Romney vs. Obama on ScienceDebate.org: on Environment

Barack Obama: First reform of food safety laws in more than 70 years

A: Since taking office, I have been working to safeguard our food supply, prevent foodborne illnesses and improve consumers' knowledge about the food they eat. When I started, our food safety system needed to be modernized. One in four people were getting sick every year due to food-borne illness, and children and the elderly were more at risk. I signed the most comprehensive reform of our nation's food safety laws in more than 70 years--giving the Food and Drug Administration the resources, authority and tools needed to make real improvements to our food safety system. We have strengthened standards, prevented food from being contaminated with dangerous bacteria, bolstered surveillance used to detect contamination problems earlier, and responded to illness outbreaks faster.

Barack Obama: Bolster the use of organic farming methods

Barack Obama: National clean water framework: protect America's waters

A: I am working to ensure the integrity of the water Americans rely on every day for drinking, swimming and fishing, and that support farming, recreation, tourism and economic growth. My Administration released a national clean water framework aimed at developing a comprehensive approach to protecting the health of America's waters. Through partnerships with communities around the country, we are working to improve water quality, and restore rivers and critical watersheds.

To help with water scarcity concerns in the West and elsewhere, I am supporting water conservation programs. My administration has awarded 92 grants to water conservation projects that will save enough water for an estimated 950,000 people. We are also working collaboratively with communities around the country on how to best manage freshwater resources in a changing climate.

Barack Obama: Establish Great Lakes Restoration and National Ocean Policy

A: By establishing a National Ocean Policy, I made it a priority of the federal government to ensure a proactive approach to improving the conservation of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. We kicked off the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades, which is targeting ecological problems such as invasive species, toxic hot spots, and pollution runoff. We have created or enhanced more than 540 public coastal recreation areas, protected more than 54,000 acres of coastlines and restored over 5,200 acres of coastal habitat. We have also invested over $1.4 billion in Everglades' restoration, helping restore tens of thousands of acres which will serve as a sanctuary for native Florida plants and wildlife.

Barack Obama: Monitor health of fisheries & establish "pollution diet"

A: We are cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, establishing a "pollution diet" for the Bay that will help restore the natural habitat for fish and other wildlife. We are directing additional funding to Gulf Coast restoration to bring back the fisheries and coastal ecosystems which are still recovering in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon spill. We are also investing more in monitoring our fishing stock in coastal areas so we have the most accurate data possible on the health of our fisheries. These are significant steps that are helping us improve the health of our oceans and build more robust fisheries.

Mitt Romney: FDA should collaborate with businesses they monitor

A: Preventive practices are the best tool to reduce the incidence of food-borne illnesses because they provide the greatest control over the potential risks of contamination and are generally the most cost-effective. These practices are best developed by growers, handlers, processors, and others in the supply chain with specific knowledge of the risks, diversity of operations in the industry, and feasibility of potential mitigation strategies.

In a Romney Administration, the FDA will work closely with industry, and collaborate with researchers and state agencies, to develop specific guidance for the commodities most often associated with food-borne illness outbreaks. With advanced research and continued scientific breakthroughs, state-of-the-art monitoring, and a collaborative instead of combative relationship between regulators and businesses, America's food system will continue to be the world's best.

Mitt Romney: Clean Air & Water Acts are significantly out of date

A: America has made extraordinary environmental progress in recent decades thanks to the laws that protect our air and water. But while these laws have served us well, they have not been modernized in over 20 years and are now significantly out of date. Our communities and businesses must contend with excessively costly and inflexible approaches that impose unnecessary economic constraints and trigger inevitable litigation. The result is to delay progress that could be achieved, and to leave communities and natural resources worse off.

I will modernize the federal laws and regulations governing water use to enable smarter, more collaborative, more flexible, and more cost-effective approaches that welcome state and local participation. A combination of incentives & market-based programs will improve the water quality of our lakes, rivers, streams and coastal environments.

Mitt Romney: Welcome input from fisherman to help protect fisheries

A: The health of the world's fisheries is of paramount economic and environmental importance to not only America but also the global community. Maintenance of those fisheries also represents a significant regulatory challenge, and is indeed often used as an archetypical illustration of a situation in which a market will not succeed without some form of governance. The question, though, is what form of governance should be employed: where are international agreements required, where is government regulation most appropriate, and where can the fishing industry itself serve as the best steward? The federal government has a vital role to play in conducting sound science. A Romney Administration will safeguard the long-term health of fisheries, while welcoming input from the fishermen most affected at every step and seeking to accommodate the needs of these small businessmen wherever possible.

Mitt Romney: Mercury rule spends $10B to reduce $6M in pollution