Congressional Watch, May 2009 Edition
HOW THEY VOTED
Both Houses of Congress approved the fiscal year 2010 budget on April 29, which marked the end of President Obama's first 100 days in office. Senator Baucus and Senator Tester supported the budget, while Congressman Rehberg voted against the budget bill. No Republicans in either house supported the measure, which also sets forth budget levels for fiscal years 2011 through 2014.
NEW YORK TIMES: Budget Passes but Critics Say the Deficit Is in the Details
By Carl Hulse April 30, 2009
WASHINGTON - Congress gave final approval to its $3.5 trillion federal budget on Wednesday, opening the door to President Obama's policy initiatives on health care, energy and education while sidestepping the difficult question of how to pay for them. More...
More Montana Clean Energy and Natural Resource Benefits From the Stimulus Bill:
Senators: Montana BLM projects to get $17.5 million from jobs-stimulus bill
Baucus, Tester say funding will boost economy and create good-paying jobs
May 4, 2009
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Montana will receive more than $17.5 million in additional jobs-stimulus funding for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sites across the state, U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced today.
Both Baucus and Tester helped write, supported and voted for the jobs-stimulus bill, which is creating new jobs across Montana and cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes on Montana residents.
The $17.5 million announced today will fund projects such as upgrading roads, dams, visitor centers, boat ramps, campgrounds and trails on BLM land in Montana. The money will also fund habitat restoration, mine cleanup and renewable energy projects. More...
Baucus, Tester announce $33.2 million for Montana's National Parks
Dollars Will Help Create Good Paying Jobs, Attract Tourists and Boost Montana's National Parks
April 22, 2009
(Washington D.C.) Montana's senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester today announced that more than $33,200,000 from the federal stimulus bill is headed to Montana to improve access and services and create good paying jobs in national parks, historic sites and recreation areas in the state.
Baucus and Tester helped write and voted for the stimulus plan- which they call the Jobs Bill-earlier this year. Projects will receive the funding through the U.S. Department of the Interior.
In Montana, the funding will be used to update aging facilities, improve energy efficiency, repair trails and preserve historic structures in five National Park Service sites across the state. More...
Earth Day comments from Sen. Tester:
Tester: Bill will protect Montana watersheds, fishing habitat for generations
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
In April, Montanans get used to sunny weather one day and snow the next. Farmers start spring planting-if the conditions are right. And on Earth Day, we take inventory of what we still have to do to make sure the world our kids and grandkids inherit is better than the world we inherited.
This Earth Day, we're reminded of how important it is to work together to keep Montana's water clean and our places to fish among the best in the world. In the West, there are few things more important than access to clean water for drinking, irrigation, fishing and recreation.
That's why I included a bipartisan measure in the recent Public Lands Bill called the Cooperative Watershed Management Act that encourages Montanans to work together to protect our water habitat for generations to come. President Obama signed the Cooperative Watershed Management Act into law on March 30. More...
TAKE ACTION
Congress will have its Memorial Day recess from May 23 - 31, and Montana's elected Congressional delegation will be meeting with Montanans across the state. This is a great opportunity to call on our delegation to support the clean energy provisions of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act (see above). Ask them to support:
- Significant investments in clean energy technologies and energy efficiencies
- A strong market-based cap on carbon emissions - make polluters pay, and reduce pollution
Sign the Petition: I Want Action on CLEAN ENERGY and CUTS in Global Warming POLLUTION
Your name will be added to hundreds of others across Montana to let our Congressional delegation and other elected officials know you want them to make CLEAN ENERGY their priority.
Montanans are hurting. Our failed energy policy is making our economy worse, and adding to global warming. The problem is URGENT! More...
Clean Energy and Climate Solutions Panel, Helena, May 7
Join us on Thursday, May 7 at 7:00 pm at the University of Montana - Helena, College of Technology, for an informative town hall event on how upcoming national climate and energy policies can build a more sustainable, healthier and economically viable Montana. Learn how we can take advantage of a low carbon economy and how federal solutions to climate change are likely to impact our state, helping us move toward a more sustainable and fair economy - one that creates jobs and rewards clean energy. Our distinguished speakers include Gregg Small with Climate Solutions, Eric de Place of the Sightline Institute, and Gloria Flora with Sustainable Obtainable Solutions. More...
On May 27 in Bozeman, MCVEF and other groups, along with the Montana Renewable Energy Association, will be hosting a town hall meeting with Sen. Baucus' senate staff, including members of the Senate Finance Committee which he chairs. The speakers will discuss the energy provisions in the stimulus package, what they mean for Montana in terms of jobs, potential energy savings, investments in new energy technologies, training and education, and how Montanans can take advantage (and already are taking advantage) of these provisions. Check the MCVEF web site for further information as this meeting develops.
How to Contact Montana's Congressional Delegation:
If you would like to contact Montana's delegation or learn more about their energy plans, visit their web sites:
- Senator Max Baucus at http://www.baucus.senate.gov
- Senator Jon Tester at http://www.tester.senate.gov
- Representative Dennis Rehberg at http://www.rehberg.house.gov
POLITICO: Waxman tries to fast track climate bill
Lisa Lerer May 5, 2009
Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman plans to fast-track his controversial climate change bill, bypassing the political hurdles of the subcommittee.
"I'm still holding firm on my deadline to get a bill out of committee by the end of May and I believe that will probably require us to go right to the full committee and bypass the subcommittee," Waxman told reporters.
Waxman's comments came just hours after the Democrats on the committee met with President Barack Obama in the White House. The president urged the committee to find a compromise on climate and energy legislation that's been stuck in the subcommittee for weeks. More...
ACTIONS AND OPINIONS
POLITICO: Chamber under fire on warming
Lisa Lerer March 5, 2009
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is taking heat from Johnson & Johnson, Nike and other corporate members over its opposition to global warming legislation pending in the House.
In a letter to the Chamber, Johnson & Johnson has asked the Chamber to refrain from making comments on climate change unless they "reflect the full range of views, especially those of Chamber members advocating for congressional action." More...
May 5, 2009 Announcement Includes Biofuels Interagency Working Group, Recovery Act Funds for Biofuels Research and Commercialization, and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Renewable Fuel Standard
WASHINGTON - President Obama today announced steps to further his Administration's commitment to advance biofuels research and commercialization. Specifically, he signed a Presidential Directive establishing a Biofuels Interagency Working Group, announced additional Recovery Act funds for renewable fuel projects, and also announced his Administration's notice of a Proposed Rulemaking on the Renewable Fuel Standard. More...
New York Times: Op-Ed Columnist Krugman says: "So can we afford to save the planet? Yes, we can. And now would be a very good time to get started."
By Paul Krugman April 30, 2009
The 2008 election ended the reign of junk science in our nation's capital, and the chances of meaningful action on climate change, probably through a cap-and-trade system on emissions, have risen sharply.
But the opponents of action claim that limiting emissions would have devastating effects on the U.S. economy. So it's important to understand that just as denials that climate change is happening are junk science, predictions of economic disaster if we try to do anything about climate change are junk economics. More...
PUBLIC OPINION
CNN Poll: Global warming can be stopped
From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser May 5, 2009
A new national poll indicates that a majority of Americans think that global warming is real, and that the federal government can do something to slow or stop the phenomenon.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new national poll indicates that a majority of Americans think that global warming is real, and that the federal government can do something to slow or stop the phenomenon.
Fifty-four percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday say that global warming is occurring and that Washington can take steps to slow the rate of global warming, or eventually stop it altogether. Twenty-seven percent agree that global warming is real, but think the federal government is powerless to stop it or slow it down, and 17 percent say that global warming is not occurring. More...
Faith in Public Life is a strategy center advancing faith in the public square as a positive and unifying force for justice, compassion and the common good. It issued the following release on May 5, 2009.
A new national poll commissioned by Faith in Public Life and conducted by Public Religion Research found broad support among key religious groups, including Catholics and evangelicals, for addressing climate change and its impact on the world's poor.
SUMMARY
More than 6-in-10 (61%) believe dealing with climate change now will create new jobs and help avoid more serious economic problems in the future. Majorities of every religious group agree. More...
NATURE: The Science and Politics of Climate Change
The Road to Copenhagen: In December this year, parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will descend on Copenhagen to wrangle over the details of a new global climate deal - a potential successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
As the world moves along the road to Copenhagen, Nature will be covering every aspect of the science and politics of climate change in a series of special articles collected here.
Latest content: The Climate Crunch
Research published in Nature reveals that once a trillion tons of anthropogenic carbon has been released into the atmosphere, a peak global warming exceeding 2°C is likely. Yet only a third of economically recoverable oil, gas and coal reserves can be burned before 2100 if that 2°C warming is to be avoided. Faced with this climate crunch, three news features ask: will cutting back on carbon be tougher than we think? Can we drag CO2 directly from the air? And could we cool the planet with a wisp of mist? The worst-case scenario is a world in 2100 that has twice the level of pre-industrial CO2 in the atmosphere. If we want to avoid that, the time for action is now, says Nature. More...
Contribute to Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund today!
MCVEF is a non-profit, non-partisan, tax exempt organization dedicated to educating citizens on conservation and environmental policy. MCVEF provides voter participation services to over 42,000 members of Montana's conservation and environmental community. Give a tax exempt gift to MCVEF today to help us publish Congressional Watch.
