Issue Position: Clean Energy and the Environment

Issue Position

Today, climate change is affecting our national, economic, food, and water security, and we must take decisive action to reclaim control of our energy future. The threat of climate change has proved itself as one of the defining issues of our time, and we are already feeling its undeniable consequences. As your Congressman, I promise to support policies that will increase our energy independence, lower our energy expenditures, and transition the country toward cleaner, more cost-effective energy sources.

As the former Mayor of Glen Cove, and the former Nassau County Executive, I have compiled a distinguished record as a passionate supporter of the environment. During my tenure, I successfully got a $150 million environmental bond passed overwhelmingly by the residents of Nassau to preserve the beauty and sanctity of the Long Island Sound. I initiated 12 brownfield clean-up projects, including the demolition of pollutant incinerators, and the remediation of contaminated properties in our green spaces, and achieved dramatic results for our community improving our parks, the quality of our drinking water, and preserving our open spaces. I was named the 2008 NYS "Environmentalist of the Year," by the League of Conservation Voters, and received the 2009 Environmental Quality Award from the Environmental Protection Agency, among several other honors and recognitions for my work as a defender of the environment.

In Congress, I will continue to fight so that we all can enjoy the beauty of where we live, and will protect New York families and communities from pollution by leading our transition to sustainable energy consumption and production. Investing in clean energy sources will safeguard our economic and national security, and will improve our overall public health. Perhaps most importantly, by becoming more energy independent, we can transition away from foreign energy sources, and lighten America's footprint in volatile regions of the world, eventually extricating ourselves from decades-long oil wars, and removing the United States as a scapegoat and pretext for violence in treacherous conflict zones.

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