Green Governator or Fish Terminator? Hudson Riverkeeper Responds (Kind Of)

In an interview with Dan Wiessner of the Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow Patch, an unnamed Riverkeeper official "shrugged off" criticisms by environmentalists and fishermen that the Hudson Riverkeeper is greenwashing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's abysmal environmental record by honoring him for his "environmental advocacy" at the "Fishermen's Ball" in New York City on April 14.

“The governor’s work speaks for itself. He’s recognized across the world for his work in combating global climate change,” the official said.

The Riverkeeper is honoring Schwarzenegger in spite of the fact that he is the worst Governor for fish and the environment in California history. Schwarzenegger has presided over the unprecedented collapse of Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon, threadfin shad, Sacramento splittail and striped bass populations. He has continually attacked the biological opinions protecting salmon and Delta smelt while campaigning for a peripheral canal and new dams that is likely to result in the extinction of many of these species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas.

It is notable that that article also mentioned Schwarzenegger's corrupt Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) process as one of the Governor's "environmental" accomplishments. Environmentalists, fishermen and Indian Tribes have slammed the MLPA initiative for its conflicts of interests, mission creep, violation of sovereign tribal harvesting rights, private funding and corruption of the democratic process.

Below is Dan Wiessner's excellent article on this controversy:

http://tarrytown.patch.com/articles/green-governator-or-fish-terminator

Green Governator or Fish Terminator? Schwarzenegger to be Honored by Tarrytown Group

Tarrytown-based environmental group Hudson Riverkeeper will honor California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at its annual gala; some environmentalists are crying foul.

By Dan Wiessner | April 2, 2010

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is pretty unpopular in his state these days.

Only 23 percent of Californians approve of the job he’s done trying to steer the Golden State away from the brink of insolvency and close a $20 billion budget gap – a lower approval rating than Schwarzenegger’s predecessor, Gray Davis, had when he was voted out of office in 2003.

But it’s not all bad for the action star-turned-moderate Republican governor. Tarrytown-based environmental advocacy group Hudson Riverkeeper recently announced that it would honor Schwarzenegger’s environmental initiatives at its annual gala on April 14.

According to a Riverkeeper official, the governor is mainly being honored for the state’s 2007 enactment of the Global Warming Solutions Act, an omnibus bill that requires California to meet the same standards set forth by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty that requires member countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2012.

President George W. Bush signed the treaty but refused to ratify it, which would have made the stipulations binding. President Barack Obama supports the measure, but has said the 2012 deadline is too close for the U.S. to take meaningful action.

Schwarzenegger has also been lauded for signing into law the first statewide carbon emission standards and his implementation of the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act, which created a system of protecting coastal areas deemed to be endangered by overfishing.

But Riverkeeper’s announcement has reignited criticism of the governor’s environmental record by activists and journalists who paint a picture of corruption, inaction and political posturing.

Dan Bacher is a journalist and the head of Fish Sniffer, a news service for commercial and recreational fishers. Based in California, Bacher is a longtime critic of Schwarzenegger’s environmental policies. He calls Schwarzenegger the ‘Fish Terminator’.

Echoing other critics, Bacher said the governor’s initiatives have replaced more effective legislation. He also cited years of cuts to California environmental agencies, including the Department of Fish and Game.

Environmentalists have also decried a bill recently introduced by Schwarzenegger’s office that would allow the governor to choose 25 development projects each year that would be exempt from the state’s strict environmental quality standards.

“If the Riverkeeper leadership has any integrity, they should withdraw their invitation to Schwarzenegger to be honored at their event,” Bacher said.

“They should then apologize to the recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, California Indian Tribes, Delta farmers, conservationists, and environmental justice advocates who have suffered from Schwarzenegger’s continuous attacks on fish, fishermen and the environment.”

The Riverkeeper official, who did not want to be named, was tight-lipped on the criticisms.

“We understand the controversy, and we will continue to work with the governor to impart the best decisions in those areas,” the spokesperson said.

Bacher also said that he believes the Riverkeeper honor may be a result of the relationship between Schwarzenegger and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is a top official at the environmental group. The two men are cousins by marriage, as Schwarzenegger’s wife, Maria Shriver, is Robert Kennedy Sr.’s niece.

“I suspect that Schwarzenegger may be receiving the award because of his close relationship to Robert Kennedy Jr.,” Bacher said.

He added that the honor “provides ‘green cover’ for the governor’s attack on Central Valley salmon and the Delta ecosystem,” referring to the state’s collapsing commercial fishing stock.

The Riverkeeper official shrugged off the allegation.

“The governor’s work speaks for itself. He’s recognized across the world for his work in combating global climate change,” the official said.

Schwarzenegger’s office also touted the governor’s record when asked to comment.

Riverkeeper is a nationwide network of more than 150 groups that lobby for clean water and other environmental initiatives. Hudson Riverkeeper was the first chapter to be founded.

Past honorees at the Riverkeeper gala have included folk singer Pete Seeger, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and tennis legend John McEnroe and his wife, rocker Patty Smyth.

The gala honoring Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger takes place on April 14, at New York’s Pier 60 on the Hudson River.