Mother Jones: GOP Busy Proving Kerry Right On The Environment

[DrFunkenstein]

Sleazy Riders

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry said on Wednesday that, as president, he would set up a new federal commission to curb the influence of industry "special interests" on environmental policy. Standing by the once heavily polluted Merrimack River in New Hampshire, Kerry slammed the current administration's environmental record:

"I'm running for president because, at every turn, George Bush has favored tax cuts for the wealthy and breaks for the special interests over the protection of this river and other rivers and streams all across America. He is buckled to powerful lobbyists and special interests rather than standing up for the long-term interests of our children."

Kerry, whose environmental bona fides are not in question -- most recently he strongly opposed the nomination of Michael O. Leavitt to head the EPA -- accused the Bush administration of prematurely ending investigations of power plants and energy companies that allegedly released thousands of tons of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants into the environment.

Meanwhile, Republicans were busy doing everything they could to prove Kerry right. In the Senate, the GOP is currently working to delay, eliminate or circumvent all sorts of environmental regulations. Here with a sampling:

1) Congress just approved an amendment to the defense authorization bill that effectively means the Navy can ignore federal protection for whales, dolphins, and other ocean mammals that get in the way of military operations and maneuvers. The 2004 Interior Department spending bill, which was enacted last week, does away with a 14-year moratorium on oil exploration in Alaska's Bristol Bay. The bill also contains provisions that make it easier for commercial loggers to chop down trees in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

2) A series of amendments proposed by Ted Stevens of Alaska would undercut the efforts of Alaska's regional fishing managers to preserve fish habitats and species by giving control of the market to processors, not fishermen.

3) An amendment written by Missouri Senator Christopher Bond aims to strip California of its authority to set its own air quality standards. California recently adopted a new set of standards for lawn and garden equipment that would require Briggs & Stratton (an engine maker in, guess where? Missouri) to make cleaner engines. The amendment would not only roll back the California rule but also pre-empt the right of other states to adopt California's standards, a basic right under the Clean Air Act.

4) And let's not forget the energy bill, currently stalled in committee. Democrats are resisting GOP attempts to pack it with anti-environment provisions, most notably drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/dailymojo/2003/11/we_603_05c.html

<>

[wtmusic]

1. Kerry voted against the California desert protection bill

As long as it's the New England environment we're talking about...

:eyes:

[DrFunkenstein]

3. Kerry On California Environmental Protection

When you protect California's environment - with smart laws on clean water, clean air, energy efficient appliances, or off-shore drilling - the Bush Administration has done all it could to stop you. They aid and abet the polluters when they should be cleaning up the pollution. California needs a President who's on your side, not one who stands in your way.

George Bush has rolled out the welcome mat for industrial power plants and freeways in national forests, authorized open-pit cyanide mines in the California Desert Conservation Area, and approved logging in the Sequoia National Monument. Apparently, they've never met a tree they don't want to cut down. Just about the only thing George Bush doesn't want to develop is a real agenda for the environment.

Now last year, President Bush did agree to put the coast of Florida off-limits to off-shore drilling. Maybe it was just a coincidence that his brother was running for reelection at the time. But why has George W. Bush refused to offer this state's coastline the same protection? For now, I guess we better hope some of his relatives move to California. But I pledge this to you: When I'm President, we will safeguard California's precious shoreline from danger and development.

http://www.bankofknowledge.net/2004/archives/000140.html

[wtmusic]

4. And who gave the green light to GWB's cyanide mines? Mr. Hypocrite himself

Kerry voted YES on terminating desert protection in California.
Invoking cloture on the California desert protection bill. (A YES vote is considered pro-business or anti-environment).

California Desert Protection Act of 1993; Bill S. 21 ; vote number 1994-326 on Oct 8, 1994

[blm]

5. You LOVE Dean's support of Yucca Mt. and Sierra Blanca.

And you take potshots at the Candidate with the BEST record on the environment of any candidate in modern history. Sanctimony. Absurd sanctimony.

[wtmusic]

6. You got a better place to put nuclear waste?

waiting....

oh, you're one of those people that doesn't use electricity. My fault.

:silly:

[blm]

11. You're the one throwing the word "hypocrite" at Kerry

when he was doing the RIGHT thing by that vote.

YOUR hypocrisy is up for question because YOU smeared Kerry with no understanding of what you were even talking about. You did it just for the sake of doing it. That's all. Because if you were REALLY concerned with that issue, you would have known that Kerry's vote was what allowed GREATER protection. So your sanctimony rings extra false.

[wtmusic]

14. blm responds, with CAPITAL WORDS emphasizing a LACK of ARGUMENT

I know when the capitals come out that desperation is close at hand, so I'll just remind you you haven't addressed either of the issues I have raised. You can try to mask your own ignorance of both issues by throwing the word 'sanctimonious' around, but no one really buys it.

[blm]

28. your hypocrisy on this is astounding.

.

[wtmusic]

33. I know, it rivals my sanctimony

:silly:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

15. You're right that Kerry is an excellent environmentalist.

Now, where does the nuclear waste from the Pilgrim(Plymouth, MA) nuclear plant go? I've asked before and, surprisingly, failed to get a response. Now's your chance.

[blm]

17. When did John Kerry become governor of Mass.?

.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

27. So Kerry has no power in the state of Massachusetts?

He's not interested, and actively involved, in such powerful environmental issues such as where MA stores it nuclear waste? If that's the case, it's another reason not to vote for Kerry. If it's not, set me straight. Or maybe you could get off your "Yucca Mt. Highhorse" and try to understand that nuclear waste is a serious problem in this country that has no "right" answer.

[sandnsea]

21. I have no freakin' idea

Does Kerry make that decision?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

22. Here's the answer:

Used fuel at Massachusetts' reactors is being temporarily stored in water-filled vaults. http://www.nei.org/documents/maps/statebystate/massachusetts.html


This is an extremely dangerous practice. My father worked at the Hanford Nuclear Site (part of the Manhattan Project nuclear materials weapons project) in Washington state and took me on tours of the site as a teenager. Waste stored in facilities such as those mentioned above, has leeched into the Colombia River. When you throw around catchphrases like "Sierra Blanca" and "Yucca Mt.," please have at least a nominal understanding of the issue.

[DrFunkenstein]

24. Public Citizen On Yucca

http://www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/nuclear_waste/hi-level/yucca/index.cfm

Kerry voted with Public citizen.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

31. I'm not pro-Yucca.

The point is that there is no place on the planet Earth that is "safe" for nuclear waste. But it might, just might, be safer in a non-urban area. It's a no-win proposition. I'm just a little tired of it being used as a political sledgehammer when there isn't a viable alternative. Your guy's state is using water-filled vaults, temporarily. Hardly the end all, be all. Unless, of course, you have the answer for where to store it. Do you?

[sandnsea]

25. As is Vermont's

What's your point?

http://www.nei.org/doc.asp?docid=1097

[DrFunkenstein]

29. Dean Yucca Flip (That Doesn't Even Sound Like English!)

1996 Governor Dean Yucca Mountain: “I am urging you to support changes in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act that would ensure that the federal government meets its responsibility to electricity consumers to begin accepting spent fuel from commercial power plants in 1998.

…Opponents assert that the shipment of nuclear waste is highly unsafe, but the facts prove otherwise. Over the past 30 years, more than 2000 shipments of spent nuclear fuel have been made on the nation’s highways and railways. No shipment has ever resulted in a release of radioactivity or public harm.

… I sincerely hope you will support S. 1271 to establish an integrated spent fuel management program that includes a centralized, interim storage facility, continued site characterization of the potential repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, and an appropriate transportation system to move spent fuel.” (Gov. Howard Dean, Letter To Sen. Patrick Leahy, 5/1/96)

2003 Candidate Dean Yucca Mountain: REPORTER: “As governor, you supported a plan to store the nation’s waste at Yucca Mountain, Nev. Do you still think this is a good solution?” DEAN: “As governor of Vermont, it was a grand idea because it would get the waste out of Vermont. But now that I’m running for president, I’ve got to reassess it and see what the science looks like.” (Amanda Griscom, “Q&A: Howard Dean On The Environment,” Alternet 6/4/03)

http://www.vermontgop.org/flip_flop_dean.shtml

[sandnsea]

30. You call it flip, I call it slime

Complete slime and lacking in all decency and morals. Who cares how my shit affects other people? That's leadership?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

36. Do you know how Yucca was sold?

Back in 1996, Yucca looked good. The idea was to bury nuclear waste in tons of concrete, inside a mountain, with full regulatory control. Later, surveys showed that the site was near a fault line and was dangerously close to underground water tables. Do you think that this additional information might change your opinion on whether the site was a good one or not? Flip-flop? Nah, common-fucking-sense.

My father was in the industry. I've personnaly walked the grounds of waste disposal sites. I understand the issues involved. Don't try to score cheap political points when your only understanding is what you read in an article.

"...I’ve got to reassess it and see what the science looks like.” Science changes every day. Good fucking idea.

[blm]

26. The point was that they needed to go somewhere

much further from any population. Find that place.

[wtmusic]

34. Thousands of locations were considered

and Yucca was considered among the best for long-term management. Further from any population? A simplistic, flip answer that doesn't address the problem--otherwise, we could dump it in the middle of the ocean, right?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

37. Picture of Yucca Mt.:

Comprende?

[sandnsea]

7. To end a fillibuster so it could pass

"Sure. Activists have been fighting to save the California Desert for over 20 years! Senator Kerry was planning on going on vacation to the Caribbean, but we needed him to vote to end a filibuster on the California Desert Protection Act. The S.S.C. organized a "dorm storm" in Kerry's district. We knocked on hundreds of student's doors, and asked them to call Kerry and ask for his vote. The first 200 students that called Kerry's office were told that he definitely would not be at the vote. The Kerry's staff started to look for the Senator, telling the next 200 callers that he might be changing his mind. At that point calls were still flooding his office, but his staff started to tell callers that Senator Kerry would definitely be present to cast his vote. Kerry passed the deciding vote and the bill created the largest national park in the lower 48 states! It was definitely one of our most exciting victories."

Strom Thurmond voted no, to not end the fillibuster, so I'm just going to take a wild leap and conclude that in this case Issues 2000 got the intent of the fillibuster backwards.

http://www.issues2000.org/Domestic/Strom_Thurmond_Environment.htm

On edit:

I forgot the link for the first quote. Gotta have those damn 'linkys'.
http://www.electriceggplant.com/theinsite/solutions/sierra_student_coalition.html

[DrFunkenstein]

8. Would "In Yo Face" Apply Here?

Thanks for the context. It seemed highly unlikely that Kerry would go out of his way to screw California. Not that people around here wouldn't be above insinuating it.

[blm]

9. Yeah...Deanies trying to sell Kerry as a bad environmentalist.

Go figure.

I guess it goes with the other meme they're spreading...Kerry is a "corrupt Washington insider."

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

16. See #15.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

38. I, for one, am not saying Kerry is bad on the environment.

But you have been a screaming meemie about Yucca Mountain and Sierra Blanca for months now. Because Dean is bad on the environment? No. Because you think you've found a political issue that you can hurt him with. Pay no atttention to the fact that you don't know what you're talking about. Do me a favor and do a little research. Then maybe I won't have to hear "Yucca Mt." every time the environment is brought up. I think they both have excellent histories on the environment. Kerry through his sponsorship and voting on legislation over 2 decades. Dean through his preserving huge tracts of land in Vermont(1,000,000+ acres of farmland, working forests, and wilderness in a small state).

[sandnsea]

10. The irony, he cast the deciding vote

that created Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks and the Mojave Monument. Not that others didn't work incredibly hard to get it done in the first place.

What was Howard doing? Planning to send nuclear waste to Yucca Mtn and Sierra Blanca.

Wohoo! Let's vote for Howard!!

This alone ought to be enough for people to see the difference. I will never understand.

[wtmusic]

13. Care to offer where you might send nuclear waste?

Nobody seems to want to answer that question. Hmm.

[DrFunkenstein]

18. Putting It Under The Carpet Is Not An Answer

And transporting massive amounts of nuclear materials over hundreds of thousands of miles of railroad is hardly in our national security interests.

By forcing state's to deal with their own waste management, it forces them to find alternative solutions.

Kerry has been pushing for years to really fund research on safe domestic renewables. There is no alternative. We have to invent our way out of the problem, not stick it's head in the desert sand.

[wtmusic]

32. That's great-but in the meantime?

We have to do something with it, period. Yucca Mountain is one of the most geologically stable places in the country--it is a salt formation 3000 feet deep and is estimated to be stable for at least 10,000 years. That's not forever. But FAR safer than anywhere else on in the country, or even blasting it into outer space (that proposal has been considered).

Not realistic to force states like Vermont OR Massachusetts to deal with their own nuclear waste problem.

[sandnsea]

23. Hmmm

I can tell you one thing. When I made a decision, I'd stick to it whether I was sitting here at my computer, governor of my state, or the President. See, whether it's in MY backyard or YOUR backyard, it matters to me. Apparently not Howard Dean. If he'll happily send waste to Yucca Mtn as Governor, then reconsider the safety of that decision as President, he's just flunked the ethics & morals test I need for MY President.

[wtmusic]

12. Uh, not really

You have an amateur website vs. issues2000.org AND on the issues.org. Gonna have to do better than that!

In YO face!
:-)

[DrFunkenstein]

19. Lol

:P

:toast:

[sandnsea]

20. Strom Thurmond voted for the environment

You betcha'.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

2. Hooray! Kerry used the term "special interests" correctly!

It's about time someone used the term "special interests" correctly - to refer to the corporations and industry groups that have a special financial interest in what Congress is doing.

When it comes to the environment, the polluters are the special interests who want to pass the cost and danger of pollution to us. We who want to protect the environment are the general interest. We share our air and water, and hopefully we always will.

[ThorsteinVeblen]

35. Kerry proving himself an idiot.