The Farm Bill 2012Conservation Programs at Risk Annie Ager Vice Chairman September 2011

The Farm Bill for 2008 is only just behind us and the Farm Bill of 2012 fast approaching. As Sarah Young points out in her excellent report, the Farm Bill affects 45% of all land in the U.S. The bill defines policy and monies for the land and the programs affecting the land. The breakdown of the budget (roughly) for agriculture under the farm bill is nutrition (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps, WIC, etc.) 67-74%, Commodities 13%, Conservation 7%, and other 6 % including US Forest Service.(1) Because of the current deficit, cuts to these programs are inevitable. Our effort will be to keep them from taking it all from conservation. The giant share of the agriculture budget, nutrition, has grown substantially during the economic downturn. Cutting nutrition programs has been suggested in the Agriculture Committees of both the Senate and the House but probably will not happen. The interesting question for the committees is whether or not because of the huge amount of money being distributed, Representatives from urban areas should be members of the committee. (2) The Commodity Program (13% of the farm budget) distributes money for direct payments to farmers, subsidies and crop insurance for farmers. Direct payments, a program supposed to be temporary, started in 1996, gives money directly to farmers to encourage production. Subsidies are agricultural payments made to farmers that guarantee prices for commodities. Crop insurance provides insurance in case of crop failure. Farmers pay into this program. Five crops get 90% of the government subsidies: corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton and rice. Subsidies keep the cost of these products low for the consumer, high for the producer and have encouraged enormous production especially of corn and soybeansPillars of the American Diet-featuring an unnaturally large consumption of meat, never before seen junk food and a bizarre avoidance of plants-as well as increasing the fortunes of Pepsi, Dunkin Donuts, KFC and others that have relied on cheap corn and soy to build their empires of unhealthful food.(3) Most subsidy money and direct payments go to large farms. From 1995 to the present 10% of subsidized farms collected 76% of payments. 60 % of American farms receive no subsidies or direct payments. (4) Crop Insurance is used by large farms and smaller producers. (Apples I know from experience. We pay $800 a year and if the crop fails we get $3 a bushel based on previous crops). This program is heavily subsidized by taxpayer money and more importantly, not subject to federal environmental or health regulations. On Friday, September 9th, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed the Agriculture Appropriations Bill. This bill cuts conservation by 12% and leaves subsidies and direct payments pretty much intact. The Conservation Stewardship Program would be cut by 35 million. The Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQUIP) would be cut 350 million.

The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and the Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP) would be cut roughly 80 million and 40 million respectively. The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) and the Wildlife Incentive Programs would be cut 50 million and 35 million. The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Programs will be zeroed out. The bill does not cut the Biomass Crop Assistance Program or the Renewable Energy for America Program. (5) The Farm Bill presents a problem for budget cutters; mostly GOP lawmakers but also some Democrats on the committees. The farm economy is strong yet the Republican Study Committee proposes to eliminate the modest subsidy for organic growers program without touching the nearly 5 billion in direct payments to farmersmany of whom live in the lawmakers districts.(6) The budget cuts that are out of the lawmakers control will come from the Super Committee. The Super Committee has a November deadline to recommend budget cuts to Congress. Farm subsidies, especially direct payments, are possible targets. Farming organizations are gearing up to lobby the committee for the next two months. Even Roland McReynolds of the North Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is putting together a list of issues important for the organic grower to send to the lawmakers. (7) If the Super Committee does not hear from conservation supporters we may lose ground in November. I am including a list of members of that committee. If any of them are in your district or state please contact them and let them know conservation is important to us! Members from the Senate: Members from the House Senator Max Baucus---D-Montana Dave CampR-Michigan Senator John Kerry---D-Mass. Jen HensarlingR-Texas Senator Patty MurrayD-Washington State Fred Upton---R-Pennsylvania Senator Rob Portman-R-Ohio Xavier BecerraD-California Senator Jon KylRArizona Chris Van HollenD-Maryland Senator Patrick ToomeyR-Pennsylvania James ClyburnD-South Carolina 1. Harvest Public Media, Kansas Public Radio, Sept 2, 2011 2. Environmental Working Group, Thursday, June 30, 2011, http//.www.ewg.org 3. Dont End Agricultural Subsidies, Fix Them Mark Bittman, New York Times, March 1, 2011 4. Environmental Working Group, June 23, 2011 Despite Claims of Reform, Subsidy Band Marches On. http//.www.ewg.org 5. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Friday, Sept 9th 6. Politico, Farm Subsidies Test GOP Pledge, David Rogers, Jan. 1, 2011

7. Roland McReynolds, Executive Director of the North Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

Air Quality/Toxic Substances Connie Darbyshire, Vice Chairman PESTICIDES IN THE AIR? September 2011
A Minnesota court recently ruled that an organic farmer could recover damages from his neighbors, because the pesticides used by those neighbors drifted onto the farmers land injuring his crops. The court said that the drifting particles constituted a type of trespass allowing compensation for the injury. Also recently, an organic farmer in California won $1 million in damages when pesticides were carried by fog from far away fields to his fields causing the loss of a seasons worth of organic herbs. These states and others consider pesticide drift to be a trespass. There seems to be a nationwide trend for private claims for damage from pesticide drift through the air to neighboring properties. There is discussion that this reasoning should be applied to suburban homeowners. Just as consumers and growers are increasingly concerned about the use of herbicides and pesticides on the food chain, there is concern about chemicals used on private lawns. Many suburban and urban areas can be endangered, because lawn care has grown so much in recent years. According to EPA figures, each year we pour approximately 136 million pounds of pesticides and herbicides on our homes, lawns and gardens. The National Audubon Society notes a high frequency of wildlife pesticide poisonings reported to EPA from residential use. Some 20 states have passed laws calling for residents to be pre-notified before lawn care applicators spray. Some states punish applicators if they fail to notify homeowners and residents. To protect children in schools against pesticides, seven states have written new laws creating buffer zones of 300 feet (in the case of nozzle spraying) to three miles (in the case of aerial spraying) around schools. Herbicide and pesticide drift in the air and through the soil and how they affect neighboring properties and people is an important issue, and we should carefully monitor relevant information in the future.

Endangered and Invasive Species Tina Freeman, Vice Chairman September 2011
Some recent good news is that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee reported out with bipartisan support three pieces of legislation to reauthorize programs that will protect estuaries and preserve migratory bird habitat. Senator Whitehouses bill, the Clean Estuaries Act of 2011 (S. 1313) reauthorizes the National Estuary Program at a continued $35 million per year through 2017 with required evaluation by the EPA of the success and effectiveness of the program every five years. The reauthorization through 2017 of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservations Act, also sponsored by Senator Cardin, continues a grant program that has leveraged partner funds and led to the conservation of 2 million acres of bird habitat. Paul Quinlan, E&E, July 14, 2011

House panel examines ballast water regs

House Republicans will turn their sights on another forthcoming U.S. EPA regulation: rules concerning ship ballast water, which have enabled the spread of unwanted invasive aquatic species. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a joint subcommittee meeting between the water resources and maritime subpanels billed as an opportunity to alleviate regulatory burdens, facilitate commerce and protect jobs through a "common sense" approach to regulating ballast water. Freighters and other large ships draw in sometimes millions of gallons of ballast water to aid stability. In doing so, they often draw in huge numbers of small aquatic organisms that later get released into foreign waters at destination ports. Quagga and zebra mussels, for example, spread throughout the Great Lakes in the 1980s, down the Mississippi River via waterways that connect through Chicago and over to the West Coast, causing billions of dollars in economic damages by clogging water intake pipes and vents along the way. EPA is required to set new limits on invasive species with a new ballast water permit, a draft of which must be proposed by November 2011 and finalized by November 2012, under a lawsuit settled with environmental groups. The shipping industry has resisted new requirements. "Hopefully if you can get a strong mandate in place, that will create the incentive for industry to invest in developing these technologies and putting them on their vessels," said Thom Cmar, attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the groups that sued EPA to compel development of a new permit. The National Research Council in June reported that data gaps in the science of invasive species and ballast water will make setting reasonable and meaningful limits difficult. Shipping groups challenged EPA in federal appeals court over the agency's efforts to enforce a patchwork of state requirements concerning ballast water under a single, national permit. The court has yet to issue its ruling. Greenwire, E&E, May 9 and June 3 U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., this year introduced a bill that would bar the interstate transport of exotic animals for the purpose of killing or injuring them for entertainment or trophies. The Sportsmanship in Hunting Act, H.R. 2210, which hasn't been scheduled for a hearing, also would ban the interstate movement of equipment for computer-assisted remote hunting, in which online users aim and fire a mechanized weapon. Killing animals in a preserve or via the Internet "is just the last thing that a true hunter would do," Cohen says. There's been "a major push" to expand the industry this year. by Judy Keen, USA TODAY Asian Carp: H.R.892 : Stop Asian Carp Act Sponsor: Rep Camp, Dave [MI-4] (introduced 3/3/2011) Cosponsors (28) Committees: House Transportation and Infrastructure; House Natural Resources Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs. S.471 : Stop Asian Carp Act of 2011 Sponsor: Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] (introduced 3/3/2011) Cosponsors (7) Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. For a lot more information: http://asiancarp.org/ Salmon: H.R.946: Latest Title: Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act Sponsor: Rep Hastings, Doc [WA-4] (introduced 3/8/2011) Cosponsors (5) Latest Major Action: 6/14/2011 House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held. Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to authorize the Secretary of the department in which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is operating to issue one-year permits for the lethal taking of California sea lions on the waters of the Columbia River or its tributaries if the Secretary determines that alternative measures to reduce sea lion predation on salmonid stocks listed as threatened or endangered under the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 do not adequately protect such stocks. H.R.2111 : Salmon Solutions and Planning Act Sponsor: Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] (introduced 6/3/2011) Cosponsors (20) Committees: House Transportation and Infrastructure; House Natural Resources; House Energy and Commerce Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. To ensure that proper information gathering and planning are undertaken to secure the preservation and recovery of the salmon and steelhead of the Columbia River Basin in a manner that protects and enhances local communities, ensures effective expenditure of Federal resources, and maintains reasonably priced, reliable power, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to seek scientific analysis of Federal efforts to restore salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and for other purposes. Tuna: H.R.1806: Latest Title: Bluefin Tuna Fishermen Employment Preservation Act Sponsor: Rep Guinta, Frank C. [NH-1] (introduced 5/10/2011) Cosponsors (None) Status: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. Bluefin Tuna Fishermen Employment Preservation Act - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit treatment of the Bluefin tuna as an endangered or threatened species. Most information on bills from Thomas.gov Summary: Eat (blackened?) Carp and buy Nutria coats.

Energy Sources Barbara Geltosky, Vice Chairman September 2011 The Effect of the Economy on Renewable Energy Sources
The rapidly changing economic situation has had a definite effect on the future and feasibility of various alternative energy sources. With the severe budget cuts in Washington, and stock market jitters caused by financial uncertainty, the playing field is changing. As we might suspect, funding and incentive cuts have caused cutbacks in some sectors. However, there also have been some newly announced initiatives from the federal government designed to grow technology and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Primary sources of renewable energy being utilized today in the United States are hydropower, biomass, waste gas, wind, solar, and geothermal. Significant drivers for development include various state and federal policies that help promote the growth of renewable energy development. Such policies include renewable energy portfolio standards which mandate a portion of the states electricity be produced by renewable technology, renewable energy credit (REC) markets, a monetary value placed on the environmental benefits of producing renewable energy, and grants and tax incentives. 1 Pennsylvanias solar market, fueled by generous rebates, has seen a dramatic drop in prices. In New Jersey, the countrys second largest solar industry is being hurt by an oversupply of these SREC credits with a dramatic drop in price on the spot market. In an attempt to improve this situation, State Senator Bob Smith has sponsored legislation that would accelerate the timetable for how much renewable energy must be produced, forcing power companies to buy more SRECS. With a record number of solar projects

installed and more in the pipeline, this would help the situation.2 Government programs drive other solar and geothermal projects including a massive project being proposed near the Salton Sea on BLM land. The West Chocolate Mountain area is the beginning of a systematic BLM plan that would guide solar and other renewables across the west for decades to come. It is estimated the project could generate enough electricity to power 3 million homes. Although plans include minimizing the environmental impact on wildlife habitat by directing development into areas with minimal conflict, habitat loss of species such as the desert tortoise and burrowing owl is a possibility. A DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement) is currently open for public comment.3 Solar energy is also being examined to improve the efficiency of military when deployed overseas. The Marines have tested various solar energy sources for use in Afghanistan, including batteries, blankets, and solar arrays that can replace inefficient gasoline generators for heating water thus providing another market for clean energy investment.4 Interestingly enough, the recent S&P downgrading of the US credit rating has had an unexpected effect on some renewable energy projects because corporations with billions on their balance sheets are now using tax equity deals as source of financing for the wind and solar industries. Tax credits are tied to profits and energy demand, and corporations such as Wal-Mart and Google, which just invested in a rooftop solar system manufacturer, a Mojave Desert solar project and several wind farm projects, are financing these investments through tax equity deals. This makes good business sense, because as the companies take advantage of tax breaks, they are also controlling energy sources and burnishing their brand. The Bi Partisan Policy Center has suggested financing for renewable energy projects is changing due to uncertainty around the cornerstone government stimulus program for financing renewable energy projects.5 Wind Installations have been up 72% since last year, and the Department of Energy estimates that 20% of the nations electricity could come from Wind Power by 2030. Atlantic offshore programs have been proposed, with one in particular addressing the difficulty of getting the energy from remote areas to the cities that need it. The Atlantic Wind Connection, (one of the aforementioned Google investments) would first channel electricity by offshore cable from Southern Virginia to areas in Northern New Jersey where it is more expensive. The second phase would allow transmission of wind energy from turbines off the coast. 6 However, without clear signals from Congress in the form of a production tax credits or incentives, growth of the industry is uncertain. Because wind tax credits are not spending programs, they have had bipartisan support, however extension of the credits beyond 2012 is unsure as Republicans have looked to tax incentives as a way to cut deficit spending, despite the creation of manufacturing and construction jobs in the industry.7 The voluntary renewable energy market is another piece of what drives the growth of renewable energy.8Many consumers want to do the right thing and support renewable energy, however, few follow through: 84% say they want to buy solar energy, but only 3% actually do. Their reasons for this include solar power being regarded as difficult to purchase and as a luxury because it is expensive. Much is being done in the administration to bring down the cost of solar, and it is predicted to be on parity with coal in three years, but more needs to be done to make it easier to purchase. Unfortunately with planned cuts to the DOE budget, which are extremely short sighted, there can be a missed opportunity for job growth in the renewables sector, which would of course help grow the economy. 9 Although almost everyone agrees that we must reduce our dependence on non -renewable energy sources, due to budget cuts and the recession, goals are far from being realized. Most sources would agree that the renewable industry is growing but that uncertainty about the future is slowing that growth. On one hand, American Business and the federal government have been willing to invest significant amounts in renewable energy projects, but on the other hand there is hesitancy based on waiting to see

how the government will act. Much depends on signals from Washington, whether in the form of policy, tax incentives, regulations, or further renewables standards. Let us hope that future policy is not so short sighted that it does little to help solve our need for renewable energy. Sources 1.Jossi Frtiz-Mauer Co- Director, The Energy Cooperative, quote, August 2011 2.Maya Rao, New Jersey Solar- Energy Boom hurts market for credits, Philadelphia Inquirer, August 22, 2011 3. Scott Streater, Californias West Chocolate Mountains eyed for large-scale solar geothermal expansions,Greenwire, July 21, 20011. 4.Annie Snider, Marines test battlefield energy technologies under Mojave sun, Greenwire August 26, 2011. 5. Joel Kirkland, Cash-rich companies begin to make renewable energy investments, E&E News, August 18, 2011. 6. Wind Energy, NewYork Times, December 23, 2010. 7. Katie Howell, Wind industry notes strong growth, calls for more policy certainty, E&E News, August 4, 2011. 8. Jossi Fritz Mauer, quote, August 2011. 9.Brian Keane, SmartPowers Keane discusses barriers to implementing renewables in the U.S., E&E News, August 4, 2011

Climate Change Linda James, Vice-Chairman Climate Change: "The Great Disruption"[1] September 2011
Paul Gilding, an Australian environmentalist and advocate for sustainability opens his latest book on Climate Crisis, The Great Disruption, by linking society, the economy which drives it, and the planets ecosystem, into a single interdependent system, a system at risk. The author states his conclusion in the first sentence of the book: The earth is full.... We have passed the limits of our planets capacity to support us[2]. The Global Footprint Network, a non-profit group of scientists, actually translates various ecological services into the area of the earths surface needed to sustain them, concluding that the Earths resources are being used up far faster than they can be sustainably replenished.[3] The New York Times Op-Ed Columnist, Thomas L. Friedman in his June 7, 2011 column, The Earth Is Full asks: What were we thinking? How did we not panic when the evidence was so obvious that wed crossed some growth/climate/natural resource/population redlines all at once?[4] According to a Spring, 2011 Environmental Defense Fund Report Tackling the Climate Crisis[5], new evidence underscores the growing crisis in climate change, which might result from natural factors and processes or from human activities. Rising temperatures is one aspect of this crisis for an earth that is full, running low on resources to meet growing global populations needs. Bill McKibben, environmentalist and founder of the global climate campaign 350.org, gave the keynote address on Climate Change at the 2011 Washington GCA National Affairs and Legislative Meeting. Suzanne Booker-Canfield, NAL Vice-Chair, Climate Change, reports on his presentation in the Spring Issue of Con Watch, which is available on the GCA website. With this accessibility possible, GCA members have the opportunity to share an article on one of the pioneers in making the public aware of climate change.[6] In The Washington Post in May, McKibben asks: A link between climate change and Joplin (Mo.) tornadoes? Never![7] Citing not only the tornados in Mo.,Ala., the fires burning

across Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, Midwest snows, rains and flooding, the megafloods in Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan, McKibben states the fact that climatologists have been predicting for years that as we flood the atmosphere with carbon we will also start both drying and flooding the planet, since warm air holds more water vapor than cold air.[8] I will continue to report on those events, as recorded by climate science resources, that concern the practical and scientific aspects of climate change and support the GCA Position Paper on Strategies to Address Climate Change. (Position Papers can be found on the GCA WebSite under Committees/ National Affairs and Legislation/ Position Papers.) The Climate Change Position Paper provides GCA membership with a platform from which a legislative, club or private initiative can be proposed for local, state or federal interests.

[1] The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World Paul Gilding Bloomsbury Press 2011 [2] Ibid, page 1 [3] www.footprintrnetwork.org [4] NYT, The Opinion Pages, The Earth Is Full, June 7, 2011 [5] EDF Leadership Team, Tackling the Climate Crisis [6] Conservation Watch, A Publication of the Garden Club of America, Vol XX, Issue 2; Spring, 2011, p 5-6 [7] www.washingtonpost.com/opinions [8] Ibid

Climate Change Suzanne Booker-Canfield, Ph.D., Vice-Chairman September 2011

In the wake of Hurricane Irene, stormy seems an apt description of climate change-related events in America. Communities along the Eastern seaboard are digging out from Irene, those in the Southwest are dealing with record drought, those in the Midwest are struggling with record-breaking downpours, and those throughout much of the nation are learning to cope with heatwaves. Ironically, however, belief in climate change continues to wane in spite of the all-too-real evidence of its existence. In fact, the US even saw a 4% increase in carbon dioxide emissions in 2010.[i] Political attempts to discredit climate science have become increasingly effective. Even with arrests of nearly 600 protesters (mostly authors, scientists, clergy, actors, and businesspeople) attempting to convince President Obama not to allow a $7 billion pipeline to ship Canadian oil sands crude to the US, there is a surprising amount of public apathy. Author Bill McKibben, who led the protest, said the protesters received training in non-violent civil disobedience and purposely dressed conservatively, many in coat and tie or even clerical attire, to demonstrate their seriousness of purpose and to make a point of avoiding the image of radicals. They did not resist arrest; they simply want the President to rule against the Keystone XL pipeline, citing it as risk to ecosystems and human health. In the midst of this review of the pipeline proposal, however, the President has reversed his stand on one environmental issue by abandoning the administrations plan to strengthen air-quality rules to reduce smog-causing emissions. He instructed EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson to withdraw the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Like the lashing winds of Irene, the debt-ceiling debate also cut a wide swath through all domestic programs. The environmental initiatives saw significant decreases in their funding: nearly $1 trillion in immediate cuts to U.S. EPA, the Energy and Interior departments and other domestic agencies through spending caps, and $1.5 trillion in cuts to come through a 12-member joint committee asked to find trims elsewhere in the budget.[ii] Environmental groups were frustrated that the spending cuts to all domestic programs did not put an end to oil and gas subsidies. Sierra Club deputy campaigns director Melinda Pierce expressed outrage, this deal lets the oil and gas industries keep their easy money while forcing Americans to compromise their health, clean air and clean water."[iii] Legislative attempts to vitiate the EPA continue to pose serious threats to both the environment and human health. The House has passed several bills this year to diminish EPA authority. In April, Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) sponsored H.R. 910, which would permanently strip EPA of its authority to regulate GHG emissions, arguing that the Clean Air Act was not intended to be a means of addressing climate change. In addition, fiscal 2012 appropriations bill H.R. 2584, withdrawn from the House floor in early August, would have added additional temporary restrictions on EPA regulations, including those for GHG emissions from vehicles and for hazardous emissions that form soot and smog. When Congress returns in September, Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), who heads the House Energy and Power Subcommittee, has indicated an interest in challenging the EPA's rules for ozone and hazardous emissions from utilities and from cement manufacturing. He may find a receptive audience since the chamber has voted 20 times against regulating emissions linked to climate change. The Senate, however, will be a tougher hurdle for those who seek to limit the EPAs ability to enforce the Clean Air Act. Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) maintains that the Senate will not pass such legislation: "They keep trying to overturn the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act. That's not going to happen."[iv] Sen. Ben Cardin (R-Md.) stated that even if House Republicans try to attach EPA restrictions to legislation like the fiscal 2012 spending bill, they would not be successful because those bills should come in through committees, not appropriations. Likewise, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) argued that if the EPA comes out with an ozone rule that will provide more in savings than it costs, the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation to challenge it. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), however, vowed, "We're going to continue to fight them every step of the way."[v] Barrasso had previously introduced legislation to prevent any federal agency from implementing programs linked to climate change and has announced that he will try to use the Congressional Review Act to combat EPA regulations. Ranking Republican on the Senate Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she plans to help propose the legislation with EPA-limiting policy riders. Despite the challenges to the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act, cornerstones of environmental legislation in America, July did bring some promising news on the climate change front: President Obama announced that the White House and automakers reached agreement on a new program that would raise the fuel economy of cars and light trucks produced between 2017 and 2025 to 54.5 mpg. This 5% annual improvement for cars, though less than the original goal, has the potential to save the consumer $3000 over the life of the vehicle, create 150,000 new auto jobs by 2021, and reduce US oil consumption by 1.5 million barrels per day, the equivalent to US imports from Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 2010. Moreover, it could reduce carbon pollution by as much as 280 million metric tons per year by 2030, the estimated equivalent of 72 coal-fired power plants.[vi] Also hopeful is the formation of the Bipartisan Policy Center's new Energy Group, headed by former

Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.), former National Security Adviser and retired Gen. James Jones, and former U.S. EPA Administrator and oil spill commission co-Chairman Bill Reilly. The group will begin its study of US energy issues and will issue policy recommendations by 2013.The diverse group includes Exxon Mobil, Southern Co., Exelon Corp., the Natural Resources Defense Council, and MIT.

[i] Lehmann, Evan. Carbon Output Leaps as Economic Engine Revives. E&E Daily 19 Aug. 2011 [ii] Schor, Elena. Crisis Averted: Spending Deal Fallout Begins. E&E Daily. 2 Aug. 2011 [iii] Ibid. [iv] Chemnick, Jean. Senate Dems Confident They Can Keep Anti-EPA Bills at Bay in Fall. E&E
Daily. 3 Aug. 2011.

[v] Ibid. [vi] Hwang, Roland. Strong Fuel Efficiency and Pollution Standards Put Country on Right Track.
NRDC.org. 28 July 2011

Land Use/Sustainable Development Karen Arsenault, Vice Chairman September 2011

Advancing a Large Landscape Agenda in the 21st Century A. The What Where do we go from here? B. The How Who is doing what? Over the last 100 years, first the United States government, on a large scale, and then bands of conservationists on a much smaller scale, throughout the country, have been protecting lands parcel by parcel. Land is essential to life. We depend on it for the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. And yet governments everywhere are cutting funds to protect our most treasured lands. The question is how do we do more in a time of less? [1] On behalf of the one million members and supporters of The Nature Conservancy, I am writing to oppose the passage of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriation Bill, as currently drafted, when it comes before the full House later this month . . . We have long provided ideas and input to the Interior Appropriation Bill, but never in our 60 year history have we opposed passage of this legislation during the appropriations process in Congress . . . the Appropriations Bill going before the House would reduce funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the lowest level in the 45 year history of the program, $66million a 78% reduction from the FY 2011. . . [2] A. The What -- Where do we go from here? Looking back, the threats have always been there land conversion for home development, new road building, non-point source pollution, dams, etc. Each generation of conservationists has believed that it is our obligation to pass on to the next an America whose land and water are clean, healthy, productive, beautiful and accessible for recreation in the outdoors. [3] Even

with all the work that has been done to protect vast areas, the threats are even greater now and on a much larger scale. Invasive species have been taking over large swaths of land, and have altered the composition of habitat, rising property taxes are causing economic unfeasibility of sustainable uses, and of course, climate change. Many groups have recognized that it is time to look at conservation differently if we are to make a difference in the years to come. It is certainly far from hopeless as some may think, but its going to take a large and diverse group of conservation-minded people, landowners, land trusts large and small; governmental agencies; private foundations, individuals and researchers and academicians joining together to produce the type of thinking needed to look at large geographic areas and develop ways of thinking strategically about the future of land conservation, setting priorities and providing the leadership to move ahead toward implementing these plans. Continued funding, especially from government sources are a key to long term success. Without this funding, conservation at any level, success will be difficult. B. The How Who is doing what? In more recent years, regional coalition groups have been formed to protect lands across jurisdictional boundaries, strengthening their ability to work with landowners and secure funding for larger projects. Organizations like The Trust for Public Land, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and others have been working to address some of these issues nationally, regionally and on a local level. In my upcoming reports I would like to describe some of the types of groups and kind of thinking that is going into the how.

National Parks and Public Lands Marsha Merrell, Vice Chairman September 2011 Cleaner Air in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited and the park most affected by coal- fired power plants in the nation. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) operates 11 plants which impact the air quality in this park. The Great Smokies were named for the mist that rises caused by humid air cooling rapidly in the Appalachian mountain tops which gives a smoky, ethereal effect adding to the beauty of the area. Pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, mercury and carbon have been emitted into the sky and carried by air currents and wind into the park from TVAs coal-fired plants. On a clear day in the Smokies a hiker can see as far as 77 miles, while one out of two days in the summer the visibility is only 17 miles. In 2000 the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) named the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the list of Ten Most Endangered Parks. NPCA noted that the park suffers ozone pollution problems that rival major metropolitan areas such as Atlanta. Power plant emissions are recognized as causing both degraded visibility and damage to plant life in the park

The Clean Air Act was signed in 1970 by President Richard Nixon, setting emissions standards for coal-fired power plants and other sources. In 1977 amendments were passed which designated certain national parks and wilderness areas as Class 1 Areas. This amendment specified that new power plants were required to use the best possible technology and could not cause adverse impacts to Class 1 areas. Older plants were allowed to operate, but had to add new technology when major modifications or additions were made to the plant. This proved to be problematic, as operators were allowed to define major modifications. TVA made many modifications on plants that had been built in the 1950s, insisting that they were not major. Park managers in the Smokies measured and documented the increase pollution year after year. The State of Tennessee continued to approve new pollution source permits from TVA even with the evidence presented by the Park Service. In 2000, the National Parks Conservation Association filed a lawsuit against TVA on the basis that the Authority was in direct violation of the 1977 amendment to the Clean Air Act. The Sierra Club and Our Childrens Earth Foundation were co-plaintiffs. According to the complaints, TVAs failure to comply with the Clean Air Act at its Bull Run (Tennessee) and Colbert (Alabama) plants had caused the unnecessary emissions of approximately 1.1 million tons of sulfur dioxide and 316,000 tons of nitrogen oxides over the past 18 years. This was an attempt to require that TVA would install state-of- the-art pollution-control equipment in these two older plants. On April 14, 2011 a settlement was announced. TVA will phase out 18 coalfired boilers by 2018. This amounts to 16% of its coal-fired energy. Just as importantly, 36 coal-fired boilers will be retired or receive modern pollution-controlled technology by 2018. It is expected to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide by 69% and sulfur dioxide by 67%. This settlement represents one of the largest pollution agreements in U.S. history. TVA also will provide $1 million to the National Park Service and the National Forest Service to "improve, protect or rehabilitate forest and park lands that have been impacted by emissions from TVA's plants, including Mammoth Cave National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park," according to the EPA. I credit TVA for making the right decision, said Don Barger, the director of NPCAs Southeast regional office. On the one hand, we had to sue them for a decade to get them to do the right thing, but they are also faced with the challenge of providing low-cost power to 8.5 million customers. This settlement hopefully will have far reaching implications. The Shenandoah National Park as well as other national parks impacted by coal-fired power plants should be in good positions to negotiate with operators to see similar results. This certainly sets a precedence that is most positive and hopeful. Sources: Kirkwood, Scott. 2011. Breathe It In. National Parks Andrea, Shannon. April 14, 2011. Press release CNN.com, April 14, 2001

National Parks and Public Lands

Sharon Blackburn, Vice Chairman September 2011

Funding for National Parks FY 2012 * There are 391 parks, 84 million acres, 21,000 full-time employees, 274 million annual visits * $1 invested in national parks generates $4 of economic benefit through tourism & spending * National Parks support more than $13 billion of local private-sector economic activity and 270,000 private sector jobs; in 2009 park visitors spent $11.9 billion 1 * Annual budget shortfall more than $600 million 2; maintenance backlog of about $9 billion 3 In July the House Appropriations Committee passed HR 2584, the Fiscal Year 2012 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill that provides annual funding for the National Parks. The House recessed before it could come up for a full vote. Land acquisition funding, cut by $239 million is at a level 79% lower than last year.4 The Administrations budget had proposed fully funding the LWCF. When Congress reconvenes, the appropriations bills will be voted on. Christina Kamrath of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), sums up the possibilities for the bill: the agreement over the debt ceiling sets out new funding cut requirements. In the House, its unclear whether theyre going to take up the same bill and amend it, write up a whole new bill, or throw a bunch of bills together into an omnibus. An omnibus might be a good thing in terms of riders because there would be a lot of other topics for members to focus on. Many members of the Senate have already come out saying they will not support the large number of environmental riders on the House bill. Note: a rider is an add-on to a bill, sometimes not even directly related to the bill. Add-ons were used extensively in HR 2584 to try to limit the ability of the EPA to safeguard our air and water, and to circumvent current protections for specific projects. (Check Current Legislative Update #5 for more information.) For example, the GCA Conservation Committee sent out an NAL alert in July about one of the riders in the Interior Appropriations bill that would ignore the Secretary of the Interiors recommendation and would permit more uranium mining close to the Grand Canyon. GCA has advocated for fully funding the Land and Conservation Fund (LWCF) for many years, and it has been written about before, but it continues to be in the forefront of our efforts because of its importance. From Sheridan Steele, Superintendent of Acadia National Park: I think one of the most pressing issues of the day is the decline of support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This fund, set up by Congress in 1964, is supposed to take money from oil and gas leases and put it into an account for the purchase of land for conservation purposes both at the federal and at the state and local levels. Despite the fact that it is supposed to be in a "savings account" for this purpose, Congress either does not fully appropriate the money or does battle over how much to allocate. All national parks depend on this money to buy parcels of land INSIDE the park boundaries to "fill in the holes" inside the park and to complete the parks as envisioned by congress. The current federal deficit debate is a new threat to this fund (LWCF). Acadia depends on LWCF to protect key parcels inside the park that are for sale. Lower Hadlock Pond is a good example. 35 acres are now for sale and we are all trying to find the $3M we need to buy it. LWCF is an important part of the solution. The President requested $3M for Acadia in LWCF for next fiscal year (FY12) but Congress may eliminate it in the battle over deficit and federal budgets. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar urged Congress to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The proposals that we have coming through the House of Representatives would essentially decimate the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the lowest level we have seen in modern times." LWCF funding is crucial to conserve lands such as roughly 1,400 acres of state-owned inholdings in Grand Teton that the National Park Service is expected to purchase over the next several years. "If we are not able to fund those acquisitions, then those lands will be put up for auction to the highest bidder. For

decades, Congress has plundered the Land and Water Conservation Fund so that it is now owed about $20 billion, Salazar said. "It's a broken promise to the American people not to fund it. My hope is that when Congress comes back, they'll see that funding the LWCF is important." Salazar touted the Park Service's role in job creation in places like Jackson Hole. National parks are responsible for about 4,000 jobs in Teton County. Why is it important to have the Land and Water Conservation Fund? Our wild spaces, plants and animals are under threat. Isolated pockets, even if they are protected parklands, are not enough for our native wild flora and fauna to flourish. When climate change threatens through temperature changes, increased wildfires, drought, etc., there is no place for migration. If disease or extreme weather strikes plants or animals, an isolated population pocket can be decimated. The parks are working to make accommodations by creating conservation corridors that will help plants and animals adapt to the changes that are coming. The LWCF can be used to address many of the threats by allowing the Parks to purchase crucial pieces of land as they become available. Many of the parcels are within the parks. Often sellers would prefer to sell to the parks, but inadequate funding of the LWCF means that there are many parcels awaiting funding. The National Parks Center for Park Research issued a report on the health of the parks after making 80 individual park assessments, documenting many of the threats. 5 The National Parks Second Century Commission Report recommended that one solution instead of having to rely on funding through the annual Congressional budgetary process would be for the President to propose the establishment of a national park endowment so NPS wouldnt be subject to the whims of politics. This recommendation was made with the understanding that the billions of dollars needed to produce a steady income at the levels needed, will be tough to sell politically. 1 The National Park System is arguably the most loved and respected of the governments departments. It is truly a nonpartisan entity. Almost everyone has had the personal experience of being moved by the beauty of our parks, in person or through the media. In addition to the iconic parks, there are Historic Sites that are often located in urban areas with the purpose of recording cultural history and in so doing telling Americas story. The National Parks Second Century Commission report emphasized the importance of EXPANDING the mission of the National Parks to emphasize its educational efforts in the Parks and beyond.1 In our current world where there are so many divisions within society, it is increasingly important to preserve the cultural and ecological assets of our country, our common heritage and history, and the natural places for our plants and animals. TAKE ACTION: 1) CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW TO SAY THAT YOU SUPPORT FULL FUNDING FOR THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND. 2) Tell Congress you would support creating an endowment that would provide regular funds for the parks. 3) Tell Congress that you opposed the riders that were on the HR 2584 that negatively affected the national parks (i.e. uranium mining near Grand Canyon), and you would not support seeing them added onto any future bills. 4) Go to the National Parks Conservation Association website to sign a petition (signing may close before this report is posted.) to urge congress to stop cutting critical funding for our treasured national parks On Aug 24, 105,000 people had signed. The petition will be taken to Congress to show the support of the American people for our national treasures. www.npca.org/ 1 National Parks Second Century Commission Report, Sept 2009 2 National Parks Conservation Association, Press release, Feb 14, 2011 3 National Parks Traveler, online Feb 13, 2011 4 House Appropriations Chairman Rogers on the floor of the House July 25, 2011

5 The State of the National Parks, June 2011 The Center for Park Research, National Parks Conservation Association Also information from Christina Kamrath, National Parks Conservation Association and Sheridan Steele, Superintendent of Acadia NP

Transportation Corridors and Billboards Frances Trafton, Vice Chairman September 2011 Transportation Bill Reauthorization and Infrastructure High speed and intercity Passenger Rail Federal Pilot Program for Toll Revenue Transportation Bill Reauthorization The Transportation Bill expired in September of 2009 and has been extended in its current form since then, now to expire September 30, 2011. Building Americas Future (BAF), chaired by Ed Rendell (D), former Governor of Pennsylvania, Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), former Governor of California, and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), has called for a robust 6-year transportation reauthorization bill, but deem existing proposals to be below their expectations. The Senate is considering a two-year bill that keeps funding at current levels, while the House is debating a 6 year bill with funding cuts of more than 30%. This summer, Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica (R-FL) proposed this 6-year $230 billion bill that would slash funding by more than 30%, particularly affecting Amtrak, pedestrian and bicycle budgets. This six-year plan is supported by John Duncan (R-TN), chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways & Transit, Bill Shuster (R-PA), chairman of the Railroad, Pipelines & Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), chairman of the Coast Guard & Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, calling it a fiscally responsible, bureaucracy-cutting, job-creating long-term solution. Chairman Mica is of the opinion that the proposed outline will ensure more transportation projects, that the Highway Trust Fund will be preserved, and would result in significant job creation over a six year period, and has expressed disappointment in the criticisms, particularly since the committee conducted an unprecedented number of nationwide bipartisan listening sessions. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of Environment and Public Works, has been working hard to get a two year $109 billion bill through the Senate. (Meanwhile, roads and potholes are being fixed through the Recovery Act.) Now, with only 11 legislative days in September, Senator Boxer plans to propose a four-month clean extension of the surface transportation program to tide over the program until January 2012 while Congress debates a long-term bill that would fund transportation programs for between 2 and 6 years. This shorter extension, with no changes to the existing program, is expected to be marked up by Boxers committee on September 8. Mica argues that emphasis should be on long-term certainty for state transportation departments rather than a series of short-term extensions. Supporters of Boxers proposal say that a clean extension would make sense given that neither version of a long-term extension has had a markup in either chamber and the short September calendar leaves little opportunity to pass and conference a bill.

Supporters also say it is unlikely that Congress would let the $100-million-a-day transportation program expire, which would mean a nationwide shutdown of state agencies, but given the two week FAA shutdown this summer due to Congressional authorization lapse, there is reasonable cause for concern. BAF asserts that there is no doubt that a long-term transportation, energy and infrastructure strategy should be developed to prevent the US from falling further behind economic competitors. BAF recommends that the US invest at least $200 billion a year in infrastructure including transportation, energy, water, & broadband internet that does not reward earmarks and instead makes choices based on return on investment and the national interest. Funding such investment is a challenge: raising the gas tax ( last raised in 1993) is considered politically impossible, taxing drivers based on miles driven can be considered an invasion of privacy (the Netherlands is actually proposing this controversial plan), and a tax on oil imports has been suggested. BAF states that funds could be raised through innovative loans, bonds and other funding schemes. There are multiple infrastructure funding bills working their way through Congress, notably a $10 billion infrastructure bank championed by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX). High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail A half year after Florida Governor Rick Scott rejected $2.4 billion in federal dollars to help build high-speed rail structures inside his state, the cash has been sent to 15 other states. The US Department of Transportation announced on August 23 that ~$745 million of Floridas high speed rail money had been obligated toward upgrades on the heavily used Amtrak lines in the Northeast Corridor. $449.94 million alone will be spent on upgrading electrical systems and tracks between Trenton, NJ and New York City. Another $295.78 will be spent on alleviating traffic congestion on those lines. The remaining funds, while not yet obligated, are expected to go to expand high speed rail in the Midwest ($400 million towards newly constructed segments of 110 mph track between Detroit and Chicago, reducing travel time by hour), $336.2 million for state of the art locomotives and rail cars for California and the Midwest, and $300m to build the nations 1st 220 mph high speed rail system in California. A Chattanooga group has just announced that matching money is in place for a federal grant to help advance a Chattanooga to Atlanta airport high speed rail project. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood feels this money should still be available despite federal withholding of some funds ($400 million plus other unspent funds designated for trains) rescinded by Congress as part of budget deliberations. LaHood believes people WANT high speed rail, and that in the three states which rejected the high speed rail funds (Ohio, Florida, and Wisconsin) only one person in each of these states was against [high speed rail] and that was the governor. Meanwhile AMTRAK has chosen a consulting firm to help with financial planning for high speed rail service to the Northeast Corridor and reiterated that it would NOT privatize the corridor as House Republicans would prefer. KPMG, a management & financial consulting group with experience in public-private partnerships, will explore private investment on the tracks and stations. The plan should be complete by May 2012 and will give Amtrak a better idea of how much government money is necessary to increase the speed of its fastest service from the current maximum of 150 mph to 220 mph. Amtrak plans to invest $117 billion over 30 years to upgrade the corridor connecting Washington DC, NYC and Boston. Amtrak VP

for high speed rail Al Engel states there is no successful model on this planet to completely privatize an infrastructure project of this scale. Amtrak will continue to operate the line. Federal investment is necessary to give private companies assurance to invest their capital. Federal Pilot Program for Toll Revenue Rhode Island may be the first of many states to apply for a little-known federal pilot program that would allow it to convert its primary artery into a toll road. As motorists on I-95 cross into RI from Connecticut, they could be asked to pay a $3 toll. Such a toll could raise $50 million a year. Rhode Islands move may be a harbinger of similar efforts across the country. RI faces a transportation funding gap of $4.5 billion over the next ten years. As noted above, the gas tax has long been used to fill the Highway Trust Fund which maintains the Eisenhower eras public works project. Fund revenues have flattened and Congress is reluctant to raise the 18.4 cent per gallon federal levy. Inflation keeps eating into what states can do with the gas tax funds they do have. Governor Lincoln Chafee is pushing ahead with the tolling plan even in the face of objections by Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood: we dont support [this] kind of approachfor roads that have already been built with taxpayer money, then to be tolled. RI needs to get approval from the US Department of Transportation. This pilot program was created by Congress in 1998 and lets states put tolls on old roads. RI hopes to become the first state to take advantage of this provision. It is important to note that RIs mass transit system also relies on dwindling state and federal gas tax receipts and thus faces similar woes. RIPTA is $4.6 million short in operating funds this year; 7 lines could be cut entirely along with holiday and summer beach bus service. The potential toll funds wont help RIPTA as the Federal Governments pilot program wont allow states to spend toll money on mass transit. Last year the stimulus funds saved the line from elimination but no such hope this year. Other states no doubt face this same challenge. E & E Daily Huffington Post Transportation & Infrastructure Committee website New York Times Building Americas Future Foxnews.com

Water and Wetlands Ruth Flournoy, Vice Chairman September 2011

Drought: Is the Southwest Turning Into a Sahara Desert? The New York Times recently reviewed a chapter called Drought: A Creeping Disaster in Alex Prudhommes new book, The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Freshwater in the Twenty-First Century.[1] The message hits home with most of us in the Southwest who have experienced a winter, spring and summer with almost no rainfall. Not only are we dealing with the consequences of no rain, but soaring temperatures are breaking all records, with no end in sight. Semi-tropical Houston is now covered with thousands of dead and dying trees. Most neighborhoods have initiated mandatory watering restrictions. Cattle ranches are suffering as the water table has dropped so precipitously that wells all over the state of Texas are running dry. Rivers and creeks have dried up. Grasses and forbs have withered leaving little food for livestock and wildlife, while invasive juniper and mesquite are

still thriving. Wildfires at one point were present in every county in the state. So little fresh water is running into the Gulf of Mexico that the estuaries are in danger of becoming too salty for shrimp, crabs and oysters to reproduce. Richard Seagar who is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University says that if the models are correct, the Southwest is experiencing permanent desertification, not the shorter term drying out that we know as drought. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification defines desertification as "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities.[2] The climate certainly is changing. Increasingly we are seeing hundred year events such as floods, heavy snowfall, severe droughts, tornadoes and hurricanes occurring more frequently. Human population is exploding. Prudhomme says that the global demand for water is expected to increase by two-thirds by 2025 and we must redefine how we think of water, value it, and use it. Irrigated agriculture is the greatest user of water, representing 70% usage worldwide and in places like California 80%. Power plants are second. Urban water use accounts for 10% of the total but development in arid areas like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles which require more and more water no longer seems rational. Urban areas are growing and more people now live in cities than in rural areas. Where will all of their water come from? Water planners talk about more reservoirs, more pipes, and more dams. If cities take the water, what will the farmers have to use? How will we satisfy our need for increasing our food supply? What will happen to the ecosystems and all of the services they provide? Peter Gleick, an international water expert and president of the Pacific Institute, says We need to change the mind-set away from an engineering mentality Lets find the water we need to management mentality Lets manage the water we have more wisely. Water is indeed the new oil. Research, technology, political will, and a shift in human attitudes will be necessary for countries to tackle the growing problem of too many people vs. too little water. Conservation will have to take a higher priority. More of the same is not an option.

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17drought.html?pagewanted=all [2] Wikipedia

Water and Wetlands-Debbie Ross, Vice Chairman September 2011

This summer Congress has focused on solving the debt crisis. As expected, proposals for slashing the Budget have been of a highly partisan nature. The environment has been an easy target. While one important bill, HR 2018, has passed the House (239-184), many pending bills, which may be rolled into an appropriations bill, will be taken up in September and could be potentially devastating for the environment, which is being assaulted from all sides. The EPA Guidance report on Federal waters has not been issued. HR 2018, Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act

The Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act was introduced by Rep Mica (R-Fla) and Rep Rahall (DWVA) and shepherded on the floor by Rep Gibbs (R-Ohio). It passed on July 13, 239-184. It has been placed on Senate Legislative Calendar 103.It is not expected to pass the Senate and has been threatened with a Presidential veto for three reasons: 1. It undermines Clean Water Act safeguards by removing USEPAs authority to ensure states effectively implement state water quality and standards and improve them when they fail to protect clean water. 2. It prevents USEPA from objecting to state-approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination system permits that manage discharges of pollutants into our waters. 3. It removes USEPA authority to veto dredge and fill permits issued by the Army Corps of Engineers when such activity would discharge dredge and fill materials into our waterways. This includes activities like mountaintop mining. Amendments offered included: 1. Offered by Rep Capito (R-WVA) Would require EPA to examine the impact of its actions on jobs and the economy. Passed 268-152. 2. Offered by Rep Cohen (D-Tenn) Would preserve EPAs authority to oversee regulation of pipelines like the one that burst in Montana and spilled into the Yellowstone River. Passed voice vote. 3. Introduced by Rep Hanabusa (D-Hawaii). Would require EPA to report every year, the increases or decreases in levels of pathogens, bacteria or toxins in state waters. Passed voice vote. This is an extremely dangerous bill that threatens to undo all the good accomplished by the Clean Water Act (CWA). A related bill to amend the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act was introduced by Sen Roberts (R-KS) on April 4. This bill has been referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. It would eliminate the need for a permit for use of a registered pesticide. Pending Legislation HR 2738 Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act introduced by Rep Capps( D-Ca). Referred to House Subcommittee on Water and Power on August 3. This bill establishes a matching grant program at USEPA allowing drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and flood management agencies and utilities to compete for project funding to adapt to future impacts. It provides resources to local governments so they can prepare better and be more resilient to the impact of droughts and floods. HR 2354 Appropriations for Energy and Water Development and related agencies for Fiscal year ending 9/30/2012. Introduced by Rep Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Committee on Appropriations, on 6/24/2011. Passed July 15, 219-196. Includes: 1. A rider that would stop recently released EPA and Army Corps Guidance on waters. It would eliminate the Administrations ability to finalize new clean water guidance and prohibit changes in regulations. The rider is binding and in perpetuity. 2. Will hinder restoration of the Everglades and the Louisiana wetlands. Amendments offered included: 1. Offered by Rep Moran (D-Va) this was a compromise amendment that would have allowed the agency to complete the Guidance. Failed 21-27 in Committee. 2. House Appropriations Committee approved bill 28-18 on July 12. The White House has threatened a veto. The Democrats will keep it on the floor a long time going amendment by amendment. HR 2584 DOI, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 2012. Introduced by Rep Simpson (R-ID). House reported on the original measure. It was left as unfinished business to be taken up in September but might be rolled into a CR. On July 7, House Appropriations subcommittee approved

a spending measure to significantly slash, Interior Dept, Forest Service and EPA spending. The bill is $2.1 billion below current spending and $4 billion below the Administration request. There is an 18% decrease for EPA and a 7% decrease for Interior. This bill contains 38 policy riders running the gamut from a one year stay on new and proposed EPA rules for greenhouse gases and conventional pollutants to a moratorium on new and endangered species. Dirty Water Riders: 1. Block EPA from finalizing Guidance clarifying protected waters under CWA. 2. Delay EPA issuing new rules on stormwater discharges, stream buffers, thermal discharges 3. Prevent EPA from proposing standards for use for cooling water at power plants. 4. Remove CWA safeguards to regulate pesticide discharges. 5. Prevent rules to protect streams and blocking EPA oversight of mountaintop removal. 6. Prevent regulation of coal ash as hazardous substance. 7. Take away EPAs authority to update its stormwater regulations. 8. Prevent the regulation of stormwater discharges from a host of silvi cultural activities 9. $1.5 billion cut to state revolving funds program. Amendments offered include: Introduced by Rep LaTourette (R-Ohio) Amendment to strip funding for enacting ballast water treatment. Passed on voice vote. Introduced by Rep Emerson (R-Mo) Prohibits funding for EPA to designate new wetlands in emergency disaster areas and regulation of wetlands that were part of an emergency disaster area,encouraging more risky development. Passed on voice vote. SOURCES: American Rivers.org/newsroom/press-releases/2011/latest attack on clean safe water www.American Rivers.org/newsroom/blog/faugustyn/2011-lets keep our water clean www.cleanwaternetwork.org/news-event-anti clean water riders www.cleanwatrenetwork.org/node/816 dirty water bills www.cleanwaternetwork.org /news/GreatLakes funding in home Approps bill wwww.EEnewsnet/ EEDaily/2011/07/14/archive/4?/terms=water962wetlands www.thomas.gov www.transportation.house.gov/news www.transportation.house.gov/subcommittees/water

Conservation Showcase Gretchen Downs September 2011

I have been working on a spreadsheet of conservation projects, using three different sources: Con Watch, the GCA Bulletin and Zone Rep Reports. The question kept entering my mind, what is a project and what is not? This is something we all need to think about and discuss. It is easier to think about what is not a project. What Is Not a Project? Though these are things we encourage clubs to do

 A club program featuring a conservation project A clubs Centennial Tree Project Maintenance of a community garden A field trip to conservation site What are the elements of a project? May include more than one, but not necessarily all An educational component A commitment of resources, time or money Outreach to the greater community Collaboration with other organizations A measurable goal Restoration or preservation of a resource Maybemaybe not A conservation display at a flower show A Partners for Plants project The restoration of a historic garden would probably be, but the ongoing maintenance would not be A community effort to remove an invasive species such as garlic mustard from the community would be, if it involved educating the public about garlic mustard and then sponsored a campaign to remove it. A one day garlic mustard pull would not be. This is just the beginning of the framework. It is my hope that by the end of the Hawaii trip we will have a working set of guidelines for Conservation Showcase projects.

Partners for Plants Georgia A. Schell, Vice Chairman September 2011

It is exciting to take on a new position with the Conservation Committee as Vice Chairman for Partners for Plants. Thank you for the opportunity. First, I want to recognize Susan Osborne and Chris Claudill for their leadership and mentoring during the past year. Thanks to their efforts Partners for Plants was handed off in stellar condition and I hope that Anne Jennings, Horticulture Vice Chairman, and I will be able to build on their accomplishments. During the June New York meeting, the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the Garden Club of America for the Mutual Benefit of Conserving Native Plants and their Habitats, was renewed for the next five years ending 2016, by GCA President Joan George, Susie Wilmerding, Conservation Chairman, and Susan Osborne, Conservation Vice Chairman for Partners for Plants. A similar agreement between the National Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture and the Garden Club of America was signed in 2009 with a renewal date of May, 2014. Summer has been a time of organization, learning and administrative updates for the GCA Website for Partners for Plants. GCA Website Coordinator, Munro Bonnell uploaded the Partners for Plants PowerPoint presentation and project list description with current project and Vice Chairman contact information. Plans are in the works with the Communications Committee to have the project proposal form and projection completion form in a format that allows for downloading, online filling out and submission via email. Currently, we have 28 Partners for Plants projects in all Zones except Zones III and VI. Helping those Zones find PfP projects will be one of our goals for the next year!

I am looking forward to the next two years and working with GCA Clubs across the zones. Partners for Plants is a way for GCA members to be involved and make a very hands on contribution to our environment. Comments from Sherryl Taylor, Ridgefield Garden Club, Zone II, and Project Coordinator of a project in Bodie Hills, CA, Zone XII, capture the spirit of Partners for Plants. The Bodie Hills project conducted a rare plant survey under the direction of BLM botanist Martin Oliver. Bodie Hills is an area that is often the focus of gold mine exploration and proposed release from protection as a Wilderness Study Area. Sherryl wrote, The data we collect is added to a data base used by the agencies for planning the grazing schedule on public lands. When exploration for mining becomes an issue, as it is right now in the Bodie Hills, the data base informs the decisions that are made for use of these lands. Sometimes we are checking out an old record to see if the plant is still growing there. In addition to the work we accomplish, work that no one botanist could do, we benefit from gaining firsthand knowledge of the commitment the botanists have to the land, how much they care about what happens to it and how hard they work. At a time when public lands employees are criticized for what they fail to do, we can share this information with others. Lastly, we know the botanists look forward to this time out of the office when they can accomplish projects that have been on their wish lists. When Partners for Plants began in the early 1990s, there was concern that there were not enough botanists to adequately study and protect rare plants on our public lands. While there still is a shortage of botanists, GCA, by supporting a program that assists botanist doing rare plant work on public lands can claim to have addressed this problem successfully with a model that works.

Zone X Report Julia F. Johnson, Zone X Representative October, 2011 Garden Club of Akron GCA recently held a flower show at the museum in Akron. In connection with the show, the Conservation Committee produced a significant exhibit on the Habitat Restoration and Reintroduction Plan for the Northern Monkshood at Gorge Metro Park. The Director of Natural Resources for Summit Countys Metroparks spearheaded this collaborative effort. The exhibit was prepared by the Marketing Department and included three panels featuring beautiful pictures of the Aconitum noveboracense, a table display with test tubes and explanations of how the restoration will be approached. GCA estimates that over 1,000 members of the community were exposed to the Exhibit during the four days of the show. Bay City Garden Club The BCGC February meeting will feature a program on the Anchor Bay Watershed Project, a two-year project that developed a watershed management plan for the 110,000-acre Anchor Bay lake drainage basin. The primarily urban (23%) and agricultural (36%) watershed has been faced with increasing development pressures. Since the Anchor Bay watershed overlaps downstream portions of both the Clinton and St. Clair River Areas of Concern, the plan built on efforts under the Remedial Action Plan process, as well as efforts of the Blue Water Task Force on Water Quality, the Macomb County Blue Ribbon Commission on Lake St. Clair, and the Macomb/St. Clair InterCounty Watershed Advisory Group. In conjunction with the February program, organic Preen will be distributed to members for use in their gardens. For the BCGC's other meetings, the Conservation Committee will be sharing information with members about other GCA Conservation projects. In addition, BCGC has an ongoing project called the "Learning Tree" which they do during the summer with the local community center. Members present a program to children attending the community center's summer program to educate them on the different trees that are in the Arboretum, many of which have been planted by BCGC. The children make a journal to take home. Cincinnati Town & Country Garden Club The October meeting of T&CGC will focus

on "Sustainability." The guest speaker will be Len Sauers, Vice-President of Global Sustainability for Proctor & Gamble. He will address the challenges of ensuring a smaller footprint for the company and its customers around the globe. He will explain the initiatives and the practices that P & G is undergoing to move towards 100% zero waste in manufacturing; to minimize the environmental effects of products after they are used; and what it means to be green." P&G's department of Global Sustainability comprises over 600 individuals who are responsible for advancing P & G's program in environmental and social sustainability to ensuring P & G's products are safe for consumers and the environment as well as to ensure compliance with regulations around the world. Mr. Sauers has been with P & G for 24 years and has a PhD in toxicology. National Drug Take Back day is Saturday, October 29th. CT&CGC will again be collecting prescription drugs from members and taking them to a DEA site to be destroyed so that they will not pollute area streams and water. Country Garden Club of Perrysburg A promotional campaign to encourage Cardboard Recycling was funded by CGC and kicked off during September during Perrysburgs annual street fair called Harrison Rally Days. A parade float introduced the community to the project; encouraged citizens to save cardboard; and announced the November 12th grand opening of the new cardboard recycling drop-off site. Those who attended the street fair won prizes by identifying cardboard items that were recyclable and those that were not. CGC members participated in the parade, distributed informational magnets and spoke with people in the crowd about recycling cardboard. The Conservation Committee developed the project to increase the number of families that recycle cardboard and reduce the amount the ends up the landfill. CGC funds will equip the second cardboard drop-off site and cover the costs of Saturday morning hours. Garden Club of Cincinnati The Conservation/NAL arm of the Garden Club of Cincinnati continues to focus on bringing to members' attention current issues and events affecting local green space, clean air and water and other environmental concerns. At the September meeting, Conservation highlighted and encouraged members to attend two local events in the immediate future. A "Pedal for Progress" mass bicycle ride, sponsored by "350.org" was held September 24 in downtown Cincinnati. This was an opportunity to inform members of the meaning behind the name "350.org", as well as the purpose and goal of the organization founded by Bill McKibben, the keynote speaker at the 2011 NAL conference. The other event which members were urged to attend is a Forum for City Council Candidates sponsored by Green Group Cincinnati, a network of individuals and organizations working toward heightening environmental awareness in the city. All members received a postcard-sized announcement about the event. At the Forum, to be held the evening of October 13, 2011, some 13 candidates will respond to questions relating to improving mass transit, continuing the recycling program which Green Group Cincinnati was a key player in advocating for and which is currently saving the city $1 Million per year. Garden Club of Cleveland The Conservation Committee hosted its first hike of the year at one of the area's newest Metro parks. Those in attendance enjoyed this time in the out of doors and immediately agreed on another day and another park to be hiked. The first conservation chat described in the September Report occurs in October and will feature a Cleveland Metro Parks Naturalist. The most recent Garden Club of Cleveland meeting was held at the newest of the Cleveland parks along Lake Erie - the Lakefront Nature Preserve. Previously, this 88 acre site had been a dredge disposal site and it is now designated as an Important Birding Area. GCC is part of a collaborative that is working to open this space for birding to school groups and the general public. Garden Club of Dayton and Garden Club of Michigan No report. Indianapolis Garden Club On August 25th, Indianapolis Garden Club attended a luncheon given by The Wishard Foundation to introduce David Rubin. Rubin, a partner of the Philadelphia Landscape Firm, Olin, has been chosen as the Landscape Architect for the rebuilding of the Wishard Hospital Campus

which will be named the Eskenazi Health Gardens. Rubin is the 2011 Garden Club of America Rome Prize winner for Landscape Architecture. The Wishard/Eskenazi Health Gardens project is a $754 million project encompassing a 1.2 million square foot Green Facility hospital that is reusing an old urban site in the city of Indianapolis. Rubin shared his vision, ideas, and a myriad of issues that were considered in developing this major landscape design project for the new Wishard Hospital. The elements of water, natural landscape, a green sky farm rooftop garden are all to be incorporated in the landscape to create a Wellness District for all to benefit and enjoy on the hospital campus. The Wishard project was a part of the portfolio submitted to win the Garden Club of America Rome Prize. GCI was privileged to have Rubin make Indianapolis one of his last stops before leaving to begin his studies in Italy. Little Garden Club of Columbus LGCC commemorated its 50th Anniversary by awarding a $50,000 grant to the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery for the restoration and conservation of the arboretums central area. The project will involve removal of invasive species around a pond and bridge area of the cemetery park. Native plants and fourteen native trees, dedicated to the founders of LGCC, will be planted in the restored area. Some 3,000 trees in Greenlawn provide support for migrating and resident birds who feed on insects that that are dependent on the parks native trees. Thousands of birders who visit the cemetery arboretum each year will enjoy these enhancements and the benches that will be installed as a part of the project. Shaker Lakes Garden Club - The SLGC has not yet met. April 12, 2012 has been reserved for a Conservation program.