Issue Position: Environmental Accomplishments

Issue Position

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. is a leader in promoting a clean energy economy in the United States. As a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over clean energy and U.S. energy markets, Pallone plays a key role in shaping national energy policy. He is a staunch supporter of grants and tax credits that create jobs in the American clean energy sector, as well as creating efficiency standards for automobiles, homes and businesses. He is a strong advocate for addressing climate change; he helped facilitate House passage of the American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009, which would have placed a limit on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted in the U.S.

Congressman Pallone is a strong advocate for clean oceans and beaches in New Jersey and across the country. In 1996, Vice President Al Gore worked side-by-side with Pallone to stop toxic dumping off the coast of Sandy Hook. Pallone has successfully led the charge against offshore oil drilling along the Atlantic Coast, arguing that New Jersey cannot afford to be at risk of a Deepwater Horizon type spill. He has led legislation to reauthorize the BEACH Act, which in 2000 established a consistent water quality standard for beach waters and provided grants to help states develop and implement water quality testing and notification programs to warn the public about unsafe conditions at our nation's beaches. He has also authored legislation to end interstate dumping of medical waste on our beaches.

Congressman Pallone is a national leader on cleaning up contaminated industrial sites in our communities. He is the lead sponsor of the Superfund Polluter Pays Act, which would reauthorize the original Superfund fees and ensure polluters, not taxpayers, pay the costs of cleaning up our worst toxic sites. He has played a large role in adding a number of contaminated industrial sites in New Jersey to the Superfund National Priorities List, ultimately leading to the cleanup of numerous toxic sites in the state. Pallone coauthored the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act along with Republican Paul Gillmor, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002. This Act significantly increased federal funding for cleaning up contaminated Brownfields sites in our communities.

Congressman Pallone is a leader on clean water issues as the original sponsor of the Clean Water Protection Act. This legislation puts a stop to harmful mountaintop mining by correcting a loophole created during the Bush Administration that makes it easier for mining companies to dump harmful material from mountaintop removal mining in a way that compromises the health of nearby communities. Congressman Pallone also founded the Congressional Recycling Caucus, which works to advocate and educate on national recycling issues.

Congressman Pallone is opposed to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) because of the environmental risks, particularly the impact on the quality of drinking water. He has concerns about the increased use of hydraulic fracturing and supports disclosure of the chemicals used in the process to ensure drinking water is not being contaminated with potentially toxic chemicals. Disclosure of these chemicals is critical to assure communities that the water they drink is safe and the health of their families will be protected. He is a cosponsor of the FRAC Act, which would regulate hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Drinking Water Act and require disclosure of the chemicals used in the process.

Source