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Labor Unions Promote Conservation Measures in Climate Change Legislation
Letter to Senate leaders urges inclusion of fish and wildlife safeguards to secure important habitat, economic boost provided by sportsmen

For Immediate Release                                               July 28, 2009

WASHINGTON – A diverse group of America’s labor unions today sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee requesting that dedicated funding to safeguard fish, wildlife and ecosystems important to sportsmen be included in climate change legislation being deliberated by Congress.

The 20 unions, all partners of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, stress that a share of annual funding, no less than that contained in the version of the bill recently passed by the House of Representatives and not subject to annual appropriations, should be directed toward protecting and restoring the natural environment.

“New dedicated resources are needed to protect and restore the natural environment, including fish, wildlife and their habitat, on which human health and economic vitality depends,” the unions write. “A portion of these funds should be provided to ensuring that climate change strategies are integrated into state wildlife action plans, state coastal zone management plans, and other state wildlife species or habitat plans.”

“We know that more than 3.2 million AFL-CIO union members spend some of their well-deserved free time hunting and fishing and that climate change has the power to change that,”   said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka. “As fish and wildlife habitat, abundance and distribution shift in response to a changing climate, recreational activities will shift as well. Responsive measures in the Senate legislation will help prevent drastic declines in hunting and fishing opportunities caused by climate change and better secure the $70 billion conservation dollars generated by hunters and anglers each year.”

“We know firsthand that climate change already is affecting how we pursue game and fish, the success of our days afield and the timing of our hunting and fishing trips,” said Secretary-Treasurer of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers William Creeden. “Union sportsmen work hard and play hard. We have a deep appreciation for our outdoor traditions, and we want to see our leaders in Washington undertake decisive action to safeguard the future of these traditions.”

“The United States is at a crossroads concerning climate change and its impacts on our natural resources,” said Tom Trotter, TRCP labor and congressional liaison. “As a longtime union member and sportsman, I’m proud to see my union brothers and sisters raising their voices on this issue. Together, we urge the Senate to choose the right course of action by incorporating crucial measures in climate change legislation to help conserve, for future generations the diverse fish and wildlife and sporting opportunities we enjoy today.”

Read the letter and see a complete list of union signatories.

Contact: Tom Trotter, 202-654-4626, ttrotter@trcp.org       

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