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Barack Obama on Environment

Democratic incumbent President; IL Senator (2004-2008)

 


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

First reform of food safety laws in more than 70 years

Q: What steps would you take to ensure the health, safety and productivity of America's food supply?

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.

Source: The Top American Science Questions, by sciencedebate.org , Sep 4, 2012

Bolster the use of organic farming methods

I am working to bolster the use of organic farming methods and minimize pesticides and antibiotics in our food. I set the ambitious goal to increase the number of certified organic operations by 20%--and we expect to meet that target. I am protecting human health by ensuring that the foods the American public eats will be free from unsafe levels of pesticides by making sure that all new, and even older pesticides, comply with strict science-based health standards. We are also making sure safer pesticides get to market faster, so that we can decrease the use of those pesticides that have higher risks of health impacts. And my administration is taking steps to limit antibiotic use for livestock. This will help ensure that antibiotics are used only address diseases and health problems, and not for enhancing growth and other production purposes. And I will continue to work on food safety issues to ensure that public health is the priority in our food safety system.
Source: The Top American Science Questions, by sciencedebate.org , Sep 4, 2012

National clean water framework: protect America's waters

Q: What steps should the federal government take to secure clean, abundant fresh water for all Americans?

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.

Source: The Top American Science Questions, by sciencedebate.org , Sep 4, 2012

Establish Great Lakes Restoration and National Ocean Policy

Q: What role should the federal government play domestically and through foreign policy to protect the environmental health and economic vitality of the oceans?

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.

Source: The Top American Science Questions, by sciencedebate.org , Sep 4, 2012

Monitor health of fisheries & establish "pollution diet"

Q: Scientists estimate that 75% of the world's fisheries are in serious decline, habitats like coral reefs are threatened, and large areas of ocean and coastlines are polluted. What role should the federal government play?

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.

Source: The Top American Science Questions, by sciencedebate.org , Sep 4, 2012

BP spill was biggest environmental disaster ever faced

An explosion on an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana, eleven men dead, another sad event unfolding. But then oil from the destroyed well began gushing into the ocean, and executives from British Petroleum said they lacked the technology to plug a hole one mile beneath the surface. Tar balls washed up in Louisiana's marshes, Alabama closed its beaches, and Florida declared a state of emergency. A senior adviser to President Obama called it "the biggest environmental disaster the country has ever faced.
Source: Ten Letters, by Eli Saslow, p.170-179 , Oct 11, 2011

Sent 17,500 troops and 1,400 ships to deal with BP spill

Obama had exhausted his presidential power to respond to the BP oil spill. Obama had met with the families of the 11 men who died in the initial explosion on the oil rig & created a federal commission to investigate the accident. He had activated 17,500 members of the National Guard, sent 1,400 boats, deployed 3 million feet of boom to protect the shore, established 17 command centers & orchestrated the recovery of 11 million gallons of oily seawater. He had requested a shipment of seafood from the gulf to serve for dinner at his 49th birthday party. He had put on gloves to pick tar balls off the beach. But the spill continued to expand, and the criticism of Obama grew along with it.

Would this disaster discredit him like Hurricane Katrina had done to Pres. Bush? Obama said, "This is what I wake up to in the morning, and this is what I go to bed thinking about--the spill. When we are fouling up the earth like this, it has concrete implications not just for this generation but for future generations."

Source: Ten Letters, by Eli Saslow, p.180-181 , Oct 11, 2011

Promised that anyone losing job in spill would get BP check

I told the president that the oil moratorium amounted to a second man-made disaster. And my message was simple: Louisianans shouldn't lose their jobs because the federal government can't do its job. Our belief is that federal officials should spend their energies on getting serious about more rigorous oversight and inspection of oil rigs rather than punishing workers. Louisianans, of all people, don't want to see another drop of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico or another tragic loss of life.

The president went on to assure me that anyone who lost their job would get a check from BP. When I explained that BP might not write them checks because it was the federal government that imposed the moratorium, the president said, "Well, if BP won't pay them, they can file for unemployment." I was amazed by the level of disconnect. The people of Louisiana want to work, not collect unemployment or BP checks.

Source: Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal, p. 21-22 , Nov 15, 2010

Top USDA priority: make sure all kids are well-fed

Tom Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa and a major Hillary supporter, went in as the underdog for Agriculture Secretary to Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who had supported Obama early. Vilsack, who had been abandoned at birth and adopted out of a Roman Catholic orphanage, connected immediately with Obama, especially when they started talking about the 28 million Americans on food stamps. At one point Obama exclaimed, "Wow, you're passionate about this stuff!" In the end, after a detailed conversation about biofuels, he said simply, "Well, you got it." Obama told him that the top priority of his department should be that American children be well fed. Like so many other moves Obama had made, this was a strikingly different emphasis for the department: simple, even obvious, but significant. Since its founding in the Lincoln administration, the USDA had always been focused on serving (or pandering to) farmers. Now it was to have another central mission.
Source: The Promise: Obama Year One, by Jonathan Alter, p. 61 , May 18, 2010

Cash for Clunkers: $4,500 to trade in old car for new

The Michiganders had stressed the need for the government to stimulate auto sales. In concentrating so hard on financial restructuring, the White House hadn't done enough to stir demand. Deese reminded him of an old "Cash for Clunkers" proposal )worth up to $4,500 toward a new car) that had originated in Europe. Cash for Clunkers had been killed during the stimulus debate by environmentalists, who thought it wasn't tough enough on gas guzzlers, and by the UAW, which implausibly insisted that it not apply to foreign-made cars. Summers asked a couple of caffeinated workhorses to get a coherent four-point plan (complete with IRS complexities) ready for the president within twelve hours. After an all-nighter, they did.

Obama's big announcement the next day, March 30, that he would ask Chrysler and GM to "fundamentally restructure in a way that would justify an investment of additional taxpayer dollars."

Source: The Promise: Obama Year One, by Jonathan Alter, p.180-181 , May 18, 2010

Greenhouse gases declared dangerous to public health

As the UN's annual climate change conference began in Copenhagen on December 7, 2009, Obama's EPA chief, Lisa Jackson, announced the EPA now considers six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, dangerous to the environment and public health, and that the EPA would begin drawing up new regulations to arbitrarily reduce them.

The announcement deliberately coincided with the climate change conference, which aims to establish an international treaty to reduce greenhouse emissions. Of course, the president cannot implement a treaty by himself; he needs the approval of two-thirds of the U.S. Senate. So the EPA's announcement was actually a threat to circumvent the Senate's constitutional prerogatives. Obama was indicating he would commit the United States to carbon-cutting goals reached at Copenhagen, and if the Senate refused to approve a carbon-cutting treaty or to pass capo and trade, Obama would simply use the EPA to regulate carbon whether the Senate likes it or not.

Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p. 81 , May 17, 2010

Government should invest in clean energy & green jobs

Q: What would you do for the environment?

OBAMA: It is critical that we understand this is not just a challenge, it’s an opportunity, because if we create a new energy economy, we can create five million new jobs, easily. It can be an engine that drives us into the future the same way the computer was the engine for economic growth over the last couple of decades. We can do it, but we’re going to have to make an investment. The same way the computer was originally invented by a bunch of government scientists who were trying to figure out, for defense purposes, how to communicate, we’ve got to understand that this is a national security issue, as well.

McCAIN: We can move forward, and clean up our climate, and develop green technologies, and alternative energies for battery-powered cars, so that we can clean up our environment and at the same time get our economy going by creating millions of jobs.

Source: 2008 second presidential debate against John McCain , Oct 7, 2008

$150B over next 10 years for green energy sector

As of early August, Obama has offered three versions of this kind of public outlay, each getting bolder as the crisis has deepened. In a speech last April, he included:
Source: Obama`s Challenge, by Robert Kuttner, p.123-124 , Aug 25, 2008

Support reforestation as carbon sequestration issue

Obama's cap and trade system will require all pollution credits to be auctioned. A 100% auction ensures that all polluters pay for every ton of emission they release, rather than giving these emissions rights away to coal and oil companies.

Confront deforestation & promote carbon sequestration: Obama will develop domestic incentives that reward forest owners, farmers, & ranchers when they plant trees, restore grasslands, or undertake farming practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Source: Obamanomics, by John R. Talbott, p.129 , Jul 1, 2008

Willing to suspend ethanol subsidy to keep food prices down

Q: Ethanol usage in gas is criticized for raising food prices. Would you be willing to change ethanol subsidies so that people are not using corn for ethanol, & lowering food prices?

A: We’ve got rising food prices here in the US. In other countries we’re seeing riots because of the lack of food supplies. So this is something that we’re going to have to deal with. There are a number of factors that go into this. Changes in climate are contributing. There’s no doubt that biofuels may be contributing to it. My top priority is making sure that people are able to get enough to eat. And if it turns out that we’ve got to make changes in our ethanol policy to help people get something to eat, then that’s got to be the step we take. But I also believe that ethanol has been a important transitional tool for us to start dealing with our long-term energy crisis ultimately. Over time we’re going to shift to cellulosic ethanol, where we’re not using food stocks but we’re using wood chips & prairie grass.

Source: Meet the Press: 2008 “Meet the Candidates” series , May 4, 2008

Genesis teaches stewardship of earth: sacrifice for future

Q: Could you give an example of how you relate your faith to science policy?

A: One of the things I draw from the Genesis story is the importance of us being good stewards of the land, of this incredible gift. And I think there have been times where we haven’t been [good stewards], and this is one of those times where we’ve got to take the warning seriously [about climate change]. And part of what my religious faith teaches me is to take an intergenerational view, to recognize that we are borrowing this planet from our children and our grandchildren. And this is where religious faith and the science of global warming converge: We have to find resources in ourselves to make sacrifices so we don’t leave it to the next generation. We’ve got to be less wasteful, both as a society and in our own individual lives. I think religion can actually bolster our desire to make those sacrifices now. As president, I hope to rally the entire world around the importance of us being good stewards of the land.

Source: 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College , Apr 13, 2008

1980s: Tested for asbestos at Chicago housing project

[As an organizer, Obama learned that] a Chicago Housing Authority was soliciting bids for removal of asbestos. Obama mobilized a busload of residents and descended on the offices of the executive director. With a few judiciously placed press invitations, the expedition yielded publicity and results. The authority agreed to test every unit. When asbestos was confirmed, stop-gap cleanup measures were instituted.

Over the long term, however, little happened to the asbestos. The CHA asked the department of Housing and Urban Development for over a billion dollars to repair housing projects across the city. The federal agency offered money to repair plumbing and roofing problems, or remove asbestos, but not both. The problem remained unresolved during Obama's time as an organizer.

The lesson was plain. Significant change was possible with government support, and impossible without it. Obama decided that law school would give him tools he needed to do more.

Source: Obama for Beginners, by Bob Neer, p. 21 , Apr 1, 2008

Regulate animal feeding operations for pollution

AT A GLANCETHE PROBLEMOBAMA’S PLAN
Source: Campaign booklet, “Blueprint for Change”, p. 31-34 , Feb 2, 2008

Will end the notion of Yucca Mountain nuclear storage

I will end the notion of Yucca Mountain because it has not been based on the sort of sound science that can assure people that they’re going to be safe. That was a mistake. You hate to see billions of dollars having already been spent, but I don’t want to spend additional billions of dollars and potentially create a situation that is not safe. I’ve been clear from the start that Yucca was a misconceived project. I want to get the best experts and make a determination on the best science available.
Source: 2008 Democratic debate in Las Vegas , Jan 15, 2008

Promote green technologies and fuel efficiency standards

I want to make sure the planet is as beautiful for my daughters as it was for me. Now, what that means is there are going to be some increases initially in electricity prices. For example, if we have a cap and trade system, over time technology will adapt because investors and people who are looking to make money will see that they can make money through green technologies. In Keokuk they’re opening a plant right now that is going to provide 400 well-paying jobs to build wind turbines. In order for this to happen, we’ve got to be courageous enough to not just talk about it in front of the Sierra Club or organizations already sympathetic to us. When I announced my proposal to increase fuel efficiency standards on cars, I went to Detroit in front of the automakers and said they had to change their ways. I have to say the room was quiet and nobody clapped, but that’s okay. Part of what the next president has to do is not just tell the American people what they want to hear, but what they need to hear
Source: 2007 Des Moines Register Democratic Debate , Dec 13, 2007

Organized inner-city recycling; fought environmental racism

One environmental magazine called Obama a “bona-fide, card-carrying, bleeding-heart greenie.” As a student at Columbia University, Obama worked for three months as an environmental activist to promote recycling in Harlem. As a community organizer, he fought against environmental racism by helping public housing residents demand to have their apartments tested for asbestos and repaired. He noted, “Environmentalism is not an upper-income issue, it’s not a black issue, it’s not a South or a North or an East or a West issue. It’s an issue that all of us have a stake in.“

Obama introduced a bill requiring more pollution controls at coal plants to block Bush from rolling back the Clean Air Act in Illinois. He cosponsored a bill to require that 10% of electricity in the state come from renewable sources by 2012, and supported measures to increase energy efficiency codes. Obama sought tougher standards for diesel engines and proposed protecting wetland and stopping toxic dumping.

Source: The Improbable Quest, by John K. Wilson, p.157-158 , Oct 30, 2007

Reduce mercury and lead to protect community health

Build Healthy Communities:

Obama has been a leader in eliminating lead poisoning from our communities. He has introduced multiple pieces of legislation to reduce mercury and lead poisoning and is committed to identifying and addressing environmental health problems that affect too many of our communities.
Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers” , Aug 26, 2007

Protect the Great Lakes & our National Parks and Forests

Preserve the Great Lakes:

Obama has been a strong supporter of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration and co-sponsored the Great Lakes Environmental Restoration Act.

Protect National Parks and Forests:

Obama supports a true preservation policy for our nation’s parks and forests. Obama fought efforts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and voted to prohibit the use of funds to construct new roads in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers” , Aug 26, 2007

1985: Organized asbestos removal in Chicago housing project

A recurring passage in many of Obama’s speeches is his mission of “giving voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless,” [based on the work of Saul Alinsky]. A main tenet of the Alinsky organizing philosophy was attention to listening--to pull together the masses for a common cause, the organizer must hear and understand the limitations, the fears and the experiences of the people being assembled. Working out of a small office in a church, Obama was assigned to conduct 20 to 30 interviews each week.

Obama was known for his detailed and calculated planning, a trait he would carry into politics. The first major project for Obama was assisting the 2,000 residents of a housing project amid a huge garbage dump, a noxious-smelling sewage plant, and the heavily polluted Calumet River.

Of Obama’s pursuits, a campaign to remove asbestos drew the most public attention. That confrontation prompted the housing authority to hire workers to seal off the asbestos.

Source: From Promise to Power, by David Mendell, p. 70-71 , Aug 14, 2007

Give Katrina contracts to locals, not to Halliburton

Q: Would you support a federal law guaranteeing the right to return to New Orleans and other Gulf regions devastated by Hurricane Katrina?

KUCINICH: Absolutely. The aftermath underscores everything that’s wrong in this country about race.

GRAVEL: Yes.

DODD: I would as well. New Orleans and Katrina have become a symbol of everything that went wrong with this administration’s failure to respond to a people in need.

CLINTON: I have proposed a 10-point Gulf Coast Recovery Agenda, because even if we were to give people a right, there is nothing to return to.

BIDEN: It’s an American problem. We should guarantee the reconstruction.

RICHARDSON: Yes, I would support that. I would also support the Katrina Recovery Act.

EDWARDS: This is an issue I care about personally and deeply.

OBAMA: Halliburton or Bechtel getting the contracts to rebuild instead of giving the people in New Orleans the opportunity to rebuild and get jobs and training is a further compounding of the outrage.

Source: 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University , Jun 28, 2007

Health Care for Hybrids proposal for fuel efficiency

Here’s the deal we can make with auto companies. It’s a piece of legislation I introduced called Health Care for Hybrids, and it would allow the federal government to pick up part of the tab for the auto companies retiree health care costs. In exchange, the auto companies would then use some of that savings to build and invest more fuel efficient cars.
Source: In His Own Words, edited by Lisa Rogak, p. 39 , Mar 27, 2007

Three months working on minority students recycling

I spent three months working for a Ralph Nader offshoot up in Harlem, trying to convince the minority students at City College about the importance of recycling. Then a week passing out flyers for an assemblyman’s race in Brooklyn - the candidate lost and I never did get paid.
Source: Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.129 , Aug 1, 1996


Barack Obama on Legislative Record

2005: Worked with Sen. Coburn (R, OK) on Katrina oversight

After Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, I called for the appointment of a chief financial officer--preferably someone with real-world private-sector experience--to manage the disbursement of billions in recovery funds for the Gulf Coast.

Fellow freshman Barack Obama (D-IL) called to discuss the possibility of our offices jointly introducing a bill to put my idea into action. I had connected with Obama during orientation.

Our bipartisan work with Obama on Katrina-related oversight produced some helpful legislation reigning in no-bid contracts and set the stage for our later work on transparency.

The aftermath of Katrina triggered a healthy debate in Washington about a subject politicians like to avoid: priorities. The cleanup and recovery effort would obviously cost billions, and Congress owed it to taxpayers and victims to make hard choices between competing priorities.

Source: The Debt Bomb, by Sen. Tom Coburn, p. 91-2 , Apr 17, 2012

Stimulus bill earmark for LA-Vegas mag-lev railway

President Obama claimed the stimulus bill had no "earmarks or the usual pork barrel spending." This assertion, however, relies on an extremely narrow definition of an "earmark" as an outlay for a specific project or company. Although they cleverly avoided this level of specificity in the stimulus, Democrats packed the bill with spending on narrowly defined programs. For instance, in the $8 billion set aside for high speed railway, there was a specific outlay for a Los Angeles-to-Las Vegas maglev. There was also $1 billion for a zero emissions energy plant in Illinois, of which there was only one in development. There are earmarks in all but name--and everyone knows it , including President Obama.
Source: To Save America, by Newt Gingrich, p. 51 , May 17, 2010

Passed lead abatement & 24 other laws in IL Senate

In his first two years in the Illinois Senate, Obama introduced or was chief cosponsor of 56 bills, with 14 of them becoming law--not bad rookie & sophomore seasons. Some Obama-led legislation that became law included measures that compensated crime victims for certain property losses, prevented early probation for gun-running felons, streamlined administrative processes when municipalities adjudicated ordinances and increased penalties for offenders who used date-rape drugs on victims.

In his third year, 1999, Obama was even more successful. He cosponsored almost 60 bills and 11 became law. They included measures that established a state-funded screening program for prostate cancer (a disease that disproportionately afflicts blacks), strengthened hospital testing and reporting of sexual assaults, increased funds for after-school programming, increased investigation of nursing home abuses and hiked funding for lead abatement programs (another large issue in the black community).

Source: From Promise to Power, by David Mendell, p.126-127 , Aug 14, 2007

Scored 60% on Humane Society Scorecard on animal protection

Source: Humane Society 109th Congress Scorecard, www.fund.org , Jan 31, 2007

Voted YES on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations.

A joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 15, 2005, relating to the removal of coal- and oil-fired electric generating units from the list of major sources of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. The EPA's Clean Air Mercury Rule:
Reference: EPA's Clean Air Mercury Rule; Bill S J Res 20 ; vote number 2005-225 on Sep 13, 2005

Tax credit to remove lead-based housepaint.

Obama co-sponsored giving tax credit to remove lead-based housepaint

OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: Allows a tax credit for 50% of the costs of reducing lead hazards in U.S. homes built before 1960 in which certain low-income children less than six years of age and women of child-bearing age reside. Allows a maximum credit of $3,000 for lead abatement costs and $1,000 for the cost of interim lead control measures.

EXCERPTS OF BILL:

    Congress finds that:
  1. Of the 98 million housing units in the United States, 38 million have lead-based paint.
  2. Of the 38 million housing units with lead-based paint, 25 million pose a hazard due to conditions such as peeling paint and settled dust on floors and windowsills that contain lead at levels above Federal safety standards.
  3. Lead poisoning remains a serious, entirely preventable threat to a child's intelligence, behavior, and learning.
  4. The Administration has established a national goal of ending childhood lead poisoning by 2010.
  5. Current Federal lead abatement programs only have resources sufficient to make approximately 7,000 homes lead-safe each year.
  6. The replacement of old windows that contain lead based paint significantly reduces lead poisoning hazards in addition to producing significant energy savings.
  7. Childhood lead poisoning can be dramatically reduced by the abatement or complete removal of all lead-based paint.
There shall be allowed as a tax credit, an amount equal to 50% of the lead hazard reduction activity cost paid, up to $1,000 per year for certain activities and $3,000 per year for other activities.

LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Referred to Senate Committee on Finance; never came to a vote.

Source: Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act (S.2053/H.R.4464) 05-S2053 on Nov 18, 2005

Establish commission to examine Katrina response.

Obama co-sponsored establishing commission to examine Katrina response

OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: To establish a congressional commission to examine the Federal, State, and local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Region, especially in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other areas impacted in the aftermath, and make immediate corrective measures to improve such responses in the future.

EXCERPTS OF AMENDMENT:

LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Rollcall vote #229; lost 44-54.

Source: Establishment of Katrina Commission (S.AMDT.1660 to HR.2862) 05-SP1660 on Sep 8, 2005

Sponsored health impact bill for environmental health.

Obama sponsored for health impact assessments for environmental health

OnTheIssues.org Explanation: A classic 1980s study demonstrated that poor neighborhoods are burdened with more environmental hazards than rich neighborhoods. The 1980s study established the field of "environmental justice"; this bill addresses environmental justice and health justice.

OFFICIAL CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: A bill to require health impact assessments and take other actions to improve health and the environmental quality of communities, and for other purposes.

SPONSOR'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Sen. OBAMA: The Healthy Places Act of 2006 focuses on the built environment, which includes our homes, parks, and transportation systems. Like many other States, Illinois has already begun to take steps to improve the environment. City leaders in Chicago have recognized that many low-income families have no access to fresh foods and medicine because there are no grocery stores and pharmacies in their neighborhoods. Retail Chicago, an initiative of the city's Department of Planning and Development, is now using redevelopment funds to entice local developers to bring grocery stores and pharmacies into these neighborhoods.

The Healthy Places Act of 2006 would expand these and other efforts to improve the planning and design of communities that can promote healthier living. It establishes and supports health impact assessment programs; better addressing environmental health issues; and creating a grant program to address environmental health hazards, particularly those that contribute to health disparities. Finally, the Healthy Places Act provides additional support for research on the relationship between the built environment and the health status of residents.

LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Referred to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; never came to a vote.

Source: Healthy Places Act (S.2506/H.R.5088) 06-S2506 on Apr 4, 2006

Inter-state compact for Great Lakes water resources.

Obama co-sponsored inter-state compact for Great Lakes water resources

A joint resolution expressing the approval of Congress to an inter-state compact regarding water resources. In the Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact the Congress finds that:

Source: Great Lakes Water Resources Compact (S.J.RES.45) 08-SJR45 on Jul 23, 2008

Strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting.

Obama co-sponsored strengthening prohibitions against animal fighting

Sen. CANTWELL. I reintroduce today the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act of 2007. This legislation has won the unanimous approval of the Senate several times, but unfortunately has not yet reached the finish line.

There is no doubt, animal fighting is terribly cruel. Dogs and roosters are drugged to make them hyper-aggressive and forced to keep fighting even after suffering severe injuries such as punctured eyes and pierced lungs. It's all done for "entertainment" and illegal gambling. Some dogfighters steal pets to use as bait for training their dogs, while others allow trained fighting dogs to roam neighborhoods and endanger the public.

The Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act will strengthen current law by making the interstate transport of animals for the purpose of fighting a felony and increase the punishment to three years of jail time. This is necessary because the current misdemeanor penalty has proven ineffective--considered a "cost of doing business" by those in the animal fighting industry which continues unabated nationwide.

These enterprises depend on interstate commerce, as evidenced by the animal fighting magazines that advertise and promote them. Our bill also makes it a felony to move cockfighting implements in interstate or foreign commerce. These are razor-sharp knives known as "slashers" and ice pick-like gaffs designed exclusively for cockfights and attached to the birds' legs for fighting.

This is long overdue legislation. It's time to get this felony animal fighting language enacted. It's time for Congress to strengthen the federal law so that it can provide as a meaningful deterrent against animal fighting. Our legislation does not expand the federal government's reach into a new area, but simply aims to make current law more effective. It is explicitly limited to interstate and foreign commerce, so it protects states' rights in the two states where cockfighting is still allowed.

Source: Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act (S.261/H.R.137) 2007-S261 on Jan 4, 2007

Other candidates on Environment: Barack Obama on other issues:
2020 Presidential Democratic Primary Candidates:
State Rep.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Larry Hogan (D-MD)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 GOP and Independent Candidates:
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Page last updated: May 01, 2019