Complete list of press releases

Press Release

Contacts:
Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.550.6524, scrowley@edf.org  
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org  
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org  

(Port Sulphur, La.—Apr. 20, 2011) On the first anniversary of the BP oil well blowout, regional and national leaders urged Congress to hold BP accountable by passing legislation to dedicate BP’s Clean Water Act (CWA) fines to restoring the Gulf’s damaged environment and economy.  Under current law, fines paid by BP and others responsible for the spill automatically will be deposited into the Federal Treasury, instead of being used to help restore the Gulf region.

U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and David Vitter (R-La.), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) have introduced four separate bills that would dedicate 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines to restore the Gulf Coast’s environment and economy.

“These members of Congress deserve credit for recognizing that BP’s fines for the oil spill should be invested in restoring the Gulf, where the damage was done, not in the Federal Treasury,” said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “The environment and economy of the Gulf region rely on each other to be strong and vibrant. We’re calling on leaders in Congress, particularly from the Gulf region, to get together and get restoration done for the Gulf.”

The anniversary event featured boat tours to show oil spill damage in Barataria Bay and Bay Jimmy and aerial tours of Wax Lake Delta, which shows that rebuilding wetlands is possible. The Wax Lake Delta is the unexpected creation of a 1941 flood control project in which the Army Corps of Engineers dug a canal to Atchafalaya Bay from the Atchafalaya River. As a result, the Atchafalaya River sediment built 25 square miles of new land in the Wax Lake Outlet.

“The Gulf is injured certainly, and will be for some time, but it is not without the possibility of recovery in the long term” said Chris Canfield, vice president of Gulf Coast Conservation and the Mississippi Flyway for the National Audubon Society. “If we can marshal the energy of fear and concern we all felt a year ago and turn it into resolve – into a Congressional mandate for Gulf restoration – we can do wonders.”

Nearly nine out of 10 poll respondents (87%) across the five Gulf states agree that the environmental health of the Gulf Coast region affects their state’s economy very much or somewhat. (Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research and Consulting)

“Without a strong and shared vision by our regional congressional delegations to dedicate fines to the Gulf Coast states, fine monies will wash away into the Federal Treasury,” said Anne Milling, founder of Women of the Storm. said Anne Milling, founder of Women of the Storm. “We thank Representatives Scalise and Castor and Senators Landrieu, Vitter and Nelson for their bipartisan unity on this crucial issue, and we encourage other members of Congress to follow their example.”

Environmental degradation has caused tremendous damage to the Gulf ecosystems in recent decades. The region has lost nearly 50 percent of its wetlands, 60 percent of its sea grass beds, 50 percent of its oyster reefs, and more than 32 percent of its mangrove forests. (The Nature Conservancy)

“Given our huge budget deficit, Clean Water Act fines are the most viable, short-term funding mechanism for the long-term restoration of the Gulf Coast that President Obama promised ten months ago ‘to restore the unique beauty and bounty of this region’,” said Paul Harrison, senior director of Mississippi River Delta Restoration Project for Environmental Defense Fund. “Congress must hold BP accountable for the environmental and economic damage it caused from the worst oil spill in U.S. history by dedicating the Clean Water Act fines to Gulf Coast restoration and ensuring BP pays the bill for the Natural Resources Damage Assessment.”

This BP oil disaster could cost the Gulf region’s tourism industry alone $23 billion in lost revenues, according to a study by Oxford Economics.

The Gulf region is a vital part of the nation’s economy, and critical Gulf industries rely on environmental restoration:

• The Gulf currently supports a $34 billion per year tourism industry, and its fisheries support an estimated $22.6 billion dollars in seafood and commercial and recreational fishing-related activity. (Oxfam America/Center for American Progress)

• The Gulf produces roughly 40 percent of all the seafood in the lower 48 states. (National Marine Fisheries Service)

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NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Tony Kreindler, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org

(New York – April 18, 2011) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has named Eric Pooley, the deputy editor of Bloomberg Businessweek and author of an acclaimed 2010 book about the politics of climate change, as its Senior Vice President for Strategy and Communications. He will work with program staff throughout the organization to develop and implement strategies to achieve its environmental advocacy goals, with a special emphasis on finding new ways to break through the partisan gridlock on climate action.

A well-known writer and commentator on climate and clean energy issues, Mr. Pooley has served as managing editor of Fortune, editor of Time Europe, and national editor, chief political correspondent, and White House correspondent for Time. He chronicled the struggle to pass federal carbon legislation in The Climate War (Hyperion, 2010), which former President Bill Clinton hailed as “a riveting tale” and “the very first account of the epic American campaign to get serious about global warming.” The book focuses in part on the National Climate Campaign at EDF.

“Eric is clearly one of the most accomplished journalists and communicators ever to join the American environmental movement ,” said EDF President Fred Krupp. “At a time when we are rethinking our approach and searching for fresh ways to connect with people from across the political spectrum, his unique perspective—as an expert on climate change, business, and media—will be an invaluable asset.”

“EDF is a special place,” said Pooley. “I got to know its people while reporting my book and was frankly inspired by their passion, commitment, and ideas. But let’s be frank: EDF and its allies failed to rally the country in support of the last climate bill. We have to do better. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I’m determined to help find them.”

Pooley’s work has been recognized with many journalism honors, including the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency and a National Magazine Award for Time’s special issue on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He studied press coverage of the climate issue at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he was a 2008 fellow at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. He has appeared on Nightline, Charlie Rose, Frontline, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, Anderson Cooper 360, All Things Considered, and many other programs. A magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, he lives with his wife and two daughters in New York.

News Release

Contacts:
Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.572.3331, scrowley@edf.org  
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org  
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org  
Sandra Rodriguez, The Nature Conservancy, 703.841.4227, srodriguez@tnc.org
David Willett, Ocean Conservancy, 202.351.0465, dwillett@oceanconservancy.org
Laura Rusu, Oxfam America, 202.496.1180, lrusu@oxfamamerica.org  
Steven Peyronnin, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.413.6924, stevenp@crcl.org  
John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504.421.7348, johnlopez@pobox.com  

(Washington, D.C.—April 14, 2011) A coalition of environmental, economic and social equity organizations today praised the Senate introduction of a bipartisan bill to ensure that 80 percent of the Clean Water Act (CWA) penalties to be paid by BP and others responsible for last year’s Gulf oil disaster will be used to restore the communities, economies and ecosystems of the Gulf region directly. Under current law, BP penalties for the oil spill will be deposited into the federal treasury instead of being used to help the people, environments and economies that suffered harm in the disaster.

The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunity, and Revived Economies of the Gulf States Act of 2011 (RESTORE Act) was introduced today—six days before the BP oil disaster anniversary next Wednesday (April 20)—by Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and David Vitter (R-LA).

“The BP oil disaster was the latest assault in a long series of injuries to the environment and economy of the five Gulf states. Fines paid by BP and other parties responsible for this disaster belong in the Gulf, to help restore the environments and economies that were directly harmed,” said the joint statement by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Environmental Defense Fund, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Ocean Conservancy, Oxfam America, and The Nature Conservancy.

“We thank Senators Landrieu and Vitter for their leadership and for bringing Congress an important step closer to action in the Gulf. We look forward to working with the entire Gulf Senate delegation to make sure that these fines help the communities and environments that need restoration.”

The Gulf region is a vital part of the nation’s economy, and critical Gulf industries rely on environmental restoration:

• The Gulf currently supports a $34 billion per year tourism industry, and its fisheries support an estimated $22.6 billion dollars in seafood and commercial and recreational fishing-related activity. (Center for American Progress)

• The Gulf produces roughly 40 percent of all the seafood in the lower 48 states. (National Marine Fisheries Service)

• The region is home to 10 of our nation’s 15 largest ports by tonnage. More than 25 percent of the nation’s waterborne exports pass through Louisiana ports alone. (American Association of Port Authorities)

• Nearly nine out of 10 poll respondents (87%) across the five Gulf states agree that the environmental health of the Gulf Coast region affects their state’s economy very much or somewhat. (Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research and Consulting)

• Environmental degradation has caused tremendous damage to the Gulf ecosystems in recent decades. The region has lost nearly 50 percent of its wetlands, 60 percent of its sea grass beds, 50 percent of its oyster reefs, and more than 32 percent of its mangrove forests. (The Nature Conservancy)

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NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Jennifer Haverkamp, +1 202-316-4914, jhaverkamp@edf.org
Jennifer Andreassen, +1 202-288-4867, jandreassen@edf.org

(Washington – April 8, 2011) Countries wrapped up a tough week of U.N. climate negotiations in Bangkok, Thailand today, producing an agenda setting out the issues they would address in meetings leading up to December’s high level talks in Durban, South Africa – but little more.

“The Bangkok meetings did manage to produce an agenda, but they also served as further proof that the process of getting a global climate agreement is going to take a long time,” said Jennifer Haverkamp, International Climate Director at Environmental Defense Fund.

“Countries are clearly in a marathon, not a sprint, toward Durban, and this week they could barely crawl past the starting line. At least now they’re headed in the same direction, but they really need to pick up the pace if South Africa is to yield any real results,” Haverkamp said. “Meanwhile the major emitters must continue to address the problem through their own domestic actions, if we’re to keep from falling even further behind in the race to save the planet.”

The agenda, finalized after today’s scheduled end of the conference, offers a general outline of issues to be taken up in June’s U.N. climate meetings in Bonn and over the rest of the year, but does not include an operational “work plan” on how to implement the big-picture agreements that came out of last year’s conference in Cancun.

“The significant, but incomplete, progress achieved in Cancun left large, overarching and very difficult political questions unanswered. In Bangkok, countries all too slowly picked up from where they left off last year. The good news is that by persevering and grappling their way toward a collective agreement on political priorities, they have re-upped their commitment to the process,” Haverkamp said.

NEWS RELEASE

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Virginia’s Senator Mark Warner fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Warner showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every Virginian who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

- Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
  April 6, 2011

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. See twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Tony Kreindler, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Wisconsin’s Senator Herb Kohl fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Kohl showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every person in Wisconsin who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

-Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
April 6, 2011

NEWS RELEASE

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, New Hampshire’s Senator Jeanne Shaheen fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. She helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Shaheen showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every person in New Hampshire who has lungs should call her to say thank you.”

- Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
  April 6, 2011

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. See twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund

NEWS RELEASE

Minnesota’s Senator Al Franken Votes for Clean Air for All Americans
Statement from Environmental Defense Fund

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Minnesota’s Senator Al Franken fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Franken showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every Minnesotan who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

- Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
  April 6, 2011

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. See twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Tony Kreindler, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Nevada’s Senator Harry Reid fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Reid showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every Nevadan who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

-Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
April 6, 2011

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Tony Kreindler, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Montana’s Senator Jon Tester fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Tester showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every Montanan who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

-Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
April 6, 2011

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Tony Kreindler, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Massachusetts’s Senator John Kerry fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Kerry showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every person in Massachusetts who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

-Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
April 6, 2011

NEWS RELEASE

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Illinois’s Senator Dick Durbin fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Durbin showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every person in Illinois who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

- Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
  April 6, 2011

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. See twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Tony Kreindler, 202-445-8108, tkreindler@edf.org
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Iowa’s Senator Tom Harkin fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Harkin showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every Iowan who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

-Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
April 6, 2011

NEWS RELEASE

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Florida’s Senator Bill Nelson fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. He helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senator Nelson showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every Floridian who has lungs should call him to say thank you.”

- Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
 April 6, 2011

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. See twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund

NEWS RELEASE

“In the face of today’s repeated attempts to put our health and safety at risk, Connecticut’s Senators Joe Lieberman and Richard Blumenthal fought to make sure that Americans will have clean air to breathe. They helped beat back four different measures in the U.S. Senate that would have weakened the Clean Air Act, which protects Americans from dangerous pollution like mercury, carbon, and methane. Senators Lieberman and Blumenthal showed the kind of leadership that we need in Congress. Every person in Connecticut who has lungs should call them to say thank you.”

- Steve Cochran, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund
  April 6, 2011

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Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org), a leading national nonprofit organization, creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. EDF links science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships. See twitter.com/EnvDefenseFund; facebook.com/EnvDefenseFund