Obama moves to safeguard America’s land, water and wildlife, establish environmental legacy

“Today’s presidential memorandum is another addition to the powerful environmental legacy that President Obama will leave when he ultimately completes his time in office. 

“By creating a ‘no net loss’ standard for infrastructure and development projects under federal jurisdiction, the White House is setting a new precedent that human needs for food, fuel and fiber must not come at the expense of the environment. The President is creating a path for economic and environmental prosperity because he understands that, as our nation’s industries grow and thrive, we must also protect and enhance the natural systems that sustain us.

“It’s only every few decades – once in a generation – that we see this level of presidential action on conservation. More than 25 years ago, my colleagues and I took part in a bi-partisan forum that led to President George H. W. Bush’s ‘no net loss’ of wetlands policy. Today, I am pleased to witness the extension of that critical conservation commitment from the White House.

“Today is the first time in our nation’s history that a president has gone so far as to call for ‘no net loss’ for all natural resources, and to institute a preference for ‘net benefit’ where possible. It is a true testament to the considerable work that has been done to preserve our natural heritage – work that has endured and grown over the last several decades, transcending party lines.

“In calling for landscape-scale approaches, market-based solutions, and net benefit to our nation’s land, water and wildlife, the presidential memorandum will ensure that economic development spurs environmental growth, and vice versa. It will open the door to new environmental markets that give farmers and ranchers, for example, the opportunity to earn new revenue for conservation activities. If conservation isn’t already a part of their business models, it can be now.”

-          Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense Fund