Statement of Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder

A statement by Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder outlining specific policy demands and questions for President Bush regarding the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and energy policy.

• Brent Blackwelder proposes a series of actions for President Bush to demonstrate a commitment to real change in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, including funding a $14 billion wetlands restoration program, vetoing restoration bills containing pork barrel projects, and reforming the Army Corps of Engineers in collaboration with Senators McCain and Feingold.
• The statement calls for the President to address energy dependence and climate change by requiring higher gas mileage for new vehicles, rejecting the idea that drilling leads to energy independence, and acknowledging that warming oceans increase hurricane intensity, which necessitates an immediate reduction in greenhouse gases.
• Blackwelder advocates for the outlawing of floating casinos along the Gulf Coast and in back bays due to their role as "water-born wrecking balls" during Katrina, and suggests ending federal insurance for beachfront properties to stop taxpayers from subsidizing luxury homes.

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} }