From conbiol@u.washington.edu Thu Dec 4 11:28:54 2003 Received: from mxu6.u.washington.edu (mxu6.u.washington.edu [140.142.33.12]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.12.10+UW03.09/8.12.10+UW03.09) with ESMTP id hB4JSruL025528 for ; Thu, 4 Dec 2003 11:28:53 -0800 Received: from mxout4.cac.washington.edu (mxout4.cac.washington.edu [140.142.33.19]) by mxu6.u.washington.edu (8.12.10+UW03.09/8.12.10+UW03.09) with ESMTP id hB4JSqgN027040 for ; Thu, 4 Dec 2003 11:28:52 -0800 Received: from mailhost1.u.washington.edu (mailhost1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.141]) by mxout4.cac.washington.edu (8.12.10+UW03.09/8.12.10+UW03.09) with ESMTP id hB4JRI9n021068; Thu, 4 Dec 2003 11:27:18 -0800 Received: from WITHERSUED (D-128-208-99-71.dhcp4.washington.edu [128.208.99.71]) by mailhost1.u.washington.edu (8.12.10+UW03.09/8.12.10+UW03.09) with SMTP id hB4JRIHk021433; Thu, 4 Dec 2003 11:27:18 -0800 Message-ID: <016101c3ba9c$a15da800$4763d080@ued.washington.edu> From: "Conservation Biology Policy Certificate Program" To: Subject: Fw: 100 Top Economists Urge Better Environmental Protection (fwd) Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2003 11:00:45 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 X-Uwash-Spam: Gauge=IIIIIIII, Probability=8%, Report='LINES_OF_YELLING 0.001, LINES_OF_YELLING_2 0.001, OUTLOOK_FW_MSG 0.000' ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 09:14:08 -0800 From: Judy Walton To: EFSWN Listserv Subject: [efswnlist]100 Top Economists Urge Better Environmental Protection NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release - December 3, 2003 ECONOMISTS TELL PRESIDENT BUSH AND GOVERNORS THAT GREATER EFFORT TO CONSERVE THE ENVIRONMENT WILL STRENGTHEN THE ECONOMY OF WESTERN STATES Eugene, Oregon: More than 100 economists from across the country today sent a letter to President Bush and the governors of eleven western states, telling them that protecting and enhancing the quality of the region's natural environment would strengthen the ability of western communities to generate more jobs and higher incomes. The list of signers includes two Nobel laureates: Kenneth Arrow of Stanford University and Robert Solow of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The letter is available at: www.econw.com/pdf/120303letter.pdf Background information is available at: www.econw.com/pdf/120303letterbkgd.pdf The economists observed, "The West's natural environment is, arguably, its greatest, long-run economic strength" because it underlies "a quality of life that contributes to robust economic growth by attracting productive families, firms, and investments." They concluded, "Nearly all communities of the West will find they cannot have a healthy economy without a healthy environment. The environment's contribution to economic prosperity, however, faces serious threats, including air and water pollution, urban sprawl, the extension of roads and other development into roadless public lands, and fragmentation of habitat for native fish and wildlife. Jason Shogren, Stroock Distinguished Professor of economics at the University of Wyoming, explained, "Some people seem to believe that protecting the environment harms the economy. It is clear from this letter that economists from across the West disagree. They are saying that protecting environmental quality is essential for sustaining economic prosperity in the western states." "The fact that this many economists felt compelled to send this statement at this time suggests the high degree of concern they have with environmentally harmful actions that purportedly help the economy but in fact undermine it," added Ed Whitelaw, President of ECONorthwest and a professor of economics at the University of Oregon. The economists asked the president and the governors to initiate a review of actions by their administrations that affect the environment and the economy. This review should fully describe the economic benefits and costs of actions significantly affecting the environment, reinforce those actions that strengthen the economy by protecting or restoring environmental quality, and arrest those that damage the economy by degrading the environment. This review also should identify opportunities for improving both the environment and the economy, such as eliminating expensive subsidies for environmentally harmful activities. Numerous opportunities exist and they are important because "the sooner we seize these opportunities, the sooner the West will enjoy more jobs, higher incomes, and greater prosperity." The economists conclude that, "Public officials can best promote long-run economic prosperity in the West by encouraging efficient transitions away from harmful activities toward those beneficial to both the environment and the economy." The economists signing the letter come from each of the eleven western states, as well as elsewhere in the US. For more information, contact: Noelwah Netusil (Portland, OR): 503-517-7306 Jason Shogren (Cheyenne, WY): 307-766-5430 Arthur Caplan (Logan, UT): 435-797-0775 Charles Kolstad (Santa Barbara, CA): 805-893-2108 Ed Whitelaw or Ernie Niemi (Eugene, OR): 541-687-0051 - 30 - .