The Murray Budget: A Path Forward for Conservation and Clean Energy

The following is a statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife on the release of the FY 2014 Senate Budget Resolution by Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray:

“The Murray and Ryan budgets are polar opposites.

"Where the Ryan budget further guts crucial programs that conserve our land, water and imperiled wildlife, the Murray budget replaces the damaging sequester and funds the restoration of natural systems and the protection of our most vulnerable plants and animals. Allowing the sequestration to continue would severely undermine the protection of national wildlife refuges, threatened and endangered species and migratory birds, prevention of wildlife crime and other work vital to the conservation of our wildlife heritage.

"Where the Ryan budget devastates funding for land protection and even incentivizes the sale of our treasured public lands, the Murray budget would preserve our rapidly disappearing open spaces and wildlife habitat by fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

"And where the Ryan budget would worsen the changing climate that threatens our families, communities, and environment by increasing our reliance on dirty unsustainable energy, the Murray budget recognizes and addresses the threat of climate change by funding clean energy and building capacity to respond to a changing planet.

"The contrast is clear: the Ryan budget puts us in a one-way time machine to a bleak past of dirty energy and environmental degradation; the Murray budget plants us firmly on the path to an optimistic future of clean energy, abundant wildlife and a healthy environment.”

Contact: Haley Mckey, 202-772-0247, hmckey@defenders.org

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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org and follow us on Twitter @DefendersNews.