Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Who Are You Voting For in November?

Tuesday, April 20, 2004
The Raw Deal: Kerry's False Environmental Attacks

"John Kerry's false attacks on the President's strong environmental record are purely political and ignore the progress that has been made under President Bush. Our air is clearer and our water is cleaner than before the President took office. Kerry's rhetoric on the environment does not match the reality of his decision to block the President's Energy Bill that included funding for renewable energy and a provision to phase out MTBE use. Kerry didn't show up to vote on Healthy Forests legislation and refused to advocate for a planned wind farm near his Nantucket home."
- Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

Kerry Supports Renewable Energyâ?¦

Kerry Talks About Need To Invest In Renewable Energy, Stating Millions Of New Jobs Will Be Created. "'We spend $1.8 billion in subsidies for oil and gas â?¦ and only $24 million for alternative and renewable energy,' the Massachusetts Democrat told a crowd of University of New Hampshire students. 'We ought to flip-flop those numbers.' Kerry, who has called for a renewed federal commitment to environmental justice, said that finding sources of renewable energy would save billions of dollars and create millions of new jobs." (Alex Ortolani, "Kerry: U.S. Must Decrease Oil Dependency," The [Manchester, NH] Union Leader, 4/26/03)

â?¦But Not Near His Nantucket Home

Kerry Won't Weigh In On Cape Wind Farm Project In His Own Backyard. "Kerry insisted it's proper to let the environmental review continue and not to short-circuit public comment. 'I don't think it is appropriate for me (to weigh in). I think the most appropriate thing to do is listen to the people on the Cape, listen to the people who have concerns, weigh the arguments,' he said." (Kevin Landrigan, "Kerry Offers Ways To Fight Pollution," The Telegraph [Nashua, NH], 4/23/03)

Multiple Environmental Groups Are For Project. "In addition to Greenpeace, the Natural Resource Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund, the Conservation Law Foundation and Friends of the Earth have spoken favorably of the project." (Sam Dealey, "Wind Farm Is An Issue For Kerry," The Hill, 6/18/03)

Greenpeace Has Criticized Kerry For His Silence. "'Kerry is the one who really needs to be called out on this stuff,' said Kert Davies, research director of Greenpeace. 'He's been pretty mum so far. We don't know where he stands.' Davies added, 'He's obviously very pro-renewable energy; he knows the climate better than almost anyone in the Senate. And by that logic, he should be in favor of this project being implemented.'" (Sam Dealey, "Wind Farm Is An Issue For Kerry," The Hill, 6/18/03)

Meanwhile, Other "Upscale" Local Property Owners Oppose Project Too. "Many property owners on upscale Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard object to the project, saying the 130 turbines planned would mar ocean vistas and harm property values." (Chris Holly, "Wind Technology Said Help In Natural Gas Crisis," New Technology Week, 7/14/03)

President Bush Has Worked To Make Our Air Cleaner

Kerry's False Attack: "Instead of protecting public health, George Bush rolled back and undermined the Clean Air Act."

THE TRUTH: President Bush did not roll back the Clean Air Act. President Bush proposed reforming a burdensome, outdated regulation called New Source Review to enable businesses to upgrade their facilities with the newest, most efficient pollution control technologies. Many of the reforms President Bush proposed were substantially similar to what was proposed by Carol Browner in 1996.

New Source Review reform is not a major part of the Clean Air Act. According to Howard Gruensphecht of Resources for the Future: "Environmentalists are crying foul, saying that the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program is the cornerstone of meaningful environmental regulation. But these critics are wrong on their own terms. The New Source Review retards environmental progress and wastes resources. To assure sustainable environmental progress, NSR should be replaced with effective and efficient policies." (Howard Gruensphecht and Robert Stavins, "A Level Playing Field on Pollution at Power Plants," The Boston Globe, 1/26/02)

President Bush Has Worked To Decrease Power Plant Emissions

Kerry's False Attack: "The Bush Administration has weakened protections that would require the use of modern pollution control technology and has undercut pending lawsuits against polluters."

THE TRUTH: President Bush is keeping his promise by working to implement a new air quality rule that will reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by nearly 70 percent by 2018.

The President's Clear Skies Proposal Aggressively Cuts Emissions

Kerry's False Attack: "The Bush Administration's 'Clear Skies' proposal will result in over 21 million tons more pollution than if it simply enforced the Clean Air Act. Compared to an alternate EPA plan, rejected by the White House, the Bush plan will result in over 100,000 more premature deaths and millions of added cases of asthma and other serious illnesses."

THE TRUTH: President Bush's Clear Skies proposal is the most aggressive presidential initiative in history to reduce power plant emissions. It will reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury by 70 percent by 2018. The President's approach is supported by a strong bipartisan array of groups that need or are directly affected by the program: National Governors Association, National Association of Counties, National Conference of Mayors, National Conference of Black Mayors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Adirondack Council.

President Bush Has Worked To Decrease Mercury Emissions

Kerry's False Attack: "George Bush has an inadequate plan for dealing with mercury contamination and has not been forthcoming about the health effects of mercury. The Clinton Administration took this threat seriously and proposed a responsible cut of 90 percent in mercury emissions by 2008, but the Bush Administration's proposal requires only a 70 percent reduction, and not until 2018 jeopardizing women and children."

THE TRUTH: President Bush has proposed the first-ever cap on mercury emissions from power plants. It is based on the best available science, protects public health, and ensures that our economy will continue to grow.

President Bush Supports Legislation to Phase Out MTBE

Kerry's False Attack: In 2001, the EPA proposed banning MTBE because the "use of MTBE as an additive in gasoline presents an unreasonable risk to the environment." The Bush Administration, in yet another action to put the interests of big oil over the interest of public health, shelved the nationwide ban. Bush has strongly supported legislation that would delay the ban on MTBE for at least 10 years and would shield manufacturers of the chemical from having to pay the clean-up costs forcing taxpayers to pick up the $30 billion tab.

THE TRUTH: The Energy Bill that President Bush supports and Kerry blocked includes a provision to phase-out the use of MTBE and $800 million to clean up MTBE contamination in communities across the country. Kerry voted for the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, which mandated the use of MTBE.

President Bush Has Worked To Accelerate Cleanup Of Contaminated Sites

Kerry's False Attack: George W. Bush has refused to reauthorize the tax on polluting industries to fund the cleanup of toxic waste sites, effectively slowing the pace of waste site cleanups and letting polluting industries off the hook.

THE TRUTH: President Bush is accelerating the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated, abandoned industrial sites, many in struggling urban communities. Fulfilling a key campaign pledge, the President signed historic, bipartisan Brownfields reform legislation in January 2002 that will help address thousands of such sites. The President already released $73 million in new grants last year. The President's 2005 budget includes $210 million for Brownfields cleanup, a 24 percent increase over 2004.

Through aggressive enforcement, the President is now ensuring that companies are cleaning up the pollution they caused at more than 70 percent of Superfund sites. To make real progress on the remaining sites, where the polluters no longer exist, the President's FY 2005 budget includes $1.4 billion, a $124 million (10 percent) increase over 2004 -- allowing more cleanups to start and more to be completed in 2005 and 2006.