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Statement from Steve McCormick, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, Regarding the President's 2007 State of the Union AddressARLINGTON, Va. — January 23, 2007 — We welcome the commitment of both the President and the Congress in addressing the causes and consequences of global climate change. Biofuels, including ethanol, may be an important part of the solution. But before mandating the production of 30 billion gallons of ethanol or more, we must carefully examine all the potential public consequences, both positive and negative. If enacted, an ethanol mandate of this magnitude could require the conversion of at least 30 million acres, possibly the single biggest change in American land use since the Civil War. That will have serious implications for both water and soil quality and wildlife habitat. It could also significantly raise the cost of gasoline, impacting local economies.
Our 'addiction to oil' cannot be solved by merely working the supply side of the equation. Any expanded production of biofuels must also be paired with policies to improve energy efficiency and reduce the demand for transportation fuels by other means. We can work together to find a comprehensive, sustainable, and lasting solution to the climate change crisis without sacrificing the enormous gains accomplished by our country's conservation programs.
The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org. |
