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It's Labor Day weekend — the end of summer — and Americans are heading out in droves to the coasts for the holiday weekend. For those who don't live on the coast, it's a last chance to enjoy a day at the beach and take a dip in the lake or ocean. Regardless of where you live, America's coastal waters — both marine and freshwater — are important sources of food, recreation, and economic activity. The Sierra Club is releasing a report that documents how and where Bush administration policies are threatening America’s coastal treasures and what we can do to save them. "No Day at the Beach: How the Bush Administration Is Eroding Coastal Protection" is a comprehensive look at the Bush administration policies that threaten America’s four coasts: the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, and America’s Freshwater Coast, the Great Lakes. The report details the administration policies and philosophies that threaten the safety of the fish we eat and the beaches where children learn to swim, and the beauty of the scenic backdrop along the 95,000 miles of America’s coasts. The report details the following major threats to America’s coastlines:
The report also uncovers several disturbing patterns of decision-making by the Bush administration when it comes to coastal policies. Among them are a steady erosion of general environmental protections, cuts in funding for coastal and environmental protection programs, subsidizing pollution and corporate welfare, and manipulation or suppression of science.Among the solutions outlined in the report are promoting cleaner, cheaper, and safer energy solutions that preserve America’s wild heritage, enforcing the laws that protect our health and safety, and renewing the commitment to stewardship of public trust lands and waters. Recently, two major reports on the health of our coasts and oceans have revealed just how imperiled these resources are. Both the bipartisan Pew Oceans Commission report, America's Living Oceans, Charting a Course for Change , and the Preliminary Report of the American Oceans Commission agree that our coasts and the oceans upon which much of humanity depends are in serious trouble. These reports together aggregate the many warnings that have been made by scientists and coastal managers for decades. And with this latest report, the Sierra Club is sounding an alarm and showing people the comprehensive view of what the Bush administration's policies mean for America's coasts. And we've offered plenty of solutions so that we can protect these natural treasures.
Photo of surfbirds at Point St. George courtesy Bob Mize; used with permission. |
