Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Issue Position: Environment

Having been born and raised in Northern New York, I recognize and value the incredible natural resources and beautiful environment in which we live. I am committed to and work diligently in Washington, DC to protect, preserve, and promote the treasures we have here in the Adirondacks, the Thousand Islands, and Central New York.

Some of the environmental initiatives that I support are:

* The eradication of Acid Rain. Recently I introduced new environmental legislation, H.R. 3989, the Healthy Air and Clean Water Act. This bill is designed to combat four pollutants - mercury, carbon, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide - that are decimating the Adirondacks and the nation's environment. I have been working in close concert with a range of interested organizations on this four-pollutant legislation since January of this year. The proposal focuses on coal-fired power plants, which are responsible for 33% of greenhouse gas emissions. In turn, those emissions cause acid rain and climate change in Northern and Central New York. The bill was endorsed by the Adirondack Council and the Adirondack Mountain Club as the most stringent reductions in mercury, carbon, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide ever required by law. You can find more information about the bill here.

* Federal assistance to States to upgrade their combined sewer systems and sanitary sewer systems. I am an original cosponsor of legislation that authorizes funding for sewer overflow control grants to States over six years. Upstate New York is one of many regions across the country that is being confronted by problems caused by aging, deteriorating water treatment systems. Without this sort of assistance, building new, or improving existing sewer infrastructure is nearly financially impossible for our already-financially-strained communities. I well understand that these improvements are critical to better protect public health and the environment.

* Cleanup and economic development of brownfields. I am an original co-sponsor of legislation that facilitates the assistance by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the cleanup and economic development of brownfields. Legislation such as this is important as I continue my efforts to work with several of our communities in Northern New York and the Environmental Protection Agency to secure funding for brownfield redevelopment efforts that will be instrumental in furthering economic development initiatives in our area.

* Protecting the Great Lakes, fighting aquatic invasive species, and funding programs that keep the Great Lakes viable and healthy. I have spoken about this issue on the House floor, to emphasize that my district in Upstate New York is impacted, environmentally, economically, and socially by the health and future viability of the Great Lakes. Aquatic invasive species are destroying the environment of the Great Lakes, damaging the Great Lakes fisheries, and costing taxpayers an estimated $138 billion annually. Additionally, I am a cosponsor of several water monitoring and restoration initiatives for the Great Lakes and have submitted a number of requests for the necessary funding of programs that are already in place to protect, preserve, and maintain a high quality of health in the Great Lakes.

* Wetlands conservation. I have repeatedly demonstrated my support for the highest possible funding levels for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). NAWCA provides challenge grants for wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is a private land-owner friendly, voluntary, non-regulatory, incentive-based program. NAWCA is perhaps the single best investment of federal wetlands dollars anywhere in the federal budget.

* Forest Legacy Program. This program creates public-private partnerships to prevent the conversion of environmentally important forest lands to non-forest uses. Titles or conservation easements are purchased to protect forest areas either in their natural state or as "working forests" that provide the products critical to natural resources based economies. Our region has benefited directly from this program in the past and this year is no different. I recently secured $1 million in Forest Legacy funding to acquire 255,000 acres of private land in the Adirondack Park.

Please understand that these are only a few of the many environmental votes and legislative proposals that I have supported. The list is long and my environmental interests run wide and deep. I am very aware of what implications my votes and legislation have on the environment and those who reside in the 23rd Congressional District of New York. While all of us may want what is best for the environment, some of us see an impending crisis, others see status quo. Some of us sense the urgency to act now; others see no need to act at all. What may seem obvious to some is not obvious to others. Most that see status quo and see no need to act simply cannot fathom what we know to be true - that if we don't do something to make a difference - clean, viable, and healthy rivers, streams, lakes, brooks and forests will become a distant memory. The consequences of inaction are as real as those of acting. While I recognize that there are always tradeoffs in all public policy, I firmly believe the benefits far outweigh the costs to eradicating acid rain, investing in clean water infrastructure, promoting clean and efficient energy, developing and cleaning up brownfields, and protecting and preserving the Great Lakes ecosystem. I assure you that my commitment to these efforts is unwavering.

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