alternatives in both fossil and non-fossil-based energy production and conservation, before actual drilling
permits are granted. Major new coal leases proposed for BLM lands in Wyoming and elsewhere, for
example, deserve very strict scrutiny as well. For more information on the new Interior initiative, go to
MMS Gets a new Science Advisor Just as GAO and PEER Document the Need for One
Since the DOI initiative was announced SCB’s Executive Director, Alan Thornhill, has become the first
Science Advisor to the Director of the Minerals Management Service, which determines how most oil and
gas leasing offshore will be carried out. Even more recently, Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility announced the release of a Government Accountability Office report, which PEER says
confirms that MMS continued well into the Obama Administration to treat scientists, scientific findings and
recommendations in ways that do not meet best practice standards and possibly not even the legal
minimum standards. For example, GAO confirmed that MMS lacks its own specialized NEPA guidance
and other fundamental tools for measuring offshore leasing impacts. See,
We expect to do our best to help MMS meet its legal obligations and to do more than meet the minimum
requirements of the law.
For details on SCB’s ESA and Forest Management Act comments see the Policy Pages at
Biological Security
US Begins Requiring More Information from Importers to
Help Enforce the Ban on Illegally Harvested Wood Products
April 1, 2010 is the first day of enforcement for information transparency requirements under the Lacey
Act for guitars, revolvers, hand tools, pool cues and some furniture. The Lacey Act, as amended, makes it
a federal crime to trade in illegal wood products. The ban on trade in illegal wood has been in effect since
the law passed on May 22, 2008. The European Union is seeking bilateral agreements with countries
promising to have their wood exports checked for legal sourcing though some independent experts and
conservation groups note that the European agreements do not so far require proof of complete chain of
custody control and other essential elements.
The international NGO, “the Environmental Investigation Agency”, coordinates a coalition helping to
enforce the ban that the coalition originally sought from Congress.
Treaties
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
The 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is an international
agreement between governments. Its goal is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild
animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Species are listed under three Appendices, which
provide different degrees of protection to more than 33,000 species of animals and plants. CITES held its
15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) in Doha, Qatar, from March 13th to the 25th, to
determine new admission or deletion of species.
Among the issues garnering greatest attention was the failure of the parties to secure the two-thirds
majority of those voting to list several marine species that a majority of nations had determined warranted
listing. Four proposals to include sharks in CITES Appendix II where trade is allowed but limited to
sustainable levels (if the criteria are properly applied) were rejected. Controls on overexploitation of blue
fin tuna and red and pink coral were also defeated. Trade controls will be implemented for the holywood,
the Brazilian rosewood, some lizards and frogs from Central America, and a salamander from Iran.
