Thanks Elisa! I knew that

Dana J. Tuszke — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:26:32 -0500

Thanks Elisa! I knew that Britt was going to be interviewing her and I'm excited to see what she has to say.

Don't forget BlogHer interviewee Christine Todd Whitman

Elisa Camahort — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:21:24 -0500

Britt's interviewing her tomorrow morning, and the podcast will go live on Tuesday morning (Earth Day itself.) I hope she will have lots of interesting nuggets to share.

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

Green Republicans: Do They Really Exist?

Dana J. Tuszke — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:58:14 -0500

Pop Quiz: Off the top of your head, name a prominent Republican who talks a good game about the environment.

You know, someone who has proposed a plan to save our planet and has taken action to implement preservation of our natural resources. Someone who has professed his love for Mother Earth, and has not only encouraged Americans to be more Green, but practices what he preaches.

I couldn't think of any, and when I did my research I broke my shovel from all the deep digging. Sadly, it appears that not all Republicans are as concerned about our planet as they should be, in fact they've really only begun to adopt pro-environment stances in the last 12 years.

Here are five of the Greenest Republicans (in no particular order) of past and present.

John Saylor
Saylor was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, elected in 1949. He was reelected to the twelve succeeding Congresses and served until his death in 1973. During his time in Congress he was dedicated to a number of environmental causes, such as the Wilderness Act of 1964.

In his home state of Pennsylvania, he opposed the Kinzua Dam Project. Saylor believed the dam would not have a significant impact upon flood protection in the area and that the project would destroy one of the last unspoiled stretches of the Allegheny River. The Kinzua Dam would also violate a treaty made between the Seneca Nation and the United States in 1794. Eventually the dam was built, but Saylor continued his preservation efforts.

One of his greatest achievements was his Scenic Rivers bill which proposed the protection of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, and made allowances for other "scenic" rivers to be preserved and protected.

The National Wild and Scenic Rivers act was passed in 1968. Saylor received many honors for his work in getting this bill through congress. The John P. Saylor trail at Gallitzin State Forest in Pennsylvania is named after him. The book Green Republican chronicles his life and his personal legacy as an environmental champion.

John Warner
Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia is dedicated to addressing climate change, preserving and restoring our rivers, lakes and oceans, cleaning up hazardous waste and brownfield sites on our land, and improving the quality of the air we breathe. Warner believes these acts are our national responsibility because they directly affect our quality of life and economic health.

Throughout his service in the Senate, Warner has been actively involved in the development of national environmental policies, including the Clean Air Act Amendments, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Chesapeake Bay Restoration program, the Freedom to Farm Act, and Brownfields Revitalization. He has also become active about the issue of global warming.

Warner has worked on legislation for energy reform, which strives to expand domestic production, reduce dependence on foreign oil, promote new technology, enhance conservation and efficiency, encourage alternative and renewable fuels, and do these things while continuing to grow the economy.

He was an important player in passing the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007. This legislation will promote energy efficiency and conservation, and increase fuel economy in cars and trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. While not perfect, the legislation represents an important step forward in reducing America’s dependence on foreign sources of energy.

Currently, Warner and other Republicans are co-sponsoring the America's Climate Security Act, that aims to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming.

John McCain
John McCain is another Republican committed to providing clean air and water, and to conserving open space. He has been vocal about global warming, calling the nation to action to address the issue he feels we can no longer afford to ignore.

The Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP America) believes John McCain is good for the environment based on his Bull Moose Republicanism, a kind of conservative politics that is friendly to the environment, founded by former President Theodore Roosevelt (McCain's hero). Like Roosevelt, McCain believes that we are vested with a sacred duty to be proper stewards of the resources upon which the quality of American life depends.

Since 2003, McCain (along with Senator Joseph Lieberman) has repeatedly introduced bipartisan cap-and-trade legislation that would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He has also introduced the bills the Climate Stewardship Act of 2003, the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2005 and the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007.

During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, McCain has always supported legislature in favor of protecting the environment, despite what environmental activist organizations like the Sierra Club (of which I am a member) and the League of Conservation Voters have claimed.

Ron Paul
Congressman Ron Paul may not be a dominant presidential candidate, but he believes the federal government has proven itself untrustworthy with environmental policy by facilitating polluters, subsidizing logging in the National Forests, and instituting one-size-fits-all approaches that too often discriminate against those they are intended to help.

Like Senator John Warner of Virginia, Paul is a co-sponsor of legislation designed to encourage the development of alternative and sustainable energy. He is a member of the Congressional Green Scissors Coalition, a bipartisan caucus devoted to ending taxpayer subsidies of projects that harm the environment for the benefit of special interests.

Arnold Schwarzenegger
The California governor has established laws and policies aimed at helping California achieve energy independence and fight global warming. Last October, the Governor signed AB 1470, the Solar Water Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007, which provides incentives to attain the goal of installing 200,000 solar water heating systems in the state by 2017.

Last year in February, the Governor announced that the University of California Berkeley received a $500 million grant from BP to establish the Energy Biosciences Institute. EBI is the first public-private research lab dedicated to renewable fuels and clean energy.

In January 2007, the Governor announced the world's first Low Carbon Fuel Standard for transportation fuels that requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in California. This first-of-its kind standard firmly establishes sustainable demand for lower-carbon fuels without favoring one fuel over another.

Other environmental issues important to Schwarzenegger include the Solar Roof Program, Hydrogen Highway, and Water Management. (Perhaps Governor Schwarzenegger will run for President someday? What? I can dream!)

With Earth Day just around the corner (April 22nd) it's important that our nation takes initiative to protect the world we live in. I'm saddened that my party isn't fully united on Environmental Activism, but I'm hoping the actions of these five Republicans will inspire the rest of the GOP to go Green. Our lives depend on it.

BlogHer - Green Republicans: Do They Really Exist? - Comments

Thanks Elisa! I knew that

Don't forget BlogHer interviewee Christine Todd Whitman

Green Republicans: Do They Really Exist?