Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Pete Stark believes that we must protect our environment for generations to come. That means we need to have smart growth, conserve our natural resources, preserve our public lands and national treasures, and have strong restrictions that ensure clean air and water and require immediate cleanup of toxic waste.

For years, Pete championed the preservation of the old growth forest in North California and fought numerous battles with loggers who wanted free range of our most precious forests. More recently, Pete opposed the Bush Administration's desire to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling and to permit oil leases on the outer-continental shelf. Unlike Congressional Republicans, Pete believes America should strengthen rather than dismantle the Endangered Species Act.

Pete knows that a focus on the environment needs to be a part of all we do -- in schools, we need to teach children about the practical things they can do to protect our environment, in community planning, we need to think carefully about the balance between development and the environment, and in trade agreements, we need to ensure that our economic partners respect and protect the environment.

From local to global environmental issues, Pete stands strong in his commitment to preserving and protecting our environment.

Source