White House Budget Takes Aim at Arctic Refuge and Undercuts Environmental Protection
Budget Shows "Lots of Greenwashing, Not much Green"
(02/02/2004) - WASHINGTON – The White House Budget released today continues a long run of bad news for conservation, calling once again for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, cuts in endangered species protection, and the annual breaking of the president’s Campaign 2000 promise to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, according to Defenders of Wildlife."This budget is even more out of touch with reality than previous offerings," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. "When he assumes, yet again, that oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is going to be a big money maker, the president is ignoring the clear will of the American people, who don’t want to trash one of the wildest places left in America."
<?php /*Read Defenders' analysis of several key conservation programs and how the president's cuts will undermine the conservation legacy we leave to our children. */???>Despite claims in the budget that the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) budget request is at its full $900 million level, a closer look at the budget shows a complex "shell game" in which important but unrelated programs – and their budgets – are crowded under the LWCF umbrella. Consequently, money available to actually perform LWCF functions is nearly $600 million below the level that would represent full funding.
"The president realizes that people like local conservation of wildlife and habitat, and has gone to great lengths once again to pretend that he’s funding the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund, even though it’s a shell game. This budget is a lot of greenwashing, but not much green," said Schlickeisen.
The budget also cuts key Endangered Species programs by $7.5 million below the FY 2004 final level. This includes dramatic cuts in species recovery programs, even though U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have estimated that about 200 currently listed species are seriously threatened with extinction primarily because only a small amount of money is being expended for recovery actions. National Wildlife Refuge System programs are level-funded, even though Refuge officials say they need increases of $16 million to $18 million just to keep up with fixed costs.
<?php /* THE BUSH BUDGET: SACRIFICING TOMORROW FOR TODAYRead Defenders' analysis of several key conservation programs and how the president's cuts will undermine the conservation legacy we leave to our children. */???>###
Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named as one of America's Top 100 Charities by Worth magazine. With more than 450,000 members and supporters, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat. To learn more about Defenders of Wildlife, please visit www.defenders.org.
Contact(s):
Brad DeVries, (202) 772-0237William Lutz, (202) 772-0269
