What Are We Waiting For?

Administrator Lisa P. Jackson was on The Daily Show last week, talking to Jon Stewart about the EPA's proposed rules to limit mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollution from coal plants. She spoke about the harm mercury does ("destroys our children's brains, oftentimes before they're born") and how many lives would be saved each year ("up to 17,000 premature deaths each year"). 

EPA hearings on mercury from coal-fired power plants took place in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. (Photo credit: Sarah Landini.)

And this week, Americans had a chance to weigh in on the rule at public hearings held by the EPA in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. And weigh in they did -- from moms with strollers to clergy to fishermen to pediatricians. Their message was simple: We've got to stop poisoning our children. We've known about this problem for decades. We know how to fix it. What are we waiting for?

Good question. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran pro/con opinion pieces on the day before the hearing there. Dr. Yolanda Whyte, who has treated "hundreds of children whose health is compromised by pollutants in our air and water," made the case for adopting mercury controls. Then Chris Hobson, the "chief environmental officer" for Southern Company (one of the biggest and worst polluters on the planet) had the job of arguing that we should keep dumping tons of a potent neurotoxin into the environment each year. It's "a complex issue," he wrote. But the phrase that jumped out at me was "nonmeasurable reduction in risk."

Exactly. How do you measure the value of a child's life? How do you quantify the anguish of parents whose child is born severely disabled?  You can't, and there's nothing complex about that.

What's truly astounding is that some (not all) of the companies that burn coal to generate electricity are still arguing against putting pollution controls in place. As Lisa Jackson pointed out, this rule has been 21 years in the making. Waiting another year, another month, even another day -- is too long.

The EPA public hearings are over, but the agency is still accepting comments online through at least July 5th. What are you waiting for? Please send in your comment and urge EPA to protect public health and hold polluters accountable. Thank you!

No Species Is an Island

For several years now, the U.S. Senate has proclaimed the third Friday in May to be Endangered Species Day. This year, the day has extra significance. The Endangered Species Act (the only thing standing between countless species and extinction) has come under unprecedented attack.

That attack is happening in spite of broad public support for protecting species -- a recent poll found that 84 percent of Americans are in favor of the Endangered Species Act. And we've got good reasons for feeling that way. Of course there's the obvious moral principle that animals and plants shouldn't be consigned to oblivion for no reason other than human carelessness or callousness. But it's more than that. To paraphrase John Donne, "No species is an island." Humans, too, depend on biodiversity and the richness of the web of life. Aldo Leopold, compared the loss of species to "throwing away, one-by-one, the engine parts of an airplane while flying."

What's more, the airplane's facing some serious turbulence. All living things -- including humans -- face new and daunting challenges in a world where the climate has been disrupted. Habitats are shifting and pressures on species are increasing. You can't preserve that web of life without also protecting the places it lives. We might think we're protecting habitat for this or that creature -- but in truth we're doing it for all living things, not least ourselves. That's the basis for the Sierra Club's Resilient Habitats campaign, which is working to protect places where plants, animals, and people can survive and thrive.

So, basically, we need a strong Endangered Species Act now more than ever. Unfortunately, that's not the way things have been headed lately, and the reasons are political.

The Fish and Wildlife Service requested $24.6 million for its endangered species listing program in 2012. In federal budget terms, that's a blip in the balance sheet. The FWS knows perfectly well that it's not enough money to do even the work that's required by law -- a huge backlog of species are waiting to be evaluated for protection -- but no one's willing to ask for enough to really get the job done. "Not politically feasible."

Even more troubling was this year's injection of politics directly into the Endangered Species Act when Congress approved a budget that, at the last minute, removed gray wolves in the Northern Rockies from the Endangered Species List in every state except Wyoming. Never before have politicians interfered to decide the fate of a particular species -- giving a thumbs-down like a Roman emperor at the Coliseum.

The Endangered Species Act works because it relies on sound, science-based management -- free from political interference. That's common sense, which is why 92 percent of Americans polled agree that decisions about wildlife management should be made by scientists, not politicians. That politics intruded anyway is tragic for the wolves and a serious blow to the integrity of one of our bedrock environmental laws.

Enough doom and gloom, though. For today, let's take a moment to celebrate the Endangered Species Act for its many successes during the past four decades. Here's to the bald eagle, whooping cranes, gray whales, grizzly bears, and other species that have made gains or even recovered. My wish for Endangered Species Day is that the thousands of species that are still waiting for protection will have similar success before it's too late.

And for the rest of the year: Let's work to ensure that the Endangered Species Act itself survives as well.

 

Hit the Dirt

When I came to the Sierra Club a little more than a year ago, I had to be realistic about how much I could accomplish right away. But I knew for sure that I wanted to take my family on a Sierra Club outing. OK, probably not a three-week trek along the John Muir Trail, but something the kids could enjoy as a natural progression from our family camping trips. I wanted us all to experience what has always been a core belief for the Sierra Club: Being outdoors deepens our understanding of why we must fight to protect our remaining wild places.

Then the BP oil disaster happened, and I found myself surveying the devastation from a small boat in the Gulf of Mexico instead of hiking in a national park.

Of course, after that, the year only got busier. Here I was, working for the organization that invented eco-travel, and pretty much all I had to show for it was… a lot of work. Exciting, important work on issues and campaigns I care deeply about, but work nonetheless.

Last month, though, I came close to achieving my goal. Although we still haven't been on an official Sierra Club outing, our family went on a short vacation to Puerto Rico, which is home to the Sierra Club's newest chapter. Its passionate volunteers were galvanized by the need to protect some of the island's last unspoiled coastland from being developed for condos, luxury resorts, and golf courses. It's called the Northeast Ecological Corridor, and its beaches include important nesting sites for endangered leatherback sea turtles.

With help from our friends in the local Sierra Club chapter, we visited a moonlit beach in hope of seeing a female leatherback make her nest. Now my wife and I both grew up by the beach, and we’ve spent a lot of time in and around the ocean, but that night was truly magical. We did indeed see a giant five-and-a-half foot leatherback sea turtle emerge under a full moon to dig a nest for her eggs. But how much longer will she and her sisters be able to use the beach? That comes down to whether the Sierra Club volunteers in Puerto Rico and the Sierra Club advocates all over the nation can stop those developers. But if everyone could experience what we did, I know it would be a slam dunk for the turtles.

That's a big reason why America's largest environmental organization still has an Outings Program. In the early days, it was often a pack-mule-pack to the High Sierra. Today, the adventure could occur anywhere from Hawaii to Maine -- and even beyond. Or, as happens hundreds of times every week, it might be a local day hike. Regardless of the destination, though, you can count on two things: The trip will be led by a trained volunteer and every person will have the chance to learn about conservation, natural history, and wildlife. That, I think, can make an environmentalist -- or a better environmentalist -- out of anyone.

I'm proud of our Outings Department and especially grateful to the hundreds of dedicated volunteer leaders who make the Sierra Club's outings possible. If you aren't on the Outings mailing list, sign up for their newsletter or browse online through their trip listings for hiking, biking, kayaking and more. Or if you just want to get out and stretch your legs this weekend, check here to see what day hikes are listed by your local Sierra Club chapter or group.

In the meantime, I'm still looking for the right trip for my own family -- it's going to tough to top that night on the beach in Puerto Rico. Any suggestions for a family of four, with two little ones? Please let me know!