Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. It was a pitched battle, but it's got nothing on the fight ahead in Congress -- the fight over federal spending that could pollute our air and water, close national parks, decimate our forests and more.
In this coming budget showdown, the biggest hits won't be on the playing field, they will be in our national parks and refuges, where slashed funding could mean decreased access and even closures. Clean air and water will also take tough hits, as we see increased pollution in our air, water and our wild lands.
We are facing cuts in conservation spending that could easily go as high as 40 percent, which would be devastating for public health and the health of wild lands across the country.
The worst plays the new Congress could run include:
- Eliminating the EPA's authority to hold polluters accountable
- Closing National Parks and Wildlife Refuges
- Cutting back on forest rangers, youth outdoor education, and law enforcement
- Limiting access to hunting and fishing, slashing local jobs, and not protecting our clean water supplies
- Putting off maintenance projects, weed treatment, restoration work, timber cutting, and managing wildfire
- Preventing federal agencies from moving forward with their legal responsibility to protect wild lands, wildlife habitat, and watersheds
In the coming weeks, we will face the potential consequences, which would affect wilderness and wildlife for decades to come.
Failure to fund the Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program, for instance, would threaten drinking water supplied to 66 million people. The cut could also eliminate funding for up to 2,500 jobs. The program funds road and trail improvements, maintenance work and road removal projects that improve the health of local watersheds.
Reducing the amount of money available to local communities to help them defend themselves against wildfires could also force the Forest Service to revert to borrowing money from other vital programs and services to cover firefighting costs.
Potential cuts to the Land and Water Conservation Fund of more than 50 percent would mean that up to 100 parcels of natural land would lose funding. This would open them up to residential development, eliminate hunting and fishing access and create barriers that would prevent wildlife migration.
The clock is running down fast on these critical programs. This next showdown isn't the Cheesehead vs. the Terrible Towel; it pits our public health and wild lands against reckless cuts that don't serve any of us in the long run. It's time for a big win for conservation and public health that will last not just until next year's face off, but for all time.
Learn more: Visit www.wilderness.org