Wild Sky, Clean Water, Global Warming Are Key Issues for Congress

Rick Larsen represents the 2nd District in the House of Representatives.

In the 2nd Congressional District and throughout the Pacific Northwest, we enjoy an excellent quality of life. From the Cascade Mountains to the San Juan Islands, we are blessed to live in such a rich and diverse area. The quality of life we enjoy is a direct result of our continued commitment to clean air and water, conservation and protection of public lands, and sustainable use of our natural resources. Simply put, our quality of life ties directly into the environment. As a lifelong resident of Northwest Washington, like many of you, I have developed strong environmental values. When I went to Congress, I took that commitment to the environment with me.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the fastest growing areas of the country. This means that we must all strive to maintain a healthy, vibrant environment while accepting that over the years there will continue to be more of us living in the area. I believe the conservation of public lands for the enjoyment and use of us all is critical to maintaining this fragile balance.

That is why, along with Senator Patty Murray, I have reintroduced the Wild Sky Wilderness Act in the 109th Congress. This bill will create the first wilderness area in Washington state in over 20 years. It will protect key areas from logging and mining while making accessible to the public some of the most pristine forests in the Mt. Baker-Snoqulamie Forest. The Wild Sky is the next generation of wilderness for all of us and one that I am committed to making a reality.

I have also worked hard in Congress to secure needed funding for Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve on Whidbey Island. This twenty-five-square-mile reserve, established in 1978, consists of federal, state, county and private property. This land is managed to preserve the history of the area and allows visitors to enjoy hiking trails, camping grounds and historical sites.

In the Pacific Northwest, we rely on a strong environment to support and grow our economy. Nowhere is this connection more clear than in the area of energy. For the sake of our environment and our economy, I have continued to support investment into alternative energy sources that create jobs and improve our use of renewable resources and energy efficiency. I support tax credits as incentives to purchase alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), which rely significantly less on gasoline. Alternative energy sources, such as ethanol, electricity and alcohols help reduce global warming by leading to reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

This is also one of the reasons I do not support opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling. Opening up this pristine area is not necessary to address a national energy policy and will do little to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of non-renewable fossil fuels. Adversely, even the limited construction of air fields, drill sites, roads and buildings will cause excess runoff and downstream pollution, causing extensive damage to streams and spawning habitats for fish.

The United States must lead the world in reducing global warming, which is a major problem that threatens our clean air and environmental stability. I am frustrated that the administration pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, reversed its pledge to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and continues to push for an energy policy that relies on fossil fuels.

In spite of existing scientific evidence, President Bush has insisted that substantial questions remain as to the causes and effects of global climate change. While the president stated that the U.S. would take “a leadership role on the issue of climate change,” his plan requires additional scientific study of the causes of global warming. It also puts a focus on voluntary efforts by industry to curb emissions of greenhouse gases. However, of the thousands of U.S. companies with pollution problems, only 50 have signed up for the president’s voluntary program. Of these 50, only 14 have set emission-reduction goals.

Clean water is vital to the health of our families, communities and Northwest salmon and is one of the central environmental concerns of all Americans. In the Clean Water Act, passed in 1972, Congress made it clear that it intended to provide federal protections for the nation’s waters to the fullest extent allowed under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Since then, numerous attempts to narrow this definition have failed. The most recent attempt, by the Bush Administration, attempted to use a narrow 2001 Supreme Court ruling to justify sweeping changes to Clean Water jurisdiction. I vehemently oppose any changes that reduce protection of harmful toxic pollution from entering our nation’s waterways.

In the Northwest, I am working to maintain clean water in the Puget Sound by supporting the Northwest Straits Commission and the Marine Resources Commissions that use a bottom-up planning approach to preserving the Puget Sound waters. I continue to support funding for local salmon enhancement task forces that use volunteer help to keep our streams and rivers clean.

Preserving pristine forests and land, moving our energy policy in a new, responsible direction and fighting for clean air and land will all help us to ensure that the healthy environment we now enjoy in Whatcom County and Washington state will be part of our children’s and grandchildren’s future. §