Press Release: Release would have harmed water quality and worsened flooding, environmental group says
| Press Release: Release would have harmed water quality and worsened flooding, environmental group says FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sean Crowley, 202-572-3331, scrowley@edf.org Sara Hopper, 202-572-3379, shopper@edf.org(Washington, DC – July 29, 2008) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer’s decision today against allowing the penalty-free early release of millions of acres of the land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will preserve the nation’s most successful conservation program, according to Environmental Defense Fund. Some members of Congress and producer groups had lobbied the administration to release up to 24 million acres from CRP so the land could be put back into crop production. Currently, there are almost 35 million acres of land enrolled in CRP, but contracts for more than nine million acres of CRP land are due to expire over the next three years.“Secretary Schafer should be commended for resisting calls to gut the nation’s oldest and most successful farm conservation program,” said scrowley@edf.org Sara Hopper, 202-572-3379, shopper@edf.org(Washington, DC – July 29, 2008) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer’s decision today against allowing the penalty-free early release of millions of acres of the land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will preserve the nation’s most successful conservation program, according to Environmental Defense Fund. Some members of Congress and producer groups had lobbied the administration to release up to 24 million acres from CRP so the land could be put back into crop production. Currently, there are almost 35 million acres of land enrolled in CRP, but contracts for more than nine million acres of CRP land are due to expire over the next three years.“Secretary Schafer should be commended for resisting calls to gut the nation’s oldest and most successful farm conservation program,” said Sara Hopper, director of agricultural policy for Environmental Defense Fund and a former staff member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Putting millions of CRP acres back into crop production would have resulted in the loss of billions of dollars in taxpayer investments in conservation and caused untold environmental damage, while providing little, if any, relief from high commodity prices.”CRP is a federal program designed to reward farmers who take fragile land out of production for 10 to 15 years and instead plant grasses or trees or restore wetlands. Up until now, CRP enrollees who terminated their contracts prior to the end of their 10- to 15-year terms had to reimburse – with interest – the federal government for the rental and cost-share payments they had received, plus pay a 25 percent penalty. Some members of Congress and producer groups had proposed that the USDA waive all these costs for program participants.Lands are enrolled in CRP precisely because they are environmentally sensitive, highly erodible, and marginally productive cropland. While these lands are generally less reliable for producing row crops, they deliver significant public benefits by retaining soil and preventing erosion, cleansing polluted runoff, providing important wildlife habitat and serving as natural flood barriers. Wetland restorations on CRP lands function as an important safety valve, reducing peak flows during storm events by holding water, filtering it, and slowly releasing it into streams and groundwater. |
| Press Release: New Report Says Providing Water for Fish is the Surest Way to Create Water Supply Reliability for California Farms and Cities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org
Jennifer Witherspoon, 415-293-6067, jwitherspoon@edf.org
(San Francisco – July 23, 2008) California’s salmon are teetering on the edge of extinction and the salmon fishing industry is facing economic devastation, but a report released today establishes a framework to help address this crisis. The report concludes that providing a more reliable water supply for the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary could help save fish, including salmon, while also helping to ensure adequate water for farms, cities, and the 25 million Californians who rely on the Bay-Delta’s water.
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) report is titled “Finding the Balance: A Vision for Water Supply and Environmental Reliability in California.” The report outlines steps that state and federal leaders must take to end a vicious cycle of water shortages and environmental near-disasters, and instead create a stable and reliable water supply. That, in turn, should help guarantee environmental reliability – a condition where all necessary ecological, political and economic systems are in place to ensure the Bay Delta and its fisheries are self-sustaining into the future.
“Our water supplies will remain vulnerable as long as we allow the environment to remain at the brink of disaster,” said Laura Harnish, EDF’s Regional Director in San Francisco and an author of the report. “For decades, water users have sought to pump additional water out of our Central Valley streams, then species have declined, and ultimately the courts are forced to step in to prevent an environmental catastrophe. This paper outlines a way to break our endless, self-defeating water cycle and improve both water supply and environmental reliability for California’s future.”
California has been mired in water wars for much of its history, but the situation is now particularly severe. The state’s once prolific and profitable salmon fishery is at its lowest ebb in decades, and this year’s salmon season was closed for the first time ever, resulting in huge economic losses to the fishing industry. Parts of California’s famed agricultural economy also are suffering losses this summer because of severe drought, and courts have been forced to order water cutbacks to protect endangered fish, including salmon and the Delta smelt – the “canary in the coal mine” for the health of the overall Bay-Delta system.
State and policy leaders have launched several efforts to address the crises, including creating the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Delta Vision Task Force, supporting an Assembly bill to release emergency funds raised by earlier bonds, and proposing a new $9.3 billion water bond just announced by the governor. A local think tank, the Public Policy Institute of California, also recently released a report supporting the construction of a new peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“We have great opportunity right now to create a reliable water supply for future generations of Californians and for salmon as well,” said Cynthia Koehler, an environmental lawyer and consultant for EDF, and an author of the report. “If the plans under development can meet the criteria we set out in this report, we can have a system that meets all our environmental and water supply needs in the long term.”
The report’s recommendations include:
“We believe that California has enough water for its people, farms, and fish,” said Harnish. “If we manage our water better, we can protect our state’s economy and our environment. We can have a thriving fishing industry in the future, and we can make sure our farms are able to produce the food and jobs that we need.”
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| Press Release: USDA Praised for Not Releasing Millions of Acres From Conservation FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sean Crowley, 202-572-3331, scrowley@edf.org Sara Hopper, 202-572-3379, shopper@edf.org(Washington, DC - July 29, 2008) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer’s decision today against allowing the penalty-free early release of millions of acres of the land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will preserve the nation’s most successful conservation program, according to Environmental Defense Fund. Some members of Congress and producer groups had lobbied the administration to release up to 24 million acres from CRP so the land could be put back into crop production. Currently, there are almost 35 million acres of land enrolled in CRP, but contracts for more than nine million acres of CRP land are due to expire over the next three years."Secretary Schafer should be commended for resisting calls to gut the nation’s oldest and most successful farm conservation program," said scrowley@edf.org Sara Hopper, 202-572-3379, shopper@edf.org(Washington, DC - July 29, 2008) U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer’s decision today against allowing the penalty-free early release of millions of acres of the land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will preserve the nation’s most successful conservation program, according to Environmental Defense Fund. Some members of Congress and producer groups had lobbied the administration to release up to 24 million acres from CRP so the land could be put back into crop production. Currently, there are almost 35 million acres of land enrolled in CRP, but contracts for more than nine million acres of CRP land are due to expire over the next three years."Secretary Schafer should be commended for resisting calls to gut the nation’s oldest and most successful farm conservation program," said Sara Hopper, director of agricultural policy for Environmental Defense Fund and a former staff member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "Putting millions of CRP acres back into crop production would have resulted in the loss of billions of dollars in taxpayer investments in conservation and caused untold environmental damage, while providing little, if any, relief from high commodity prices."CRP is a federal program designed to reward farmers who take fragile land out of production for 10 to 15 years and instead plant grasses or trees or restore wetlands. Up until now, CRP enrollees who terminated their contracts prior to the end of their 10- to 15-year terms had to reimburse ? with interest ? the federal government for the rental and cost-share payments they had received, plus pay a 25 percent penalty. Some members of Congress and producer groups had proposed that the USDA waive all these costs for program participants.Lands are enrolled in CRP precisely because they are environmentally sensitive, highly erodible, and marginally productive cropland. While these lands are generally less reliable for producing row crops, they deliver significant public benefits by retaining soil and preventing erosion, cleansing polluted runoff, providing important wildlife habitat and serving as natural flood barriers. Wetland restorations on CRP lands function as an important safety valve, reducing peak flows during storm events by holding water, filtering it, and slowly releasing it into streams and groundwater. |
| Press Release: EPA Report Concludes Impacts of Climate Change will be Burden on Public Health System, Report Co-Author Says
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Dr. John Balbus, (301) 908-8186, jbalbus@edf.org
Sean Crowley, (202) 550-6524, scrowley@edf.org
(Washington, DC – July 17, 2008) A report released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concludes that the United States is likely to have the resources necessary to alleviate most direct health threats from climate change. However, the report also concludes there will be an additional burden on an already stretched public health system as a result of climate change.
“The nation needs to know how climate change will impact people’s health within our own borders, and that additional public health protections will be needed to ensure our most vulnerable citizens are adequately protected,” said Dr. John Balbus, chief health scientist for Environmental Defense Fund and a contributing author to the report.
The report, called Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6, is one of 21 five-year updates required under the Climate Change Science Program on the scientific literature about the impacts of climate change on human health, welfare and settlements. It also assesses the nation’s ability to adapt to climate change threats and where impacts may be greatest.
In addition, the report notes the nation is likely to experience worsened heat stress, the health effects of higher ozone concentrations resulting from higher temperatures, health impacts of floods and drought-related wildfires, and increased spread of water and food-borne illness. The most vulnerable populations and communities in the nation, those already experiencing a disproportionate burden of ill health, are likely to experience the greatest impacts from climate change as well.
Environmental Defense Fund has already released a report, “Are We Ready? Preparing for the Public Health Challenges of Climate Change,” which highlights the gaps in public health preparedness for climate change with a nationwide survey of public health departments.
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