BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
AN ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY PLAN FOR THE 21st CENTURY
PRESERVING OUR ENVIRONMENT
ACHIEVING ENERGY SECURITY
CREATING GOOD JOBS
- Introduction
- Climate Change and Clean Renewable Energy
- Green Collar Jobs in the New Economy
- Great Lakes and Fresh Water Supplies
- Parks, Eco-Tourism, Wilderness Protection
- Oil Dependence, Vehicle Fuel Economy, and Transportation Alternatives
- Green Buildings and Energy Conservation
- Coal Power Plants and Coal Mining
- Biofuels
- Hazardous Waste and Brownfields
- Trade Agreements and Local Agriculture
All too often in America, environmental and economic interests have been seen as hopelessly at odds with each other. It doesn’t have to be that way. As an environmental attorney for over 30 years, I know that by pursuing smart energy and environmental policies we can create new jobs, bring more tourist dollars to the region, and better utilize our natural resources, all the while helping to restore and protect our environment.
We need to begin by addressing global climate change, the most important environmental issue facing our nation and our world today. I will support federal policies to decrease our reliance on foreign oil, a reliance that has a direct, negative impact on both our economy and national security. I will also work to bring renewable energy manufacturing facilities to Western New York, creating the green-collar jobs of the future. Developing a new energy industry is a crucial first step to ending our addiction to oil and ushering in our bright energy future.
The Great Lakes are our region’s greatest natural asset. Fresh water will be in great demand in the 21st Century, and continued access to abundant, clean fresh water will ensure that our communities will thrive. Protecting and improving the quality of our Great Lakes will be a major focus of my efforts in Congress.
We also need to do a better job of supporting and promoting the whole District’s environmental assets. From Greece to Lockport and beyond, we have tremendously diverse and significant natural and heritage resources. I will ensure that we make better use of the Erie Canal, promoting sustainable development along its length to realize the full potential of the region.
My plan offers a new type of environmentalism, one that recognizes that we can protect our planet while fulfilling important economic and national security goals. Reaching our environmental potential throughout the District will not be easy, but I will bring to Congress the experience, passion, and judgment necessary to make this plan a reality.
Climate Change and Clean Renewable EnergyWhile New York State has set benchmarks requiring the use of renewable energy, a comparable federal policy does not exist. I will work to establish a federal policy that provides consistent support for renewable energy and sets a target of 20 percent of our energy production coming from renewable sources by 2020.
To encourage a rapid move to our energy future, however, we must set an even bolder agenda. I have accepted Al Gore’s recent challenge to political candidates to agree that our goal should be to have America running on zero-carbon electricity in 10 years. In Congress, I will support legislation, including appropriate financial incentives and tax credits, to make this rapid change feasible. It will not be easy to accomplish this goal, but if we are to confront our environmental, economic, and national security challenges it is imperative that we try to meet it.
Long term, I support legislation to address climate change which would reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050. This is the level of reductions that must be achieved to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations at 450 parts per million, a critical level for climate stabilization according to leading climatologists. Also, any cap and trade program should have 100% auction of the permits and we should use some of that money to help offset increasing energy costs for low and moderate income Americans.
Green Collar Jobs in the New EconomyWe need to make Western New York a hub for green collar work by attracting the alternative energy jobs of the future. One report has suggested that the industry could create 50,000 new jobs in the state, the second most of any state in the country, with our District poised to benefit greatly. Erie County would see the largest increase in jobs in the state, and Niagara County would also be in the top ten.
I will work to bring research money for these new sources of energy to the universities and colleges in the 26th District—building on what is being done in Monroe County and elsewhere—and I will work with the local business community to bring new clean, renewable energy manufacturing facilities to our region. Rural areas in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties have excellent opportunities to benefit from renewable energy projects as well, both as locations for power production and as producers of biofuel.
To encourage this growth, Congress needs to fully fund the Green Jobs Act, which authorizes $125 million a year for training programs for workers in renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. I will ensure that our District gets its fair share of these funds. These programs include training for both manufacturing jobs in new industries, such as wind turbine and solar panel manufacturing, and also for jobs connected with green building and construction, as well as energy-efficiency measures such as weatherizing older homes.
We also must pass a long-term extension of the federal production tax credit, which encourages domestic renewable energy production. A ten-year extension of this credit could increase the U.S. share of manufactured wind equipment from 30 percent to almost 70 percent.
I believe going green is good for the economy, nationally and within the District. Our wasteful dependence on fossil fuels siphons resources from our local economies. Energy conservation, improved efficiency, and the generation of energy from renewable resources can keep our energy dollars in our community and create jobs.
Great Lakes and Fresh Water SuppliesProtecting and maintaining clean water sources for people and wildlife is going to be a singular challenge of the 21st century. Management of all natural resources is clearly becoming increasingly critical, and protecting our water resources will literally be fundamental to our survival. I would support legislation such as H.R. 2421, the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007, to allow Congress the necessary power to preserve and restore the nations’ waters.
As a member of the Western New York delegation, I will be focused on the Great Lakes, making sure that there is the necessary federal policy and funding to protect and improve the quality of this critical resource. Although our District does not border the Great Lakes directly, it does sit within their watersheds. Ensuring that our water is clean and free of industrial pollutants and chemicals is vital to keeping our region livable.
These efforts would certainly include initiatives that would benefit other freshwater bodies, as well. For example, I would support an increase in funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund that assists communities with maintaining and upgrading their wastewater treatment facilities and infrastructure.
Global warming will lower the Great Lakes’ water levels and increase pressure to divert Great Lakes water to increasingly water-starved areas. I oppose water diversions from the Great Lakes and am committed to protecting Great Lakes water quality and its watershed. I am a strong supporter of the Great Lakes Compact and will ensure that it is rigorously enforced after its expected authorization.
Parks, Eco-Tourism, Wilderness ProtectionFrom my many years of service on the Board of Parks & Trails New York, the only statewide advocacy group for parks in New York, I understand the need to protect both our state and national parks. As our lives have become more stressful and the incomes of middle class people have stagnated, the importance of a natural park system for recreational use and refuge has increased dramatically.
Our parks are more heavily used than ever before, yet our investment in their care and maintenance has declined to such an extent that many of these invaluable resources are on the verge of sustaining permanent damage. I believe strongly in the need to support our parks, and I would make this issue one of my main areas of concern in Congress.
I also believe that the 26th District has a real opportunity to benefit economically from its outstanding parks and cultural heritage sites by encouraging eco-tourism. Whether it be promoting spectacular Letchworth State Park or the major portion of the Erie Canal in the District, there is the possibility to meld environmental and economic concerns into a positive outcome for both. In Congress, I will strongly support the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and make sure that a fair share of federal resources are devoted to the section of the Erie Canal stretching from Lockport to Greece, so it can reach its full potential for both recreation and commerce.
I am a strong wilderness protection advocate. I support an expansion of the U.S. wilderness system and would act to reverse the destructive Bush Administration policies on logging, mining, and oil and gas drilling on public lands.
Oil Dependence, Vehicle Fuel Economy, and Transportation AlternativesWe must end our dependence on oil. Over 60% of the oil the U.S. consumes every day is imported, leading to huge trade deficits and a weakened dollar, as well as political and military entanglements in unstable though oil-rich countries. To address this problem, and the looming problem of “peak oil” and decreasing global supplies, I support improved U.S. car and truck fuel economy standards, an expansion of public transit, more effective efforts to control sprawl, and the development of walkable communities.
Additionally, we need to end subsidies to the oil industry, and instead use that money to support innovation in the alternative energy sector to further speed the move towards our energy future.
Our oil dependence won’t be solved through quick fixes that offer little gain and tremendous long-term losses. That’s why I do not support offshore drilling or opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. However, the war in Iraq is connected to our dependence on foreign oil, which is one reason I have signed on to A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.
Green Buildings and Energy ConservationI am a strong proponent of greener, more energy efficient and healthy buildings. I am joining environmentalists, architects, and green building advocates in calling for all new buildings to be carbon neutral, or produce zero emissions, by 2030. To meet this goal, I will support a national effort to improve new building efficiency by 50 percent and existing building efficiency by 25 percent over the next decade.
While we must move to new sources of energy to adequately address our energy problem, a large part of the solution must be conservation as well. In Congress, I will support federal measures that encourage the construction of new green buildings and the weatherizing of older homes, thereby reducing heating costs for Western New Yorkers and creating green collar jobs within the District. I also support more robust energy efficiency standards for appliances and lighting, saving consumers money in the process.
Coal Power Plants and Coal MiningCoal is the dirtiest fossil fuel we use and burning it to produce electricity is responsible for over 25% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, coal mining can devastate the landscape and rural communities where mountaintop removal coal mining is practiced. I favor strict regulations on coal mining and a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants until safe and proven technology to capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions underground is developed.
BiofuelsI support the development of sustainable biofuels and view the development of corn-based ethanol as a transition fuel. I will push for the research funds needed to develop cellulosic ethanol, which is produced from woody or high cellulose plants like switch grass instead of corn. This approach can benefit farmers, consumers, and the environment.
Hazardous Waste and BrownfieldsI favor green technologies that produce a minimum of hazardous waste. I have extensive experience as a lawyer dealing with the difficult problems of hazardous waste treatment and storage facilities. I recognize the need for such facilities, but also believe that they must be carefully sited and monitored, and no one region of the country or of our state should become the major dumping ground for other areas’ waste.
I support a vigorous program to remediate former hazardous waste facilities to a standard that is fully protective of human health and the environment. I understand the serious issues surrounding redevelopment of brownfield sites, having organized the first program on the topic ever held before the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. I am committed to supporting programs that encourage the redevelopment of brownfields and discourage further sprawl.
Trade Agreements and Local AgricultureI will work to ensure that U.S. trade policies incorporate environmental and labor protections and provide an even playing field for American workers. Trade agreements must include U.S. environmental standards, worker safety standards, and product safety standards, and there must be mechanisms to effectively enforce them.
I also will promote the continued viability and expansion of our local agricultural industry. We not only need policies that encourage people to “eat locally,” but we should have requirements for labeling the country of origin for fresh produce as well as canned and bottled products. We need to make it easier for consumers to support our local farmers and our environment.
