the 14-acre urban green space for more than a decade. Despite overwhelming support for the farmers (mostly poor Latino immigrants who used the produce they grew in the gardens to supplement their food supplies), on June 13, 2006, the police evicted the farmers from the gardens when the landowner ultimately refused to sell them the property. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who had supported the sale of the gardens to the approximately 350 farmers, committed to relocate them to alternate community garden sites throughout the city. Even though this wasn't the outcome we had hoped for, thanks to everyone who took action to help save these urban gardens.
State conservation act means healthier oceans and lakes for New York
Also in June 2006, we sent a special alert asking Long Island Earth Activists to urge their state senators to vote Yes for the New York Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Act. We're pleased to report that on June 23, 2006, the bill passed unanimously, establishing a strong state policy of conserving and restoring New York's ocean and coastal resources and embracing the concept of ecosystem-based management. The act also creates a conservation council comprising the heads of various state agencies to improve coordination, reduce duplication of effort and ensure accountability among those responsible for marine resources. New York becomes the second state (after California) to establish such an ocean council to implement an ecosystem-based management approach. Congratulations, New York, and thanks to all of you who contacted your state senators about this landmark piece of legislation.
Less mercury in Michigan means safer fish for everyone
In October 2005 we asked Michigan Earth Activists to urge Governor Granholm to follow through on her campaign promise to reduce mercury pollution from the state's power plants. You sent hundreds of messages to the governor (thank you!), and we're happy to report that, in April 2006, she directed Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality to create a proposal to reduce the state's power plant emissions of toxic mercury by 90 percent by 2015. Mercury from coal-fired power plants settles into the state's waterways and builds up in the fish that we eventually eat, which is especially dangerous for pregnant women, infants and young children. The new regulation will elevate Michigan's emissions standards far above federal levels and help alleviate this public health concern.
Marylanders look forward to breathing cleaner air
In early 2006 we asked Maryland Earth Activists to urge their state delegates to vote Yes for the Healthy Air Act, which would clean up the state's dirtiest coal-burning power plants. After receiving more than 700 of your messages, the House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed the bill, 106-27, on March 30, 2006, and Governor Ehrlich signed the bill into law on April 6th. Besides cutting air pollution from power plants, the Healthy Air Act also calls for Maryland to become the eighth state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which aims to cut global warming pollution throughout the northeast by 10 percent by 2019. Thanks (and congratulations!) to everyone who took action to help achieve this remarkable victory for cleaner air in Maryland.
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