Number: 1988-01
The National Wildlife Federation pledges to promote stewardship of the world’s natural resources. The necessities of clean air, productive soil, pure water, mineral wealth, and diverse, abundant plant and animal life depend on vigilant, informed and dedicated citizens.
An association of independent State organizations and their affiliated local groups and individuals, the National Wildlife Federation is working to protect the environment. We believe it is essential that strong environmental laws be adopted and enforced and adequate funds appropriated. Conservation of our natural resources will sustain our Nation’s spirit and ensure our economic well-being.
The National Wildlife Federation is convinced that conservation must be an integral component of public school curriculums, emphasizing the science of ecology, concepts of wise use and management of natural resources, and the interrelationships of resource usage. We call upon conservationists throughout the country to be watchful, vigorous and united in efforts to protect our natural resources.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in annual meeting assembled March 17-20, 1988, in New Orleans, Louisiana invites the attention of all Americans to act on the major conservation issues of 1988:
Forests: The management of our Nation’s forests is a high priority for the National Wildlife Federation and its affiliates. Reflecting our concern, the Federation has chosen “Forests Are More Than Trees” as the theme for National Wildlife Week 1988. This focus is timely because the U.S. Forest Service, many state agencies, and private forest land owners are in the midst of making management decisions which will influence forest management for many years to come. As these decisions are made, we urge federal and state forestry agencies to emphasize the protection of fish and wildlife habitats, and the conservation of soil, water, trees, and plants to reflect the increasing importance of non-commodity forest values to a growing number of Americans. We call upon the U.S. Forest Service to manage the remaining “old growth” forests of the Pacific Northwest–a unique and increasingly rare resource–for their irreplaceable ecosystem values.
As a part of its efforts to maintain biological diversity, the National Wildlife Federation urges the public agencies and forest products industries to stop the conversion of forest lands from diverse ecological communities to monocultural tree farms. Furthermore, we continue our commitment to stopping the aggressive and expensive practice of building roads into currently unroaded national and other public forest areas based on speculative timber sales or other resource extraction, which result in jeopardizing environmentally sensitive areas.
The conservation of fish and wildlife resources on our Nation’s forests continues to be a primary concern of the National Wildlife Federation. The U.S. Forest Service, to its credit, has developed and is implementing a comprehensive action plan, called “Rise to the Future”, to protect and restore valuable fisheries habitat throughout the National Forest System. We urge the Forest Service and Congress to devote staffing and funding resources sufficient to implement this fisheries initiative fully.
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 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 these lands, often at the expense of wildlife and the environment. We call upon the Bureau of Land Management to restore to its management of public lands, an appropriate balance between resource extraction and environmental protection and we urge Congress to provide continued but stronger oversite to assure that the agency adheres to Congressional direction. We reaffirm the necessity for reform of the 1872 Mining Law for assurance that mining and exploration activities are only carried out on public lands and in national forests when the environment can be fully protected, and only when those activities provide for a fair return to the public for its mineral resources.
Land Use: With respect to the management of non-federal lands, we support the enactment, fair administration, and vigorous enforcement of local government land use controls and comprehensive planning to require the conservation of fish and wildlife habitat, and to ensure appropriate uses of land, water, and other natural resources.
Energy: With oil prices at their lowest levels in a decade, and an international glut of oil supplies, the Federal government is abandoning its dedication to a national energy policy. At the same time, in the name of national security, there have been proposals to develop oil and gas resources in areas with sensitive and unique natural resources and delicate ecosystems. The National Wildlife Federation believes that extraction of the Nation’s oil and gas resources from new sources or biologically fragile areas should not be undertaken in the absence of a coherent and responsible national energy policy.
Today’s oil glut may be short-lived, and in a few years we again may face energy crises similar to the 1970’s. Therefore, the National Wildlife Federation calls upon Congress and the Administration to recommit the nation to the efficient use of energy and renewable energy production along with feasible public incentive programs, and to recognize that finite, non-renewable resources need to be managed with stewardship.
The National Wildlife Federation is continuing its efforts to change the practices that have made coal strip mining a national disgrace. We call upon the Administration to reverse its efforts to weaken the national regulations that Congress intended to provide protection against the destruction of natural resources and personal property caused by irresponsible mining. Furthermore, we call upon Congress and the Administration to eliminate loopholes permitting evasion of the Federal surface mining law and to take strong enforcement action against illegal mining operations.
International Conservation: Natural resource use in the Third World is related directly to the pattern of economic activity taking place in each country. Most developing countries are now heavily in debt, and it is clear that pressure caused by indebtedness has resulted in overexploitation and degradation of their natural resources. This degradation undermines the future economic growth of these nations, and has the potential of affecting the environment worldwide.
These twin problems of debt and resource degradation can be alleviated, though not resolved, by “debt-for-nature swaps.”
During 1987, legislation was enacted to encourage inclusion of environmental considerations in negotiations on the current debt crisis. The U.S. Department of the Treasury now is charged by Congress to analyze several options for allowing countries to pay back part of their debt through investments in wetlands and tropical forest conservation.
The Federation calls on the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury to promote programs of debt-for-nature conversions. Further, the Federation calls on private banks, and the United States government, to include provisions for natural resources conservation as part of foreign loan write-off schemes which are now more frequently necessary.
Because of a failure to understand how natural resources degradation can lead to increased poverty and political unrest in developing countries, the amount of foreign aid devoted to conservation has always been small in comparison to the need, and, has been allocated without regard for the potential national security gains that could be achieved.
The Federation urges the Department of State, as now required by law, to evaluate and report to Congress on how U.S. foreign assistance can better address natural resource problems overseas. The analysis should include assistance provided through multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank, as well as direct U.S. loans, guarantees, and grants to developing countries. The Federation also urges that interested U.S. citizens be consulted in this analysis through a formal public participation process.
The Multilateral Development Banks: Efforts to reform the Multilateral Development Banks have made progress in the last year. The World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have announced internal reforms to assure consideration of natural resource issues. To build on these first steps, the MDBs must add staff trained in environmental and social sciences; change the mix of projects they fund to emphasize sustainable development, and involve local people in the planning and implementation of projects. The National Wildlife Federation calls upon the MDBs to fulfill the promises of their own announced environmental policies, and urges Congress to monitor their progress.
Toxic Pollutants in the Environment: A number of recent accidents, including the spill of oil into the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the release of toxic hydrogen fluoride in Texas City, Texas reminds us of our vulnerability to chemical contamination of the environment. Although Congress has adopted several important laws to protect the environment and public health and to clean up pollutants released in the past, much remains to be done.
Tougher measures are needed to prevent chemical accidents including leakproof berms of sufficient size to contain all hazardous materials stored on site. Enforcement actions are needed to assure that those who spill or release oil or hazardous chemicals not only pay for the full costs of cleanup, and for the damage done to natural resources, including fish and wildlife and their habitat but that also the use of punitive damages and jail sentences be encouraged as enforcement options. The National Wildlife Federation urges the Federal government to stop settling hazardous waste cases which do not take into account the need to restore damaged natural resources fully. Moreover, we call upon government officials to do a better job of informing citizens of the risks of toxic chemicals, to involve citizens in the development of plans for responding to chemical emergencies, and to involve them fully in decision making about toxic cleanups. We support strict enforcement of the present legislation with proper funding of appropriate agencies for manpower and litigation.
State and Federal authorities are urged to give higher priority to achieving reductions in the amount of hazardous waste generated. Reduction of the volume and toxicity of chemical wastes at their source often is cheaper and more effective than cleaning up these wastes after they have been produced. The Federation reaffirms its commitment to ultimately eliminate the practice of ocean dumping, as embodied in Resolution No. 5, 1974.
Environmental Legislation: The National Wildlife Federation calls upon Congress to pass a stronger clean air law in 1988 which addresses, among other things, the problems of acid rain, toxic air pollution and the failure of over 60 urban areas to meet the air quality standards for ozone and carbon monoxide.
The Federation calls upon Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to give higher priority to solving the problems of indoor air pollution and long-term climatic change induced by air pollution. Stronger steps must be taken to address concerns over global warming from increases in carbon dioxide and other chemicals and the loss of the earth’s protective ozone shield.
Groundwater supplies half of the United States population with its drinking water and is the origin of nearly one-third of the nation’s surface water flow in streams, rivers, and wetlands. Some groundwater is polluted in every State in the nation. We urge Congress to adopt a comprehensive Federal law protecting groundwater from all sources of contamination. We call upon State and local governments to act to protect this precious resource from contamination and overuse.
The decade-long deadlock in Congress over comprehensive oil spill legislation must be broken. We call upon Congress to pass a strong, environmentally-protective oil spill law requiring Federal agencies and the States to take all actions necessary to assure adequate environmental protection.
We urge Congress to reauthorize the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act to assure that protection of public health and the environment are the highest priorities in regulating the use of chemicals and that chemical pest control methods are chosen with proper consideration of multimedia interactions.
The Federation strongly urges Congress and the EPA to take action to alleviate the solid waste management crisis currently facing the nation. Such action should include mandatory programs to assure significant source reduction, especially for large commercial and industrial facilities; strict schedules for states to implement plans for mandatory recycling; and standards requiring state of the art technology in solid waste management operations, including requirements for more comprehensive emission standards to insure that any incineration is done safely.
Biotechnology: The rapidly growing biotechnology industry promises a host of beneficial new products, but poses risks to public health and the environment. The National Wildlife Federation urges its members and the American public to examine the impact of this powerful new technology on our environment, agriculture, and economy. We urge cautious use of the technology and strong regulation to avoid its unwanted effects both in the United States and elsewhere.
Specifically, we call upon Congress to pass comprehensive legislation regulating the introduction of genetically engineered organisms into the environment. Until such legislation is in place, we urge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration to implement existing laws and regulations to identify and assess the risks of engineered organisms and to protect public health and the environment when risk warrants. Laws and regulations should discourage companies seeking U.S. approvals from testing genetically engineered organisms outside the U.S.
Finally, in 1987 the patent law was applied to animals. The availability of patent protection would provide an enormous economic stimulus for the genetic engineering of animals. Little consideration has been given to the ramifications of engineering and releasing modified organisms ranging from oysters to fish to sheep. We urge a Congressional moratorium on the issuance of patents on animal inventions pending such consideration.
Fisheries and Wildlife: The National Wildlife Federation will actively engage in a number of major issues affecting the fisheries and wildlife resources of the country in 1988. Many of these–such as wetlands, nongame wildlife, federal budgets, and endangered species–will continue or build on efforts begun in previous years. However, other issues–such as implementing solutions to the problem of plastic pollution in the marine environment and working to implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan–are new and will present their own challenges. As always, the principal threat to the nation’s fish and wildlife resources is habitat alteration, degradation, and destruction and this is where the Federation’s efforts will continue to be directed.
There will be renewed efforts to reduce the federal deficit through cuts and diversion of funds from Federal fish and wildlife programs, such as zero-budgeting cooperative grants-to-states for endangered species and the attempt by the Administration last year to divert $25 million from the Sport Fishing Restoration Account to the general operating account of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Federation calls upon Congress to stop these “raids,” and to maintain or increase funding levels for all fish and wildlife programs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.
A number of legislative advances to protect wetlands have been made in recent years, including passage of the “Swampbuster” provision of the Food Security Act of 1985 and the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986. Swampbuster is now under attack by farm groups and little has been done to implement the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act. We urge the administration to make greater efforts to implement these Acts, and we urge Congress to oppose all efforts to weaken or eliminate these important wetland laws.
Despite these legislative gains, a number of important legal victories, and growing public support for wetlands protection, the nation continues to lose more than 350,000 acres of wetlands each year. Clearly, current Federal regulatory and non-regulatory programs designed to protect wetlands are woefully inadequate. Therefore, the Federation urges Congress to improve and expand federal legislation to protect, restore, and–where possible–increase the wetlands base of the country.
The Federation will devote considerable attention in 1988 to migratory birds. Many waterfowl populations remain at, or near, record lows. The same is true for woodcock, which have been in declining numbers for years. These declines have prompted reduced–and in some instances–closed sport hunting seasons on these important game birds. Therefore, the National Wildlife Federation resolves to give increased attention to programs, such as the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, to protect and manage habitat to restore these and other important migratory bird species.
Additionally, there has been an historic lack of research and management emphasis on nongame migratory birds by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of this, in 1988 the Federation also will participate in the development and conduct of the Service’s Nongame Migratory Bird Management Plan.
The National Wildlife Federation will be involved in several important fisheries issues to be debated in 1988. These include completion and initiation of the National Recreational Fisheries Policy and activation of new marine plastic pollution and driftnet control statutes. Additionally, the Emergency Striped Bass Act and the Wallop-Breaux Act are to expire this year. The Federation urges Congress to reauthorize these important statutes expeditiously.
Finally, a number of landmark wildlife laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Sikes Act, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980 (Nongame Act) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act are pending before the 100th Congress. The Federation urges prompt consideration and passage by Congress of these statutes.
Water Resources Management: Reduced Federal funding for new water resources development and wastewater treatment, along with rising costs for municipal borrowing as a result of recent tax law changes, will require improved management of public water supplies and innovative approaches toward meeting future water demands. Water conservation is taking on new importance, and has strong potential under current and foreseeable economic conditions to compete favorably with traditional structural water supply measures. Currently, technology is available to improve the efficiency of water use. In recognition of these benefits, steps should be taken by all levels of government to facilitate water conservation.
In order to reduce the demand for water from new homes and businesses, we urge the Federal government to establish water conservation standards for all new plumbing fixtures and major water using appliances. In addition, we call upon Federal water resources agencies to require the use of reasonable water conservation measures by the recipients and users of Federally subsidized water. State and local governments should encourage conservation by making full use of building codes, subdivision regulations, water pressure regulation, leak detection, and pricing schedules, as appropriate, to curb water waste.
Existing laws, institutions, and practices, primarily at the State level, often impede the sale or exchange of water. In some States, those who conserve water actually may be penalized, through a loss of water rights. Nevertheless, sale, lease, and banking of water and water rights is stimulating new interest in water marketing. With appropriate regulation to account for potential environmental effects, increased marketing of water may supply new users without the need to construct major new facilities. The Federation calls upon the States to adopt regulations that encourage the marketing of water to achieve these efficiencies while protecting important environmental resources, including instream flows and protection of basins of origin. Federal statutes and regulations conflicting with this objective should be modified or repealed.