Press Release: Statement of EDF President Fred Krupp on Speaker Pelosis Climate Commitment
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| Press Release: Fences Putting Imperiled Western Birds at Greater Risk
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396, sstein@edf.org
Michael Bean, 202-572-3312
Theodore Toombs, 303-440-4901
(Washington, D.C. – January 27, 2009) Two species of Western birds that are teetering on the edge of being added to the U.S. endangered species list could be helped by improving the fence-building practices of two federal agencies, according to Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The conservation group said today that if the Bureau of Land Management and Natural Resources Conservation Service put inexpensive, easily available reflectors or other markers on wire fences, needless deaths of greater sage grouse and lesser prairie chickens could be avoided.
“Listing these birds under the Endangered Species Act is likely to have far-reaching consequences for livestock grazing, oil and gas development, and wind energy development across much of the country,” said Michael Bean, senior director of the Wildlife Program and senior attorney. “Reducing the hazard from fencing is a practical step that can be taken now to reduce one of the known threats to these birds. It could produce immediate benefits for very little money. This is a smart investment, and one we can afford.”
Several studies have shown wire fencing to be one main cause of death for sage grouse and lesser prairie chickens, which live in a combined 15 states across the West. The birds cannot see the thin wires and fly into them. The collisions are often fatal. A study in Oklahoma found that fence collisions caused an astonishing 39.8 percent of lesser prairie chicken deaths from known causes, and a similar study in Utah found fence collision responsible for 18 percent of sage grouse deaths.
EDF combed through government and academic data looking for ways to help these two birds because both are under active consideration for addition to the federal endangered species list. EDF is now urging the simple action of equipping government-built or government-funded wire fences with reflective devices made from vinyl siding, cloth flagging, or similar markers. It could be done quickly and the cost would be minor compared to the overall cost of fencing. While adding reflective devices will not eliminate all the potential problems for wildlife caused by fences, the change will reduce one of these animals’ most serious problems.
“It’s not often we have an opportunity to help two struggling species with such a simple action,” said Bean. “We should retrofit government-funded fences and ensure that all new fences are built with visibility enhancements of some sort. This action alone won’t reverse the decline of the birds, but it’s a big step in the right direction.”
Two federal government agencies have unwittingly contributed to the loss of these species. Sage grouse live in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, North Dakota and South Dakota. Lesser prairie chickens live in Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, and both birds live in Colorado. Thousands of miles of the deadly wire fences have been built in those states in the last three years – either directly by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or with funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Since 2005, BLM has built 3,150 miles of fencing in the 15 affected states, at a cost of about $10,000 per mile. NRCS funds more than 1,000 miles of fencing each year in the counties where the birds live, at roughly the same cost. For an extra $200 per mile – or a two percent cost increase — all new fencing could be built with reflectors or flagging so the birds could avoid it and survive. EDF has raised the issue with officials of both agencies and is encouraged that they have been receptive to addressing the problem.
The Bush administration decided against adding the greater sage grouse to the list of endangered species a few years ago, but last year a court found that the decision was tainted by political interference and ordered that it be reconsidered. The new Obama administration will take up the matter sometime this year. The lesser prairie chicken was recently moved to near the top of the list of species that are candidates for possible Endangered Species Act protection.
EDF has state and county-specific data on BLM and NRCS fencing in each of the 15 states listed above. For that, and other related information, click here.
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| Press Release: Statement of EDF President Fred Krupp on Speaker Pelosis Climate Commitment “We applaud the Speaker’s plan to bring cap and trade legislation to a vote in the House in 2009. Now is precisely the time for a bill that would reduce our oil dependence, secure our climate, and give a boost to American manufacturing. “The cap creates customers, and if there was ever a time U.S. companies needed customers for new technologies, at home and abroad, it is now. President Obama and Congress are moving swiftly to build America’s new energy industry, and a cap will ensure that there are buyers ready to make it thrive.
“We look forward to working with Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Waxman, and the Obama administration to pass a cap and trade bill that is environmentally effective and economically smart. The speaker’s commitment to bring a bill to the floor by December is a huge step toward that goal.”
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Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit www.edf.org.
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