Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) along with co-sponsor Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) have introduced their own version of the House’s bill called, Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act. According to a press release by Sen. Whitehouse, the Act will accomplish three things.
The bill would direct the federal government to develop coordinated national strategies to identify, monitor, and protect or restore wildlife populations and habitats that are likely to be harmed by global warming;
It would also create a panel to advise us on what we should do.
The bill would create Advisory Boards, with members appointed by the President of the National Academy of Sciences, and a new National Global Warming and Wildlife Science Center within the U.S. Geological Survey, to conduct research and provide scientific and technical advice on strategies to help wildlife, oceans, and coastal ecosystems adapt to global warming. A special panel would also be convened to look specifically at the impacts of climate change on endangered species (emboldening is added).
The bill would also provide funding in order to further study wildlife, oceans and habitat that are being affected by global warming. This money would also be used to implement programs to protect wildlife and habitat that are being affected by global warming.
We have certainly pressed the panic button in this society over global warming which is being proven time and again, day after day that it is just not scientifically supported. This is a hoax that is sure to bring billions of dollars into the pockets of scientific research and with this new proposed act would also distribute money to organizations to “implement programs” to counter global warming. And just where do you think that money will go?
I’ll give you one hint. The Defenders of Wildlife think this Act is a terrific idea and I’m sure other extreme environmental groups and animal rights groups will be jumping on this bandwagon.
This act is troubling in other ways as well. First of all, this appears to be another back door attempt to get federal government in control over state’s wildlife management programs. For decades the feds have, for the most part, recognized the 10th Amendment when it comes to managing wildlife programs and has butted out of allowing state sovereignty to prevail, with one exception being the Endangered Species Act.
Now all of a sudden because we have a group of emotionally charged people jumping on the global warming train ride, the state’s wildlife management programs are not good enough to deal with changes? State’s wildlife officials should be insulted as well as concerned. The feds want to take control over their wildlife and lands that provide the habitat.
The Endangered Species Act, as much as I think it is now outdated and in dire need of being revamped or axed, has sufficed lawmakers to this point in protecting threatened species. This act sounds like another way to put more power into the hands of the feds to further reduce hunting and fishing opportunities as well as outdoor pursuits all in the name of establishing habitat they claim is disappearing because of global warming.
Along with this grabbing up of more land for habitat protection comes the loss of individual property rights, say nothing of the millions of dollars that will be lost because of restrictions put on logging, mining and other businesses that rely on these lands.
Climateatrisk.com writes of the introduction of Whitehouse’s bill and describes the powers that would be granted to the appointed, not elected but appointed panel that would be in control.
The national strategy identifies specific goals and methods to protect, acquire and restore wildlife habitat in order to build resilience to global warming, and provide habitat linkages to facilitate wildlife movements in response to global warming. The National Strategy would also protect natural communities most vulnerable to global warming, and restore and protect ecological processes that sustain wildlife populations.
Does this language sound at all familiar? The Wildlands Project is an organization whose goals are to take land away from private landowners in order to create vast areas of land closed to humans and left for the “natural” use of wildlife at the expense of human productivity and freedom. The want wildlife to have the freedom to move about unimpaired by you and I owning land.
The Wildlands Project’s work to reconnect the continent begins with “MegaLinkages”–vast pathways that tie natural places together.
Within each continental MegaLinkage we propose regional systems of core protected areas connected to one another by “wildlife linkages,” mosaics of public and private lands that provide safe passageways for wildlife to travel freely from place to place.
Private land owners within proposed conservation planning areas are not bound in any way by our recommendations, but are encouraged to participate in voluntary actions to protect landscape linkages and native species.
It is not coincidental that the use of the word “linkages” is used in describing both goals by the Wildlands Project and the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act.
But it doesn’t stop here. Rocker Carole King, a wildlands/wilderness advocate, who I am told is friends with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, got her chance to meet with the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, to promote her agenda of creating more wilderness – described as the biggest wilderness creation act since the Alaska Land Act.
King is pushing the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.
The bill, sponsored by New York Democrat Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Connecticut Republican Christopher Shays would designate as wilderness nearly 7 million acres in Montana, 9.5 million acres in Idaho, 5 million acres in Wyoming, 750,000 acres in eastern Oregon, and 500,000 acres in eastern Washington.
Another three million acres in Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks also would become wilderness, where no logging, road-building, motorized use, and new oil and gas drilling or new mining could take place.
Now that the Democrats, notorious for being environmentalists with little concern for economic welfare and property rights, are in charge, this is the kind of legislation they are trying to push through and it all goes hand in hand.
This Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act is unnecessary and will needlessly cost taxpayers billions of dollars. It will further inflate an already overinflated government that does not need more power over the states. We have brilliant scientists and biologists working all across this land protecting our wildlife and doing a commendable job. Let’s keep big government out.
This act will further tie up land deemed as critical habitat all in the name of global warming, a theory never proven scientifically to be valid. With those in charge fostering ideas that we need millions of square miles of unaccessible wilderness lands for animals is absurd and scientifically unfounded. This is Disney biology at its best.
We as hunters, fishermen and trappers witness first hand how our opportunities are shrinking on a daily basis when governments, pushed by environmental and animal rights groups, tie up land we use to hunt and fish on because of political hard balling.
To some this act may appear to be one that will work toward guaranteeing that we will continue to have game to hunt and fish. It is far from that. We have seen what an abuse of the Endangered Species Act has done for us and this Act will enhance the powers of those who administer the ESA. Is that what we want? Do we want left-wing environmentalists fear mongers further stripping us of hunting and fishing opportunities and taking land out of the hands of private citizens?
This act is not grounded in good scientific reasoning. It’s a means by which power hungry politicians can control the people using the fear of global warming to take away our land, our freedoms and our opportunities to prosper and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
I would encourage everyone to contact their senators and congressmen and tell them the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act is nothing our country needs. If you believe your state has the ability to handle your wildlife management and that you believe the American dream is to own land and have the rights to use that land, speak up now.
Tom Remington
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