|
Environment
NREPA * ANWR
* Brownfields * Calves
Island * Climate Change
* Farm Conservation * Roadless
Area Conservation * Land Preservation
* Long Island Sound * Dredging
* Clean Air * Healthy
Oceans
I believe protecting the environment is one of my most important
duties as a Member of Congress and that we will not have a
world to live in if we continue our neglectful ways.
In 2003, I received an A+ on his American Wilderness Coalition
Wild Card for my voting record on environmental issues, and
my lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters is
a 93 percent. The LCV also named me and Environmental Champion
in 2004.
I supports the Bush Administration's policies when I believe
they are right and oppose them when I believe they are wrong.
I have opposed many of the Administration's energy and environmental
decisions and policies because, for the most part, they have
failed to prioritize conservation and environmental protection.
We must promote renewable energy sources, preserve our forests,
clean up air pollution and ensure our rivers are free from
industrial waste.
I have strongly and repeatedly opposed the Energy Policy
Act and vocally advocated conserving our natural resources,
diversifying our energy sources and improving efficiency,
rather than despoiling pristine wild areas like the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.
Christopher is also a co-chair of the Congressional Green
Scissors Caucus, a group of Members of Congress working together
to identify and eliminate wasteful, environmentally-harmful
projects.
The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection
Act
I support protecting our wilderness and conserving our nation's
lands. For this reason, on March 9, 2005, I joined my colleague
Carolyn Maloney of New York in reintroducing H.R.
1975, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act.
This legislation would increase protection of approximately
20 million acres of public land in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming,
Washington and Oregon. The bill includes five types of land
protection: (1) new protection for roaded national forest
land, (2) new protection for unroaded national forest land,
(3) new Wilderness Area designations, (4) new National Park
Study Areas, and (5) Wildland Recovery Area.
According to a University of Utah report, NREPA would save
at least $245 million over 10 years, not including maintenance
costs associated with logging roads. The legislation would
also create at least 2,300 new jobs in habitat restoration.
It is imperative we preserve and protect our environment.
We simply will not have a world to live in if we continue
our neglectful ways.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
I oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
and have actively worked to prevent it.
In my judgment, it would be far better to develop prudent
and lasting alternate fuel energies than to risk irreparable
damage to the wilderness of one of North America's most beautiful
frontiers and establish a precedent to allow oil and gas development
in our few remaining pristine natural areas.
While drilling in ANWR could supply only six months of oil
for the United States, if sports utility vehicles and light
trucks were held to the same efficiency standards as cars,
in just over three years the country would save more gasoline
than is economically recoverable from ANWR.
On May 25, 2006, I spoke in opposition to H.R.
5429, the American-Made Energy and Good Jobs Act,
which lifts the ban on drilling in ANWR. Despite the bipartisan
effort to oppose this bill, H.R. 5429 passed the House by
a vote of 225 to 201.
On March 1, 2006, I joined 24 of my colleagues in writing
to Chairman Nussle of the Budget Committee, expressing our
opposition to any language or mechanism in the Fiscal Year
2007 Budget Resolution that assumes revenues from drilling
in ANWR. I was pleased that H.Con.Res. 376, the Fiscal Year
2007 House Budget Resolution, did not include drilling in
ANWR.
Last year, I
joined 24 of my colleagues in writing a letter to
Rules Committee Chairman Dreier to prevent the
inclusion of language to mine ANWR in
H.R. 4241, the Deficit Reduction Act. We were
successful in keeping this language out of the House bill
and the conference report.
As you may know, a provision to allow drilling in ANWR was
placed in
H.R. 2863, the Fiscal Year 2006 (FY 06) Department
of Defense Appropriations Act. For that reason,
on December 19, 2005, I voted against both the rule for H.R.
2863, which passed the House by a vote of 214 to 201, and
the bill itself, which passed the House by a vote of 308 to
106. Fortunately, the Senate was able to filibuster this provision
and remove it from H.R. 2863, and the bill was signed into
law by the President on December 30, 2005.
Brownfields
I believe the Brownfields program is one of our most important
tools to curb urban sprawl. Brownfields are abandoned, idled,
or underused industrial or commercial facilities where expansion
or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental
contamination.
These sites, typically in the heart of urban areas, lie idle
because no one wants to incur the large costs. As a result,
cities are marked by abandoned buildings and vacant lots,
while developers construct new buildings on what was previously
open space in the suburbs.
By reusing brownfields, we not only revitalize blighted communities,
but also target development in city centers, thus avoiding
unchecked urbanization on the fringes of metropolitan areas.
On March 13, 2006, I joined Congressman Mike Turner in holding
a hearing in Bridgeport, "The Connecticut Experience:
What Can Be Done to Spur Brownfield Redevelopment in the New
England Corridor." Witnesses included Bridgeport Mayor
John Fabrizi, Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti, Department of Environmental
Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy, and Environmental Protection
Agency Regional Administrator Robert Varney.
I am an original cosponsor of H.R.
4480, America's Brownfield Cleanup Act, which
allows a business tax credit for 50 percent of expenditures
for remediation of contaminated sites.
I am also a cosponsor of H.R.
1237, Brownfield Redevelopment Assistance Act,
which requires the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate brownfields
redevelopment activities. This legislation also sets grant
criteria and authorizes appropriations for brownfield site
redevelopment grants for FY 06 through FY 10.
I am an original cosponsor of H.R.
280, the Brownfields Enhancement Redevelopment Act,
which authorizes HUD to make grants to eligible public entities
and Indian tribes to assist in the environmental cleanup and
economic development of brownfield sites.
Calves Island
I strongly supported, and helped secure, the inclusion of
Calves Island, a 28.8 acre island located directly south of
Byram Harbor in Greenwich, in the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife
Refuge.
On February 14, 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
formally announced its purchase of Calves Island in Long Island
Sound as an addition to the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife Refuge.
The Trust for Public Land (TPL) helped negotiate the purchase
from the Greenwich Family YMCA, and, at the request of the
Y, a "friendly taking" process cleared the title
because deed restrictions limited the property to residential
use.
Climate Change
I believe global warming is happening and that man is contributing
to it. Now, it is our responsibility to work to mitigate the
impacts of potentially catastrophic climate change.
The bottom line is, without bipartisan dialogue, regional
cooperation and an alliance between industry and environmentalists
we are doomed to stalemate. But the issue of global climate
change is simply too important to ignore.
While I appreciate there are legitimate concerns about the
Kyoto Protocol in the United States, it seems to me the way
to affect climate policy is to bring Republicans and Democrats
together with industry and environmentalists to leave rhetoric
behind and find common ground.
I am an original cosponsor of H.R.
759, the Climate Stewardship Act, because I believe
it takes a responsible first step to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions in a way that is timely, meaningful and cost-effective.
H.R. 759 affects 85 percent of overall U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions. It would only apply to entities that emit more
than 10,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year, and
would not apply to individual car owners, homeowners, or the
agricultural sector.
The Climate Stewardship Act achieves reduction goals by allowing
trading of emissions allowances on the open market, supported
by a government inventory of emissions and emission reductions
for individual companies and utilities.
Companies will be required to submit one tradable allowance
for each metric ton of greenhouse gas emissions, and companies
could buy and sell credits among themselves. These companies
will have the choice of reducing their emissions to reduce
their required allowances, or purchasing other companies'
allowances to cover their continued emissions.
Farm Conservation
I support farm conservation efforts and believe they are
essential to maintaining a viable agricultural business in
the United States. These programs promote land preservation,
water quality, wildlife habitat, wetland restoration and grassland
protection.
I voted against H.R.
5384, the Fiscal Year 2007 (FY 07) Agriculture Appropriations
Act, in part because it cut $483 million from
Conservation Security Programs.
During consideration of the 2001 Farm Bill, I voted for an
amendment offered by Congressman Sherry Boehlert that would
have shifted $1.9 billion annually from commodity subsidies
to conservation programs.
Unfortunately, the amendment failed by a vote of 200 to 226.
Christopher ultimately voted against the overall Farm Bill
because it continued the practice of providing tremendous
subsidies to farmers and distorting the marketplace.
Roadless Rule
I support protecting our public lands and have consistently
opposed efforts to roll back the Roadless Area Conservation
Rule put forward during the Clinton Administration.
I am an original cosponsor of H.R.
3563, the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act.
This legislation prohibits certain road construction and reconstruction
on 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas in our
national forests. This legislation only allows new roads to
be constructed in specified circumstances, such as in fighting
wildfires or when other natural disasters threaten public
safety.
I also supported an amendment offered by Congressman Steve
Chabot to the FY 07 Interior and Environment Appropriations
Act, which passed the House by a vote of 237 to 181. This
amendment would help preserve the Tongass National Forest
from further development by ending a long-standing taxpayer
subsidy of logging roads in the region.
Land Preservation
I believe our wild lands and open spaces are national treasures
that must be protected.
In Connecticut, I have worked for years to help acquire land
to preserve within the Stewart B. McKinney National
Wildlife Refuge, named in memory of the much-admired
Congressman I succeeded.
In past years, I have secured final installments of Land
and Water Conservation Fund appropriations for the Stratford
Great Meadows Salt Marsh and Calves Island in Greenwich.
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a source of livelihood, nourishment
and recreation for many in Connecticut and elsewhere. Christopher
believes it is critical that we treat it well. As a member
and co-chairman of the Long Island Sound Caucus, he will continue
to work with his colleagues on a bipartisan basis to protect
the Sound.
Long Island Sound pollution is a major problem because approximately
10 percent of the American population lives within the Long
Island Sound watershed. It is one of the most populated, visited
and traveled areas of the country. The Sound contributes over
$5 billion annually to the regional economy.
On March 16, 2006, I joined 14 of my colleagues in writing
to the Appropriations Committee on to request $40 million
for the Long Island Sound Restoration Act. While the $40 million
was not met in H.R.
5386, the Fiscal Year 2007 (FY 07) Interior and Environment
Appropriations Act, I was pleased that Long Island
Sound received $1.8 million, which is the same as it received
in FY 06.
I am an original cosponsor of H.R.
307, Long Island Sound Stewardship Act (LISSA).
This legislation would authorize $40 million to protect and
preserve areas along the Sound's shorelines with significant
ecological, recreational or educational value. LISSA gives
those most familiar with the Sound's precious and diverse
resources the tools necessary to continue their conservation
efforts, and applies the most effective methods available
to identify, protect, and enhance sites with ecological, educational,
and recreation value in Connecticut and New York.
I am also an original cosponsor of H.R.
5160, the Long Island Sound Stewardship Act,
which focuses exclusively on land stewardship, explicitly
states that the Governors of NY and CT will appoint at least
two representatives from those states to sit on the Advisory
Committee, and makes clear that the Advisory Committee reports
to the previously established Long Island Sound Policy Committee.
Dredging
Dredging is necessary to maintain the Sound's safe navigation
and long-term viability and vitality, but doing so requires
that we identify disposal sites for dredged materials.
That is why the Environmental Protection Agency's Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) completed April 1, 2004, which designated
the Central and Western Long Island Sound sites for long-term
open-water dredged material disposal, was and remains so critically
important.
The FEIS found that any potential adverse impacts to the
Sound's marine environment associated with dredged material
disposal at the Central and Western Long Island Sound sites
would be minimal and could be mitigated with appropriate site
management. In fact, the old abandoned disposal sites are
now viable fishery areas. Toxic sludge is not, has
not, and will not be found suitable for open water disposal
in Long Island Sound.
The EIS process has already dragged on long beyond original
estimates leading to the suspension of operations at the Central
Long Island Sound disposal site, resulting in costly delays
of dredging projects crucial for maintaining safe navigation
in Long Island Sound. Christopher strongly supports EPA's
final environmental impact statement, which recognizes the
unique value and range of interests in the Sound, while taking
important steps to help protect it.
Clean Air
I am an original cosponsor of H.R.
1451, the Clean Smokestacks Act, which would
establish mandatory reduction for the four main smokestack
pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and carbon
dioxide.
Legislation like the Clean Smokestacks Act is essential to
improving our poor air quality in Connecticut. Because significant
pollution is transported from other areas of the country to
our communities, some of our biggest gains would be realized
from Midwestern and Southeastern utilities implementing comprehensive
controls on pollution from their oldest power plants, which
are currently exempted from many regulations.
Healthy Oceans
I am an original cosponsor of H.R.
5051, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management
Act. This would require councils to set annual
catch limits based on the recommendations of fisheries scientists.
In order to ensure those limits are met, the bill would also
require that any harvests that exceed those levels be deducted
from subsequent catch limits.
You may also be interested to know, I am also an original
cosponsor of H.R.
1431, which amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act in order to integrate science
into fishery management decisions. Doing this would better
safeguard the communities whose economies depend on the sea
and health of the ocean ecosystems.
I am the lead republican cosponsor of H.R.
2719, the Clean Water Protection Act, which would
prohibit the dumping of industrial waste into rivers and streams.
This legislation is needed because in May 2002, EPA finalized
a rule that changed the definition of "fill material"
for both EPA and the Corps. The new definition allows hardrock
mining waste, construction and demolition debris, and other
types of harmful wastes to be dumped into rivers and streams
across the country. I will continue to fight this environmentally-damaging
practice.
I am also an original cosponsor of H.R.
1356, the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act,
because I do not agree with the changes to the Clean Water
Act (CWA) proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency
and the Army Corps of Engineers. This Legislation reestablishes
the common understanding of the Clean Water Act’s jurisdiction
to protect all waters in the United States.
I am the lead Republican cosponsor of H.R.
1636, the Clean Cruise Ships Act, which will
prohibit untreated discharges of sewage (including sewage
sludge), graywater and bilge water within 12 miles of U.S.
shore.
Mirroring identical protections already in place in Alaska,
H.R. 1636 will take a big step toward ensuring the well being
of all U.S. ocean waters by prohibiting certain harmful discharges
and putting in place discharge limits and oversight mechanisms
to ensure cruise ships do not continue to erode the integrity
of the Clean Water Act, one of our nations most fundamental
environmental laws.
In a single week, average size cruise ships can generate
almost 210,000 gallons of raw sewage, 1 million gallons of
gray water, and 37,000 gallons of oily bilge water, which
collects in the bottom of ships and contains oil and chemicals
from engine maintenance that are toxic to marine life.
|
