National Conference Call with Sen. Jim DeMint on Cap and Trade, Energy Issues
On Wednesday evening, July 9, Americans for Prosperity will host a national Tele Town Hall meeting with U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina—one of the top free-market leaders in America.
As everybody knows, gas prices are out of control, yet some in Congress continue to push legislation like a $1.2 trillion global warming carbon tax hike that will only make matters worse. At the same time, Congress is blocking legislation that would allow us to increase energy production and supplies here at home.
During Wednesday’s Telephone Town Hall meeting, Senator DeMint and AFP President Tim Phillips will discuss with participants how Al Gore and his environmental extremist policies are driving up the price of gasoline, increasing home energy costs, and killing jobs.
They’ll be discussing what is at stake, and what we can all do to help Senator DeMint fight the good fight in Washington. Callers will also have the opportunity to ask Senator DeMint a question.
The Telephone Town Hall meeting begin on Wednesday beginning at 7:10 p.m. Eastern time. That’s 6:10 in the Central time zone, 5:10 Mountain time and 4:10 p.m. on the West Coast.
To join, you can simply dial in at 7:10 p.m. Eastern time by calling toll-free to 1-877-229-8493 and entering the PIN code 13896.
Water distribution and safety legislation
- S. 2842, to require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out annual inspections of canals, levees, tunnels, dikes, pumping plants, dams, and reservoirs under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, and for other purposes
- S. 2974, to provide for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado
- H.R. 3323, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to convey a water distribution system to the Goleta Water District, and for other purposes
- S. 3189, to amend Public Law 106–392 to require the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration and the Commissioner of Reclamation to maintain sufficient revenues in the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund, and for other purposes.
Environmental Organizations Call For Response To Extreme Weather
From the Wonk Room.
The We Campaign’s action alert sent yesterday to activists about the U.S. Climate Change Science Program report on global warming’s effects on extreme weather.
The warming climate has made more extreme precipitation inevitable, and in response, the U.S. must dramatically refashion its failed flood control policies.
The world’s largest grassroots environmental organization noted that U.S. flood control policy has been misguided for decades, pointing to government panels from 1966 and 1973 that recommended “more attention be paid to relocation out of flood zones and called for greater emphasis on non-engineering solutions.” Instead, due to pork barrel spending “totally unnecessary and often environmentally destructive projects are built while those of higher priority go unaddressed,” destroying up to 95% of the wetlands of Iowa and Illinois. With global warming, policies that were once problematic are now disastrous.
On July 1, National Wildlife Federation head Larry Schweiger called on Congress to hold immediate hearings to revise the National Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act. The accompanying report from the largest environmental organization in the United States, “Heavy Rainfall and Increased Flooding Risk: Global Warming’s Wake-Up Call for the Central United States,” recommends the U.S. stop its levee-larded strategy for flood control and begin aggressive reductions in global warming pollution. Offering her thoughts and prayers to those grappling with the “catastrophic flooding in the central United States,” NWF climate scientist Amanda Staudt connected the dots:The big picture is that global warming is making tragedies like these more frequent and more intense. Global warming is happening now. Our dependency on fossil fuels like oil and coal is causing the problem, and people and wildlife are witnessing the effects.
The We Campaign alerted its million-person list about last month’s U.S. Climate Change Science Program report on global warming’s effects on extreme weather.
Unfortunately, not all leaders are recognizing the severity of this crisis. Major news networks employ global warming deniers and industry apologists in senior positions, The Wall Street Journal publishes right-wing extremists who think climate science is a “sick-souled religion,” and the New York Times publishes stories on the future of the Everglades and the effects of extreme floods on Midwest agriculture without even mentioning climate change once.
Virginia Approves Major New Coal Plant and Electricity Rate Hikes
The No 2 utility owner in America yesterday won the right to build a $1.8bn power plant in the heart of the Appalachian mountains. The move almost certainly will increase Virginia’s use of the mining practice known as mountaintop removal, in which peaks are sheared off to reach the coal inside.After an emotional two-day hearing that drew hundreds of witnesses, the Virginia state air pollution control board cleared Dominion Power to break ground on a 585-megawatt plant deep in the heart of coal country.
The vote was unanimous, with even board members who favor a carbon tax calling for more coal to burn.
Dominion Virginia Power will raise its electricity rates starting Tuesday by 18 percent, the largest one-time rate increase in three decades, to pay for soaring fuel costs. The three-member Virginia State Corporation Commission, the state’s utility regulator, approved the increase in a ruling issued Friday.
It’s Getting Hot in Here has commentary:
Today was the final day of the Air Board Hearing concerning the Wise County coal plant. The room was full of hope after yesterday’s comment period, and the board acknowledged the powerful citizen outcry over the plant’s health and environmental impacts. But ultimately, they approved the plant. While they significantly strengthened the emissions regulations, they did nothing to address mountain top removal mining or CO2 emissions.They went as far as they could, without doing more harm than good. Fearing litigation from Dominion, they made no strong statement about regulating CO2—without the regulatory framework from the EPA, the Board felt it wasn’t able to take a strong stand. “My hope is,” stated one Air Board member, “that strong, forceful legislation will come at a federal level and that Governor Kaine will take state-specific actions to address CO2.”
It was because of the “loud public clamor” that the Air Board decided to take up this permit and make it as strong as it is now. Dominion will have to make a considerable effort to meet these demands, including cleaning up their mercury emissions. Dominion walked in the door expecting that their permit would get rubber-stamped approved with a 72 lb mercury emissions regulation. The Air Board demanded that they reduce that to 4.45 lbs per year. That’s a 120% reduction, made possible only by the strong grassroots outcry about this plant.
It was clear to me and other members of our coalition that this was a courageous move by the Air Board. They are going to take hits from both sides of the debate, neither of which got what they wanted. As Kathy Selvage said, “They gave no consideration for the mountains that will be the fuel for this plant.” MTR wasn’t mentioned by the Air Board at all. Also, the “out clause,” which allows Dominion to get a new permit if they cannot achieve the mercury standards, was also left in.
“There you go. We didn’t do it.,” said one Air Board member in his final comments. They didn’t take a strong stand on MTR, on CO2, or on the plant. But they did create a strong regulatory hurdle for Dominion, and they made an attempt to protect our air based on the Clean Air Act. The vote was unanimous.
Live Green Launch Party
In partnership with DC Gives, we are unveiling our new membership program that will make greener lifestyles more affordable and accessible for everyday living in DC and beyond.
Sponsors include: Local 16, Center for a New American Dream’s Conscious Consumer Marketplace, Green Drinks DC, Going Green DC, and Stacey Vaeth Photography.
Local 16 1602 U Street, NW Washington, DC
$15 at the door benefiting Live Green (RSVP required at: [email protected]) or $13 right here (your name will be added to our door list.)
Cover includes: light fare, an optional one-year membership with Live Green, and live music from:
THE BLACK AND TAN FANTASY BAND
Featuring Ashish Vyas of Thievery Corporation, Jerry Busher of Fugazi and Will Rast of Funk Arc
In partnership with DC Gives, we are unveiling our new membership program that will make greener lifestyles more affordable and accessible for everyday living in DC and beyond.
ABOUT LIVE GREEN: Live Green is a DC-based membership organization providing discounts on everyday green products and services, and programs supporting sustainable living communities.
ABOUT DC GIVES: DC Gives is a network of individuals who organize fundraisers for DC-based community groups and progressive organizations. Its goals are to throw distinctive, creative events and foster collaboration between DC’s artistic and progressive communities. It believes the best networking happens when people are having a really good time.
A Call To Consciousness on Climate Change
A Call To Consciousness on Climate Change, will explore the ancient messages of living American Indian cultures, the state of the science and reports on important responses to the climate change issue by Native communities. This forum will provide an opportunity to regain that integrated understanding of the world that for millennia has characterized Native traditions. Free Mother Earth Indian Summer Showcase concert follows.
Background:
For more than half a century, American Indian elders have called attention to humankind’s impacts upon our Mother Earth. Elders of many Native cultures subscribe to the concept that our decisions today must take into consideration their effects upon future generations. The climate change dilemma represents an important challenge to the global community to incorporate into its practices and policies the prevailing evidence offered by science as well as the wisdom and knowledge of the inter-relatedness of elements and life on earth.
Preserving the health of the Mother Earth is the gravest responsibility of our generation and the primary reason why the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, as an institution of living cultures, is committed to elevating human understanding about global climate change through education, cultural performances and civic engagement programs.
For more information, contact:
Eileen Maxwell Director of Public Affairs Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian 4th Street and Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20013-7012 Office: 202-633-6615 Mobile: 202-436-6805 Email: [email protected]
Forum schedule: Call to Consciousness on Climate Change
- Noon Welcome & Opening Remarks
Tim Johnson (Mohawk), associate director for museum programs, National Museum of the American Indian - 12:10 p.m. Opening Prayer
Rico Newman (Piscataway–Conoy Indians) - 12:30 p.m. Introductions and Framing Statement
José Barreiro (Taino), assistant director for research, Department of Museum Programs, National Museum of the American Indian - 12:45 p.m. Original Instructions: A Call to Consciousness
Oren Lyons (Onondaga), Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan Onondaga, Haudenosaunee Grand Council of Chiefs; emeritus SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and director of Native American Studies within the Department of American Studies, State University of New York at Buffalo. - 1:30 p.m. Scale of the Climate Problem and the Road Ahead
Anthony Socci, senior science and communication fellow, Policy Office of the American Meteorological Society’s policy office in Washington, D.C. - 2:10 p.m. Commitment to Solutions: Partnerships from Indian Country
Daniel Wildcat (Yuchi member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma), director of the Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Center, and director of the American Indian Studies Program, Haskell Indian Nations University - 2:50 p.m. Air Quality in the Four Corners Region of the U.S.
Nasbah Ben (Navajo), graduate student at the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas - 3:25 p.m. Environmental Justice
Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabekwe [Ojibwe], enrolled member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg), rural development economist, executive director of Honor the Earth, a national Native American Foundation, and the White Earth Land Recovery Project on the White Earth Reservation - 4:10 p.m. Moderated Panel Discussion with Presenters
José Barreiro, moderator - 4:55 p.m. Closing Comments and Remarks
Tim Johnson
Speakers
- Tim Johnson (Mohawk) As associate director for museum programs at NMAI, Tim Johnson manages a department that encompasses all aspects of the visitor experience, from exhibitions, education, publications, symposia, and lectures to cultural and performing arts programs.
Previously, Johnson served as executive editor of Indian Country Today, where, over the course of six years, he led the remodeling of the publication into the nation’s leading American Indian newspaper, noted for its original reporting, analysis, and commentary on matters of American Indian policy and its steadfast defense of American Indian economic interests.
- Rico Newman (Piscataway–Conoy Indians) Rico Newman is an Elder’s Council member of the Choptico Band of Piscataway–Conoy Indians, located in southern Maryland. He has been appointed by the Tribal Band Chairpersons to represent the tribe on major issues to the public and the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs. He is also active in the tribe’s language revitalization program and in teaching Piscataway–Conoy traditional arts. Newman works in NMAI’s Cultural Resources Center as a cultural information specialist.
- José Barreiro (Taino) José Barreiro serves as NMAI’s assistant director for research. A scholar of American Indian policy and the contemporary Native experience, Barreiro is a pioneering figure in Native American journalism and publishing. He helped establish the American Indian Program at Cornell University, serving as associate director and editor-in-chief of Akwe:kon Press and the journal Native Americas throughout the 1980s and ’90s. In 2000 he joined the staff of Indian Country Today as senior editor. He continues to serve as a member of the editorial board of Kacike: The Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology.
Barreiro’s publications include Native American Expressive Culture (1994), a special edition of the Akwe:kon Journal produced for the opening of NMAI’s George Gustav Heye Center in New York; the novel The Indian Chronicles (1993); and such scholarly books as View from the Shore: American Indian Perspectives on the Quincentenary (1990); Indian Roots of American Democracy (1992); Chiapas: Challenging History (1994); Panchito: Cacique de Montaña (2001); and, most recently, America Is Indian Country (2005), which he edited with Tim Johnson. A member of the Taino Nation of the Antilles, Barreiro received his Ph.D. in American Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
- Oren Lyons (Onondaga) Oren Lyons was born in 1930 and raised in the traditional lifeways of the Haudenosaunee on the Seneca and Onondaga reservations in northern New York State. After serving in the army, Lyons graduated in 1958 from the Syracuse University College of Fine Arts. He then pursued a career in commercial art in New York City. A noted American Indian artist, he has exhibited his paintings widely.
Since returning to western New York in 1970 and joining the faculty of SUNY Buffalo, Chief Lyons has been a leading advocate for American Indian causes. Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, and a member of the Council of Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee, he is respected internationally as an eloquent spokesperson. In 1982, he helped to establish the Working Group on Indigenous Populations within the United Nations and has taken part in meetings of the U.N. Human Rights Commission. He also serves on the executive committee of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival, and is a principal figure in the Traditional Circle of Indian Elders, grassroots leadership council of the major Indian nations of North America.
Chief Lyons has authored or edited numerous books including Native People Address the United Nations (1994); Voice of Indigenous Peoples (1992); and Exiled in the Land of the Free: Democracy, Indian Nations, and the U.S. Constitution (1992).
- Anthony Socci Anthony Socci, Ph.D., is a senior science and communication fellow with the American Meteorological Society’s policy office in Washington, D.C. His interests include improving the communication of science via the mass media. He also hosts a public, monthly series on environmental science and policy issues on Capitol Hill and has co-hosted a series of workshops on improving the communication of science.
From 1994 to 2000, Socci served as associate executive director of the coordination office of the multiagency U.S. Global Change Research Program, where he was active in planning and coordinating the government’s nearly $2 billion annual investment in research on the causes and impacts of global- and regional-scale environmental changes. In this capacity, he routinely interacted with diverse interests, including the executive branch and congressional offices, on climate science.
From 2000 to 2005, Socci was a senior climate science advisor for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office of atmospheric programs, with responsibility for strategic planning, advising, and communication of climate and climate-related science.
- Dan Wildcat (Yuchi member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma) Daniel R. Wildcat is director of the Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center and of the American Indian Studies Program at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. In 1994 Wildcat helped form a partnership with the Hazardous Substance Research Center at Kansas State University to create the Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center as a nonprofit Native American initiative to facilitate technology transfer to tribal governments and Native communities, transfer of accurate environmental information to tribes, and research opportunities for tribal college faculty and students throughout the United States.
In 1996 Dr. Wildcat helped plan and organize an American Indian educational program to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Earth Day. As a part of the program, he moderated a live, nationally broadcast dialogue in Washington, D.C., between traditional American Indian elders and American Indian scientists and engineers about the way we must live if we are to ensure a healthy planet for our children. Wildcat also helped plan and design a four-part video series entitled All Things Are Connected: The Circle of Life (1997), which dealt with land, air, water, and biological issues related to environmental science and policy challenges facing Native nations. His recent activities have revolved around forming the American Indian and Alaska Native Climate Change Working Group, a network of individuals and organizations working on climate change issues.
Wildcat received B.A. and M.A. degrees in sociology from the University of Kansas and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He is the author or editor of several books, including Power and Place: Indian Education in America (2001), with Vine Deloria, Jr.; Destroying Dogma: Vine Deloria’s Legacy on Intellectual America (2006), with Steve Pavlik; and Red Alert: Saving the Earth with Indigenous Knowledge (forthcoming).
- Nasbah Ben (Navajo) Nasbah Ben is a proud member of the Diné Nation. She is of the Red Streak Running into the Charcoal Clan, born for the Mexican Clan; her maternal grandfather is the Bitter Water Clan and paternal grandfather is Big Water Clan. A graduate student in the Center for Indigenous Nations Studies at the University of Kansas, Ben has a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Northern Arizona University. Her research encompasses air quality and climate change issues among indigenous populations. She is currently working for the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, assisting in the development of the American Indian and Alaska Native Climate Change Working Group.
- Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabekwe [Ojibwe], enrolled member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg) Winona LaDuke is a rural development economist who has spent many years working on energy policy and energy self-sufficiency issues in Native America. The author of five books, she is the executive director of Honor the Earth, a national Native American foundation, and founding director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota.
LaDuke is a graduate of Harvard University, with graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in rural development from Antioch University. Twice a U.S. vice presidential candidate, serving as Ralph Nader’s running mate and representing the Green Party in 1996 and 2000, LaDuke lives and works on the White Earth Reservation.
Taking part in the Documentary Film Screening and Discussion, Saturday, June 14
- Daphne Ross Daphne Ross is new to filmmaking. Her participation as co-producer, writer, and editor of Waterbuster is her first time behind the camera. Ross grew up in New York City, graduated from Bard College with a B.A. in cultural anthropology, and then went on to earn an M.S. in environmental studies. Her professional career includes many years as an environmental educator and activist with non-profit organizations such as the Hudson River sloop Clearwater. She has taught marine ecology and environmental ethics to a variety of age groups on tall ships throughout the United States. It was over sailboats that she met the producer/director of Waterbuster, J. Carlos Peinado. While living together on a 35-foot sloop in Ventura, California, the two decided to collaborate on a documentary film about Peinado’s family and community on the Fort Berthold Reservation of North Dakota. She and Peinado now live in Santa Fe, wondering where the ocean is.
- Travis Tom (Swinomish) Travis Tom, a junior at La Conner High School in La Conner, Washington, is Swinomish and Lummi and has lived on the Swinomish Reservation his entire life. After his older sister passed away four years ago, Tom started using drugs. He began working with Native Lens in 2004 as part of his plan to turn his life around. His first project was a public service announcement called Native Pride. Since then, he has played the main character and served as principal director of Fifteen and helped to write, narrate, interview subjects for, and shoot March Point. He enjoys all aspects of acting and filmmaking and hopes to continue doing both for the rest of his life.
- Tracy Rector (Seminole) Tracy Rector is earning her teacher certification and a Master’s Degree in Education from Antioch University’s First Peoples Program, specializing in Native American studies, traditional plant medicine, and documentary film. She hopes to bring traditional and contemporary education together in a foundation based in environmental stewardship, using film and nature as pathways for learning. In conjunction with the Seattle Art Museum, the Northwest Folklife Council has recognized her Teachings of the Tree People curriculum as a Gold Standard model. Rector is currently developing curriculum for IslandWood, an environmental education center. Rector’s documentary work has been featured at National Geographic’s All Roads Film Project and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. She is the co-founder of Longhouse Media/Native Lens and a proud mother of two boys.
USCAP Offshoot Announces Support For Lieberman-Warner
A coalition of corporations, labor, religious and environmental organizations has announced its support of Sen. Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) manager’s mark of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. Several are members of the United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), which called for mandatory climate legislation in January 2007, but more recently has been wrapped in internal conflict.
The letter begins:The undersigned companies and organizations urge you to vote in favor of the Climate Security Act, S. 3036 (formerly S. 2191), which is expected to be considered by the full Senate beginning June 2. This is a very important vote on a bipartisan plan to address climate change. Prompt action on climate change is essential to protect America’s economy, security, quality of life and natural environment.
USCAP signatories are Alcoa, Environmental Defense Action Fund, Exelon Corporation, FPL Group, General Electric, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, NRG Energy, Inc, and PG&E Corporation. Non-USCAP signatories are Calpine Corporation, Interfaith Power and Light Campaign, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Izaak Walton League of America, National Grid, National Parks Conservation Association, Pew Environment Group, Public Service Enterprise Group, Trout Unlimited, and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting (UA).
Full text is below:
Alcoa * Calpine Corporation * Environmental Defense Action Fund * Exelon Corporation * FPL Group * General Electric * Interfaith Power and Light Campaign * International Brotherhood of Boilermakers * Izaak Walton League of America * National Grid * National Parks Conservation Association * National Wildlife Federation * Natural Resources Defense Council * NRG Energy, Inc. * Pew Environment Group * PG&E Corporation * Public Service Enterprise Group * Trout Unlimited * UAM Dear Senator:
The undersigned companies and organizations urge you to vote in favor of the Climate Security Act, S. 3036 (formerly S. 2191), which is expected to be considered by the full Senate beginning June 2. This is a very important vote on a bipartisan plan to address climate change. Prompt action on climate change is essential to protect America’s economy, security, quality of life and natural environment.
The Climate Security Act, as revised in the manager’s substitute amendment released last week, sets forth a sound overall framework for reducing America’s emissions of greenhouse gases. Most notably, it establishes an emissions cap that steadily reduces greenhouse gas emissions from current levels at a rate of about 1.8% annually. The bill creates a flexible cap-and-trade system to achieve these reductions at lower cost by tapping the power of free markets. It includes an unprecedented national investment in zero- and low-carbon technologies, and includes important policies to advance energy efficiency and alternative energy sources. The bill provides assistance to small energy consumers, including low-income families, to ease the transition to a low-carbon economy. And the bill protects American industry to ease the transition to a cleaner future.
We all support the framework and approach contained in the Climate Security Act. However, we also recognize that there is continued work to be done to refine the details of the legislation through the amendment process in the Senate and as a bill is taken up in the House. Some of the undersigned groups have already communicated with you on amendments and will continue to do so and others may do so later.
However, we think it is notable and a testament to the work of the bill’s sponsors and contributors that such a diverse group of interests are united on the following essential issue: A “yes” vote for the Climate Security Act represents historic leadership to advance bipartisan solutions to climate change; a “no” vote will slow progress and maintain the status quo, which only increases the risks of unavoidable consequences and potentially greater economic costs that could result from the need for even steeper reductions in the future. Sincerely,
Lee Califf Director, Government Affairs
Alcoa Yvonne A. McIntyre Vice President, Federal Legislative Affairs Calpine Corporation
Elizabeth Thompson Legislative Director Environmental Defense Action Fund
Betsy Moler Executive VP, Government and Enviro Affairs and Public Policy Exelon Corporation
Chris Bennett Executive Vice President FPL Group
Ann R. Klee Vice President Corporate Environmental Programs General Electric
The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham Founder and President The Regeneration Project Interfaith Power and Light Campaign
Newton B. Jones International President The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, and Helpers
Scott Kovarovics Conservation Director Izaak Walton League of America
Thomas B. King Executive Director of Electricity Distribution and Generation National Grid
Mark Wenzler Director, Clean Air and Climate Programs National Parks Conservation Association
Jeremy Symons Executive Director, Global Warming Program National Wildlife Federation
David Hawkins Director of Climate Programs Natural Resources Defense Council
Steven Corneli Vice President Market and Climate Policy NRG Energy, Inc.
Phyllis Cuttino Director, US Global Warming Campaign Pew Environment Group
Melissa Lavinson Director, Federal Environmental Affairs and Corporate Responsibility PG&E Corporation
Eric Svenson VP of Environment, Health and Safety Public Service Enterprise Group
Steve Moyer Vice President for Government Affairs Trout Unlimited
William P. Hite General President United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada
Bush Criticizes Lieberman-Warner Bill
Today the Senate is debating a bill called the Warner-Lieberman bill, which would impose roughly $6 trillion of new costs on the America economy. There’s a much better way to address the environment than imposing these costs on the job creators, which will ultimately have to be borne by American consumers. And I urge the Congress to be very careful about running up enormous costs for future generations of Americans.We’ll work with the Congress, but the idea of a huge spending bill fueled by taxes – increases – isn’t the right way to proceed. And the right way for Congress to proceed on taxes in general is to send a clear message that the tax relief we passed need to be made permanent.
Boxer Delivers Democratic Radio Address On Global Warming
On Saturday, May 31st, Senator Boxer gave the Democratic Radio Address on this week’s upcoming debate on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 3036).
Right now, many of our states, including my home state, are leading. They have the will. Our mayors are leading. They have the will. Religious leaders have urged us to act now as well. They reminded me of a wonderful quote that motivates me to work as hard as I can for as long as it takes to responsibly address global warming. These words stay with me: “When God created the first man, he took him around to all the trees in the Garden of Eden and said to him ‘see my handiwork, how beautiful and choice they are. Be careful not to ruin and destroy my world, for if you do ruin it, there is no one to repair it after you.’”
The full text of the address is below.
The text of the radio address, as delivered, is below:
Good morning. I’m Senator Barbara Boxer from California and Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Next week, the Senate will begin debate on one of the most important issues of our time – global warming.Senators have come together across party lines to write a law that will not only enable us to avoid the ravages of unchecked global warming, but will create millions of new jobs and put us on the path to energy independence. Other benefits of our legislation will be cleaner air, energy efficiency, relief for consumers and the alternative energy choices that American families deserve. And, by acting wisely, America will regain the leadership we have lost these past seven years.
There are some in the Senate who insist that global warming is nothing more than science fiction. These are the same kind of voices who said that the world was flat, cigarettes were safe and cars didn’t need airbags – long after the rest of us knew the truth.
The fact is that the overwhelming majority of scientists say that the earth is in peril if we don’t act now. They’ve told us clearly that more than 40 percent of God’s creatures could face extinction if we don’t act now. They’ve told us of more intense weather events if we don’t act now. Health experts have told us that infectious diseases will increase due to warmer waters. And military leaders have told us that unchecked global warming will lead to severe conflict and war as droughts, floods and rising sea levels create huge numbers of desperate refugees.
I hope you will help us convince the negative voices that we must act now to avert these dangers. Tell the Bush administration to help us, not fight us. Tell your Senators that action now will have positive results for our families and our nation. Tell those skeptics who say “wait for China and India to act” that the America we know and love doesn’t hide from a challenge and wait for others to lead.
Right now, many of our states, including my home state, are leading. They have the will. Our mayors are leading. They have the will. Religious leaders have urged us to act now as well. They reminded me of a wonderful quote that motivates me to work as hard as I can for as long as it takes to responsibly address global warming. These words stay with me: “When God created the first man, he took him around to all the trees in the Garden of Eden and said to him ‘see my handiwork, how beautiful and choice they are. Be careful not to ruin and destroy my world, for if you do ruin it, there is no one to repair it after you.’”
I truly hope that you will support our efforts on the Senate floor. Please join our fight, and thanks for listening.
Club for Growth, Environmental Defense Action Fund, Launch Dueling Lieberman-Warner Campaigns
The conservative Club for Growth has launched a $250,000 radio and television campaign targeting several coal-state senators in opposition to the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191/3036). The Environmental Defense Action Fund, the C(4) side of the Environmental Defense Fund, has also begun a much larger $4 million campaign that comes on top of the estimated $8.5 million already spent this year in support of the cap-and-trade legislation.
The text of the Club for Growth ad running in Tennessee:Congress is at it again. This time they’re pushing massive new taxes and regulation in the name of global warming. But let’s ask ourselves, are the unproven benefits of legislation worth the major job losses, new taxes and increased energy costs that could result?Call Senator Lamar Alexander and tell him to vote “no” on the Lieberman-Warner climate bill. Tennesseans just can’t afford another huge, costly government program.
| Club for Growth | Environmental Defense |
|---|---|
- Tennessee (Republican Bob Corker)
- North Carolina (Republican Elizabeth Dole)
- West Virginia (Democrats Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller)
- Montana (Democrats Max Baucus and John Tester)
- Arkansas (Democrats Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor)
- Colorado (Republican Wayne Allard and Democrat Ken Salazar)
- Florida (Republican Mel Martinez)
- Indiana (Republican Richard Lugar and Democrat Evan Bayh)
- Missouri (Republican Kit Bond and Democrat Claire McCaskill
- Nebraska (Republican Chuck Hagel and Democrat Ben Nelson)
- New Hampshire (Republicans Judd Gregg and John Sununu)
- New Mexico (Republican Pete Domenici and Democrat Jeff Bingaman)
- North Carolina (Republican Richard Burr)
- North Dakota (Democrats Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan)
- Ohio (Republican George Voinovich and Democrat Sherrod Brown)
- Pennsylvania (Republican Arlen Specter and Democrat Robert Casey)
- Tennessee (Republicans Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker)
- Virginia (Democrat Jim Webb)
The Environmental Defense Fund ads also are running in the districts of several influential House members, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.), Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).