Our Environment: How Good for Some, Bad for All Threatens our Health and Well-Being

by Jeff Kurzon, candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York’s 7th District

The idea of protecting the environment wasn’t always so “controversial.” Just a few decades ago in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was created by an executive order from the desk of Republican President Richard M. Nixon. Major environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act, which mandates environmental review of major federal actions, were also signed into law that same year with almost unanimous bipartisan support. While Democrats tended to support stronger and better environmental protection policies than Republicans, there was a general bipartisan consensus that at least some environmental protection was necessary, both for the health of the public and the health of the economy.

That reasonable consensus no longer exists. In June 2009, the Democrat controlled House of Representatives narrowly passed (219 to 212) the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which would have created a “cap-and-trade” system among energy producers (like power plants) for greenhouse gases. The Act was designed to guarantee significant reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions that are heating our planet, acidifying our oceans, and causing an increase in unpredictable, extreme weather events.

It was also broadly considered, among mainstream economists, to be a “market-friendly” approach to dealing with the problem of climate change; less onerous on business than a simple flat tax on greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the moderate nature of this legislation, only eight of 178 Republican House members voted for it. After it narrowly passed the House, Senate Republicans unanimously opposed the Act, and it was never even brought to the floor for a vote.

And by no doubt, and by no coincidence, the fossil fuel industry’s “investment” has paid off well for their bottom line, while threatening our health and well-being and the stability of the climate on which we all rely. In addition to fighting and obstructing any efforts by President Obama or congressional Democrats to confront the serious and urgent problem of climate change, congressional Republicans are now so completely corrupt that they oppose basic, longstanding environmental protections. After the Republicans gained control of the House they voted nearly two hundred times in 2011 alone to weaken or eliminate fundamental environmental protections that were previously endorsed by Democrats and Republicans for four decades (Bob Deans, Reckless: The Political Assault on the American Environment, p. 1 (2012).What we know is that in the 2008-2014 election cycles, the fossil fuel industry has focused its massive financial resources on favorable legislation and de-regulation, with 83% of its donations going to Republican congressional candidates, and 17% going to Democratic congressional candidates ($112,864,315 to $22,709,515) (Center for Responsive Politics).

The U.S. Republican Party is an outlier among democratic governments – No other democracy economically comparable to ours has a major party that is so hostile toward the idea of environmental protection, or so dominated by climate-change deniers. And that fact is a sad product of our significantly corrupted political system, in which elections are often decided not by which candidate’s ideas most appeal to the majority of his or her constituents, but by which candidate is most willing to serve the very wealthiest interests in our society by accepting PAC and lobbyist donations.

We cannot adequately meet the challenges of confronting climate change, protecting our environment and public health, and expanding economic opportunity in a sustainable way until we elect far more good people to Congress who are passionate about public service, rather than merely advancing their own careers. When I am elected to represent New York’s Seventh District, I will work aggressively with other members of Congress to meet these challenges head-on. Because I do not accept campaign donations from corporate PACs or lobbyists, you can be confident that I will be completely dedicated to serving New Yorkers in the great communities I represent.

The American clean energy sector is already expanding significantly and creating good-paying jobs, thanks largely to the investments contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed into law in 2009 (and not a single Republican House member voted for). But our country is capable of doing so much more to promote clean energy and create good-paying jobs. While helping to ameliorate climate change, a vibrant clean energy economy can help build the pathway to prosperity for tens of millions of Americans. We also need to invigorate our educational system to pay teachers more and invest in science, technology, engineering and math studies so the next generation of Americans will be better prepared to confront these growing challenges. I will fight to enact the policies that will turn that potential into reality. But I need your support to help make it happen. Thank you.