Protect Our BioGems From Dirty Gas Drilling--NRDC's Save BioGems News 27APR11

UPDATES and articles on oil and gas drilling and the dangers of fracking, beluga whales in Alaska, wolves and the Endangered Species Act, Yellowstone Buffalo and more from the Natural Resources Defense Council....

Hello, Activists! Thanks for being an NRDC BioGems Defender! Join Us on Facebook! Connect with other BioGems Defenders and get the latest campaign updates on Facebook. "Thank you all for your magnificent efforts...for voices that cannot speak!" -- from our Facebook wall Voices for the Wild Our BioGems Defenders have sent more than 15 million messages since the Save BioGems Campaign started. Meet some of our Defenders and find out what inspires them on Voices for the Wild. BioGems Update THANK YOU to the BioGems Defenders who sent more than 75,000 messages opposing the Pebble Mine project to mining giant Rio Tinto. NRDC Senior Attorney Joel Reynolds delivered the messages at Rio Tinto’s annual shareholders meeting. » See the timeline of victories we've won. To Do Even More You can support NRDC's BioGems campaign to save these and other threatened wild places. » Donate BioGems at Risk Time to Rein In Risky Natural Gas Drilling The booming practice of hydraulic fracturing -- commonly known as "fracking" -- is linked to the contamination of drinking water supplies in BioGems and communities across the country. Fracking is a kind of gas drilling that works by injecting vast quantities of water mixed with sand and chemicals into the ground at high pressure to access natural gas deposits. It also generates a dangerous amount of toxic air pollutants. Reports of toxic contamination of air and water have come from communities across the Rockies from New Mexico to Wyoming -- as well as further east in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In our Catskills BioGem, oil and gas companies are pushing to drill in the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale, a region that also provides clean drinking water for millions of residents. Fracking is unregulated at the federal level due to the "Halliburton Loophole" -- a gaping loophole in the Safe Drinking Water Act. In addition, toxic air pollutants from oil and gas extraction are exempt from important provisions of the Clean Air Act. Unless Congress acts to close those loopholes, dangerous pollutants will continue to threaten the health and safety of our communities. » Ask Congress to stop the polluters by closing loopholes in our environmental laws. In the News   MORE ROOM TO ROAM FOR YELLOWSTONE'S BISON In a huge victory for Yellowstone’s wild buffalo, also known as bison, these iconic animals will now have access to tens of thousands of acres of habitat north of Yellowstone National Park during the winter and spring. After a turbulent winter in which hundreds of buffalo were captured by government agents, the agencies that manage Yellowstone’s herd signed a historic agreement giving the buffalo room to roam in Montana’s Gardiner Basin. NRDC has continually advocated for this area to be opened for free-roaming buffalo, and now, thanks to the incredible activism and support of our Members, the agencies have heeded our call. Allowing buffalo more seasonal habitat is just one piece of the solution, but it marks a landmark victory for wild buffalo and our Yellowstone BioGem. Thank you for your activism on behalf of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo! COOK INLET BELUGAS WIN MUCH-NEEDED CRITICAL HABITAT Earlier this month, the National Marine Fisheries Service finalized its ruling to designate critical habitat for Alaska's Cook Inlet beluga whales. More than 3,000 square miles of the Cook Inlet will be listed as critical habitat for the whales, whose numbers have plummeted in the past 30 years, from 1,300 to around 340 today. Under the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies must carefully review any actions that may "adversely modify" this critical habitat. Cook Inlet belugas live in one of the most industrialized regions in Alaska, and are constantly threatened by pollution from partially treated sewage, oil and gas production, ship strikes and noise pollution. NRDC and our environmental partners have been fighting for years to protect the dwindling population of belugas, and will continue to fight in a separate lawsuit that the state of Alaska has filed to challenge the beluga's endangered species status. CONGRESS KICKS WOLVES OFF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST Wolves in the Northern Rockies suffered a terrible blow this month when the House and Senate passed a budget bill that includes a provision stripping them of their Endangered Species Act protections. States will now be free to carry out plans for killing hundreds of wolves. It marks the first time in history that Congress has taken an animal off the endangered species list, setting a potentially dangerous precedent for other endangered wildlife. The legislation circumvents good science and a federal court ruling -- won by NRDC last year -- that restored protections for wolves. The congressional rider affects wolves in Montana, Idaho and parts of Washington, Oregon and Utah. We’ll continue to monitor the states to ensure they uphold their commitment to protect viable populations of wolves. MAYORS SPEAK OUT AGAINST TAR SANDS PIPELINE More than two dozen mayors across the country expressed their concern over the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in a recent letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Last year we alerted you to plans for this trans-boundary pipeline, which would bring dirty tar sands oil from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.  The proposed pipeline would lead to additional mining and drilling in Canada’s boreal forest, while doing nothing to move our cities and towns towards cleaner forms of energy production. Communities along the path of the 2,000-mile pipeline would also bear the risk of potential spills and explosions. The State Department’s initial environmental review of the proposed pipeline failed to consider a host of environmental and public health problems, and a second review released last week also failed to address the same issues.  We’ll keep you updated on how you can take action to oppose the Keystone pipeline. Action Insider   AN OWL STORY NRDC Wildlife Advocate Matt Skoglund writes about an unforgettable encounter with two owls in the wild. THIS GREEN LIFE: THE FUSS ON FRACKING Everything you’d ever want to know about fracking -- and more -- in this issue of This Green Life. Photo credits: Mulchatna River below Turquoise Lake in Lake Clark National Park, by Chlaus Lotscher, AlaskaStock.com. Bear grass in Yellowstone/Rockies, Randy Beacham. Buffalo and calf, Art Wolfe.