Democrats to Stress Environmental Issues

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-cong/2006/nov/14/111408701.html

The Democrats who will steer environment issues in the new Congress are polar opposites of their Republican predecessors, but changing environmental policy is like turning around an aircraft carrier - it's very slow.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, a liberal California Democrat and one of the biggest environmental advocates on Capitol Hill, was named Tuesday to chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She replaces Oklahoma Republican James Inhofe, who says global warming is a hoax and wanted to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency established by President Richard Nixon.

On the House side, the approach to endangered species and opening public lands to private development will do an about-face with Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., expected to take over the House Resources Committee. He would replace GOP Rep. Richard Pombo, a California rancher, defeated for re-election last week after environmentalists spent nearly $2 million against him.

"Our long national nightmare is close to being over," said Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, paraphrasing Gerald Ford on assuming the presidency after Nixon's resignation over Watergate.

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[codjh9]

1. They damn well better! I"m amazed at how the environment often isn't even

on the LIST of big issues, much less being near the top... it doesn't take that much brainpower to figure out what global warming and population are doing to the world. Not to mention that the Bush admin. has a long, long, LONG list of environmental horrors - allowing 'mountaintop mining' (where they blow the whole top off of a mountain to get at the coal because it's easier/cheaper to do than regular mining, which destroys streams/fish life, creates more air pollution, and doesn't exactly keep scenery/forests intact), always pushing air/water pollution law implementation later, attacking the Roadless Rule that Clinton implemented and millions of Americans commented on, etc etc etc. They almost couldn't have been worse. But Thank God we just 1) got rid of most of the absolute worst reps and Senators, AND 2) elected some strong green-thinking people.