Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2013) – This week, the Obama administration announced a new nationwide initiative. Its goal? To help wildlife adapt to the threats of climate change. The National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, which falls under the jurisdiction of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, plans to “reduce the negative impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants, and the natural systems upon which they depend.” The plan lists off seven goals, ranging from increasing awareness to safeguard wildlife from climate change and “enhancing capacity for effective management in a changing climate” to “reducing non-climate stressors to help fish, wildlife, plants, and ecosystems adapt to a changing climate.”

While there has not yet been a cost estimate for this program provided, we can’t imagine it would be anything but incredibly costly for the American taxpayers. This program is not necessary to maintain healthy, vibrant wildlife in the United States, and should not be considered a spending priority by the Obama administration in light of significant budgetary cuts to programs critical to the West. If the administration is unable to keep vital federal budgets funded, such as wildland fire management, then they should not be looking to create new programs to solve problems that don’t exist.

Our rating: