The Federal Budget Cannot Be Balanced on the Back of America’s Lands and Waters

All the conservation and environmental activities of the Federal government amount to only a little more than 1% of the Federal budget. In real dollars total funding for the environment and conservation has been almost flat for 30 years.

By Mark Tercek
huffingtonpost.com
7/24/11

Recently I sent a letter to members of the House of Representatives opposing passage of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for 2012 that will go to the House floor this coming week. As I said in that letter, The Nature Conservancy has long provided ideas and input to the Interior appropriations process, but never before in our 60-year history have we opposed passage of this legislation.[snip]

I am, however, saddened that investment in conservation has become yet another point of conflict.

Conservation has long been a bi-partisan issue in America, and there have been great advances with the leadership of both parties. The membership of my organization is about evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. These folks support us because, despite their differences on other issues and, like the great majority of the American people, they share a deep respect for this country’s legacy of mountains, productive farm and ranchlands, forests, prairies and rivers running to our magnificent seacoasts.
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