The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

The Nature Conservancy expressed concerns with the energy bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today. According to Bob Bendick,
Director of Government Relations at the Conservancy, “The Nature Conservancy opposes the overall bill (H.R. 3408) because:

• It requires offshore drilling for oil and gas without the kinds of environmental review and additional safeguards needed to reduce risks to sensitive coastal and marine resources.
• It similarly, accelerates the permitting of on shore oil infrastructure without sufficient review of its impacts.”

Bendick added, however, that “a bright spot in an otherwise harmful bill was the inclusion of a provision from Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) to help ensure that fines from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are invested into the Gulf of Mexico region. This will help rebuild and strengthen the environment and support America’s economic recovery,” Bendick continued. “We fully support this, and thank Congressman Scalise for his leadership on this issue.”

“The Nature Conservancy would support well-designed policies to increase domestic energy production,” concluded Bendick. “However, this bill will not move this country toward a balanced energy strategy that includes the energy efficiency and renewable energy policies that our nation also needs to create jobs, build our economy, achieve energy security and protect our environment.”

The Conservancy also opposes elements of the related House transportation bill (H.R. 7), including:

1. The dissolution of the Transit Fund, which moves funds away from public transportation. Public transportation systems are effective means of reducing emissions from the transportation sector.
2. Cuts to the Transportation Enhancements (TE) programs that have helped build safer streets and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The TE program also provides important opportunities for outdoor recreation, historic preservation and natural resource conservation to communities across the nation.
3. Cutting funding for the Scenic Byways program, which emphasizes good road design and integration of transportation into corridor-wide natural resource and economic development efforts.