Editor’s note: Last issue we launched the Jim Hines Chronicles, which takes the emails sent to our Executive Committee by our premier lobbyist who phones and zooms to the nation’s Capital, state Capitol, politicians, other chapters, eco-groups and more. It was such a hit we were asked to continue it; this issue starts with his first December 2020 email and ends on our January 2021deadline. Jim is our chapter’s vice-chair and Ventura Conservation Director among other wildlife advocacy tasks.
By Jim Hines
Dec 4: Darn . . . in last minute negotiations House and Senate conferees took out ALL national public lands legislation in the National Defense Authorization Act, including our local legislation to protect the Los Padres National Forest (Central Coast Heritage Protection Act) and the Rim of the Valley Corridor.
We will be back in early 2021 with new bills and a new President.
Dec 17: Breaking news . . . President-Elect Biden has just announced that Rep. Deb Haaland will be the Secretary of the Interior, the first native American to lead Interior. I have on several occasions met with her as the Rep. from New Mexico. She has a proven record of protecting our public lands . . . so refreshing!
Dec 18: More good news from the Transition Team. Great selections to lead Interior, EPA, President's Council on Environmental Quality and White House Office on Climate Change. This morning I sent my list of issues to Rep. Haaland; figured I best get my list in the door early . . . people who lobby start and never stop; that is how we get things done.
What I hear is that 2021 will be the year of YES and NO around the Central Coast Region:
NO new oil and mining in LP Forest,
NO new oil leases in federal waters,
YES to new protected ecosystems in LP Forest,
YES to new Marine Sanctuary,
YES to addressing climate change,
YES to more funding for Condor Recovery,
YES to $6.5 million for land in Santa Monica Mountains,
YES to Rim of the Valley Corridor.
Dec. 18: Things are moving along for wildlife; likely public hearing in April 2021 designating lion populations as endangered and habitats in five counties, including our two.
Dec 21: Off I go again to work on legislation to protect several federal land areas locally, a bill to create the largest protected wildlife corridor and to create the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
Dec. 29: What a year 2020 . . . we faced unprecedented challenges in our personal and political lives. We lost friends and loved ones, made new friends, saw local businesses suffer and we rallied to help those in need during Covid.
But we also succeeded in getting great environmental leaders elected to public offices locally, statewide, and nationally all the way to the President of the United States!
But it could not have been done without the help, love and support from each of YOU and I want to thank each one of you.
Jan. 3: Happy New Year! It's the peak of whale watching season off our coast, a time for joy as people marvel at the grand beauty of resident and migrating whales . . . but danger lurks as marine mammals are entangled and killed by longline nylon commercial fishing nets.
Yesterday President Trump vetoed legislation which would have phased out the use of these nets in federal waters despite bipartisan support. So, we await a new Administration when I will start our new lobbying effort to "Get It Done in Twenty-One".
Jan. 5: I can't begin to tell you how refreshing it is to work with the Biden/Harris Transition Team, so impressed with the courtesy, interest in issues and knowledge that the members have on the issues. For me personally this is a far cry from the past four years of lobbying Trump officials who did not care, were rude and angry and had no knowledge of the policies of the offices they held.
I spoke yesterday with the new Chief of Staff to Kamala Harris; folks, I can tell you we have a very approachable friend in the incoming Vice President; Vice President Pence's staff would not even meet with people like me.
Jan. 8: Meet Deb Haaland, the new Interior appointee here:
https://tinyurl.com/HaalandGuardian
Jan. 13: In speaking yesterday with one of the Transition Team, I told her about the importance of national public lands in our region. Teaser Alert: watch for creation of a new national park unit this Spring in our region.
Jan. 15: Earth Justice on behalf of the Sierra Club and others filed suit in federal court to stop the Trump Administration from gutting protections for wolves. I am a declarant in this case, here’s more information:
https://tinyurl.com/GrayWolfSuit
Jan 21: I had my first conversation with a member of the Biden Administration which took office at noon on January 20th. I heard, “Jim we are here, the Biden Administration is in the Interior building" . . . what music to my ears.
I start my contacts early because when you advocate it is best to get in as soon as you can and stay there in their face (in a positive way) forever.
Jan. 22: An executive order by President Biden starts the process to re-establish Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to their original boundaries. This was a top priority of the Sierra Club.
Jan 29: Now that President Biden has officially incorporated the 30 x 30 Conservation Plan into his Administration's policies, our work will really begin in earnest.
We have a lot of environmental damage to repair, we have whole ecosystems to restore, we have species imperiled and this is their last chance, our oceans and marine mammals cry for our help. we will rally to their call and we will “Get it Done in Twenty-One”!
~ Edited by John Hankins