Tag Archives: endangered species

The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup digest – January 2021

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Christina W

A sampling of news from Mass Audubon’s weekly advocacy updates – sign up here

Mass Audubon Weighs In

We provided input for this Huffington Post article on balancing solar expansion, agriculture, and open space protection.

Mass Audubon joined partners in urging the Biden-Harris Administration to reverse environmental rollbacks made over the last few years. This includes support for the Endangered Species Act and equitable conservation funding. And in their first few weeks, the Administration has filed a series of Executive Orders that include a directive to review the boundaries and conditions of several National Monuments, including the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts — an important first step toward restoring the site’s protections.

We also signed on opposing state Renewable Portfolio Standard revisions that weaken standards for biomass to qualify for financial incentives. Biomass energy, which relies on burning wood and other materials, should not be considered a non-emitting energy source, and can worsen air quality.

Policy News

Despite strong grassroots support, Governor Baker chose not to sign the Next-generation roadmap bill that would establish net-zero targets and ensure prioritization of Environmental Justice communities, among other goals. However, the bill was refiled at the start of the new legislative session, quickly passed again in the House and Senate, and is back on the Governor’s desk. This time, the legislature can overturn a veto or work with the Governor on amendments.

The Baker Administration released their 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap, detailing policies and strategies to combat climate change.

In other climate policy news, Massachusetts has officially signed on to the regional Transportation Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P), which aims to significantly reduce regional carbon emissions from our largest source, the transportation sector. Learn more about the TCI-P’s benefits and shortcomings.

The state Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program has released new toolkits, which include several Mass Audubon resources. The Program is also encouraging cities and towns considering applying for the FY22 MVP Action Grant application round to fill out a short Expression of Interest form.

Climate Central

→ Global heating could stabilize if net zero emissions are achieved
→ A record number of billion-dollar climate disasters took place in 2020
→ A federal appeals court has struck down the Trump Administration’s Clean Power Plan replacement
→ US rejoins the Paris Climate Accord
→ Vineyard Wind has resumed its permitting process after temporarily withdrawing their construction and operation plan from review last month

The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup Digest – September 2020

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Christina W

A sampling of news from Mass Audubon’s weekly advocacy updates – sign up here

Actions You Can Take

Help keep up the pressure to get state climate legislation passed into law this session – ask your legislators to keep pushing for progress on emission reduction targets, equitable decision-making, and natural climate solutions.

Methane is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, yet the federal government is rolling back methane pollution regulations. We can still act to collectively reduce these emissions.

Mass Audubon supports new federal legislation protecting communities and wildlife from harmful pesticides – you can help by asking your elected officials to sign on as cosponsors.

Pesticides pose a threat to grassland species like the Eastern Meadowlark. Photo credit: USFWS

Mass Audubon Weighs In

We opposed changes to the US Endangered Species Act that would narrow the definition of habitat and how it’s protected, and joined partners in opposing legislation weakening the Act.

Our Shaping the Future program is partnering with our conservation science staff and Allens Pond and Great Neck wildlife sanctuaries to enhance salt marsh resilience on the South Coast.

We provided input on the state’s Climate Resilience Design Standards and Guidelines, which will incorporate climate resilience into certain state projects.

Mass Audubon signed on as a member of the THRIVE Agenda, an economic renewal plan tackling the overlapping crises of racial injustice, climate change, unemployment, and public health.

We support responsibly developed offshore wind energy, but stronger protections are needed. We joined partners in expressing concern over failures to protect endangered marine mammals during offshore wind site surveys.

Horseshoe crab blood is used in vaccine and medication development, but this process is unsustainable for horseshoe crabs and species that depend on their eggs for food. We joined partners in calling for a synthetic alternative to be recognized for biomedical use.

Assawompset Pond, Lakeville, MA. Photo credit: Kevin Ham

Policy News

Communities have been awarded $11.1 million through the latest round of Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grants. Mass Audubon will be assisting the towns of Lakeville and Plympton with projects improving watershed management and targeted land protection.

The state has released a new report about safety and environmental challenges posed by over 25,000 road stream crossings across the state, and community needs for addressing these issues.

Climate Central

→ Assessing climate vulnerability in Mass Audubon salt marshes
→ Looking to land for climate solutions
→ Massachusetts fire season: not so normal
→ Climate change could be fueling an “acceleration of pandemics”
→ Views That Matter: race and opinions on climate change of Boston area residents

Help Keep the Endangered Species Act Strong

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Christina W

Leatherback turtles (photo credit: NOAA)

Changes to the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) have been proposed that would significantly weaken how habitat is protected under the law, but we can still help prevent them.

The changes would narrow the definition of habitat under the ESA, limiting the ability of federal agencies to conserve and restore areas important for the survival of ESA-listed species.

The proposed definition does not incorporate habitat areas in need of restoration, or account for shifts in habitat ranges expected to come with climate change, both of which are essential to the recovery of threatened and endangered species. At a time when habitat destruction and climate change are threatening so many species, we should be improving, not weakening, the way we protect them under the ESA.

You Can Help Stop These Changes

Take action today by asking your Congressperson to oppose the changes and uphold protections for our most vulnerable species.

Thank you for taking this action to protect our most vulnerable species!

Protecting the Endangered Species Act

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Christina W

by Christina Wiseman and Jenna Clemenzi

The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) is under threat. A bipartisan conservation law passed in 1973, the ESA defines species as “endangered” or “threatened” and requires federal agencies to protect them and their habitat. The ESA has a 99% success rate, and has helped bring species like the bald eagle and humpback whale back from the brink of extinction.

The ESA is especially important today, as we face the threat of a mass extinction of up to 1 million species. This drastic decline in species would be detrimental to our health, food security, and economies. The ESA is also strongly supported by the American public, with 90% expressing support in a recent poll.

An Uncertain Future

Despite the ESA’s popularity and bipartisan passage, some members of Congress have made 150 efforts to weaken the act in the last two years, largely due to pressure from extractive industries that believe the law restricts business.

Last week, the Trump Administration announced their final changes to ESA regulations, which significantly threaten the law’s effectiveness.

These changes include:

Allowing economic impacts, rather than solely the best available scientific data, to be considered when determining the protection status of a species
Weakening of protections for species deemed “threatened”
More flexibility in determining how species will be impacted in the “foreseeable future,” effectively allowing the effects of climate change to be disregarded

The changes allow the coal, oil, gas, and timber industries to have a greater say in the management of threatened and endangered species and their habitats. In order to ensure the continued survival of these species in the United States, the ESA needs to be restored to its full capacity.

Fighting Back

You can help stop the dismantling of the Endangered Species Act!

Call or email your Congressperson and ask them to hold hearings on saving the ESA
Ask Senators Warren and Markey to stop the rollback using the Congressional Review Act
Thank Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey for her defense of the Act – she plans to sue the Trump Administration over these changes

Mass Audubon has spoken out about this issue before, and we’ll continue to do so. We’ve reached out to Attorney General Healey in support of her legal appeal, and have offered to work with her office in defending the ESA in federal court. As founding members of the US Endangered Species Coalition, we condemned the decision to weaken the ESA, and weighed in about impacts these changes could have locally here in Massachusetts.

The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup – May 5, 2019

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Christina W

Thank Your Congressperson for Supporting Climate Action

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons user Arthurguo (Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)

Last week Congress passed the Climate Action Now Act to uphold US commitment to the Paris climate agreement. It’s the first large-scale climate change legislation to pass congress in nearly 10 years, and Massachusetts’ delegation unanimously voted yes. Please take a minute to contact your representative to thank them for taking climate action.

Meeting with Congressman Moulton

Mass Audubon and our environmental partners met with Congressman Seth Moulton last week at his Salem office, where our discussion included topics like conservation funding and regional marine fisheries issues. Learn more about the meeting.

Climate Central

A curated selection of climate news from Mass Audubon’s climate change program manager

Scientists reveal one million species at risk of extinction in new UN report
Great Adaptations: How two smaller legacy cities are adopting green infrastructure
Mass Audubon has a new Climate Action Facebook group – join today

Upholding National Environmental Protections

We joined partners in opposing changes in the Navy’s compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The proposed revision would make it easier to approve projects that adversely affect endangered and threatened species

Coastal Protections at Risk

We also submitted joint comments on proposed changes to the Coastal Zone Management Act, which would weaken state-level review of federal coastal development projects. This is especially problematic at a time when expanded offshore oil and gas drilling has been proposed at the federal level.

Offshore Drilling Expansion Delayed

Humpback whales are among the many species whose habitat could be impacted by an expansion in offshore drilling. Photo credit: NOAA

Good news though – federal plans to expand offshore drilling have been postponed. The delay is largely due to a recent court decision upholding protections in parts of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. While this news is encouraging, a delay doesn’t mean our fight is over, so we’ll be keeping it up.

Poll of the Week

According to a MassInc poll, 68% of Massachusetts voters support the creation of a regional carbon-trading plan for transportation.

Offshore Drilling Expansion Partially Blocked

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Christina W

Good news – the Trump administration’s plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in parts of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans has been blocked in federal court.

Thanks to a lawsuit brought forward by the League of Conservation Voters and ten other conservation and indigenous groups, a federal judge has upheld permanent protection from offshore drilling for select protected areas of the Atlantic Ocean, and nearly all of the Arctic Ocean, as established by President Obama in 2016.

Mass Audubon has been speaking out on this issue too, and while this is decidedly a victory, our work isn’t over. Much of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are still at risk from expanded drilling, and the Trump administration will likely appeal the ruling.

Expanded offshore drilling could threaten species like the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries

We have to keep up the opposition! At the national level, the Coastal & Marine Economies Protection Act was introduced in Congress to ban offshore drilling & seismic testing on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. And here in Massachusetts, Mass Audubon supports legislation filed by Cape and Islands Senator Julian Cyr that would prohibit offshore oil and gas drilling in state waters. We’ll keep you posted on opportunities to support these bills as they comes up for hearings and votes.

And save the date – our partners at the Massachusetts chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will be organizing a Boston-area event on May 18 as part of Hands Across the Sand. This global initiative is a chance to stand in solidarity and support protection of our lands and waters from fossil fuel development.

More Momentum for US Offshore Wind

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Christina W

Update 12/17/18:

Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held their auction for three offshore wind leases in federal waters south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The results were staggering – the winning bids from three companies totaled $405 million, which is nearly a tenfold increase from the most recent prior federal sale! The areas could support approximately 4.1 gigawatts of commercial wind generation, enough to power nearly 1.5 million homes. Federal officials and wind industry insiders alike were surprised by the sale – this Boston Globe article looks at how the event marks a decided shift for US offshore wind energy.

In other wind news, Mass Audubon will also be commenting on the latest stage of Vineyard Wind’s proposed offshore project later this month, on which BOEM will be holding public hearings.

Original post:

Last week the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced several major developments in American offshore wind energy, including one here in Massachusetts.

Expansion of offshore wind here in the US will be critical in reducing emissions that contribute to climate change.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold the next Massachusetts offshore wind auction – to include nearly 390,000 acres – on December 13, 2018. Nineteen companies have qualified to participate in the auction. It’s estimated that this auction could support more 4.1 gigawatts of power to supply nearly 1.5 million homes. Mass Audubon plans to review and comment on any projects resulting from the lease.

Speaking at the American Wind Energy Association Offshore Wind Conference, DOI Secretary Zinke also announced the environmental review of a proposed wind project offshore Rhode Island, and the next steps to a first-ever wind auction in federal waters off of California.

While this is good news for the growth of renewable energy, the Trump administration also plans to ease Endangered Species Act regulations to speed up the approval process for offshore wind projects. Mass Audubon will be opposing that change – for offshore wind deployment to be done in a way that is safe for wildlife, a full understanding of the risks to species is needed.

Learn more about Mass Audubon’s recent involvement with the offshore wind public review process here.

Endangered Species at Risk Again

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Christina W

Update 10/1/2018: Mass Audubon signed onto joint comments with more than 200 of our partner conservation groups to speak out against these proposed changes.

Over the past few weeks, the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) has come under unprecedented threat. For 45 years the law has successfully protected wildlife, including species like the Bald Eagle, which the ESA helped bring back from the brink of disappearing in the US. In fact, thanks to the ESA, more than 99 percent of the nearly 1,800 animals and plants protected by it have been saved from extinction.

Now, the ESA is under attack. In the past two weeks, more than two dozen pieces of legislation, policy initiatives, and amendments designed to weaken the law have surfaced. Many of these proposed changes have been under the guise of “updating” or “reforming” the Act, but in reality would undermine its core principles and gut its scientific basis for protecting wildlife.

Earlier this month, Mass Audubon and 420 other national, state, and local conservation groups sent a letter to US Senate and House leadership voicing our overwhelming support for the ESA. Our group included at least one organization from all 50 states.

We’ll be continuing to follow this issue closely, and will keep you updated with actions you can take to keep the ESA firmly in place.

Endangered Species Act on the Brink

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Christina W

by Karen Heymann

The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of America’s most successful and important environmental laws, passed unanimously and with broad bipartisan support in 1973, and signed by Republican President Richard Nixon. Since its inception the ESA has successfully prevented the extinction of 99% of the native plant and animal species it has sought to protect, and has recovered many species formerly under its protection, including our national symbol, the iconic bald eagle.

Bald eagle. Photo credit: USFWS

ESA in Jeopardy

This week, the ESA came under attack in what we anticipate to be just the first of ongoing efforts to weaken or repeal this critical law. First, the Trump Administration delayed the start date of protections for the newly listed rusty patched bumblebee, an action which, if not corrected, could drive this once-abundant native species to extinction. Learn more about the importance of pollinators like this native bumble bee.

And in Congress, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held an oversight hearing aimed at undermining and misrepresenting the work accomplished under the ESA. Legislation was introduced by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) to repeal the ESA entirely, claiming “it has never been used for the rehabilitation of species” but rather “to control the land,” a false claim that has no bearing in reality.

Speak Up for the ESA

Please call your members of Congress (here’s contact information for your U.S Senators and Representatives) to let them know that you oppose any attempt at repealing or diminishing the work of the Endangered Species Act and demand they urge the Trump administration to enforce every single aspect of the ESA, including protection for the rusty patched bumblebee. Be sure to include your name and city or town you live.

Mass Audubon is also gearing up to push back against efforts to undermine the ESA and we urge you to join us. We recently signed on to an opposition letter, and will continue to double down on our work with our national partners to protect wildlife.

Hawksbill sea turtle, a federally-protected species found in Massachusetts. Photo credit: Caroline Rogers, NOAA

We are also working at the state level to ensure that our endangered species programs are fully funded, and we are focusing on passing legislation to protect pollinators such as bees and butterflies, as well as the habitat they depend on.

The good news: we are not alone. A recent national poll shows that voters overwhelmingly support the ESA and the role of science in determining which species receive protection under the Act. Now, we just need to make sure our voices are heard.

Karen Heymann is Mass Audubon’s Legislative Director

Snowy in Boston, Busy in DC: Staying on Top of Environmental Reviews

Posted on February 13, 2017 by Christina W

As we dig out from our recent blizzards here in Boston, congressional committees are ramping up their work this week in our nation’s capital. Unfortunately, this may be bad news for some of our environmental policies. A number of hearings are scheduled with the goal of “modernizing” these policies, but the real purpose of the hearings is to undermine our nation’s basic environmental protections and renewable energy methods; for instance, by promoting gas pipelines and fossil fuels over wind and solar. A bill was also introduced in Congress this month to terminate the Environmental Protection Agency. Mass Audubon stands in direct opposition to any such attempt.

Here are the hearing specifics:

Two House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee hearings will hold focus on energy infrastructure and important environmental laws like the Clean Air Act. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will review the Endangered Species Act, and House Energy and Oversight subcommittees will focus on an energy innovation loan program.

We will be closely following these and other federal legislative issues this week, and will let you know when and if your help is needed with calls to your Senator or Congressperson.

And for some pro tips on how to be most effective when contacting your federal legislators, read this recent Op Ed by Congressman Barney Frank.