Statement of Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder

Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder calls for President Bush to commit to specific actions following Hurricane Katrina, including funding a $14 billion wetlands restoration program, reforming the Army Corps of Engineers, and increasing fuel economy standards for vehicles. The statement argues that the president must address the "calculated neglect" of poor and minority communities and acknowledge the link between global warming and increased hurricane intensity to justify immediate greenhouse gas reductions.

• Brent Blackwelder proposes several specific actions for the recovery of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, including the funding of a "$14 billion wetlands restoration program", the outlawing of "floating casinos" that destroyed wetlands, and the termination of "federal insurance for beachfront property" that requires taxpayer subsidies.
• The statement demands a shift in energy policy, specifically asking if the president will "require sharply higher gas mileage for all new cars, trucks, and SUVs" instead of pursuing the belief that the U.S. can "drill our way to energy independence".
• The document asserts that the president should acknowledge scientific research indicating that "as the oceans warm up, hurricanes will increase in intensity", which necessitates the immediate reduction of "greenhouse gases".

APA

Blackwelder, B. (2008). Statement of Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/news/2008-11-statement-of-friends-of-the-earth-president-brent-bl/

Chicago

Blackwelder, Brent. Statement of Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder. Friends of the Earth, 2008. https://foe.org/news/2008-11-statement-of-friends-of-the-earth-president-brent-bl/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Blackwelder |first1=Brent |title=Statement of Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=5 November 2008 |url=https://foe.org/news/2008-11-statement-of-friends-of-the-earth-president-brent-bl/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{blackwelder2008statement, author = {Blackwelder, Brent}, title = {{Statement of Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2008}, month = nov, url = {https://foe.org/news/2008-11-statement-of-friends-of-the-earth-president-brent-bl/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }