Protecting the Environment
12.06.2009
My view on issues related to energy and global warming
There is no question that the effects of global warming are already underway. The failure to meet this challenge is something my state and country cannot afford. One of the best ways to immediately conserve our energy is to better weatherize our buildings. It is vital that we continue funding efforts to modernize and weatherize our structures. In fact, 10% of the nation’s housing is controlled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. I have proposed as part of an urban agenda that residents of public housing be trained in cooperation with unionized trades to weatherize their own housing to make public housing more energy efficient and to provide sustained skills for future employment for residents of subsidized housing. See http://jenniferbrunner.com/index.php/news/index_new/2009/08/ (last two paragraphs).
I also am enthused about the opportunities that are specific to Ohio, with its skilled trades and strong manufacturing base to build the green technologies that will replace expensive and dirty fossil fuel use and production to meet our energy needs with clean energy and sustainable technology. Already in Toledo, Ohio, where former glass factories operated, the economy sees promise as the economy there is transitioning to producing solar panels sold around the world. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in the Mahoning Valley (IBEW) is retraining its members to install solar panels and wind turbines to prepare for Ohio’s clean energy future. As Senator I will work with vigor to ensure we are doing everything possible to expedite the transition from fossil fuels to reliable and proven green technologies such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy. See http://jenniferbrunner.com/index.php/news/post/brunner_supports_browns_proposal_for_more_funding_for_green_businesses/ (second from last paragraph).
In December, the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture awarded $20 million in stimulus funds to Red Lion Bioenergy, LLC, in Toledo to assist it in moving from innovation to commercialization in a new method of production of clean burning biofuel made without combustion and from agri-waste. Plants such as Red Lion’s can be located throughout Ohio with its 251 cities of 5000 or more in population dotting the rural landscape. The commercial success of this localized energy production depends on minimizing transportation costs of the raw materials for producing the diesel fuel. With Ohio having ranked 17th in agricultural receipts in the nation, this is a great fit for Ohio. The potential for this “renewable, clean” diesel fuel is to replace 74 percent of the petroleum diesel fuel now used in the U.S. See http://jenniferbrunner.com/index.php/blog/post/ohio_jobs_through_21st_century_energy/ (last two paragraphs).
These are exciting opportunities for Ohio and the nation—to produce energy locally while promoting a clean environment and rebuilding Ohio’s economy. This a winning proposition from nearly every vantage point.
Other environmental and conservation issues
Emission control is a key issue and must be addressed. While the short-term costs of imposing emission control is undeniable, it is likewise undeniable that the cost of doing nothing is much greater, and doing nothing involves not only the financial and economic opportunity cost, but the cost of diminished health of our citizens.
While it is understandable that nuclear energy is considered by many to be a solution to the challenge of energy production, its use should be limited to the period of time that it takes the infant renewable energy industry to accelerate innovation to the point that it can replace the need for nuclear energy.
Wind, thermal, solar, geothermal, and technologies under development will ultimately answer the challenge of protecting our environment and ending exploitation of the natural essence of our country and our planet.
For more, please see http://jenniferbrunner.com/index.php/issues/post/addressing_climate_change/
Accomplishments or experiences that influence my approach to environmental and conservation issues
When I was a Sociology-Gerontology major at Miami University in 1978, I was a collaborator/gerontology consultant in a National Science Foundation multi-disciplinary study of using older adults to teach environmental education to urban children. Our team developed a curriculum for environmental education for inner city children from Middletown, Ohio, using farmers and other rural older Americans in Butler and Preble Counties to teach environmental principles to this group of children through real live experiences. Through this process, I had the opportunity to appreciate the value of heightened environmental sensitivity and how it can improve the quality of life in our communities. One or my collaborators on the project, Chuck Olson, after leaving Miami University, worked in the early part of his career for The Nature Conservancy in three different capacities: first as a Preserve Manager in the late-1970’s, then as State Director for Ohio and finally as a Director of the Mellon Foundation National Wetland Campaign. Dr. Olson’s government experience included work with the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. From 1986 to 1992, Dr. Olson directed the Florida Keys Land Trust to national prominence as a leader in the preservation and restoration of tropical ecosystems. He then served as President of the Catalina Island Conservancy and guided the institution’s efforts to restore the 47,000-acre Channel Island located 20 miles from Los Angeles. A recipient of numerous national awards and distinctions, including three MacArthur Foundation grants and the Chevron Conservation Award, Dr. Olson re-entered the private mitigation banking world in 1996 as the Founder and President of MitBank-USA. In this capacity, he has consulted on mitigation banking and ecological restoration nationwide, has permitted two mitigation banks in Florida and now is an owner and manager of the Bluefield Ranch Mitigation Bank, a 2,700-acre private mitigation bank in St. Lucie and Martin Counties (Florida). See also: http://www.tcpalm.com/photos/2010/jan/14/226323/ I have followed his career throughout the years with pride and been glad to have worked with him in its early educational stages.
In my capacity as Ohio Secretary of State, I traded in my predecessor’s gas guzzling Chrysler 300C (with a hemi engine) for a Ford Escape Hybrid. I am very pleased with the lower operating costs and emissions of this vehicle that possesses better road handling capabilities, especially in the snow.
Although my husband and I have reared an extended family, we have downsized our residence in part as a means to reduce our personal energy consumption and transportation expenses and emissions. We now live downtown, where I walk to work and to my campaign office.
We have recycled waste at home and in the family law firm since our children, who are now in their twenties, were in elementary school. Our oldest daughter now manages the law firm and has initiated a targeted campaign for the firm to “go green,” with recycling, lower energy lighting, conversion to computer fax and scanning of documents for filing and preservation.
The City of Columbus, where I live, will be one of the first to take advantage of a stimulus funds-assisted smart grid from AEP. I am most anxious to take advantage of this system to more efficiently utilize energy in my home.
Why environmental and conservation issues are a priority for me when compared to other issues
The manufacturing of clean energy, green manufacturing and weatherization of commercial and residential buildings are a must for Ohio. Green manufacturing includes new construction and re-engineering of existing buildings and manufacturing plants, as well as the manufacture of products that relate well to our environment. In the last two weeks I was privileged to visit a food processing plant in the Youngstown, Ohio area that is LEED certified. It was impressive and resulted from business/university collaboration. Weatherization includes all methods of protecting our energy-consuming buildings from the effects of climate, including, but not limited to wall and attic insulation, pipe insulation, window and door weatherization and insulation. It should be every resident’s right to use rain conservation as a means to water lawns and gardens.
The steady growth of the greening of American industry and households is the key for steady and sustained growth of our economy. Responsible rebuilding of our infrastructure is an appropriate action, considering both our environmental and financial circumstances.
It is my plan to prioritize these issues, because the United States and our planet will continue to undergo change. The real issue that lies before us is how much of that change will be dedicated to our reaction to unsatisfactorily mitigated emissions, both personal and industrial, interrupted energy sourcing, and climate changes, and how much will be dedicated to the intelligent reestablishment of the United States as a leader, this time with a cohesive, coordinated plan designed to preserve our country by preserving the environment and to encourage other and developing countries to do so as well.
What I am doing to operate a green campaign
In our campaign office we recycle and encourage staff and volunteers to use our water filter instead of water bottles. At the moment we are working on a statewide phone bank where as much as possible we encourage volunteers to log on line and participate in our “virtual phone bank.” The virtual phone bank also keeps us from printing paper lists of voters for volunteers to call. The virtual option also allows volunteers the ability to make calls at home without having to commute anywhere to help our campaign, and so far this is how the vast majority of our phone banking is occurring. Thus far we have also been very reserved in campaign materials we provide. Our main flyer is only the size of a business card (bearing “Rosie the Riverter” with the simple word: “Courage.” Our paper consumption includes a program of reusing before recycling. Much of our campaign furniture is used (like a lot of campaigns). Our office is located downtown, and we encourage all staff, interns, and volunteers to use public transportation. Personally, I am able to and often do walk to my campaign office from my downtown home and back.
The importance of support from environment and conservation groups
Currently, Ohio can be said to be fossil fuel dependent. That status, coupled with the fact that Ohio is second to none in its ability to adapt to new technologies, places my state at the forefront of opportunity to offer a better life not just to Ohioans, but to all who breathe the air affected by the state’s industry and who buy and use the many products manufactured here. This can happen, and will happen, if we can see a return of manufacturing jobs, but this time, under a green light.
Ohio has focused on innovative Brownfield reclamation projects, many of which are grant-funded. At the same time, our profound coal dependence has also hampered environmental legislation. With support from environment and conservation groups, I will show concerned Ohioans that we can be proud and productive environmentalists as we win a US Senate race and bring this essential issue to the forefront nationwide. With a pragmatic and aggressive approach to conservation and renewable energy resources, I will work to educate, encourage and “incentivize” Ohioans toward conservation that will positively impact both their quality of live and long-term financial circumstances.
I support legislation that achieves at least 20% reductions in global warming pollution by 2020 and reductions of at least 80% by 2050
At minimum our country should agree to a 20% in GHGs (greenhouse gases) emissions from 2000 levels by 2020. I also support the U.S. joining the world community in using 1990 as the base line to reduce emissions, as the UN does. If 1990 were the baseline it would be about a 36% reduction instead of the 20% that currently exists. The United States is the only country that uses 2000 levels as the baseline emission level. This level is unrealistically high, and it offers our country an artificial ‘cushion’ that tends to obscure the fact that the world is in an environmental emergency. We should take action to move toward consistency with other nations of the world in using 1990 levels as an appropriate baseline in applyling the formula for true and verifiable reduction in emissions. We must also work to encourage other major and lesser nations to move to this standard as well.
I support US participation in a global climate deal that provides support for poor countries that are the most vulnerable to global warming, sets emissions goals for the largest economies that cause the most pollution, and contains real commitments that can be legally monitored and enforced
The United States has been the largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases worldwide; we also stand out as the only developed nation that never signed the Kyoto Treaty. If we join the world in addressing climate change we have an opportunity to be a leader again like we were after WWII.
The United States Department of Energy has taken a step in the right direction, by planning the Energy and Climate Ministerial of the Americas, which will be held in Washington, D.C. in April 2010. While in no way compensating for failure to sign the Kyoto Treaty, the Ministerial will give the United States a way of focusing on how neighbors can assist one another in putting the lessons and conclusions of the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) into action.
I support federal legislation to require that at least 25 percent of the nation's electricity come from clean, renewable sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy by 2025
The State of Ohio has already passed legislation to do this. In May 2008, Ohio established its Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS), codifying a requirement that 25% of all electricity sold by 2025 be derived from alternative sources. http://jenniferbrunner.com/index.php/issues/post/addressing_climate_change/
Particularly given our current financial circumstances, the goal of at least 25% of electricity being derived from renewable sources is attainable and economically desirable.
As discussed elsewhere in this document, our economic downturn provides the opportunity for responsible innovation and the re-establishment of the United States as a world leader. This is especially true for Ohio on many green fronts.
I support accelerating fuel economy standards
The successful federal program, “Cash for Clunkers,” was the brainchild of Congresswoman Betty Sutton (D-Ohio). Ideally, stronger MPG improvement for eligibility would have been desirable. As evaluated, the average fuel economy of a “clunker” was 15.8 mpg, compared to 25.4 mpg for the car that replaced it—a 61% improvement and but still commendable.
Additionally, the bill should have been improved by requiring that eligible new cars actually be manufactured within the United States to assist with jobs for nonworking Americans, especially those displaced as a result of the losses experienced by the automobile industry. At the same time such a requirement would have encouraged manufacturers who develop automobile technology for cars produced within our own country to focus on greater energy efficiency in design, development and production.
The recent widespread problems of the manufacturer of Toyota automobiles provides an impetus for the United States to demonstrate our ability to engineer safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible vehicles. There is no reason that government and industry cannot work synergistically to surpass the standards set by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, taking industry-wide efficiency to at least 35 mpg by 2020.
I oppose federal subsidies and tax breaks to large energy companies to finance nuclear reactors
Nuclear energy plants are an expensive and risk-filled distraction from addressing climate change with sustainable alternatives. They are twice as expensive as things like wind, solar, and geothermal and provide just half the jobs. Nuclear power plants also take at least 10 years to get “online;” whereas, other technologies take only two. Government should support proven technologies with “less moving parts,” starting with simple weatherization (the cleanest energy is the energy that is not used) while moving toward wind, solar, and geothermal, along with the implementation of smart grids. Nuclear plants generally surpass planned budgets and timelines with the untenable problem of unsafe ways to dispose of or store nuclear waste. Moving toward an unwieldy new generation of nuclear power plants is a move backward and not forward.
Once in the Senate, I will work to redirect federal legislative and executive efforts toward the understanding that nuclear energy is a ‘stopgap’ measure with limited long term stability or dependence.
I oppose investment in unconventional fuels such as liquid coal, tar sands and oil shale, which could reduce foreign oil imports but at the same time dramatically increase global warming pollution
While many are falling all over themselves to be “green,” what is considered green is becoming skewed. The fuels listed above are not sufficiently clean alternatives and will serve only to increase global warming pollution and its harmful effects on health and well-being. Investments in these forms of unconventional fuels are at best a stopgap means to moving toward “green,” are misguided and a step in the wrong direction. My state has long suffered the affects of a coal dependent energy base. We have the opportunity in this damaged economy to rebuild our economy in a cleaner, more profitable and more sustainable way with clean alternative energy production and related manufacturing. We can improve and sustain a clean environment in Ohio and surrounding our state while rebuilding our economy in a new direction. It will take persistent and courageous government action to do this.
I support legislation that requires new coal power plants to achieve a strong environmental performance standard of “near zero emissions”
In the short run I wholeheartedly support modernizing our existing coal plants with the best scrubbers installed to remove sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. I am uncertain of how coal plants can safely achieve “near zero emissions” without artificially manipulating cap and trade units.
I support standards or a timeline to reduce our dependence on inefficient and outdated coal plants
Yes, with careful planning. Coal-fired power plants are antiquated as they affect worker and citizen health and safety and energy efficiency. However, 90% of Ohio’s electricity is derived from coal-fired power plants. A plan to move Ohio away from this form of energy production will require extensive citizen and community organizational involvement to integrate energy efficiency initiatives, including weatherization, that should already be well underway (including sufficiently funded incentives to do this), along with a sufficiently funded workforce training and development program to retrain and move workers from dirty to clean energy jobs, as prior, non-green energy consumption and production are reduced. This will require a partnership between government, industry, communities and citizens at an unprecedented level. It is doable if adequate collaboration is undertaken with principled leadership and if frequent communication at all levels and successful and accurate planning and evaluation occur.
“Cap and trade,” meaningful border adjustments in the form of offsets purchased before products produced under lesser or no cap and trade standards could enter the United States, would help place U.S. and foreign products on a level playing field. Existing industry are best “incentivized” than penalized to replace current methods of obtaining and producing energy with the construction and production of clean energy. The goal is to produce energy locally and to produce it in such volume that it becomes a significant “export” for Ohio. Of, course, changes from dirty to clean energy production should occur in tandem with assisting lower income energy consumers to absorb costs passed on to them by companies as they convert from coal to alternative forms of energy production.
I support national goals for reducing the transportation sector's greenhouse gas emissions and oil consumption, increasing funding for transportation planning and investment in transportation choices (rail, bicycle and pedestrian access) that fosters efficiency among modes that will enable Americans to drive fewer miles, and prioritizing investment in fixing what we have before building new roads
I have been a long time supporter of public transportation, and at the moment, Ohio is on the verge of a return of passenger rail connecting our major cities. Unfortunately, the initial plans call for using existing track that will have difficulty accommodating high speed trains. This problem will need to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Ohio has been awarded funding for high-speed rail construction along 13 major corridors, as of January 2010. Together with revised zoning regulations that foster and encourage bicycle and pedestrian transportation in our urban areas, high-speed rail can reduce Americans’ dependence on the individual automobile while maintaining ease of commuting, shopping and engaging in recreation in additional ways that are safe and reliable.
I support Congressional action to reinstate the Superfund “polluter pays” program
One of the major cases I handled while a state trial court judge in Columbus, Ohio, was a $22 million class action settlement between Georgia Pacific Company and a south side neighborhood that existed before the resin plant was built. The plant experienced two different explosions. The $22 million settlement was reached after the second explosion. I personally heard cases involving children experiencing asthma who had never before been susceptible to it. I heard the stories of residents and how they reacted at the time of the explosion. While this was not designated a “Superfund” site, the health and psychological effects were strikingly clear. As part of the settlement, I appointed an environmental consultant who studied the practices of the plant and communicated regularly with the neighborhood’s residents and members of the class about steps being taken by the plant (and often at his suggestion) to prevent any future explosion at the plant.
In other situations, polluters must be regulated and should pay if they violate legal requirements. Violations by large corporations have in the past been subject to negotiated agreements that are sometimes violated by the industries without adequate enforcement. As Ohio’s Senator, I will stand at the forefront of the fight to lay the financial risk upon those who obtain the financial benefit of activities that risk the exposure of ordinary citizens to hazardous materials.
I support legislation that requires the most high-risk facilities to convert to safer and more secure processes where feasible and cost effective in order to eliminate the consequences of a terrorist attack on one of these plants
This should be part of an extended stimulus plan. Legislation to accomplish neutralizing such hazards is backed by numerous environmental and labor groups. It was written with both these stakeholders’ concerns and safety needs in mind. This is especially important for people who are directly affected by risks posed by industrial facilities that acknowledge that they find their current risk level acceptable.
The events post-September 11th highlight an additional risk for the use and maintenance of hazardous substances. Proposed legislation would address the security of our homeland in terms of security from terrorist activities as well as from targeted attacks and/or accidents that also serve to terrorize our citizens.
I support legislation to reaffirm the historic scope of the Clean Water Act to protect the nation’s waters, including these intermittent streams and isolated wetlands
Ohio is rich in water resources that are valuable to a high quality of life and success in manufacturing and tourism. Ohio contains vast wetlands and still has many rivers and streams, along with the Great Lake Erie to our north. The Clean Water Act must be strong to ensure we can continue to enjoy our waterways. The interpretation of the Act by the Supreme Court has had an impact of increasing the risk of losing essential sources for drinking water in the United States. As Ohio’s Senator, I will work to revitalize the protections envisioned by the Clean Water Act.
I support legislation to strengthen compliance with Executive Order 12898, which mandates that each federal agency make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs
EO 12898 is directed at non-discriminatory application of existing laws and regulations regarding environmental hazards that have an impact on populations. It calls for actions that are consistent with existing laws and a ‘working group’ of heads of agencies, publication of results, and the ability to conduct hearings. The EO directs that warnings about hazards and other information be equally accessible to poor and ethnically disadvantaged populations.
I have been certified to teach the curriculum, “Bridges Out of Poverty,” with a major tenet to include persons in poverty in public policy decisions of a community. I wholeheartedly agree with this concept, and would work diligently to strengthen compliance with EO 12898 with the concept of this kind of inclusion.
I support legislation that would update Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) by immediately initiating action on the most hazardous chemicals, hold industry accountable for demonstrating chemical safety, and in particular protect vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women
I support mandating the ‘real-time’ updating of chemicals before they are introduced and/or used in the United States, and this is for both environmental and health reasons. Adequate funding, along with sufficient political will, are necessary to adequately test the breadth and types of chemicals that potentially pose a risk of harm to the environment and to public health. Some toxins may be unavoidable in the workplace, but adequate testing and scientific study that reveals appropriate mitigation and/or prevention practices, including safeguards that protect employees and the public, should be instituted and enforced. This cannot occur without independent testing within a meaningful time frame before such toxins are employed as part of industrial or other applications.
I support management of America’s oceans that will fully protect and restore the health of marine eco-systems, even if it may result in short term economic hardship
America’s oceans are bodies of water that are distinct in the damage they suffer due to environmental stress. Their part in the adjacent ecosystems is obvious. We must prioritize the efforts that are in place and seek to take necessary measures to protect these ecosystems as part of a comprehensive management structure for preserving the integrity of our environment.
I support restricting offshore oil and gas drilling to areas NOT protected prior to 2006
The scientific foundation and basis for the protection of our coastline continues to have validity. The failure to support development of alternatives to oil and gas production for energy resources does not provide a reason to abandon protections; instead, it provides a call to redouble our efforts to avoid the political temptation to resort to offshore drilling.
I support maintaining the strong protections of the Endangered Species Act, and do you think the Act is fundamentally sound
The Endangered Species Act protects ecosystems on Earth. Government policies should accommodate our environment and recognize its value to our quality of life. A free market system seldom recognizes equality and fairness and does not always carry with it a value of respect for environment unless there is a monetary benefit to it.
I support legislation to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from repeated attempts at oil and gas development by permanently designating it as wilderness
As we watch the ice caps melt, I wish to avoid the spoliation of some of the last untouched areas on our planet and any further topographical changes that could affect world climate.
I support legislation to codify the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule and I support reinvesting in our national parks through a sustained effort over the next six years to establish reliable sources of funding for the National Park Service and eliminate funding shortfalls
I have been a supporter of the National Parks and Recreation Association for more than a decade. One of my favorite places is Muir Woods in California. It’s estimated that there were 2 million acres of redwoods and old forest growth along a narrow piece of land on the coast of California before the logging industry reached it in the 1800’s. By early 1900, much of these forests in the area had been ravaged, except for what is now Muir Woods, which was largely inaccessible. In January 1908, President Teddy Roosevelt declared this land a national monument. It was named after John Muir, a naturalist whose environmental campaigns helped establish the national park system. We are fortunate to have this and other national treasures available to us as a nation. These monuments’ and other untouched lands’ value to the quality of our lives cannot be measured.
I support reforming the 1872 Mining law in a way that safeguards water resources, gives a fair return to the taxpayer, and allows land managers to balance mining equally against other potential uses of public lands
There is significant taxpayer anger against corporate interests that have taken more than their share from our national wealth and well-being while recently given equal “speech” rights in campaigns under the U.S. Supreme Court’s January 2010 Citizens United decision. The mining industry should pay for what it takes from public lands and be required to do so in an environmentally responsible way, including reclamation to protect against erosion and runoff that pollutes nearby water sources and contributes to land deterioration. Reforming and strengthening the law is not only timely; it is necessary.
I support fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund
As a separately elected administrator in the executive branch of my state who inherited an office that was inadequately managed, I understand the consequences of shortages in funding and/or substandard budgeting decisions in program administration. The level of funding should be justified so that $900 million is an amount that can be accounted for on both the national and matching state levels for the stated purpose of the act. If $900 million is the appropriate amount, or if it is more or less, the amount justified should be funded, based on standards and verifiable goals for land purchase and/or matching to state funds. If receipts from oil and gas drilling off of the outer continental shelf of the U.S. fall short because of other policy changes or depletion in resources, other funding sources should be identified and used.
I will sign on as a cosponsor to the Trade Act in 2010
Ohio has a significant interest in international trade agreements as they affect our exports, jobs and manufacturing at home, decreasing our dependence on coal (with meaningful border adjustments for reductions) and Ohio’s place in the supply chain for the manufacturing of products and equipment and related construction of infrastructure and buildings. As a Senator from Ohio, I will work with Senator Sherrod Brown to move the U.S. forward with progressive approaches to reviewing existing and future trade agreements.
I would oppose legislation that pre-empts states from enacting environmental and public health standards that are more protective than federal standards
States are often the early adopters of best practices and serve as laboratories for developing them. For instance, while serving as Secretary of State of Ohio, I and my staff initiated a comprehensive voting machine study that incorporated the concept of independent parallel testing (corporate and academic methods) in a top-to-bottom review of all of Ohio’s voting systems. Since that time, the federal Election Assistance Commission has undertaken a similar study that bears many resemblances to Ohio’s study.
States such as California have historically been leaders in environmental protection advances, and this has been a catalyst to many beneficial national changes. While, for example, many manufacturers would desire uniformity among the states, requiring it would undermine innovation and reform. And this is especially since members of Congress have been so susceptible to the excesses of corporate sponsored campaign financing that does not serve citizen interests, but rather, corporate, profit-based motives for a limited group of people—shareholders, officers and directors—and not the public.
I support increasing funding for population and family planning to $1 billion annually in order to provide the U.S. fair share of the financial resources necessary to meet the unmet need for contraception of more than 200 million women in developing countries
I have a degree in Sociology with emphasis in Gerontology from Miami University of Ohio. When I was earning my degree, I remember that world population was 4.2 billion (in 1977). That number has increased to over 6.8 billion today. We were warned of drastic population increases and likely environmental, health and economic consequences to massive population increases.
Adequate contraception with accompanying education is essential to controlling population growth. Abortion is not a desirable method of family planning, but the choice to use it should be left to women. Funding for all of these reproductive services is essential to provide women with safe and reliable health care to allow them good health to care for other children, provide sustenance for their families and to grow into old age without infirmity caused by inadequate health care, especially health care related to their reproductive capacities. One of my doctors in Columbus regularly travels to Africa and performs 10 gynecological surgeries per day for nearly 2 weeks for women in villages who cannot get adequate female-oriented health care. There is a drastic need that funding not discriminate in providing women with a full range of health care services. Further, family planning is vital to allow women the opportunities to climb the social and economic ladder, in addition to addressing the affects of population growth that if left unchecked can leave developing nations even further behind.
I support the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which provides federal agencies with clear statutory direction to incorporate environmental values into their decision-making
NEPA helps strengthen the philosophy of President Clinton’s Executive Order 12898, by empowering individual agencies to not only identify environmental needs across all demographic borders, but also to address them. Policy development and implementation and the expenditure of funds at the federal level is large scale, and small affectations can have expansive consequences when applied nationally. The equivalent of the carpenter’s maxim applies when national policy is developed and implemented: “measure twice, cut once.” Federal policy must ultimately result in cost effective programs that accurately address a national problem.
I support changes in law that allow wind resources in Lake Erie to be developed fully and quickly, while ensuring key wildlife migratory corridors are not compromised
Yes, wind power is clean and renewable. Ohio is a leader in wind power innovation with the installation of wind turbines across Northern Ohio, including a large turbine at the edge of Lake Erie near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ohio also is moving ahead on the innovation front in the development of portable, low wind turbines for the U.S. Department of Defense (to replace diesel powered generators). These turbines carry with them promising commercial potential when partnered with solar panels for reduction of traditional energy consumption. In Copenhagen stately wind turbines dot the shore of its waterways and enhance the landscape, providing a calming assurance that we are harnessing the renewable and clean energy that the Earth offers each day while protecting our limited resources.
