Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Issue Position: Environment

We must take strong, immediate action to prevent the worst effects of global warming such as rising sea levels, more severe hurricanes and devastating heat waves.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently reported that the "warming of the climate system is unequivocal" and that human activity is to blame. There is no longer any doubt that our nation's addiction to foreign oil and other fossil fuels are contributing to the warming of the planet which will have disastrous effects if action is not taken quickly to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Congressman Kennedy has supported a number of proposals to avoid this catastrophe. He is a cosponsor of the Safe Climate Act, which would aggressively cut global warming pollution to levels which leading scientists have deemed adequate. Kennedy also supports the Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act, which includes increased protections to our nation's federal lands, wildlife, and coastal communities from the effects of global warming. He is also supportive of increased fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks.

America has long been at the forefront of both global political leadership and the development of new technology. Congressman Kennedy believes that these two ideas can be the foundation of a new "Green Economy" in which America creates environmentally friendly jobs and exports its green technology to the rest of the world. The paradigm of choosing between the environment and our economic well-being is simply out of date.

Kennedy continues to work with local and federal officials in opposition to a new Liquified Natural Gas Terminal (LNG) in Providence, Rhode Island and in Fall River, Massachusetts.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently considered two applications to build and expand Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facilities in Fall River, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. Several concerns were raised on the safety of setting these facilities in densely populated areas, in addition to concerns about the U.S. Coast Guard's ability to protect the LNG tanker ships as they traveled through the Narragansett Bay without increased Coast Guard funding or resources.

A report released by the Sandia National Laboratory stated that an accident with an LNG tanker could result in a fire so hot that anyone located within a half-mile radius could receive second-degree burns. Kennedy met with FERC officials and sent letters to various federal agencies, including the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security, to express the concerns of the region.

On June 30, 2005, FERC denied the application to expand the terminal in Providence, citing concerns with the builder's intent to follow old safety regulations, rather than adhere to current guidelines. Kennedy applauded the eventual abandonment of this proposal in October of 2007. However, the Fall River project was approved and continued under consideration by the states' Coastal Zone Management Authorities. Kennedy was a vocal opponent of the proposal, speaking out against it, signing letters of opposition and asking hard questions of both the administration and the project's developers.

On October 24th, 2007, the Coast Guard determined that the waterway approach to the proposed Weaver's Cove terminal was "unsuitable" for the type, size and amount of traffic it would bring. Congressman Kennedy applauded the decision and is hopeful that the developers will abandon the project. Kennedy continues to work closely with his colleagues in both the Congress and at the state level to protect our residents from these dangerous proposals.

It is vital that we protect our oceans, which comprise the planet's most valuable natural resource.

As an active member of the House Oceans Caucus and House Coastal Caucus, Congressman Kennedy is fighting to accomplish this. Reports recently released by the Pew Commission and the U.S. Ocean Commission have certified what our nation's scientists have argued for years; the health of our planet is dependent on the health of our oceans. Kennedy is a cosponsor of the Oceans, Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century (OCEANS-21) Act. This groundbreaking legislation will change the way our government regulates and monitors the oceans. Kennedy is committed to working with his colleagues to quickly implement this new legislation.

As a member of the Subcommittee that provides funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), Kennedy has the opportunity to work closely with NOAA officials on important projects. He also advocates for increased funding for NOAA, and has helped to bring NOAA projects to Rhode Island.

Kennedy is a strong supporter of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), which has done so much to protect Rhode Island plentiful and valuable coastline. He has opposed efforts to weaken this program, efforts which would have hurt Rhode Island.

In order to protect Rhode Islanders from harmful pollutants, we must enact national policies that will strengthen, not weaken our environmental laws.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has, again, released more information about mercury contaminating our nation's fish. This is especially harmful to Rhode Islanders who make their living in the fishing industry, and to at-risk populations, such as pregnant women and young children. Kennedy is a cosponsor of legislation to amend the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions from powerplants, and has written to the EPA in favor of stricter smog limits. The technology is available to industries to easily reduce dangerous pollutants and Kennedy does not believe that our resources need to suffer any longer before implementing these common sense approaches that will protect our environment and our health.

Unfortunately, lack of implementation of these rules is affecting more than just our eating habits. The rate of childhood asthma continues to increase as our nation's valuable Clean Air laws are rolled back by this Administration.

Kennedy is also a cosponsor of the Clean Water Restoration Authority Act and the Clean Water Protection Act. Both bills would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to ensure that all bodies of water, including rivers, streams, wetlands, and natural ponds, are protected from waste and other "fill material" that may alter the water body.

The fight must continue for an Energy Bill that will encourage the development of renewable energy technology, and reject any legislation that favors the manufacturers of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE).

Kennedy has encouraged increased development of energy-efficient cars and appliances, savings that would greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil and end the debate on environmentally unsound policies like drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He has voted against legislation to increase our spending on dirty technologies like coal and other fossil fuels at the expense of newer, cleaner technologies.

Currently, there are efforts by individuals in Washington, D.C. to bail out the MTBE industry. After witnessing the devastation to families in Northern Rhode Island who were forced to live without clean water, Kennedy continues to fight against attempts to remove their ability to be fairly compensated for this tragedy.

Critical programs that will improve our natural resources to help encourage preservation, as well as smart economic development, deserve strong support.

Providing funding for cleaning up brownfields, properties that may not be developed due to the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, has been a priority for Kennedy. Rhode Island currently has 12 brownfields sites that have been identified by the EPA, many of which have already received funding to begin the cleaning process.

Kennedy has worked to oppose efforts by certain sectors that often attempt to add environmentally-adverse language to unrelated pieces of legislation called "riders." These riders are often added in last-minute deals, and do not receive the full consideration of the Congress. Efforts to use taxpayer monies to subsidize corporate ranching interests in grazing, conducting mining and logging on public lands, and encouraging disruptive oil drilling off of environmentally-sensitive coastlines are issues that should be subject to public debate to hold our public officeholders accountable for their policies.

Open space, and its preservation, has also been a top priority for Kennedy, and for Rhode Islanders. Kennedy has been a steadfast supporter of programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to purchase public lands for open space and outdoor recreation, using revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling leases. He has supported funding land purchases for national parks, wildlife refuges and forests throughout the country, including right here in Rhode Island. Any planning professional will tell you that the cost of preserving open space is minuscule compared to the eventual costs urban sprawl imposes on taxpayers.

Congressman Kennedy has been an outspoken champion of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.

All Rhode Islanders have contributed to the preservation of the Blackstone River Valley Corridor, a multi-community effort to protect our heritage through both historical and environmental work, and the well-known birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. People from across the country enjoy the beauty and history of the corridor, and Rhode Islanders have been steadfast in their support of this natural resource. Kennedy is working to continue these preservation efforts and has introduced legislation requesting the Director of the National Park Service to prepare a report on the available options for preserving and enhancing the resources of the Corridor and the partnerships that sustain those resources.

Kennedy has also secured over $4 million dollars for the Corridor through his seat on the Appropriations Committee in recent years.

The value of protecting the health of the nation's forests and wildlife for our children and for future generations must not be underestimated.

Kennedy has consistently supported full funding for our nation's fish and wildlife programs. Kennedy has supported efforts to move funding from environmentally damaging and economically wasteful timber subsidies into fish and wildlife habitat management and watershed restoration programs.

Kennedy has also voted to direct money from timber management programs, which promote logging, to valuable conservation funding and opposed efforts that would have provided monetary incentives for communities adjacent to national forests to encourage logging.

Kennedy also opposed a waste of taxpayer funding which is provided as a service to livestock ranchers wherein hunters and trappers are employed by the Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services program to kill more than 100,000 coyotes, black bears, mountain lions and other predators, often on public lands. Under the practice of "preventative predator control," Wildlife Services personnel will even kill animals before livestock damage is reported, sometimes before livestock have moved onto a parcel of public land. Very often, these traps end up killing endangered species. Kennedy voted to cut over $7 million from the livestock protection budget, while keeping funding to protect against dangerous bird strikes at airports.

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