Conservancy Releases "Green" Economic Stimulus Proposal

Package Highlights Infrastructure; Restoration

ARLINGTON, VA — December 10, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy released a “green” economic stimulus package today, advocating for the funds to restore ecosystems, initiate green infrastructure construction, and create much-needed jobs in the process. The package will be provided to Capitol Hill lawmakers, agency staff, and members of the president-elect Obama’s transition team.

“This week, Congress is considering ways to develop and deploy the technology, science and labor that will produce a sustainable long-term economy,” said Mark Tercek, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “Conservation offers us one of the best opportunities to accomplish that. By strengthening already existing federal environmental programs, we can create jobs immediately, and we can also take steps toward addressing environmental threats at a time when they have never been more urgent.”

The Conservancy is advocating that a portion of stimulus funding go toward restoring natural systems. Such investment provides human and ecological benefits. For example, restored freshwater marshes can act as a natural seawall, holding water in times of flood, retaining water in times of drought and filtering out pollutants. Coastal marshes and oyster reefs are nursery grounds for fish and buffer the land against storms.

Recognizing that the stimulus will provide much needed investment in the nation’s roads, bridges, rails, dams and levees, the Conservancy is also calling for giving priority to hard infrastructure projects that are compatible with nature. Investing in these “green infrastructure” projects will ensure that stimulus investment will minimize additional environmental damage.

Environmental restoration and green infrastructure projects would provide jobs for an array of Americans, including heavy equipment operators, surveyors, engineers, ecologists, landscape architects, hydrologists and even horticulturists who work in nurseries that offer local seedlings and other specialized plants for restoration.

In Washington state, there are a wide variety of projects and programs that could participate in this stimulus package. Here are just a few examples:

Puget Sound: Projects to restore the Nisqually River estuary, to restore Fisher Slough along the Skagit River, to support local native oyster-restoration activities, to open up nonfunctioning dams that block fish passage, could all be included in the stimulus package. Puget Sound recovery is a major focus of the proposed stimulus package.
Healthy forests: Funding to reduce fuels to lessen the chances of catastrophic fire in forests across the country is included in the proposal. It also includes funding for grants to small business and local governments to build infrastructure for efficient restoration activities.

“We can put local people to work and invest in the long-term health and productivity of our country by restoring the natural systems that sustain us all,” said Maggie Coon, acting director for the Conservancy in Washington. “This is an opportunity to create a better future for all of us.”

For more details on The Nature Conservancy’s proposals please visit http://www.nature.org/pressroom/news/news2930.html.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.