Environment

Without a clean and sustainable environment, we all lose—this is a fact, not a partisan slogan. We’ve spent decades talking about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, yet as each year passes, the problem gets worse.

We need a comprehensive and coordinated global approach that protects our environment, lessens our dependence on fossil fuels, and works to protect fresh water resources. Minnesota is in a terrific position to benefit from growth of ‘green collar’ jobs with the growth of wind, solar and sustainable bio-fuel industries.

The incidence of asthma and other respiratory ailments in the United States continues to rise, and in Minnesota we’ve become accustomed to air quality alerts—something that never happened when we were children.

We know that protecting our environment and growing the economy are not mutually exclusive. In the 1980s and 1990s—with both Democrats and Republicans in power—we put regulations into effect that began to clear the air and clean the water while spurring new industries and creating new jobs. We should be able to agree that reducing carbon emissions and moving beyond fossil fuels are good things. We can continue to make progress by cutting through the distractions and working together find solutions to our environmental challenges.

As your Congressman, Jim will:

Promote the growth of ‘green jobs’ to make the United States the leader in green technology.
Vote to increase fuel efficiency standards and promote electric/hybrid vehicles. We had the chance to remake the vehicle market through Cash for Clunkers; instead we used it to clear inventory out of dealerships.
Vote to end corporate welfare for oil companies and force them to “use or lose” the drilling rights they’ve been stockpiling for years.
Support robust oversight of the energy sector to fight price gouging and anti-competitive practices.
Work to put a price on carbon and reduce its presence in our atmosphere. Whether it is a cap-and-trade system, a carbon tax, or some other method, we need to put a price on the CO2 emitted by fossil fuels to allow renewable energy sources to compete.
Work to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy, including nuclear power. Nuclear power: (1) requires taxpayers to bail out energy companies; (2) diverts investment from renewable energy efforts; (3) provides a security risk; (4) leaves a greater carbon footprint than renewables; (5) does not help us become energy independent, because we depend on foreign countries for the vast majority of our uranium and enrichment services; (6) requires extraordinary amounts of water; (7) creates a radioactive waste problem on future generations for up to 1 million years. Furthermore, Jim rejects Erik Paulsen’s call to lift the moratorium on new nuclear plants in Minnesota.