For Immediate Release: December 16, 2008

Contacts: , American Bird Conservancy, 202-234-7181, ext. 216

Statement from American Bird Conservancy on the Appointments of the Secretaries of Interior and Energy, and Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

(Washington, D.C.) American Bird Conservancy extends its congratulations to Carol Browner appointed to a White House position overseeing climate and energy policy, U.S. Senator Ken Salazar appointed to be Secretary of the Interior, Dr. Steven Chu appointed to be Secretary of Energy, Lisa P. Jackson appointed to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Nancy Sutley who will chair the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

“We look forward to working with these officials to address the many threats facing our native bird species, as well as the multitude of environmental and economic challenges now facing our country,” said Darin Schroeder, American Bird Conservancy’s Vice President of Conservation Advocacy. “The future of this country depends on the smart growth of clean energy and environmental protections becoming an integral part of our economic recovery plan. Truly ‘green’ jobs are those that result in a reduced impact on the environment and a reduction in global warming, but they are also jobs that have a minimal impact on birds, other wildlife and their habitats.”

American Bird Conservancy fully supports the idea that investing in green jobs such as generating more renewable energy, reducing our oil dependence through increased efficiency and public transit, and restoring our waterways and parks will create good jobs that will then help jump-start America's economy and improve the environment. Specifically, American Bird Conservancy recommends the Obama administration:

• Invest $29 million dollars over the next four years in the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act a federal matching grants program which has proven effective at conserving declining migratory bird populations. Bird watching is now big business with an estimated 46 million Americans spending $31 billion each year. This thriving industry is threatened by a steady decline in the variety and numbers of migratory birds.

• Invest $540 million in America’s 548 national wildlife refuges since it can potentially create over 13,000 “green” jobs by putting Americans to work constructing visitor centers, roads, hiking trails, and water control structures that will also help increase local tourism and improve wildlife habitat.

• Invest over $30.5 billion in the five year extension of the renewable energy production tax credit and making renewable energy tax incentives fully refundable. Wind energy is one of the alternative sources of energy that has a role in helping us reduce our reliance on foreign oil and coal burning power-plants which can potentially create jobs in construction and manufacturing. However, while we all want additional jobs and support the development of clean renewable energy, ABC wants to make sure the job is done right the first time. Wind farm development, if left unregulated, has the potential to kill large numbers of birds and bats and harm fragile habitats. Simple measures such analyzing the best locations to site wind farms, and using radar sensors to detect flocks of migrating birds so that the turbines can be temporarily halted to let them safely pass, should be required for companies receiving federal assistance.

• Invest in increased payments to farmers to protect fragile habitats. Due to rising corn prices to feed the growing biofuels market, lands that were once protected under the Conservation Reserve Program are now falling under the plow and causing large losses of habitat important to many threatened species of grassland birds and other wildlife. Similarly, federal crop insurance rules need to be revised to discourage the development of marginal farm lands that previously provided important grassland habitat for birds and other wildlife.

• Invest necessary funds to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the environmental contaminants lead and mercury. These heavy metals pose human health hazards and are also harming America’s wildlife. Raptors, including endangered California Condors continue to be killed each year from lead poisoning caused by the ingestion of lead bullets used by hunters, despite non-toxic alternatives being available. Birds and other wildlife are accumulating mercury from the foods they ingest pointing to the need for raised pollution standards to remove toxic mercury from the environment.

• Include forest and biodiversity conservation in programs to address global warming. Currently, 20% of all heat-trapping emissions are the result of deforestation and other land uses. By including incentives to avoid deforestation, both in the United States and internationally, in programs to mitigate global warming, there will be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and significant benefits to birds and other wildlife by preserving habitat essential for their survival and adaptation to climate changes. One of the most important carbon stores in the United States are the mature and old growth forests on federal lands. A moratorium on logging these forests should be instituted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to preserve the vast carbon stores that would be released by timber cutting, and to protect the clean water supplies and important wildlife habitat these areas provide.

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American Bird Conservancy (ABC) works to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.