 Read in a News Aggregator |
The Rocklin Republican once compared the environmental movement with communism and demanded a federal investigation of movement leaders: "their political connections, where they get their funding, what tax laws they take advantage of." And then he said he wanted to use that information to attack and splinter the movement.
His almost evangelical anti-environmentalism has been largely frustrated by the Clinton administration, but with the possibility of a George W. Bush presidency, he may have better luck spreading his gospel.
Sure, even with Bush in the White House, the almost evenly divided House and Senate makes any radical rollback of environmental protections in Congress unlikely. But many environmental groups say the real threat is in what the president can do on his own, without the help of Congress--specifically through executive orders, administrative appointments and rule-making.
"I think the problems we're going to have are going to be administrative. And they are going to be big," said Carl Zichella, regional director of the Sierra Club.
Disinfopedia
But for some of the speakers and many of the farmers attending the congressional hearing, such concerns were nothing compared to their strong desire to punish the law that harmed them in 2001. Rep. John Doolittle (R-Roseville) who represents some Klamath Basin farmers on the California side, took a hard line at the Klamath Falls hearing. Doolittle decried such mediated solutions as the Klamath "water bank" -- a federal buyback of water rights from willing farmers -- and scolded employees of USFW and NMFS for their 2001 opinions that mandated higher flows to protect the fish.
"As the people's elected representative in one congressional district for the state of California, I would urge you to do everything you can to err on the side of the people who live here," Doolittle said, to gathering excitement. "If you have to make a choice that either benefits the people or the species, and you have that discretion, err on the side of the people! After all, God created the Earth for men and women."
The cheers that shook the Ragland Theater following Doolittle's speech dwarfed those given to the more measured comments offered by Walden or the other representatives.
North Coast Journal
Register-Guard
Herald and News
Doolittle represents California's 4th district which is one of the most beautiful in the United States. How does he vote when the issue is enviromentalism? Here are four recent votes in Congress:
4/11/2003
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an outdated, polluting energy bill, rejecting a host of common-sense solutions and choosing instead to sacrifice the crown jewel of America's National Wildlife Refuge system.
Longer Description - HR 6 continues our dependence on oil by failing to provide any significant increases in the fuel economy of cars, SUVs and other light trucks. America's automobiles guzzle more than 8 million barrels of oil per day. HR 6 exposes consumers to more corporate fraud by rewriting the rules on electricity markets to benefit the utility industry and expose consumers to more Enron-like debacles. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has found that utility companies gouged California's consumers by creating false electricity shortages. HR 6 provides huge subsidies on polluting industries by providing billions of dollars to polluting industries including coal, oil and nuclear.
Over the next 10 years, these three industries are already scheduled to receive over $33 billion in handouts. Finally, HR 6 threatens America's special places. By relying on destructive drilling in Western public lands, possibly including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and threatens sensitive coastal and marine areas. Pillaging the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would yield less than a six-month supply of oil but would cost America our last pristine Arctic wilderness.
The Energy Bill passed 247-145
NO was the pro-environmental vote.
04 Doolittle (R) YES
More
4/10/2003
Representatives Ed Markey (D-MA) and Nancy Johnson (R-CT) sought to remove a provision that allows drilling in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from HR 6 - the misguided National Energy Policy Act. Despite continued opposition to drilling in the Arctic Refuge from the American people, and a strong vote in the Senate, the House leadership pressed the controversial issue to a vote.
The Arctic Refuge is home to a vast array of wildlife including wolves, grizzly bears, migratory birds and a 140,000 member caribou herd. However the oil industry and their allies in Congress are seeking to exploit this area for a speculative amount of oil. The Markey - Johnson amendment would have stripped this misguided policy from HR 6 - the National Energy Policy Act. Government estimates indicate that there is less than a six-month supply of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and even the oil industry admits it would take ten years to make it to US markets. The National Academy of Sciences recently announced its findings which detail the destructive and long lasting effects that oil development has had on Alaska's North Slope. Should development occur in the Arctic Refuge, the impacts would be permanent and have devastating impacts on the wildlife - thus threatening the subsistence way of life for indigenous people living in the area.
The Markey - Johnson amendment to HR 6 failed 197-228
YES was the pro-environmental vote
04 Doolittle (R) NO
4/10/2003
The Boehlert-Markey amendment to the energy bill, HR 6... would have required the auto industry to cut oil consumption from the transportation sector by 10% by 2015, saving nearly a million barrels of oil per day. Making our cars and trucks go further on a gallon of gas is the biggest single step we can take to curbing global warming and cutting the country's dependence on oil.
The pro-environment vote was yes.
The amendment failed 162-268
04 Doolittle (R) NO
4/11/03
The Kind amendment to the energy bill, sought to remove harmful oil and gas development provisions. These provisions allow oil and gas development on sensitive coastal lands, exempt oil and gas drilling sites from water pollution standards, and fail to protect property owners from oil and gas development underneath their property in the West. The pro environment vote was yes.
The amendment failed 171-251
This amendment, offered by Ron Kind (D-WI), would have removed harmful oil and gas drilling provisions and subsidies from the Energy Bill. The Kind amendment attempted to strike Title II from H.R. 6, which threatens special wildlands and sensitive coastal areas, exempts drilling sites from water pollution standards, and provides unnecessary Federal hand-outs to industry at the cost of the American taxpayer.
Despite a recent study by the Interior Department confirming most oil (85%) and gas (88%) resources on our public lands are already available for development, this title seeks to further expedite the permitting and leasing of these resources at the expense of meaningful public involvement and environmental review.
Title II of the House energy bill provides unnecessary corporate subsidies for the oil and gas industry during a time of record profits. This title also promotes the use of government funds for unnecessary studies and research that would solely benefit the oil and gas industry. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the provisions of Title II alone will cost taxpayers $414 million over the next ten years.
The Kind Amendment would have removed these harmful provisions, as well as a variety of handouts to oil and gas industry, from the energy bill but was defeated by a vote of 171 to 251.
Yes was the pro-environment vote.
04 Doolittle (R) NO
Dont forget the Auburn Dam Project that Doolittle has pushed for years.
Learn More about Current Environmental News and Legislation at:
Sierra Club California
W. Watch: Keeping Tabs on the President's Environmental Moves - Sierra Club
This
Anti-Doolittle Web Site is not affiliated with any organization.
This site is
devoted
to the idea of getting the most useless Representative out of Congress.
© 2003
Blank Rebel Productions