Letter Sent to Elected Officials
This letter was sent from editor Gary Santoro today.
Feel free to e-mail a personal copy to your Senator or U.S. House Representative as soon as possible.
Representative Harry E. Mitchell
Independence Avenue and 1st Street, SW
RHOB- Rayburn House Office Building - Room 2434
Washington, DC 20515-0306
Dear Representative Mitchell,
Senator Jon Kyl
United States Senate
730 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-0001
Dear Senator Kyl,
Senator John McCain, III
United States Senate
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-0001
Dear Senator McCain, III,
As your constituent and a concerned citizen who believes the United
States has an important role to play in protecting nature around the
globe, I urge you to support $185 million for the biodiversity conservation
programs of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), $165
million for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and $20 million for
implementation of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act in your personal
request to the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee for
fiscal year 2008.
USAID's biodiversity conservation programs are in serious jeopardy. The
Bush administration's reorganization of USAID may severely cut or
eliminate these programs, and the president's budget for fiscal year 2008
proposes a 35 percent reduction. Yet these initiatives are tremendously
beneficial. They safeguard the habitat of threatened and endangered
wildlife around the world, while also improving the economic and social
well-being of local people. I appreciate the consistent past support that
Congress has shown in funding these programs.
The GEF is the largest international funding source for activities
aimed at protecting the world's atmosphere, international waters, and
biological diversity. Since its inception in 1991, the GEF has helped more
than 150 developing countries, supporting projects to conserve natural
resources, phase out the use of ozone-depleting chemicals, and encourage
the proliferation of renewable energy technologies. The United States
and 31 other countries contribute funds each year to support these
mutually beneficial projects. The president's proposed budget has a
significant increase over last year's funding, but much more is needed, because
funding levels have dropped over the past few years and it's time for
our country to catch up and pay back amounts we owe.
The $20 million I urge you to request for implementation of the
Tropical Forest Conservation Act will protect these valuable ecosystems while
simultaneously easing the foreign debt burden of developing nations.
Since its enactment in 1998, the act has protected millions of acres of
tropical forests and countless rain forest species.
While I realize that our federal budget is tight, I believe it is
particularly important to support a healthy environment around the globe.
Empowering people to sustainably manage and utilize their natural
resources pays huge dividends in promoting a more secure and peaceful world.
I urge you to do all you can to ensure that these initiatives receive
the support they need to achieve their critically important missions.
Sincerely,
Gary Santoro
7:22:11 AM 
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