For Immediate Release
Washington, DC

Today, Senate Democrats offered a comprehensive plan to modernize our nation’s infrastructure that retains environmental protections and includes provisions to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitat.

Watch live here and download a copy of the plan here.

Former Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark issued the following statement:

“Senate Democrats want to invest $1 trillion to address crumbling infrastructure and protect public health and our environment. It is a stark and welcome contrast to President Trump’s proposal which focuses more on undermining environmental safeguards than on funding infrastructure.

“The president served up a slate of environmental rollbacks with a batch of funding gimmicks and called it an infrastructure plan. But American’s aren’t biting. Polling shows that voters overwhelmingly reject the idea that improving our nation’s infrastructure should come at the expense of protections for our air, water, wildlife and natural places.

“By contrast the Senate Democrats’ proposal offers real money, resiliency and safety for our communities and wildlife; it also invests $15 billion in our public lands, recognizing their importance and maintenance needs and promoting our outdoor economy – a far more appetizing option that both Republicans and Democrats can sink their teeth into.”

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.  

 

Media Contact

News

Image
A close up of the face of a Sierra Nevada Red Fox at the edge of a forest in Deschutes County, Oregon.
Washington, D.C.

Court Rules Habitat Must Be Protected After FWS Attempts to Waive Protections for Less Than 40 Sierra Nevada Red Fox

Defenders of Wildlife earned a significant victory for the Endangered Species Act today when a federal district court found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to not designate critical habitat for the endangered Sierra Nevada red fox was a violation of the law.
Image
Three sea otters float in the water. There are hills or mountains in the distance in the background.

Construction on Gateway to Road through Izembek Continues

The Ninth Circuit today denied Defenders of Wildlife’s emergency motion to halt construction on King Cove Corp.’s 2.8-mile road segment leading to the doorstep of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. Defenders’ request for immediate injunctive relief marks the latest stage in its larger effort to block a damaging and precedent-setting road from King Cove to Cold Bay, Alaska, that would plow through the heart of Izembek.