Number: 1987-01
Concerned that scientific management of natural resources is being relegated to an importance secondary to that of production and development, during a critical time of economic stress, unemployment, increasing energy development, and international crises, the National Wildlife Federation calls for conservationists throughout the country to remain vigilant, vigorous, and dedicated in united efforts to protect the environment.
An association of independent state organizations and their affiliated local groups and individuals, the National Wildlife Federation believes that an alert and fully-informed public will demand sound management of natural resources. Therefore, this organization is convinced that conservation practices must be taught as an integral part of public education, emphasizing the science of ecology, wise use and management of natural resources, and the interrelationship of resource usage. The Federation also believes that all citizens should participate in the governmental processes which help determine resource policies.
The National Wildlife Federation believes it is essential that suitable regulations be vigorously enforced to protect the environment, and that adequate federal funds be appropriated to implement our environmental laws. This organization is firm in its conviction that pollution abatement creates job opportunities, rather than reduces them, and is a legitimate expense of “doing business.” Further, natural resource conservation programs merit adequate federal funding.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation invites the attention of all Americans to what it considers the major issues of 1987:
Toxics in the Environment: The National Wildlife Federation again expresses our concern that toxic chemical contamination is one of the nation’s most significant problems–causing widespread harm to both human health and ecosystems. With the passage last year of the improved Superfund law, the Federal Government now has the authority, resources, and duty to clean up some of our most serious hazardous waste sites. We urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement that new law aggressively, paying particular attention to the law’s provisions for involving citizens in the decision making process. In addition, we urge EPA, the U.S. Department of the Interior and all federal, state and local trustees of natural resources to work vigorously to assure that natural resources are restored or replaced when damaged by toxic leaks or spills.
At the same time, we urge stronger steps be taken to prevent the creation of new Superfund sites. Both industry and government need to take steps to reduce the generation of hazardous waste through new processes, recycling and reuse of chemicals.
We strongly urge Congress to strengthen the government’s ability to control pesticides by enacting an improved Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. We also urge passage of a more effective and comprehensive Toxic Substances Control Act. Finally, we call upon Congress and state governments to address the growing problem of groundwater contamination.
Clean Air: Since 1981, Congress has been deadlocked over the reauthorization of the Clean Air Act. This deadlock has persisted despite several pressing air pollution problems. Millions of people live in areas which do not meet the existing standards for total suspended particulates, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, or ozone. Evidence continues to mount that acid rain is causing extensive harm. Toxic air pollution remains largely uncontrolled. And, in the western United States, air pollution is doing considerable harm to our National Parks and other areas of national treasure. The National Wildlife Federation calls upon Congress to give top priority to passing a strengthened Clean Air Act–one that addresses these and other pressing air pollution problems.
Environmental Decisionmaking: The Federation expresses our deep concern with regard to two aspects of environmental decisionmaking in the Federal Government. First, political officials–most notably appointed officials in the Office of Management and Budget–are continuing to make substantive regulatory and other technical decisions which are best left to expert bodies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Second, the Council on Environmental Quality, in 1986, repealed the requirement that government agencies prepare a worst case analysis of their actions where major gaps exist in the data on possible environmental impacts. Both of these actions reduce the quality of environmental decision making. The National Wildlife Federation urges that expert agencies have the primary responsibility for natural resource and environmental management. We further urge that federal agencies continue their practice of requiring worst case analyses of environmental impacts where significant gaps exist in relevant data.
Third World Debt And Natural Resources Conservation: The continued deterioration of the economies of many developing countries is posing increasing threats to tropical forests, arable soils, wetlands, fisheries, and other renewable resources, because of the desperate need to generate dollars. Under these circumstances,projects to earn cash with which to make interest payments on foreign debt take precedence over critical programs to protect the natural resources necessary for sustainable development. For example, funding for environmental protection and resource management agencies in Latin America have been slashed drastically, undermining their basic operations.
Over the last year, the United States and international financial institutions have recognized the need for new and flexible arrangements which will reduce the debt of many countries and enable them to resume economic development. A significant evolution of thought is occurring among the Treasury Department, the World Bank, and even some commercial banks. New ideas generated by thoughtful members of the United States Congress are assisting this process.
But most of the solutions being discussed so far are aimed only at spurring faster economic growth, without an emphasis on sound management of the natural resource lease. Such unsound growth would have significant adverse effects on the quality of life and the environment in the future, and would reduce the economic benefits of renewed development activity. Instead it is essential to establish debt repayment plans to encourage debtor countries to improve their policies and programs for long-term natural resources management and enhancement.
The Federation calls upon Congress, the Administration, and banking institutions to adopt strategies for dealing with the debt crisis which enhance conservation of natural resources for sustainable development.
Public Lands: The nation’s public lands hold an immense wealth of wildlife and other natural resources. Under present law, these resources are required to be managed under the principles of multiple-use and sustained yield — and in a manner that will protect fish and wildlife habitat and the quality of the environment. In recent years, however, the Bureau of Land Management has pursued an aggressive policy of emphasizing resource extraction and commercial development activities on the public lands, often at the expense of wildlife and recreational users. An appropriate balance between resource exploitation and environmental protection must be restored.
The U.S. Forest Service is in the midst of making management decisions which will influence National Forest management for many years to come. These decisions should emphasize the protection of fish and wildlife habitats, and the conservation of soil, water, trees, and plants. The increasing importance that non-commodity forest values have for a growing number of Americans must be recognized and accommodated in these new forest plans. As a part of these management efforts, the U.S. Forest Service should manage the remaining “old growth” forests of the Pacific Northwest — a unique and increasingly rare resource — for their irreplaceable ecosystem values. The U.S. Forest Service should also discontinue its aggressive and expensive practice of building roads into currently unroaded areas based on speculative timber sales or other resource extraction, or that jeopardize environmentally sensitive areas.
Energy: With oil prices at their lowest level in a decade, our nation’s energy policy has not been an issue which has received appropriate attention from most of the public and government policy makers. However, the abandonment of energy conservation and renewable energy efforts, the collapse of the domestic energy industry, and a resurgence of dependence upon foreign oil imports are making a future energy crisis inevitable. Therefore, the National Wildlife Federation calls upon the Congress and the Administration to increase energy conservation and renewable energy efforts, and to promote and support a stable domestic energy production and conservation industry. In addition, policy makers should recognize that the finite, non renewable domestic oil and gas resources need to be managed with stewardship — our search for reduced dependence on foreign oil imports must be answered by greater energy efficiency and the development of renewable energy sources.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The National Wildlife Federation calls upon Congress and the Administration to address the continuing failure of the Department of the Interior and some state governments to enforce this landmark environmental statute.
Water Resources Management: Great strides have been made toward improving the management of the nation’s water resources with the recent enactment of two landmark statutes. The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 contains significant new requirements for greater non-federal participation in the financing of most types of new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. These new requirements will save the Treasury money, and they will avoid environmental damage that would result from the construction of unneeded or oversized projects. The Act also includes new authority for the Corps of Engineers to restore previously damaged fish and wildlife habitat, make improvements at existing projects to improve their environmental performance, and protect wetlands in the Lower Mississippi Valley.
New amendments to the Federal Power Act will reform the procedures for issuing and renewing licenses for hydroelectric power projects. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission now is required to give “equal consideration” to recreation, energy conservation, and fish and wildlife. Greater weight must be given to the recommendations of state and federal fish and wildlife agencies, as well.
We urge the Secretary of the Army to make full use of his new authorities to mitigate losses of fish and wildlife habitat and to enhance environmental quality. We urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to incorporate all terms and conditions recommended by state and federal fish and wildlife agencies as binding requirements in all new hydropower licenses.
The progress that has been made to date with these two significant federal programs underscores the need for the modernization and reform of the water resources activities of other federal agencies, most notably the Bureau of Reclamation, the Soil Conservation Service, and the various power marketing administrations within the Department of Energy with the responsibility for the sale of federally-generated hydroelectric power. Central to the reform of these agencies is the belief that water and power should be more rationally priced to encourage more efficient use. Federal subsidies for water resources development should be eliminated unless clearly and efficiently linked to the achievement of bona fide social objectives that are nationally recognized.
We therefore urge that these remaining federal water resources programs be modified to achieve (a) up front financial contributions from the beneficiaries of all new federal water projects; (b) elimination of federal subsidies for irrigation, agricultural drainage, and groundwater pumping; (c) flexible rules for reallocating flows of water from existing reservoirs to meet contemporary needs, including habitat restoration and instream flows; (d) improved planning and evaluation procedures for all federal water projects; and (e) concurrent and proportionate mitigation for the damages to wildlife habitat resulting from water project construction.
Fisheries: 1987 will present several challenges to fisheries managers in the United States. As always, adequate funding levels for federal and state agencies and their programs must be ensured. As the Administration and Congress seek new and creative ways to reduce the burgeoning federal deficit, conservationists must be prepared to deflect efforts to raid dedicated funds generated by user-groups, such as the Dingell-Johnson and Wallop-Breaux programs. Other fisheries issues likely to continue or emerge in 1987 include the U.S. Forest Service’s and other land management agencies’ management practices that degrade stream habitat in the United States and lack of fishery biologists on National Forests, the impacts of small hydro-power projects on anadromous fisheries, declining stocks of recreationally- and commercially-important coastal fisheries nationwide, and federal legislation to establish a federal marine salt water fishing license and to protect Atlantic stocks of striped bass.
Wildlife: Many wildlife issues will be debated during 1987. Central to these discussions will be funding levels for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the other federal agencies charged with managing the nation’s wildlife resources. Of pressing importance will be finding ways to fund the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation (Nongame) Act. Although the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 provides new sources of revenues for wetlands protection, conservationists must redouble their efforts to ensure that these funds are made available and are expended. Against this backdrop of funding issues will be release of the report from the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors and the expiration of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, all of which have significant implications for funding federal fish and wildlife programs.
Other wildlife conservation issues likely to receive attention in 1987 include implementation of the Conservation Reserve and Swampbuster provisions of the 1985 Farm Bill, wetlands protection and acquisition, reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act and related endangered species issues, contaminants in wildlife, declining populations of migratory and game birds and Arctic geese, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.