Green Budget ------------- ------------ -------------- American Clean |
GREEN BUDGET INTRODUCTION This report, referred to as the Green Budget, highlights the environmental communities’ Fiscal Year 2011 National Funding Priorities. The Green Budget, prepared annually by a coalition of national environmental and conservation organizations, illustrates how an infusion of federal money can help meet the environmental challenges of climate change, develop our clean energy resources, and sustain our nation’s lands, waters and other natural resources. [click here for full report]
The 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15) was held in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7th to the 18th. Of the more than 45,000 delegates registered for the conference, 24,000 actually attended. The Conference was also held in the Bella Center, a facility with a 15,000-person capacity limit. The National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC) sent a representative to participate in Indigenous Peoples’ discussions. Overall, the outcomes of COP-15 were far less than expected, and for Indigenous Peoples, the results were even more dismal. It became apparent that for Indigenous Peoples to make their voices heard on the crucial issue of climate change, they will have to be involved on a larger scale than heretofore. It is especially crucial that Indian tribes from the United States become actively engaged in future climate change meetings because our country largely ignored the indigenous representatives present at COP-15. [See full article under Insights]
Climate Change Legislation in the 111th Congress: The Kerry-Boxer Approach It’s January 2010, and Congress and the President have a number of items on their plates such as health care, financial reform, jobs, and national security. Oh, and by the way, there’s climate change legislation. While early prospects for passing such legislation during the 111th Congress were good, many of those individuals closest to the process are beginning to have significant doubts that anything significant will happen due to the other priorities facing the nation. Regardless of the outcome, Indian tribes can rest assured that their messages concerning climate change have penetrated the halls of Congress. Slightly more than three months ago, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (CEJAPA), intended to “cuts carbon pollution and stimu-late the economy by creating millions of jobs in the clean energy sector.” Modeled off the House’s Ameri-can Clean Energy and Security Act (ACESA), the Kerry-Boxer bill seeks to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for covered sources below 2005 levels by 20 percent in 2020 and 83 percent by 2050; provide relief in the form of rebates for consumers affected by the bill’s enactment; and significantly invest in carbon capture and sequestration, scientific research and development, and advanced vehicle techno-logies. In addition, the CEJAPA provides perhaps the best inclusion of Indian tribes in any climate change legislation thus far introduced in Congress. [See full article under Insights] ******************************** Annual Tribal Nations Conference 2009 Briefing Document This document is the result of a series of listening sessions conducted with Tribes across the United States by the National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC) during the week of October 5-9, 2009 in preparation for the White House Tribal Nations Conference on Novem-ber 5, 2009. Overall, over 60 Tribes participated in the effort, as well as several intertribal organizations. It is intended as a brief overview of the myriad environmental and natural resource issues tribes are currently facing, to be used as a springboard for future discus-sions with the federal government. It is not intended to be exhaustive or definitive, for the simple reason that all Tribes did not participate.
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