The attack begins

Today marks the beginning of the new Republican-led Congress' attack on a number of pieces of important environmental legislation.  It's predictable, and it's worrisome.  It's important, too.  If you'd like to follow it, The Wilderness Society is blogging live from Capitol Hill.  A number of key votes coming up tonight.  I suspect the folks at the Society would not object to my cutting and pasting of their "Threatened 13" - key elements of the attack on the environment.  Take a look - there's a recurring theme here:

From the Wilderness Society....

"The Threatened 13" are The Wilderness Society’s list of worst budget cuts proposed by House leadership. That list includes:


1.Eliminating the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). According to the Department of Interior’s budget brief for 2012, the $675 million that it requested for public land conservation “will contribute an estimated $1.0 billion in economic output and support about 7,600 jobs … Activities funded under the LWCF will continue to ensure public access to the outdoors, preserve natural resources and landscapes, and protect irreplaceable cultural and historic sites.”

2.Stopping science in its tracks. Driven by radical ideology, not proven facts, the House majority has decided to deny the existence of global warming by eliminating funding for climate change science. The legislation would cut at least $123 million for climate research -- funding needed to assess our vulnerability to climate disruptions and to develop the tools needed to adapt to climate extremes.

3.Eliminating forest planning that keeps the damage caused by offroad recreational vehicles under control. This impairs public safety for all national forest users and threatens drinking water resources, big game species, and other key resources.

4.Eliminating the EPA’s authority to hold polluters accountable when they foul our air and poison our water.

5.Closing National Parks and Wildlife Refuges.

6.Cutting back on forest rangers, youth outdoor education, and law enforcement.

7.Limiting access to hunting and fishing – slashing the local jobs those activities create. Putting off maintenance projects, fighting invasive plants, restoration work, timber cutting, and managing wildfire.

8.Putting off maintenance projects, fighting invasive plants, restoration work, timber cutting, and managing wildfire.

9.Preventing federal agencies from moving forward with their responsibility to protect wild lands, wildlife habitat, and watersheds.

10.Eliminating the Department of Interior’s ability to inventory, monitor and protect potential new Wild Lands (Wilderness areas).

11.Failure to adequately fund the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program, which would threaten drinking water supplied to 66 million people. The cut could also eliminate up to 2,500 jobs. The program funds road and trail improvements, maintenance work and road removal projects that improve the health of local watersheds.

12.Revoking the President’s ability to keep our wild places safe by using the Antiquities Act, which has protected iconic places like the Grand Canyon.

13.Weakening of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is the most important conservation law that ensures that federal agencies take a careful look at the effects of their actions on the environment and that the public has an opportunity to provide input and information to federal decision makers. Without NEPA, the public’s ability to protect their communities would be largely silenced.

The linked page provides an opportunity for you to express your concerns to your legislators.  Take advantage of it.