Interviews during 2017-2019: on Environment

Gloria La Riva: Support family farms that treat livestock humanely

The Socialist Party recognizes the rights of animals to live free from unnecessary pain and suffering. We support the spaying and neutering of pets to prevent the massive extermination resulting from overpopulation. We oppose entertainment that causes pain to animals. We call for the banning of the fur trade. We call for a ban on animal experimentation for product development, and for an oversight board to examine and limit the use of animals in scientific and medical research.

Gloria La Riva: Support use of recycled materials in public projects

Howie Hawkins: Polluters should have burden of proof of safe practices

• Restore state health, safety, and consumer protection laws by striking federal preemptions that weaken state law.
• Preserve and expand product-labeling requirements.
• Repeal the misnamed Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.
• Establish new independent government consumer advocacy agencies to protect the interests of consumers and restore the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs.
• Uphold the precautionary principle, requiring polluters to bear the burden of proof in demonstrating the safety of their practices.
• Expand the application of the precautionary principle from chemicals and health to land use, waste, energy, food policy and local economic development.
• Support, enforce and strengthen the National Environmental Policy Act.

Howie Hawkins: Strengthen Endangered Species & Clean Water Act

The Green Party supports a strengthened and enforceable Endangered Species Act. We support reintroducing native species to areas from which they have been eradicated, eliminating predator control on public lands, and reintroducing native predators where they would contribute to a viable ecosystem. We should educate ourselves about animal behaviors to overcome our culture's irrational fear of wildlife, and learn techniques of co-existence with other species.

Howie Hawkins: Shut down waste incinerators; phase out landfills

Kanye West: Chemicals affect our ability to be of service to God

Jo Jorgensen: Companies able to pollute because government caps liability

Don Blankenship: Repeal wetlands protection & Endangered Species Act

Donald Trump: Why not nuke hurricanes to stop them from hitting US?

During one hurricane briefing at the White House, Trump said, "I got it. Why don't we nuke them?" according to one source who was there. "We drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can't we do that?" the source added, paraphrasing the president's remarks.

The sources said that Trump's "bomb the hurricanes" idea--which he floated in the first year of his presidency--went nowhere and never entered a formal policy process.

Trump called this story "ridiculous" in a tweet. He added, "I never said this. Just more FAKE NEWS!"

Trump didn't invent this idea. Detonating a nuclear bomb over the eye of a hurricane dates to the Eisenhower era. The idea keeps resurfacing in the public even though scientists agree it won't work.

Don Blankenship: Mine Safety agency forced bad ventilation that exploded

In addition to his defamation lawsuit, Blankenship is suing to get his misdemeanor conviction overturned. Mrs. Davis's settlement lends credence to his position. The key factual piece of evidence in that effort is whether the flammable gas that exploded was coal bed methane or natural gas. Natural gas is mostly methane but also includes other gases such as ethane. The evidence suggests that the feds are coming around to agree with Blankenship.

Wayne Messam: Supports fighting climate change

Kamala Harris: 100% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters

John Kasich: Properly balance environmental stewardship and job creation

John Kasich: Eliminate NOAA; let DOI safeguard natural resources

Certain key missions including economic development, natural resources and trade enforcement would be markedly improved by better aligning the federal agencies performing these functions. Many other functions can be shrunk and sent back to the states.

Consolidate Stewardship of Natural Resources: Almost half of the Commerce Department's budget goes to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the National Weather Service and its satellites, and the National Hurricane Center. These and other efforts align closely with the work of the Department of Interior to preserve and safeguard America's natural resources and, after a review to eliminate duplication, would be moved there.

John Kasich: Reduce Erie pollution with tougher fertilizer regulations

Since 2011, Ohio has spent more than $3 billion to keep Lake Erie clean. However, Gov. John Kasich says they're still not on target to greatly reduce the amount of phosphorus getting into Lake Erie.

Kasich ensures that this isn't meant to be over-regulation, but a way to spell out what needs to be done to help Lake Erie. "This is just requiring farmers to figure out a way to manage their land in a more environmentally friendly way. I believe the farmers want to do that. Sometimes some of them don't know exactly what that means so to put a plan in place where we can help fund them on whatever it takes to do that makes a lot of sense," Kasich says. But Ohio's agriculture industry opposes this move, seeing it as government overreach.

John Kasich: Mandate best practices to reduce farm fertilizer runoff

In the past five years, the General Assembly has passed several pieces of legislation that address the issue of farmland runoff. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation says they supported those bills and were included in the process. But for this executive order, the farm bureau says the Kasich administration didn't seek their input.

In May, Kasich threatened to take this kind of unilateral action on the issue, saying the western basin of the lake, where toxic algae blooms have developed, is impaired. But Republicans in the legislature say they're opposed to the executive order because they feel this should be addressed by the House and Senate.

Don Blankenship: Environmental movement not great cause but great business

To Blankenship, the EPA's coal power plant regulations and the mine safety crowd all represent the same ideology. "The actual UBB explosion was partially the result of the war on coal," he says.