Issue Position: Energy and Environment

Issue Position

Congresswoman Barbara Lee is a strong defender of the environment and the public interest. She is committed to defending the environment from attempts to cut spending on environmental and health protections and to maintaining and strengthening current environmental protection standards.

Congresswoman Lee also does not believe that tax-payer funded giveaways to the oil and gas industry and subsidies for nuclear power or inefficient coal-to-liquids projects are the path to a secure and environmentally sound energy future for America. Instead, she is committed to investing in truly clean and renewable alternative energy sources that will create new jobs, reduce American dependence on oil and fossil fuels, and create a greener future by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Congresswoman Lee is also committed to fighting for environmental justice. Environmental injustices can be seen in the fact that environmental toxins and pollutants are often found concentrated in areas where residents are living on the economic and social margins. Asthma rates among the urban poor are reaching alarming rates, and Oakland, for example, has one of the highest asthma rates in the country. Everyday actions to combat these and other environmental injustices by reducing pollution and cleaning up toxic waste can pay dividends, but only with the proper funding and a steady commitment from governments and individuals at the local, state and federal levels.

Congresswoman Lee also believes that we must couple our efforts to protect the environment here at home with the broader global community. While we act locally we must indeed think globally. To that end, the United States must act as leader and advocate for positive change rather than an obstacle in addressing pollution, global warming, climate change, over-fishing, and other such environmental challenges.

Congresswoman Lee, in her efforts as a representative of California's 9th district, is committed to:

* Strengthening the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act: Stewardship of the environment equals stewardship of our communities. Congresswoman Lee will continue to work to protect the quality of the air we breathe or the water we drink, and to ensure that any polluter damaging our environment is not let off the hook.

* Maintaining the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws and protections: Science should never be sacrificed for politics. The Endangered Species Act is a critical safeguard for public participation and ensures the much-needed review and analysis of potentially environmentally damaging activities. Everyone, including the Department of Defense, should be held to all existing U.S. environmental laws.

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