ESA Policy News September 2: Obama talks climate in Alaska, Research groups praise Senators for science conference support
Here are some highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by Policy Analyst Terence Houston. Read the full Policy News here. 
ARCTIC: OBAMA CALLS FOR CLIMATE ACTION AT ALASKA CONFERENCE
On August 29, President Obama spoke before the conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience (GLACIER) in Alaska where he discussed how climate change is impacting the Arctic and called on world leaders to join in global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. President Obama’s visit makes him the first sitting president to visit the Arctic.
“Warmer, more acidic oceans and rivers, and the migration of entire species, threatens the livelihoods of indigenous peoples, and local economies dependent on fishing and tourism,” said the president. “Reduced sea levels leaves villages unprotected from floods and storm surges. Some are in imminent danger; some will have to relocate entirely. In fact, Alaska has some of the swiftest shoreline erosion rates in the world.”
The president used the forum to call on the world’s nations to agree to a climate treaty when they meet at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later this fall. The president discussed the efforts the United States and China are implementing to cut carbon emissions while stressing that addressing climate change requires action from multiple nations.
Click here to view the president’s full remarks before the GLACIER conference. Click here for additional Obama administration efforts to address climate change in the Arctic.
WATER: COURT RULING IMPEDES OBAMA CLEAN WATER RULE
US District Court Chief Judge Ralph Erickson in North Dakota has granted a preliminary injunction impacting 13 states against the Obama administration’s Waters of the United States rule, which redefines which streams and wetlands merit federal protection under the Clean Water Act that is administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The agency contends the injunction will only apply to the 13 states that filed the lawsuit: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, while the new rule will proceed in the 37 other states.
Judge Erickson concluded that the regulation likely oversteps the US Supreme Court’s decision in Rapanos vs. the United States. The injunction serves to halt implementation of the rule for as long as litigation persists and can be overturned. The 2008 guidance that has been on the books to govern Clean Water Act decisions will remain in effect for the 13 states.
Click here to view the full ruling. Click here for additional information on the EPA clean water rule.
ENDANGERED SPECIES: USDA ANNOUNCES SAGE GROUSE CONSERVATION EFFORT
On August 27, the US Department of Agriculture announced a new plan that calls for spending $211 million over the next four years to conserve sage grouse habitat on private lands.
Under the plan, ranchers will receive financial assistance to implement conservation efforts that benefit the sage grouse and their agricultural operations. Dubbed “Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0,” the plan builds upon sage grouse habitat conservation efforts that began in 2010 and involves collaboration with the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Click here for additional information.
SENATE: RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS PRAISE LAWMAKERS FOR SUPPORTING SCIENCE CONFERENCES
The Ecological Society of America was among 74 scientific and medical organizations that sent a letter of thanks to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Vice Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) for acknowledging the importance of federal employed and contracted scientists being able to attend scientific and technical conferences.
The organizations also sent a thank you letter to Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Chris Coons (D-DE) for offering an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2016 Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill that sought to grant the executive branch increased flexibility in revising its travel policies. Sen. Schatz agreed to withdrawal his amendment after committee leaders offered to work with him on the issue further.
Click here to view the letter to Senate Appropriations Committee leaders. Click here to view the letter to Sens. Schatz and Coons. Click here to listen to the full hearing.
SENATE: SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES RESPOND TO AMERICA COMPETES COMMENT REQUEST
On August 21, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) joined the American Institute for Biological Sciences and 47 other biological science organizations in sending a letter to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that offers input on the committee’s efforts to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act.
The letter expresses support for the National Science Foundation’s existing merit review system and urges the committee not to “pick winners and losers among NSF research programs.” It also calls for sustained investment in the National Science Foundation.
ESA also sent its own letter to the committee earlier this summer.
Click here to view the scientific society letter. Click here to view the ESA letter.
WHITE HOUSE: NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR CLIMATE ASSESSMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The White House is accepting nominations for a new federal advisory committee for the National Climate Assessment.
The 15-member committee is being created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and will advise the Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the Director of the Office of Science Technology Policy on processes related to the National Climate Assessment, which is slated to produce a new report every four years.
Nominations must be submitted by September 14. Click here for additional information.
NOAA: WHALE DEATHS IN ALASKA TRIGGER PROBE
The death of 30 whales in Alaska has triggered a probe by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) into the cause.
Since May, 14 humpback whales, 11 fin whales, one gray what and four unidentified cetaceans in the area comprising the western Gulf of Alaska and the southern shoreline of the Alaska Peninsula. According to NOAA, this is three times the annual historical average for the region.
Click here for additional information.