[lit-ideas] Kerry and the Environment
- From: Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 11:03:22 EDT
Hi,
The Kansas Chapter has as its headline "Kerry Gets It"--the writer actually
sat down with Kerry and talked to him about Clean Water Issues...as that is
the most important issue that the Sierra Club deals with in Kansas (KS has one
of the most polluted water in the nation)
I don't know why, either, someone would vote for Nader over Kerry--if the
reason had to do with environmental issues.
I'd rather barbeque with Kerry, too. I think he has a dry sense of humor
and would be able to carry on conversations with topics that I like to talk
about. But, then, I'm not all *that* interested in sports [though I keep up
with them so as to talk to people who don't know or want to talk about
anything
else. But, I'm usually bored after a while with it I suppose after having
been President, Bush might have a few more interesting things to talk
about...but might be upset if I asked him a few questions over decisions he
has
made--though I would be gentle and really just curious. With Kerry, I have no
doubt that he would respect any question on his record and actually be able to
talk about it--thoughtfully.
I still think that is the key: respect. Does Bush have any respect for
Others? (Unless you have something to offer him...and not sure that is really
'respect'...) Does Kerry? I think so... But, it would be difficult to eat
with someone I don't respect very much--so I don't think that I would have a
good time with Bush...and I really like to have a good interesting and
light-hearted (even while going deep into a conversation) at a barbeque.
We read the high school/college year bios of both Bush and Kerry this past
week. (KC Star had them along with interviews of those who knew both of them
during those times of their lives) Just that would give enough of interest in
conversation for Ben--at least with Kerry. But, Bush *was* a cheerleader in
high school--I had not known that. Maybe that would be interesting to hear
about. Kerry worked in the summers and, it sounded like, was teased for both
that need in his life as well as being too 'serious'. He came 'into his own'
in college. (Ben liked the fact that he liked history and English in high
school--I think he has needed to look up to a leader and, so far, we really
like how he is shaping up to be someone who actually has grown through the
years...)
Also worried about drilling in the Artic Circle,
Marlena in Missouri
PS these are from the national Sierra Club office--the Kansas intereview is
also interesting...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11 , 2004
CONTACT:
Kerri Glover 202-675-7903
Eric Antebi 415-977-5747
SIERRA CLUB ENDORSES KERRY FOR PRESIDENT
Says Kerry Will Protect America's Health and Heritage
SAN FRANCISCO - The Sierra Club - the nation's oldest, largest and most
influential environmental group - today endorsed Senator John Kerry for
President
of the United States, citing his outstanding leadership in safe-guarding
America's air, water and public lands.
"John Kerry will provide the environmental leadership that has been sorely
missing in the Bush White House," said Sierra Club President Larry Fahn. "His
commitment to environmental progress stands in stark contrast to the Bush
administration's all-out assault on the environment and its record of putting
polluting corporations before the American public's health and safety.
"John Kerry has spent his entire career promoting real solutions aimed at
ensuring that America's air, water, and natural resources are protected for
future generations."
Kerry has demonstrated environmental leadership throughout his career in
public service, from helping organize Massachusetts' first Earth Day in 1970 to
opposing the Bush administration's efforts to dismantle environmental gains
made over the last century. Highlights of Kerry's environmental record
include:
* Advocated strict enforcement of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water
Act, and opposed Bush administration efforts to weaken the laws in order to
let
polluters put more dangerous toxics into our air and water;
* Advocated restoration of Superfund's "polluter pays" trust fund to
ensure that polluters, not ordinary taxpayers, pay to clean up abandoned toxic
waste sites;
* Led the charge against the Bush administration's attempts to allow
oil drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;
* Championed an energy plan that increases fuel economy to reduce the
nation's dependence on oil and supports the development of clean,
energy-saving technologies and renewable energy to reduce our dependence on
other
polluting sources of energy;
* And, advocated for the United States to take the lead in
international efforts to cut global warming pollution, reverse ozone
depletion, protect
tropical rain forests, preserve biological diversity and press for sustainable
development.
"John Kerry's record on the environment is impressive by any measure and
reveals a sincere personal passion for the issue," Sierra Club Executive
Director Carl Pope said. "He understands that there is a better way than the
Bush
administration's alliance with corporate polluters. With Kerry as President,
we
could be sure that America's health and heritage are protected."
The endorsement was decided by volunteer members who serve on the Club's
political committee and Board of Directors. Following the announcement, the
Sierra Club will mobilize more than 700,000 members to talk to their friends
and
neighbors about supporting Kerry in November.
"One of our biggest challenges is to educate the American public about the
Bush administration's dismal environmental record," Fahn said. "Now, thousands
of Sierra Club members in every state will be volunteering their efforts to
tell voters about the clear choice in this election. They will be encouraging
all Americans who care about the environment to vote for John Kerry in
November."
To learn more about why the Sierra Club endorsed John Kerry, please visit our
website at: _http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/presidential_endorsement/_
(http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/presidential_endorsement/)
###
_http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/presidential_endorsement/factsheet_kerry.
asp_
(http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/presidential_endorsement/factsheet_kerry.asp)
John Kerry is the Sierra Club's Choice
for President of the United States
Senator John Kerry has stood up to polluters and been a champion of
protecting human health and the environment during his entire career in public
office.
He spoke at the first Earth Day in Massachusetts in 1970. As Lieutenant
Governor of Massachusetts, Kerry chaired an Acid Rain Task Force and issued a
"Call for Action" on the topic of air pollution. As a Senator he has championed
the cause of conservation, been a leader in the fight against polluters and
blocked the Bush Administration's efforts to reverse 30 years of environmental
progress.
From clean air to clean water to toxics to public lands to energy, we can
count on John Kerry to provide leadership, vision, and solutions so that all
Americans can have a clean, safe, healthy environment.
____________________________________
John Kerry on Clean Air
John Kerry has been a leader in the fight for clean air since before his
election to the U.S. Senate in 1984. In his first year as a Senator, John Kerry
introduced the National Acid Rain Control Act to improve standards and create
a fund for clean air. He has continued to work for cleaner air since then,
defending the Clean Air Act against weakening in 1990 and more recently
opposing the Bush Administration's attempts to weaken the Clean Air Act's New
Source
Review rules. John Kerry opposes President Bush's plans to increase the
allowable toxic mercury pollution in our air, and as President would
immediately
reinstate Clean Air protections weakened under the Bush Administration.
____________________________________
John Kerry on Clean Water and Drinking Water
John Kerry has consistently pushed for strengthening protections for our
nation's waters and drinking water. In his first year in the Senate, John Kerry
sponsored a bill to help states clean up water quality problems due to acid
rain. He was a vocal opponent of the Bush Administration's attempt to weaken
drinking water standards for arsenic, and he pushed for the Bush Administration
to repeal a dangerous proposed rulemaking that would have removed 20 million
acres of wetlands from Clean Water Act protections. He opposed federal
funding for polluting factory farms that are a major source of water
pollution.
Kerry also opposed Bush's proposal to allow coal companies to shave off
mountaintops and bury the rivers below under tons of mine waste in violation
of the
Clean Water Act.
____________________________________
John Kerry on Energy and Global Warming
John Kerry advocates a responsible, forward-looking energy policy that would
reduce our dependence on oil; increase the energy efficiency of our
buildings, homes, and appliances; increase the amount of clean, renewable
energy used
to create electricity; and make our cars and trucks go further on a gallon of
gas. He has championed and introduced legislation on a number of measures to
improve fuel economy and to require the use of more clean renewable energy
sources such as wind and solar power. Kerry has been a champion in leading the
fight to defeat the Bush Administration's polluting energy bill, which was
hatched in secret by the Cheney Energy Task Force in 2001. In addition, Kerry
has been a leading voice for the need to take immediate significant steps to
combat global warming. He was a participant in the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio
and a delegate to the 1997 Kyoto and 2000 Hague climate talks.
____________________________________
John Kerry on Protecting Our Public Lands
John Kerry has been a leading advocate for protecting our wild places. He has
been a key champion in the fight to protect the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge from oil and gas drilling by designating the unprotected portion of the
Refuge as wilderness. He is a vocal proponent of not only fully funding the
Land and Water Conservation Fund, which enables local, state, and federal
agencies to purchase land for parks and wildlife refuges, but hard-wiring
funding
so that adequate resources are available annually. He has consistently
opposed extending subsidies for logging in national forests; defended the
Roadless
Rule to protect 58 million acres of undeveloped national forests, which the
Bush Administration is aggressively attempting to dismantle; and committed to
re-promulgating this rule as one of his first acts as President. In addition,
Kerry has strongly opposed efforts to weaken or abandon drilling moratoria
on the Outer Continental Shelf.
____________________________________
John Kerry on Protecting Wildlife
John Kerry has been the primary advocate for marine mammal protection, having
authored the Marine Mammal Protection Act Amendments of 1994, which were
later signed into law by President Clinton and legislation to ban the use of
drift nets, which threaten dolphins and other marine life. Senator Kerry
opposes
exempting the Department of Defense from the Endangered Species Act and has
opposed attempts by the Bush Administration to weaken the Act. As President,
Kerry would seek additional Congressional funding for ESA implementation,
coordinate agency actions and develop cooperative agreements with property
owners to protect endangered species.
____________________________________
John Kerry on International Trade
John Kerry has led the way in demanding trade agreements that create jobs and
spur the economy without opening the door to attacks on worker or
environmental rights. In 2002, Senator Kerry sponsored legislation that would
have
prevented trade agreements from undermining environmental protections. As
President, he said he would veto any trade agreement that does not include
recognized labor and environmental rights with enforcement provisions in the
core
agreement.
____________________________________
John Kerry on Urban Sprawl
John Kerry has been a staunch supporter of proactively addressing urban
sprawl, supporting initiatives to recover urban parks and recreation spaces,
co-sponsoring legislation to clean up brownfields sites and provide financial
assistance to revitalize brownfields, and supporting improved public
transportation planning and funding.
____________________________________
John Kerry on Cleaning up Toxic Wastes
John Kerry has been a steadfast supporter of Superfund, cosponsoring
legislation and voting to reinstate the "polluter pays" tax on polluting
industries
that the Bush Administration has refused to support. Kerry favors reform of
the 1872 mining law to provide stronger environmental protection and avoid
future toxic mine waste sites.
____________________________________
John Kerry on Family Planning
John Kerry recognizes that global population growth threatens the
environmental health of our planet. He believes that women worldwide should
have the
choices and resources necessary to plan the size of their families. That's why
John Kerry opposes the "Gag Rule" imposed by President Bush that has reduced
the United States' financial support to international family planning clinics
worldwide. He also supports preserving a woman's right to choose the family
planning option that she and her doctor believe is best.
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