
One of the grave consequences of having the GOP control the House of Representatives is that our environment, wildlife and natural resources are taking a beating. Digging in their heels, even when industry approves of the changes, the fringe in the Republican Party is blocking many actions that would protect our heritage. Even the President had to be pushed on the Tar Sands question and its huge environmental impact.
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has listed the "The Top 10 Dumbest Things Congress Did in 2011". Click on the article to see all ten but here are the top five from that list. Also if you go to the NWF website they will tell you actions you can take to help stop the insanity.
5. Gulf Coast: Still Not Made Whole
We’re just a few months from the 2nd anniversary of start of the Gulf oil disaster, yet Congress still has not acted on legislation to make sure BP’s fines and penalties are reinvested in Mississippi River Delta restoration.
4. War on Next-Generation Light Bulbs
Just a few years ago, President George W. Bush signed bipartisan legislation to encourage energy-efficient light bulbs. Industry gets certainty, consumers save money, America cuts its carbon footprint: Everybody wins! But extremists attacked the standards and when they couldn’t win votes, they snuck the Dim Bulb Act into must-pass budget legislation. “Big companies like General Electric, Philips and Osram Sylvania spent big bucks preparing for the standards, and the industry is fuming over the GOP bid to undercut them,” reported Politico. Everybody loses!
3. Push Pipeline First, Ask Safety Questions Later
Facing concerns from conservationists concerned about protecting critical wildlife habitat, landowners concerned about getting their land seized, and public health advocates worried about water supplies, the Obama administration delayed a decision on the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline from the Canadian border to Texas. But before a revised route could even be drawn up, Big Oil’s Congressional allies tacked a political rider onto the payroll tax cut extension moving through Congress right now that would force a decision on the pipeline within 60 days.
2. Protecting Tax Giveaways for Big Oil
Big Oil has already banked a staggering $101 billion in profits in 2011, and as NWF detailed in Conservation Works, Congress can save more than $100 billion by closing tax loopholes for special interests like the oil and gas industries. But time after time, purported Congressional concern about the deficit came in a distant second to catering to Big Oil donors and lobbyists.
1. Fiddling While Our Climate Burns
Our world has now seen 321 consecutive months with a global temperature above the 20th century average, meaning we haven’t seen a below-average temperature month since before The Goonies came out in 1985. Extreme weather records fell, with NOAA reporting 12 disasters of at least $1 billion in damage here in the U.S. Through November, 2011 has been the 11th-hottest year on record. If the pace keeps up, it will mean each of the last 11 years (2001–2011) will have been one of the 12 hottest on record. The Arctic continues to warm, melting sea ice and pushing several polar bear populations to the brink