DENVER – Worried about losses to wildlife, hunting and fishing groups are backing limits on carbon pollution from power plants.
Led by the National Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited, 10 outdoor organizations and businesses have released a letter supporting EPA climate-change rules. The groups cite damage already happening to moose and migratory bird populations.
John Gale, national sportsmen campaigns manager for the National Wildlife Federation, also notes the “frightening” decline in trout.
“We’re in the field constantly evaluating habitat conditions,” he says. “As Mother Nature’s bodyguards, we feel duty-bound to raise the alarm when threats like climate change put our hunting and angling heritage at risk.”
Critics say the EPA plan to cut carbon pollution from power plants will be bad for the economy. But the National Wildlife Federation says such criticisms have typically been exaggerated.
Gale adds that, as is the case with many of his organization’s members, hunting is a family tradition.
“I know that one day, when she’s all grown up, I’m going to have to look my sweet little 5-year-old daughter in the eyes and tell her I took a stand when it mattered the most,” says Gale.
The EPA is taking comments on its plan to reduce greenhouse -as emissions by 20 percent from existing power plants by 2020.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, the outdoor industry is worth $90 billion a year nationally.
