The Environment
Land Use / Transportation
Bush
* Seeks to reduce funding for transportation, and focus more of it on
roads and highways and less on public transportation options.
* Favors development of wetlands, publicly protected lands, and
national monuments.
* Supports the creation of a massive, toxic nuclear waste dump site
inside Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
Kerry
* Would authorize full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund
(currently being cut), to be used for improvement of urban parks and
recreation efforts.
* Proposes a 'Clean and Green Communities' plan that would coordinate
federal transportation policies, federal housing incentives, federal
employment opportunities and the use of federal dollars to acquire parks
and open space.
* Would attempt to remove the threat of toxics from communities by
fully funding (through fees on polluters) the Superfund cleanup program
(Bush is cutting program), and taking and sprawl.
* Leader of opposition to the creation of a massive, toxic nuclear
waste dump site inside Yucca Mountain, Nevada.
Energy/Global Warming
Bush
* Proposes building 63 new nuclear power plants ($4.7 million increase
in nuclear power funding), increasing funding in the 'Coal Research
Initiative' by $69 million and the 'Clean Coal Power Initiative' by $109
million (60 percent).
* Proposes cutting solar energy programs by more than $3 million (4
percent) and biomass by $14 million (16 percent).
* Proposes cutting core energy efficiency line items for building by
$1.5 million and industrial technologies by $35 million (38 percent).
* Seeks to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
* Opposes closing SUV loophole and raising automobile fuel efficiency
standards.
* Reneged on a campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide emissions
from power plants, then announced his administration's opposition to the
Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 international accord to address the global
warming crisis.
Kerry
* Proposed increasing fuel-efficiency standards by 50 percent, with a
goal to reach a fuel economy average of 36 miles per gallon by the year
2015 and close a current loophole that allows luxury cars to receive tax
deductions of up to $100,000.
* Seeks to make America independent of Middle Eastern oil in 10 years
primarily through his proposed 'Manhattan Project' which would make 20
percent of electricity come from renewable energy sources by 2020
* Vowed to filibuster any attempt made by President Bush to open oil
drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
* Sponsored a bill amendment (defeated by Republicans) mandating the
Bush Administration to engage in international environmental
renegotiations and to work toward revising Kyoto Protocol.
Clean Water
Bush
* Proposes to legalize the release of inadequately treated sewage into
waterways while cutting funding for water quality investments (32%) and
infrastructure (40%).
* Proposes to rewrite Clean Water Act regulations, thereby removing 20
million acres of wetlands, streams and other 'isolated' waters from
protection under the law.
Kerry
* Opposes Bush's attempts to roll back Clean Water Act and proposes a
'Restoring America's Waters' Campaign to clean up waters, protect
communities' fresh water supplies by increasing funding to the EPA and
prosecuting corporate polluters.
Air Pollution/Toxics
Bush
* Attempted to weaken the Clean Air Act ("Clear Skies Initiative'),
which would have caused 30,000-pollution related deaths over the next 20
years (defeated in court) by allowing more than twice as much S02
emissions for nearly a decade longer (2010 - 2018), than the Clean Air Act
currently allows and more than one and a half times as much NOx for nearly
a decade longer (2010-2018).
* Cut lead poisoning prevention funds and refused to regulate mercury
(while secretly altering scientific findings as to its danger) through the
same tough approach used for other hazardous air pollutants (adopted
industry supported rules).
Kerry
* Would reverse the Bush-Cheney rollbacks of Clean Air laws and plug
loopholes in the law.
* Would fully fund and enforce program to meet ozone and air quality
standards, stop acid rain, and reduce mercury emissions.
* Proposes a Toxics Task Force at the EPA that will identify the top
toxics threats to our citizens and develop an action plan to address them.
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