Posted February 17, 2012 by Elly Pepper in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
As the transportation bill saga continues, yesterday the House passed a bill by a vote of 237-187 (H.R. 3408—formerly known as H.R. 3410) that would devastate our oceans and coasts. The House plans, through a rarely-used procedure, to include it...continued→
Posted January 31, 2012 by Elly Pepper in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
On Wednesday, the House Natural Resources Committee will mark-up three bills that would require the Administration to drill, baby, drill, and use the revenues from the expanded drilling to fund the transportation bill. If enacted, the proposal, at best, would...continued→
Posted January 27, 2012 by Elly Pepper in Moving Beyond Oil, Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
When we turn on the heat in our homes or start our cars, most of us don’t think about the creatures that may be harmed as a result. But the fact is that oil, gas, and coal extraction is one...continued→
Posted December 21, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
As the House and Senate appropriators reached a $1 trillion federal spending agreement for 2012 last Thursday, we were thrilled to hear that the bill would NOT harm wolves! As I wrote early last week, we had heard that a...continued→
Posted December 13, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
The holiday season is supposed to be about love, joy, and compassion for all living beings. So why, as the House and Senate negotiate an appropriations package for FY12, are some Members trying to insert a rider that would harm...continued→
Posted October 31, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
Border Bill On October 5, the House Natural Resources Committee passed the deceptively-named “National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act” (H.R. 1505) by a party line vote of 26-17. Introduced by Rep. Bishop (R-UT), the bill would exempt the Department...continued→
Posted October 31, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places
As you celebrate Halloween today, take a minute to think about what makes this holiday so special—black cats, pumpkins, and, of course, bats! There are many different theories as to why bats are associated with Halloween. One of the most...continued→
Posted October 7, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
The public lands surrounding our country's borders contain wilderness areas, national wildlife refuges, national forests, national monuments, state parks, and hundreds of miles within the national park system. These lands are also home to some of our nation’s most spectacular...continued→
Posted September 29, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
As Members of Congress returned from August recess, they wasted no time continuing their assault on our nation’s imperiled creatures and the law that protects them. Here’s a summary of the legislative attacks we saw during the month of September....continued→
Posted September 23, 2011 by Elly Pepper in U.S. Law and Policy
Over the years, our nation has seen its share of natural disasters that have wreaked havoc upon our infrastructure. Often, these events require us to pick up the pieces and rebuild. But, in doing so, should we really be throwing...continued→
Posted August 5, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
The House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill (H.R. 2584) took center stage last month, as debate raged over its over 38 anti-environmental riders. The base bill contained a number of provisions that would harm our nation’s wildlife, including one that...continued→
Posted July 27, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
Republicans and Democrats can’t find a whole lot to agree on these days. Well, today they did. Thirty-seven Republicans joined all but 2 Democrats to pass an amendment to the Interior appropriations bill (H.R. 2584) that preserves critical protections for America’s imperiled...continued→
Posted July 13, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
Have you ever tried to explain extinction to a kid? It’s not easy. You’ll inevitably get questions like: “There isn’t even one?” “Couldn’t they come back some day?” “So I won’t ever get to see one?” They just can’t fathom...continued→
Posted July 12, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Saving Wildlife and WIld Places, U.S. Law and Policy
Today, House appropriators will vote on the House Interior Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012, which passed the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee on party lines last week. The bill makes steep cuts to funding necessary to protect endangered species, including zeroing...continued→
Posted July 7, 2011 by Elly Pepper in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
**Update: An amendment added by Rep. Whitfield (R-KY) in Full Committee has made the TRAIN Act an entirely different, and much more deadly, bill. This is because the current version of TRAIN could permanently block two clean air safeguards—the Cross-State Air Pollution...continued→
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