{"id":100,"date":"2008-01-29T11:20:16","date_gmt":"2008-01-29T15:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=100"},"modified":"2008-01-29T11:20:16","modified_gmt":"2008-01-29T15:20:16","slug":"policy-news-from-esas-public-affairs-office-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2008\/01\/29\/policy-news-from-esas-public-affairs-office-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy News from ESA&#8217;s Public Affairs Office"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><strong>CLIMATE CHANGE: EPA\u2019s Johnson Defends Decision to Reject California Waiver Request<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>ENDANGERED SPECIES: Listing of Polar Bear Delayed <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>AGRICULTURE: Senate Confirms New USDA Chief <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>BIOFUELS: Buzz about ESA \u2018s Position Statement on Biofuel Sustainability<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr style=\"border: #003399 1px dotted\"><strong>CLIMATE CHANGE: EPA\u2019s Johnson Defends Decision to Reject California Waiver Request <\/strong>\u00c2 \u00c2 \u00c2 \n<p>Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Jan. 24 in the first of several congressional hearings on EPA\u2019s rejection of the California waiver request to regulate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. Another hearing on the same issue is expected before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Johnson\u2019s appearance before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming has also been requested.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson\u2019s Dec. 19, 2007 decision to deny the waiver request was at odds with the general opinion of EPA staff who believed that California had \u201ccompelling and extraordinary\u201d circumstances that warranted federal approval of a state effort to regulate motor vehicles\u2019 greenhouse gas emissions, according to EPA documents released by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. EPA staff also warned that denial of the waiver would lead to a lawsuit from California that the agency would be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153likely to lose.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Johnson asserted that he did not find that California \u2018s situation met the standard conditions that would necessitate a waiver because climate change would not affect California more than it would the rest of the country. EPA officials had previously said that they would release proposed regulations for vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2007. However, in light of Congress\u2019 approval of the Energy Independence and Security Act that mandates increased vehicle efficiency, Johnson has said that such regulations may be unnecessary.<\/p>\n<p>Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said that she intends to introduce legislation soon to grant the California waiver. The committee expects to receive the rest of the EPA\u2019s internal documents and communications between the White House and the EPA relating to the waiver decision by Feb. 15.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ENDANGERED SPECIES: Listing of Polar Bear Delayed <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In response to the growing loss of polar bear habitat, a year ago the Bush Administration proposed to list polar bears as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153threatened\u00e2\u20ac\u009d under the Endangered Species Act. However, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dale Hall delayed the legally mandated decision on the polar bear listing, citing the\u00c2 FWS staff\u2019s need for more time to prepare an explanation of their\u00c2 final decision. The delay coincides with a decision of the Minerals Management Service ( MMS ), which is also part of the Department of the Interior, to auction approximately 30 million acres\u00c2 of polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska,\u00c2 to oil and gas developments beginning on Feb. 6.<\/p>\n<p>Polar bears are currently protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act which required the coordination of MMS and wildlife officials when developing the oil leases in the Chukchi. While the head officials of the FWS and MMS assert that the polar bears would be adequately protected during gas and oil exploration in the Chukchi, lawmakers and scientists are worried about the 33 to 51 percent chance of a large oil spill in this region predicted by the environmental impact statement from MMS . If a spill occurred, the report predicts \u00e2\u20ac\u0153significant impacts\u00e2\u20ac\u009d on polar bears.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, and other Democratic officials introduced legislation on Jan. 17 to ensure that the decision regarding listing of the polar bears occurs before the Feb. 6 oil and gas lease sales. On the Senate side, Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and 11 other Senate Democrats sent a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne asking him to delay the Feb. 6 drilling rights sale.<\/p>\n<p>FWS Director Dale Hall is scheduled to appear before the Environment and Public Works Committee at a hearing on Jan. 30 to testify about the status of the delayed listing decision.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AGRICULTURE: Senate Confirms New USDA Chief <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>President Bush\u2019s pick to head the Agriculture Department (USDA) won confirmation in the Senate Jan. 28 as farm state lawmakers urged the new USDA Chief to help resolve a standoff on the pending farm bill.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate confirmed former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer (R) by unanimous consent. Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee said they hope Schafer will be able to resolve the ongoing stalemate between Congress and the Administration on the reauthorization of the $286 billion farm bill that would oversee farm, energy and conservation policy for the next five years. The House and Senate each passed new farm bills last year, but the White House has threatened to veto the bills for spending too much money.<\/p>\n<p>Schafer would replace Mike Johanns, who resigned as USDA Chief to make a bid in Nebraska for a U.S. Senate seat. Schafer said he would like to strike a balance between conservation and production on American farmland, and between energy crops and the need to produce food. He said he wants to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely in the farm bill and do not go to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbillionaire\u2019 landowners but said he can\u2019t tell where the line is to cut off certain landowners from government support.<\/p>\n<p>Schafer served as governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000 and was the first Republican governor in the state\u2019s history to be elected to a second term. He also served as co-chair of the Governors Biotechnology Partnership. Before entering politics, Schafer worked in his family\u2019s manufacturing business, Gold Seal Co., which makes Mr. Bubble bubble bath and other cleaning products. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/cid:371430121@05012007-236E\" width=\"1\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>BIOFUELS: Buzz about ESA \u2018s Position Statement on Biofuel Sustainability <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On January 10, The Ecological Society of America released a position statement that offers the ecological principles necessary for biofuels to help decrease dependence on fossil fuels and reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global climate change. The Society warns that the current mode of biofuels production will degrade the nation\u2019s natural resources and will keep biofuels from becoming a viable energy option. Click <a href=\"https:\/\/esa.org\/pao\/newsroom\/pressReleases2008\/01102008.php\">here <\/a>to read the press release and <a href=\"https:\/\/esa.org\/pao\/policyStatements\/Statements\/biofuel.php\">here <\/a>to read the full statement. The ESA position statement on Biofuel Sustainability has generated buzz among the public and scientists alike and has been referenced in numerous blogs and articles.<\/p>\n<p>ESA will contribute more to this timely issue when it convenes a conference ( <a href=\"https:\/\/esa.org\/biofuels\/\">https:\/\/esa.org\/biofuels\/<\/a>) devoted to the ecological dimensions of biofuels.\u00c2  The conference, which will be held on March 10, 2008 in Washington , DC , will bring together a wide variety of experts in the biofuels arena.\u00c2  The conference will cover the various sources of biofuels\u00e2\u20ac\u201dagriculture and grasslands, rangelands, and forests\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand will encompass the private sector and socioeconomic perspectives.\u00c2  Jose Goldemberg, Global Energy Assessment Council &amp; Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil , will give the keynote address.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"border: #003399 1px dotted\">Sources: Environment and Energy Daily, Greenwire, and Land Letter\u00c2 Send questions or comments to Nadine Lymn, ESA Director of Public Affairs, <a href=\"mailto:Nadine@esa.org\">Nadine@esa.org<\/a> or Colleen Fahey, Policy Analyst, <a href=\"mailto:Colleen@esa.org\">Colleen@esa.org<\/a>\u00c2 \n<p>If you received Policy News from a friend and would like to receive it directly, please send an e-mail to <a href=\"mailto:listserv@listserv.umd.edu\">listserv@listserv.umd.edu<\/a> with the following in the body of the message: sub ESANEWS {your first and last name}<\/p>\n<p>If you wish to unsubscribe to ESANEWS and your biweekly Policy News, send the command \u00e2\u20ac\u0153signoff ESANEWS\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to <a href=\"mailto:listserv@listserv.umd.edu\">listserv@listserv.umd.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Visit ESA \u2018s website at <a href=\"https:\/\/esa.org\/\">https:\/\/esa.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read the latest biweekly Policy News from ESA\u2019s Public Affairs Office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ecology-in-policy","category-policy-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}