[Gomaeen] Fwd: ACT BY MARCH 15th: Sign-on letters for NOAA & EPA EE funding
GOMA Environmental Education Network
-------- Original Message --------
| Subject: | ACT BY MARCH 15th: Sign-on letters for NOAA & EPA EE funding |
|---|---|
| Date: | Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:44:18 -0600 |
| From: | Traci Price <t...@traciprice.net> |
| Reply-To: | t...@traciprice.net |
Forwarded message from Danielle Moodie, NWF:
Dear Colleagues,
As many of you know, on February 13, 2012, the President released his budget for FY 2013 (the upcoming fiscal year running Oct 1, 2012 – Sep 30, 2013). In a disappointing turn of events and despite strong support in the budget in the past, the Administration eliminated the Environmental Education Program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as funding for the Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) program at National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Administration also did not request funding for the NOAA Bay-Watershed Education Training (B-WET) program which is consistent with previous years. While EPA has indicated they will continue environmental education grants, staffing for the office and integrate elements of EE through various programs at EPA, we do believe it is critical for Congress to appropriate funds to maintain full funding and ensure the program continues for many years to come
Last year, with your help and the help of our champions in Congress, we were able to save Environmental Education at the EPA and sustain funding for the OEE at $9.7M. We were also able to hold onto funding for NOAA’s ELG and B-WET grant programs. We need your help again, more than ever, to make sure these programs are not permanently eliminated by signing onto these two organizational sign-on letters:
NOAA Letter –http://online.nwf.org/NOAASignOn
EPA Letter –http://online.nwf.org/EPAeeSignOn
Many of you have signed onto similar letters in the past, and these specific letters will be sent to both the House and Senate on March 15th. We hope you will sign BOTH and please note that filling out the form for both letters is the only way to sign-on, we cannot add you manually.
The recent action taken by the Administration is devastating news for anyone in the environmental education community that has received an EPA or NOAA environmental education grant over the last 20 years or benefited from the EPA National Environmental Education and Training Program (EE Capacity, formerly EETAP). The National Environmental Education Foundation is also supported by the EPA EE program, and while it is an independent organization, would also lose funding. All of these initiatives have helped to advance environmental knowledge and understanding. To cut back on programs like these would be a huge step backwards for environmental education nationwide.
As we forge ahead as a nation in competing in the 21st Century global clean energy economy, EPA and NOAA initiatives are more critical than ever in supporting green careers, life-long education and environmental stewardship. The U.S. cannot lead from the back and currently we are falling behind in subjects integral to our success in producing an environmentally educated workforce that is equipped in handling the environmentally-based economic concerns of tomorrow.
You can help today by joining these two organizational sign-on letters by March 15th to Congress telling them that we need continued investments in Environmental Education NOW, not cuts that hinder our ability to lead in the 21st Century global green economy!
Please share this email and these links: http://online.nwf.org/NOAASignOn http://online.nwf.org/EPAeeSignOnwith your networks. Now is the time to make our voices heard. Thanks for your time and for taking action to save EPA’s Environmental Education program and funding for the B-WET and ELG programs NOAA. (For those working for federal agencies that cannot advocate for federal programs please treat this as “for your information” only).
Sincerely,
Danielle
Danielle A. Moodie-Mills
Senior Manager Environmental Education Campaigns
National Wildlife Federation
National Advocacy Center
901 E Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004
"Let the beauty of what you LOVE be what you DO."--Rumi
Traci Price
Restoring shared identity through our unique and universal relationships.
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