Dear California Friends,

All over the country, people are calling on their leaders to spark the clean energy revolution that will create jobs and recharge our economy. In the face of misguided efforts to dismantle California's landmark global warming law, NRDC is working locally and nationally to raise voices in support of the cleaner and more sustainable future we all need.

The NRDC Action Fund's "This is Our Moment" public service announcement calling on the Senate to pass climate and clean energy legislation has become a viral and media sensation. Rolling Stone named it the "best PSA ever!" and over 40,000 emails have already been sent to senators urging them to act this year. If you haven't already, now is a great time for you to watch the PSA and add your voice. You can even upload your own video to share why you want our elected officials to act now. Or you can support sustainability by attending NRDC's 2010 Growing Green Awards this April. Buy your tickets here.

Annie Notthoff, California Advocacy Director
Felicia Marcus, NRDC Western Director

NRDC's southern California marine mammals team spearheaded a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Navy's decision to build its $100 million Undersea Warfare Training Range off the Florida coast, next to the only known calving grounds for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The naval project threatens the precarious survival of right whales by introducing multiple known threats - ship strikes, sonar, and entanglement - into an area critical to mothers and calves. As part of the planned training, Navy ships, which are exempt from speed restrictions designed to protect right whales, would pass through the calving grounds when traveling between the proposed training area and bases in Florida and Georgia. Ship strikes are the single largest cause of death for right whales, killing at least nine right whales in the past five years, including three pregnant females. Scientists are concerned that the loss of even one right whale could push the species over the brink into extinction.

Californians are one step closer to saving more money when they drive less. NRDC and a coalition of environmental and transportation groups introduced a new insurance standard that would rate auto insurance based on environmental performance. The recently introduced "Pay as You Drive" standard works just like a taxi meter, with customers paying based on their miles traveled. Californians who drive less would be rewarded with lower insurance rates in addition to cleaner air.

California is among the 14 states across the country that have already committed to Pay as You Drive principles. NRDC is hopeful that regulators, policymakers and insurance companies will adopt the new standard quickly, allowing California to remain at the forefront of sustainable transportation policy.

California is a leader in clean energy and energy efficiency, with consumers saving billions of dollars in the past 30 years thanks to our state policies. Now we are gearing up to defend our state's landmark law, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, known as AB 32. The clean energy economy is thriving in California, with job growth in the clean energy sector far exceeding overall job growth over the past 10 years. Despite these benefits, an obstructionist group of special interests and the same Republican politicians who voted against AB 32 in the first place has launched a new campaign to dismantle AB 32. The campaign is backed by tea party organizers who have already pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure an anti-AB 32 initiative on the November ballot.

NRDC is working with a coalition of business, environmental, labor, and health activists to ensure that our state continues to build the new clean economy. A resolution supporting AB 32 and written by La Onda Verde was just passed by the National Latino Congreso. Hundreds of Latino entrepreneurs and leaders from all over the country declared that AB 32 will help small and large businesses and safeguard public health for all Californians.

In a city known for its flashy celebrity lifestyles and movie premieres, Coretta Anderson flies under the radar to cultivate relationships within the powerful Los Angeles advocacy community. She developed the influential Leadership Council, a select group of environmental activists within the entertainment and media industry. Coretta advises the Leadership Council and leads annual visits to Sacramento and Washington, DC, where these powerful advocates urge elected officials to work to create jobs, protect the environment and safeguard public health.

A native New Yorker transplanted to the West Coast, Coretta formerly served as a fundraiser and grantmaker for the Ploughshares Fund and graduated from Syracuse University with a degree focus in broadcast journalism. Having initially planned a career in sports broadcasting, Coretta currently serves as the Santa Monica office's resident sports authority and expert on March Madness, the World Series and her beloved New York Yankees.

New this month, NRDC and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology launched WeLoveBirds.org, a social network for bird enthusiasts. WeLoveBirds.org integrates NRDC's goal of protecting bird species and their habitat with Cornell Lab's outstanding research and education efforts. You can share photos with fellow bird lovers, read community blogs and browse in-depth research on bird species and behaviors. Come explore WeLoveBirds.org.