Did You Know?
- Human activity is currently responsible for emitting 30 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, 12 million tons of which accumulate in the atmosphere.
- The U.S. uses 9 million barrels of oil a day for gasoline, fifty-eight percent of which is imported from other countries.
- The buildings in which we work, shop, play, and educate our children use about $200 billion worth of electricity and natural gas each year.
- Today, the average American generates 4.5 pounds of trash every day. That's 1.8 pounds more trash per person than in 1960.
What I believe:
- The keyword is "sustainability". In Congress, I will push for laws that encourage American families, businesses and public institutions to reduce consumption and invest in cleaner forms of energy. As I did in the state legislature, I will continue to fight for more public transportation options, alternative energy tax credits, and incentives for green builders and businesses.
- With gasoline threatening to move past $4 a gallon and companies like Mobil and Exxon reporting record-breaking profits, it is unconscionable to continue granting tax credits to oil companies. That money is better spent funding research at American colleges and universities to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers and to discover cleaner energy solutions. This will also help to decrease our reliance on foreign oil, which is not just an environmental issue, but a national security issue as well.
- The Bush-Cheney Administration has been a disaster in this area. They allowed oil companies to make energy policy, abandoned international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and chose to ignore overwhelming scientific evidence of the effects of global climate change. Much work lies ahead to reverse the damage done by these policies. I consider this one of my most pressing challenges when I go to Congress.
- I support legislation that will cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050 and reject the federal government's policy of preventing states like California from enacting more stringent caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
- Clean water and air are vital to life itself. We must protect our beaches, marshes, streams, wetlands and small waterways and require that any damage done is paid for by the polluters.