Hosted by: Wally Ulrich, Teton County Party Chairman and Past State Chairman, Wyoming Republican Party fossil@wyoming.com
“I think some folks may be surprised to hear what Republicans have done and are doing to help protect the environment. Growing up in Wyoming I have known that Republicans are people who care about the environment, cooperate and act to make positive things happen.
There are many great success stories and more to be done. We are showing how to cut through the rhetoric, get out facts, and let people know how they can get involved in solving environmental problems and building partnerships.
Individuals who just happen to also be Republicans have been and are deeply involved in the betterment of Jackson Hole’s and our World’s environment. We not only celebrate Earth Day, some of us were there to make the first one happen, while others led the way to what is now called “environmentally aware.”
Quality environments are everyone’s daily responsibility. They are not accomplished by one political party or environmental group.
It has always taken teamwork, neighborliness, bipartisanship and hard work just to live in Wyoming, let alone to figure out how to use and still preserve our unique environments. We’ve been able to do just that and have become a beacon showing the world how a conservation economy can work.”
Visit http://www.earthday.gov
Much to Celebrate on Earth Day
Some examples of initiatives completed collaboratively through leadership of federal, state, and local Republicans:
The second largest Wild and Scenic River Bill in history was signed in to law in March 2009, preserving 387.5 miles of the Snake River Headwaters.
Buffalo Valley viewshed preservation
Grand Teton Land Exchange Act, permanently preserving 1280 acres of vital parkland
Stage II Aircraft engine ban in Grand Teton Park
Overflight Restrictions in Grand Teton National Park
Poison Creek Wildlife Protection Request BTNF
Grand Teton National Park Pathways Project
Moose/Wilson Pathways project
Oil & gas drilling prevention in Teton County
Grand Teton National Park Visitor Center
$3 Million Dollars in FY 2004
$5 Million requested for FY 2005
Inholding purchases $3 Million for NPS
Elk Refuge irrigation project
Collaborated in leadership banning nuclear plutonium incinerator
Snake River Restoration
Clean Snowmachine Challenge
Congo Basin Conservation Cooperation
Environmental Accomplishments of Republican Presidents
Abraham Lincoln
1864 - signed the federal decree to set aside a section of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in Yosemite, California. This was the original model that would develop into our national park system under Theodore Roosevelt.
President Ulysses S. Grant
1872 - created Yellowstone Park, the first national park.
President Benjamin Harrison, 1890 - formally created Yosemite National Park, California.
President McKinley 1900 - signed Lacey Act to protect wildlife, prohibiting the interstate commerce of banned products.
President Theodore Roosevelt
1902 - created the Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, his first of 150 national parks.
1903 - created the first federal bird reservation at Pelican Island, FL. He would create 50 more.
1905 - established the first federal game preserve at Witchita Forest, Oklahoma. Others would include the Grand Canyon (1908); Fire Island, Alaska (1909) and the National Bison Range, Montana.
1905 - established the National Forest Service and the modern national parks system. By the end of his presidency, Roosevelt created 150 national parks and set aside 230 million acres as parkland, refuges, and preserves.
President Richard M. Nixon
1969 - signed the National Environmental Policy Act, requiring the federal government to develop and assess environmental impacts from federal projects.
1970 - established the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution by setting controls and standards on emissions from vehicles and industry.
1972 - established the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (Ocean Dumping Act) established the first marine sanctuaries.
1973 - the Endangered Species Act created a national program to protect endangered plants and animals.
President Gerald Ford
1974 - authored the Safe Drinking Water Act to protect drinking water from contaminates and pathogens, significantly reducing waterborne disease and cancer causing chemicals.
President Ronald Reagan
1982 - established the Coastal Barrier Resources Act to protect barrier islands and coastlines from development.
1984 - enacted the Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Act
President George H. W. Bush
1990 - authored the Clean Air Act Amendments which tightened pollution control requirements in cities, required a 40% reduction in pollutants that cause acid rain, tightened car emission standards and required the development of cleaner-burning gasoline.
President George W. Bush
2002 - Brownfields Program- Signed historic bipartisan legislation to cleanup brownfields to protect public health, create jobs,& vitalize communities.
2003 - Healthy Forests Initiative
2003 - National Park Maintenance backlog: to meet his commitment of $4.9 billion over 5 years.
2003 - Cooperative Conservation Programs at Interior
2003 - Initiative against illegal logging in tropical forests worldwide. Congo Basin Initiatives.
Water 2025 Program.
Budget-wide increase for environmental programs of $44.4 billion, highest ever requested.
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