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Defenders Magazine
Defenders in Action: New Congress Equals New Hope
The nation's capitol will have a markedly different look and feel as the new Congress starts work in January. Among the changes are dozens of new legislators—many of them ardent conservationists—and environmental champions at the helms of key committees.
While legislative threats to wildlife and the environment won't disappear, it's expected a Democrat-controlled House and Senate won't provide anti-environmental politicians with the sort of traction they've enjoyed for the past 12 years.
"We've been on the defensive for a long time," says Robert Dewey, Defenders' vice president for government relations. "But now we are better positioned to stop drilling in the Arctic and thwart threats to the Endangered Species Act."
Perhaps the single most important result of the November elections was the ouster of Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), the former chairman of the House Resources Committee, who played a major role in trying to gut the Endangered Species Act and unleash oil drilling off the California coast. Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund raised more than $1.2 million and worked with other electoral groups to defeat Pombo, who was beaten by Democrat Jerry McNerney, a wind-energy engineer. "It demonstrates that environmentalists have the political strength to take on and defeat the most extreme anti-environmental politicians," says Rodger Schlickeisen, who also heads the action fund.
Similar wins occurred in Montana, where Democrat Jon Tester beat out former Sen. Conrad Burns, another environmental foe; and in Missouri, where Democrat Claire McCaskill ousted former Sen. Jim Talent, an avid proponent of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Although very few conservation issues break down exactly across party lines, the new makeup of the House will likely improve the ability of conservation organizations to shape legislation and defend against bad bills. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who now oversees the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has pledged to stand tough on global warming. She takes the reins from Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who has proclaimed global warming is a hoax.
"We believe that we will see a move away from the extremism of the past and the return of a more rational legislative process, one that allows for science and good analysis to influence the shape of environmental and conservation bills," says Dewey. The new Congress is also likely to stand in the way of the Bush administration policy of using its regulatory powers to weaken many key conservation laws. "We hope that the new makeup of the Congress will lead to greater oversight of the Bush administration regarding environmental issues," says Dewey.
