National Public Radio: on Environment
Barack Obama:
WOTUS 2015: expansive definition of protected waterways
Vast amounts of wetlands and thousands of miles of waterways would no longer be federally protected by the Clean Water Act under a new proposal by the Trump administration. The proposal would change the EPA's definition of "waters of the United States,"
or WOTUS, limiting the types of waterways that fall under federal protection to major waterways, their tributaries, and adjacent wetlands. The change aims to "provide states and landowners the certainty they need to manage their natural resources and
grow local economies," said the EPA acting administrator.The proposed change stands in stark contrast to the definition put forward by the Obama administration in 2015, which aimed to widen federal clean water protections to include not only those
large waterways, but also the smaller streams and tributaries that feed into them. For years, Republican opponents, agriculture groups and real estate developers have decried that move as a regulatory overreach. [including Donald Trump as a candidate.
Source: NPR.org on 2018 Trump Administration, "EPA Water Protection"
Dec 11, 2018
Charles Booker:
Marginalized communities harmed by pollution must be heard
A professor at the University of Louisville was a co-author on a study that identified another killer targeting Black lives: toxic pollutants. Environmental justice was part of Booker's campaign. "The communities that have been marginalized
and harmed the most have to be in a position of decision making and lead the way forward," he said. "I am encouraged, as painful as this moment is. We have to look at this holistically."
Source: WFPL (NPR) 89.3 FM on 2022 Kentucky Senate race
Jun 24, 2020
Chris Dodd:
Country-of-origin & ingredient labeling for food imports
I have a child that has serious food allergies. I know what it’s like every day to read a label--every single day--because my child could die if she consumed the wrong products here. 80% of the food we consume in this country is imported and only 1% of
it is inspected. There’s no country labeling on the products here, and you’ll have about 10 different descriptions of an egg. That’s very difficult, if not impossible, for parents who have children who have to be careful about the products they consume.
Source: 2007 Democratic radio debate on NPR
Dec 4, 2007
Donald Trump:
WOTUS 2018: limited definition of protected waterways
Vast amounts of wetlands and thousands of miles of waterways would no longer be federally protected by the Clean Water Act under a new proposal by the Trump administration. The proposal would change the EPA's definition of "waters of the United States,"
or WOTUS, limiting the types of waterways that fall under federal protection to major waterways, their tributaries, and adjacent wetlands. The change aims to "provide states and landowners the certainty they need to manage their natural resources and
grow local economies," said the EPA acting administrator.Republican opponents, agriculture groups and real estate developers have decried the Obama administration's 2015 rule--which included smaller streams and tributaries--as a regulatory overreach.
As a candidate and president, Donald Trump painted the Obama-era rule in a similar light, calling it "one of the worst examples of federal regulation," and making its repeal and revision a priority for his administration.
Source: NPR.org on 2018 Trump Administration, "EPA Water Protection"
Dec 11, 2018
Hillary Clinton:
Better track kids' products for exposures to toxic materials
Q: Toxic chemicals that lace many toys and other products sold in America cause cancer, birth defects and genetic damage. Unlike the European Union, the US does nothing to limit the use of these agents and does not require that the toxic ingredients are
listed. What changes will you make, or is this an over-reaction?A: We don't do anywhere near enough to try to prevent dangerous materials and products from coming into our country. We don't even do enough of it within our own country.
We have totally turned our back on the information that is available to try to better track the impact on children and others of these kinds of exposures to toxic materials. So, number one, we need tougher standards across the board, something
I've been advocating for years. Number two, it should be especially applied to any kind of imports, and that requires going and making sure that we have inspectors on the ground and we have tough standards and we exercise recalls.
Source: 2007 Democratic radio debate on NPR
Dec 4, 2007
Tom Tiffany:
Badge of honor to be attacked by environmentalists
Tiffany led efforts to change Wisconsin's mining laws to encourage Gogebic Taconite to establish a massive open-pit sulfide mine in Wisconsin. Wisconsin needed to change state law to allow the company to obtain permits to launch the project.
Tiffany was among the voices in favor of the mine, which set off protests from environmental advocates. Tiffany called it a "badge of honor" to have been attacked by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters. Tiffany has continued to champion mining.
Source: Wisconsin Public Radio (NPR) on WI-7 House race
May 7, 2020
Page last updated: Oct 26, 2024