Today, the administration took the first steps to repeal policies to combat climate change and promote increased extraction of coal and natural gas on public lands. With these actions, the administration continues to roll back policies that protect public health and our air, water, and wildlife.
The science is clear, consistent, and building every year: human actions are driving a warming climate. That change is negatively impacting people and communities with more violent storms, persistent droughts, and oppressive heat waves. These changes are harming fish and wildlife and, by extension, hunting and angling and the $646 billion outdoor recreation economy.
Limiting the long-term damage from a warming climate requires action and solutions, including modernizing the types of energy we use. By harnessing solar and wind power, a new generation of biofuels, and energy efficient technology, we can meet our country’s energy needs, strengthen the economy, protect our hunting and angling traditions, and foster even more energy independence.
Unfortunately, the administration is largely repealing policies without offering modern solutions to take their place. Instead of relying on last century’s energy mix (which will only make tackling the climate challenge more difficult), we should be aggressively pursuing 21st-century energy solutions designed to address climate change and honor our land and water conservation values.