Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Teddy Roosevelt once said "A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself."

As a Forestry major in college, I understand that protecting the environment is a responsibility we must all accept, both for our own sake and for that of our children.

I am an original co-sponsor of two pieces of environmental legislation vital to Michigan's future, the International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act (H.R. 518) and the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act (H.R. 1350).

The International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act passed the House of Representatives with my strong support and is awaiting action in the Senate. This bill will help to curtail the importation of solid waste from Canada to Michigan.

Canada continues to be the largest source of waste imports to Michigan, as last year Canada dumped more then 4.4 million tons of waste in Michigan.

Michigan's most beautiful and important resource is the Great Lakes. I am an active member of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (GLRC), which is working to implement a strategy for the restoration and protection of the Great Lakes. We are working to prevent invasive species, such as Asian Carp and Sea Lamprey, from destroying the Great Lakes ecosystem.

As a member of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I am working with members on both sides of the aisle to increase the availability and use of alternative energy sources. I believe this is important not only because it will reduce our dangerous dependency on Middle Eastern Oil, but also because of the environmental benefits of using cleaner sources of energy from renewable resources.

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