Issue Position: Environment and Energy
Issue Position
PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE WHILE BUILDING OUR FUTURE
The threat to our environment is the overarching moral challenge of our time. We cannot escape its consequences, because unlike other policy areas, this issue is not partisan and shows no preference for any particular group. It's literally the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land on which we grow our food. Progress on these issues requires courage and a commitment to the health and well-being of future generations.
On a personal note, as the father of children that suffer from asthma, I am especially concerned about restoring and preserving clean air. As Congressman, I will see that all tools are used to return the environment to its pristine condition for the health of all Americans--regardless of which party holds the White House.
Climate Change
There is a broad consensus among climate scientists that human-generated climate change is occurring and is a significant problem. Research has shown that the greenhouse gas buildup in our atmosphere is adversely affecting our environment. Steps must be taken now to reverse harmful practices and policies before the damage is irreparable. Bill will work to address this issue immediately, so that the problem of global warming is not simply passed on to future generations.
Bill supports The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which sets targets and requires the actions necessary to avoid irreversible warming of the planet. This act establishes a market-based program of reducing global warming from electric utilities, oil companies, large industrial sources and other entities that are collectively responsible for 85% of U.S. global warming emissions. Covered entities must have tradable federal permits, allowances, for each ton of pollution emitted into the atmosphere.
This program reduces the number of available allowances issued each year to ensure that aggregate emissions are reduced by 17% below 2005 levels in 2020 and 83% below 2005 levels in 2050. The Senate version calls for 20% reduction by 2020. We know that clean air is vital to the health and welfare of all Americans, and all human beings alike. We must put teeth back into The Clean Air Act and support efforts to limit Greenhouse Gases and toxins entering the atmosphere, which warms our planet and leads to the deterioration of our health.
Energy Independence
Our success in ending our addiction to foreign oil and fossil fuels is a goal that Bill is committed to and proposes to introducing legislation promoting energy independence, including the rapid development of new technology, such as wind and solar energy generators with improvements to transmission and storage, as well as net metering to allow individual energy providers to receive credit for sending power into the power grid. The more people see that good environmental policies can drive economic growth and save them money; the faster those policies will be adopted.
Investing in Green Technology
Only research and development in green technology remains one of the most promising hopes for gaining American energy independence. Investments in green technologies create an exceedingly greater number of jobs than investments in older forms of energy. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) promotes clean energy by promoting renewable sources of energy and carbon capture and sequestration technologies, low-carbon transportation fuels, clean electric vehicles and the smart grid and electricity transmission. ACES promotes renewable energy by requiring retail electricity suppliers to meet a certain percentage of their load with electricity generated from renewable resources, such as wind, biomass, solar and geothermal. The renewable electricity requirement begins at 6% in 2012 and gradually rises to 25% in 2025.
Bill also supports The Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008, (HR. 5351). This groundbreaking energy legislation provides the kind of market incentives and financial support needed to usher in a new era of clean energy technology and innovation that will enhance our security, protect our environment, and create thousands of green jobs.
Protecting and Restoring Old Hickory and Percy Priest Lake
Radnor, Percy Priest Lake and the Cumberland River are located inside the boundaries of the 5th Congressional District, they are some of our Districts greatest natural resources and funding for the continued upkeep and maintenance is critical to preserving the bio life of both lakes and the Cumberland River. The oversight responsibility for these resources are with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and they have reported significant improve in the clean water in both lakes and river however there are still concerns with invasive species contamination, increased toxic pollution to the lakes and the increasing demand for Cumberland rivers drinking water from our growing metropolitan area. Bill supports state and regional agreements to secure funding to achieve the critical goal of a clean, secure Radnor, Percy Priest Lakes and the Cumberland River that will thrive for our generations to come.
Restoring Clean Water Act Protections
Bill supports the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would clarify the Clean Water Act and restore these essential protections to all "waters of the United States."
Commitment to Environmental Stewardship
As a member of Congress, Bill will work to restore the American commitment to responsible environmental stewardship, and will be a leader in environmental protection and sustainable development so that generations to come can enjoy a cleaner and healthier planet.
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