I was raised among the Midwest’s hardwood forests and cornfields. My dad, perhaps pining for the son he never had, decided I was a good enough stand-in. He took me hunting for ducks, deer, pheasants, rabbits, and when guns were out of season, for mushrooms and other yummy edibles culled from the forest. In the process, he instilled in me a deep connection to our wild heritage. In highschool, I became a certified SCUBA diver (yes, you can dive in Michigan!), and when it came time for college, I moved west and lived along the magical central California coast. I spent my college semester-abroad diving the reefs of the Caribbean, and learning about fishing-based economies, their glories and their hardships.
This experience left a deep impression on me, and I spent the next 7 years working in the Pacific Northwest, advocating for the conservation of forests, streams and coastal areas, but also working with the communities and people whose livelihood depended on those resources. This experience taught me how to truly listen to and consider all perspectives, an important part of solution-oriented advocacy. Today, I feel privileged to advocate on behalf of our Blue Planet, and the incredible and mysterious marine world beneath the ocean’s surface.
Posted March 1, 2012 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
Senator Vitter has introduced an amendment to the Senate Transportation bill that would allow drilling off of every coast with zero consideration of environmental impacts. Senator Vitter’s amendment (#1535) would require the Administration to revert to a Bush Administration schedule...continued→
Posted September 19, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
A government investigation has found that last spring’s Deepwater Horizon explosion, which resulted in eleven worker deaths and led to our nation’s worst-ever oil spill, was the result of numerous failures and poor decision-making by BP and its contractors. The...continued→
Posted September 13, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
The days of BOEMRE are numbered. BOEMRE, or the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, was set up as a temporary agency to replace the Minerals Management Service (MMS) after President Obama announced the beleaguered MMS...continued→
Posted July 19, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources will mark-up their oil spill response safety bill (S. 917) on Thursday morning. Despite bi-partisan agreement on the underlying bill, Senators Landrieu and Murkowski will likely offer a controversial amendment that would send a...continued→
Posted July 8, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
Yesterday, House Republicans passed an appropriations bill through subcommittee that, if signed into law, would severely retard efforts to protect our oceans, coasts and communities. Rather than engaging in sensible budget trimming, the Republican appropriators are seeking a 19% cut...continued→
Posted June 20, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Curbing Pollution, Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
It’s bad enough that Big Oil companies want to drill below the fragile and remote Arctic Ocean off the coast of Alaska. But now they’re also demanding exemptions from the Clean Air Act so their offshore drilling operations can spew...continued→
Posted May 24, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
Review As much as Republican rhetoric signals otherwise, increasing offshore drilling off of our coasts, or weakening safety standards to speed existing offshore drilling will do nothing to lower gas prices. Recently, the Republican Leadership’s misguided rhetoric led to a...continued→
Posted May 12, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
Last night, Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a companion bill to the trio of offshore drilling bills passed by the House of Representatives this week and last. Sen. McConnell’s bill, while not identical to the House bills, takes...continued→
Posted April 11, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
As the 1-year mark of the nation’s worst offshore oil spill fast approaches, you might be surprised to learn that rather than taking action to prevent another deadly spill, Congress is instead proposing to expand offshore drilling while sidestepping environmental...continued→
Posted March 24, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil
Twenty-two years ago today, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of heavy crude oil, which eventually covered approximately 1,100 miles of sensitive coastline. The environmental toll...continued→
Posted March 21, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
As part of my blog series examining the status of offshore oil and gas management nearly one-year after the Gulf oil disaster - and paying homage to the spirited budget debates that are occurring in Congress - I wanted to...continued→
Posted March 15, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Reviving the World's Oceans, Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
As the 1-year anniversary of the BP Gulf oil disaster fast approaches, I wanted to write a series of blogs that focus on some of the National Oil Spill Commission’s key recommendations, and where things stand when it comes to...continued→
Posted March 1, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans
Yesterday, Secretary Salazar approved the first deepwater drilling permit since the tragic Gulf oil disaster last April. The permit was awarded to Noble Energy, to drill a well in 6,500 feet of water, located 70 miles offshore from Venice, Louisiana....continued→
Posted February 13, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Reviving the World's Oceans
Late Friday night, House Republicans released their proposed FY 2011 budget, which - in 359 pages - amounts to a tremendous assault on our nation’s environment. My colleagues have blogged on the dangerous and irresponsible affects of the Republicans ideological...continued→
Posted January 20, 2011 by Regan Nelson in Moving Beyond Oil, Reviving the World's Oceans, U.S. Law and Policy
Yesterday, Secretary Salazar announced the new agency structure that will be established in place of the now-defunct Minerals Management Service. The announcement, while representative of significant reforms already underway at the Department of the Interior, still falls short of the...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
