The Kerry Record: The Real Environmental President
John Kerry enters this race with one of the most impressive records on the environment ever presented by a Presidential candidate. Kerry has been endorsed by a wide range of environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters. The League of Conservation Voters has frequently given Kerry a 100% rating on environmental issues, and his overall lifetime rating is 96%, the highest rating that the League has given to any Presidential candidate. The websites of these organizations offer a comprehensive analysis of Kerry's outstanding environmental record. The following are some of the highlights.
Clean Air and Water: Kerry has long been one of the leaders in the Senate in promoting Clean Air and Water legislation and in opposing efforts by Republican administrations to loosen regulatory standards. In his first term in the Senate, he sponsored legislation to reduce pollutants that cause acid rain, an issue he had previously highlighted as Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor, serving as co-chair of the National Governors Association's Acid Rain Task Force. More recently, Kerry has led Senate opposition to the Bush Administration's "Clear Skies" initiative, which will significantly weaken current air pollution standards. Kerry is a cosponsor of the Clean Power Act of 2003, which would significantly tighten pollution standards for power plants. Kerry was one of the leaders in the Senate in successfully opposing the Bush Administration's efforts to alter Clean Water standards so as to permit increased levels of arsenic in drinking water.
Oil Drilling: Kerry has been, in the words of the League of Conservation Voters, "a key player in the Senate against Republican attempts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling." Kerry has successfully sponsored legislation to prevent the Bush Administration from altering long-standing policies restricting oil and gas drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of New England and in environmentally-sensitive areas off the Florida and California coasts.
Fuel Efficiency: Kerry co-sponsored, with Senator McCain, legislation, strongly opposed by the Bush Administration, that would have required dramatically higher fuel efficiency standards for all passenger cars and trucks. Kerry has also cosponsored legislation that offers tax credits to consumers who purchase fuel-efficient vehicles.
Global Warming: Kerry served on the Congressional delegations to the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, and the 1997 and 2000 climate talks in Kyoto and the Hague. Kerry introduced legislation, opposed by the Bush Administration, to "speed national action to address global climate change."
Renewable Energy: Kerry has supported legislation, which passed the Senate, that increased Federal funding for research into renewable energy programs. Kerry has also proposed legislation that would require that by the year 2020, 20% of all electricity produced in the U.S. come from renewable sources such as wind, geothermal, solar, and biomass.
International Trade: Kerry supported legislation, opposed by the Bush Administration, that would override any trade agreement that had the effect of undermining any environmental or public health protections. Kerry has stated that as President he would veto any provision in a trade agreement that had such an impact.
Toxic and Nuclear Waste: Kerry has supported a return to the "polluter pays" system of financing Superfund clean-ups of toxic waste sites and has co-sponsored legislation to implement this. Under the Bush Administration there has a 60% reduction in violation notices and a 28% reduction in fines against polluters, resulting in a dramatic reduction of toxic waste clean-ups. Kerry has also been active in leading Congressional opposition to the creation of a massive nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, NV.
Wildlife: Kerry is the author of the Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1994, the author of legislation to ban the use of drift nets that endanger dolphins and other marine mammals, and is the principal sponsor of the Sustainable Fisheries Act.
Public Lands: Kerry has consistently voted against subsidies for logging in national forests and has opposed subsidies for timber road building. Kerry has also supported legislation that would require mining companies to pay royalties for minerals extracted from public lands and to pay for the costs of toxic waste clean-ups on public lands.
In John Kerry, voters concerned about the environment can elect a President who is not merely better than Bush, but one who has the pre-eminent record on environmental issues over a career spanning several decades.
Clean Air and Water: Kerry has long been one of the leaders in the Senate in promoting Clean Air and Water legislation and in opposing efforts by Republican administrations to loosen regulatory standards. In his first term in the Senate, he sponsored legislation to reduce pollutants that cause acid rain, an issue he had previously highlighted as Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor, serving as co-chair of the National Governors Association's Acid Rain Task Force. More recently, Kerry has led Senate opposition to the Bush Administration's "Clear Skies" initiative, which will significantly weaken current air pollution standards. Kerry is a cosponsor of the Clean Power Act of 2003, which would significantly tighten pollution standards for power plants. Kerry was one of the leaders in the Senate in successfully opposing the Bush Administration's efforts to alter Clean Water standards so as to permit increased levels of arsenic in drinking water.
Oil Drilling: Kerry has been, in the words of the League of Conservation Voters, "a key player in the Senate against Republican attempts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling." Kerry has successfully sponsored legislation to prevent the Bush Administration from altering long-standing policies restricting oil and gas drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf off the coast of New England and in environmentally-sensitive areas off the Florida and California coasts.
Fuel Efficiency: Kerry co-sponsored, with Senator McCain, legislation, strongly opposed by the Bush Administration, that would have required dramatically higher fuel efficiency standards for all passenger cars and trucks. Kerry has also cosponsored legislation that offers tax credits to consumers who purchase fuel-efficient vehicles.
Global Warming: Kerry served on the Congressional delegations to the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, and the 1997 and 2000 climate talks in Kyoto and the Hague. Kerry introduced legislation, opposed by the Bush Administration, to "speed national action to address global climate change."
Renewable Energy: Kerry has supported legislation, which passed the Senate, that increased Federal funding for research into renewable energy programs. Kerry has also proposed legislation that would require that by the year 2020, 20% of all electricity produced in the U.S. come from renewable sources such as wind, geothermal, solar, and biomass.
International Trade: Kerry supported legislation, opposed by the Bush Administration, that would override any trade agreement that had the effect of undermining any environmental or public health protections. Kerry has stated that as President he would veto any provision in a trade agreement that had such an impact.
Toxic and Nuclear Waste: Kerry has supported a return to the "polluter pays" system of financing Superfund clean-ups of toxic waste sites and has co-sponsored legislation to implement this. Under the Bush Administration there has a 60% reduction in violation notices and a 28% reduction in fines against polluters, resulting in a dramatic reduction of toxic waste clean-ups. Kerry has also been active in leading Congressional opposition to the creation of a massive nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, NV.
Wildlife: Kerry is the author of the Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1994, the author of legislation to ban the use of drift nets that endanger dolphins and other marine mammals, and is the principal sponsor of the Sustainable Fisheries Act.
Public Lands: Kerry has consistently voted against subsidies for logging in national forests and has opposed subsidies for timber road building. Kerry has also supported legislation that would require mining companies to pay royalties for minerals extracted from public lands and to pay for the costs of toxic waste clean-ups on public lands.
In John Kerry, voters concerned about the environment can elect a President who is not merely better than Bush, but one who has the pre-eminent record on environmental issues over a career spanning several decades.
posted by democratic core at 3:19 PM
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