Change is happening in our political process. And that means a change in the way America looks at environmental issues. Recently, a friend of mine turned me on to the website www.lcv.org - League of Conservation Voters. It’s a website where The People can gather information on how their political leaders measure up on environmental issues. If you happen to be on the fence of which candidate to back in the forthcoming election, and if the environment is an issue that resonates with you, then check out this site.

What you do first is go to www.lcv.org and click on the little girl with her hands up. It says 2008 Presidential Voters Guide. Now click on the different presidential candidates and see what their LCV Lifetime Scores are.

Let’s see…Hillary’s is 90%. That’s really good. Barack scores 96%, also very good. You can also read about their past positions compared to the positions of the League of Conservation Voters. LCV named “Sen. Clinton an Environmental Champion in her campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate”. They also state that “Sen. Obama was one of 6 state senators who received a 100% Environmental Voting Record Award for 2003 from the Illinois Environmental Council”.

John McCain scored 26%, not as good. But as LCV states, John is the “Lead author of a bill to reduce emissions 65% by 2050”. And that’s great. Mitt Romney doesn’t have a score because “No environmental voting record exists for Gov. Romney because, as Governor of Massachusetts, he has no state or federal voting record”.

So let’s post some of the quotes the League of Conservative Voters provide on these candidate.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Romney on energy and global warming:

“I believe we have to be developing more energy sources ourselves, which would include offshore drilling and drilling in ANWR, nuclear power, biodiesel, biofuel, ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, probably liquefied coal. We have enormous supplies of coal.”

McCain on his first 100 days priorities on energy and global warming:

“Among my priorities will be working with Congress, national, state, and local leaders, and the full range of stakeholders to promote U.S. energy security and implement a national market-based cap and trade system tailored to protect the nation’s economic, environment, and national security. As part of this initiative, I will use the powers of the presidency to see that the international community, including China and India, fulfill its obligations to address climate change in a manner that will effectively protect the global environment and our economy. I will institute federal policies to help achieve an energy mix that is far more diverse, dependable, economical, clean, and sustainable. I would refer you and the LCV membership to the speech I delivered on energy security to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) this past April which outlines a number of these initiatives and priorities. Another of my top objectives will be to draw into my administration the most qualified individuals in our country to fill key cabinet and other positions in these vital policy areas.”

Clinton on her first 100 days priorities on energy and global warming:

“Energy independence and global warming are top priorities that I continually discuss on the campaign trail, and I will focus on them in my first months in office. I will use executive orders to restore federal leadership in energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy. I will realign budget priorities to bolster research and development programs that can help to reduce oil dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. I will nominate committed, highly qualified people to run the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and other related Departments. I will promote legislation to promote alternative energy, and I will personally act to restore American leadership in international discussions about global warming.”

Obama’s first 100 days priorities on energy and global warming:

“Putting a price on carbon is the most important step we can to take to reduce emissions. As president, my first priority to combat global warming will be enacting an economy-wide cap on U.S. carbon emissions that will reduce U.S. emissions by the amount scientists agree is necessary (80%) for the U.S. to bear an equitable share of the global emissions reduction burden. I will devote significant resources from a permit auction toward accelerating the development and deployment of low carbon technologies, addressing the economic challenges imposed on key industrial sectors, and providing meaningful incentives for action by developing countries. Another top priority for my energy and global warming agenda will be changing the cars we drive and the fossil fuels we burn. I will increase fuel efficiency standards to the limits of technological and economic feasibility, introduce legislation to lift the 60,000-per-manufacturer cap on buyer tax credits to encourage more Americans to buy ultra-efficient vehicles and encourage automakers to make fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles by helping them shoulder the health care costs of their retirees. Domestic automakers will get health care assistance in exchange for investing 50 percent of the savings into technology to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. In addition, I will provide automakers with generous tax incentives for retooling assembly plants. To change the fuels we burn, I introduced legislation to enact a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard that will reduce the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of passenger vehicle fuels sold in the U.S. by 10 percent in 2020 and require additional reductions of 1% annually thereafter.”

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sounds great doesn’t it? I think so. I look forward to the elections as much as you do. And I look forward to the vision of change that seems to resonate in many of these candidate’s agendas. It’s exciting.

So have fun on www.lcv.org. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And, like the friend who turned me on to it, you too can spread the word for environmentally conscious voters.

David McWane

p.s. Check out below: BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE remixed by dj BC’s –

NEW video:

TRY OUT YOUR JFK VOICE

‍