FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 04, 2005

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

With Environmental Groups and Labor Unions Working Together, We Will Protect Both Workers and the Environment

San Francisco – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi delivered the keynote address at the 23rd Annual Byron Sher Environmental Leadership Awards this evening.  The award ceremony, hosted by the California League of Conservation Voters, honored labor and environmental leaders in California.  Below are Pelosi’s remarks:

“Good evening.  Thank you for your kind introduction, Tom Adams.   It is a pleasure to be here tonight among so many friends.

“Thank you, Leon Billings for all you have done for the environment, especially your groundbreaking work on the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.

“Congratulations to tonight’s honorees:  John Laird, Bob Balgenorth, and Carla Din.  What you are doing is critical – bringing labor unions and environmental organizations together to fight for our common goals.

“In the 20th century, the labor movement laid a foundation for other progressive movements, including civil rights, women’s rights and protecting the environment. 

“The radical right wing that now controls the White House and Congress has worked for years to drive a wedge between blue-collar working people and progressive Democrats.  And they have often been successful.  It’s time to pull the wedge back out!

“The stakes are high.  The Republicans and their special interest lobbyists are eviscerating our natural resources and endangering our quality of life. 

“As with the deficit, they are all about momentary gain for themselves and their friends, with little regard for the long-term needs of our nation.

“Progressives must set aside our disagreements and come together again to achieve our common goals. 

“Working together in California, we are on the cutting edge, linking ideas to innovation and action.

“The Apollo Initiative for the 21st Century is a cutting edge idea, a bold plan to achieve energy independence in one generation.  With a coalition of unions and environmental groups, Carla Din is bringing the Apollo Initiative to life in California, linking clean energy to good jobs.  Congratulations, Carla.

“With his coalition, California Unions for Reliable Energy, Bob Balgenorth is showing that we can have good jobs and protect the environment.  Bob has won project labor agreements for new power plants, putting union men and women to work in good jobs, while meeting California’s environmental standards.  Congratulations, Bob.

“In Sacramento, Assemblyman John Laird achieved considerable success in his first term passing bills benefiting the environment and working people.  Now, as Assembly Budget Chair, he is in an even stronger position to make a difference for the people of California.  Congratulations, John.

“In Washington, labor unions and environmental groups are working together to defeat trade agreements that are harmful to workers and the environment.

“President Bush and the Republican Leadership want Congress to approve CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, but the agreement signed by the President last year is unacceptable. 

“Democrats oppose CAFTA because it fails to protect workers’ rights and the environment.  The Central American countries have inadequate, poorly enforced labor and environmental laws, and CAFTA would do nothing to strengthen them. 

“In their desperation to get votes for CAFTA, the Republicans claim they will deal with labor and environment issues with side agreements.  This is totally unacceptable.  The Administration should have dealt with these issues during the treaty negotiations.  Democrats won’t accept side bars, side letters, and side deals!

“While we have a strong coalition against CAFTA, this fight is by no means over.  I appeal to you, my friends in the labor and environmental movements, to redouble your efforts. 

“Protecting the environment has broad appeal in Congress and throughout the country.  As the Administration tries to persuade Members to vote for CAFTA, it is imperative for you to mobilize at the grassroots in the strongest possible way. 

“We are close to victory.  We can set the stage for trade agreements that respect workers and the environment. 

“If CAFTA were brought to the House floor now, it would fail.  With your help, we can stop CAFTA! 

“Environmentalists and unions have formed another coalition to oppose the nomination of William G. Myers to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  William Myers’ destructive views on the environment are crystal clear.  His disdain for Native American’s sacred places is extraordinary.  He opposes the legal basis for federal laws that protect the rights, health, and safety of all Americans. 

“It would be a tremendous setback if William Myers were to take a seat with the other justices of the Ninth Circuit here in San Francisco.  On the bright side, last month’s agreement among Senate moderates on judicial nominees does not protect his nomination from a filibuster, so we have renewed hope that Democrats can block it.  We must keep William Myers off the Ninth Circuit!

“In the House of Representatives, Democrats are fighting back. 

“As you all know, in the four and a half years of the Bush Administration, with the Republican Congress, 30 years of bipartisan progress on the environment has been rolled back.  Every week, critical regulations are weakened or eliminated. 

“This spring, Democrats stood together in unanimous opposition to the Republican budget.  Their budget slashes domestic initiatives that create jobs and protect the environment, while handing out lavish tax breaks to the wealthy.

“The results of the draconian Republican budget are now playing out in the annual funding bills.  The Interior and Environment Appropriations bill contains painful cuts in many environmental initiatives. 

“One of the Republicans’ targets this spring was clean and safe drinking water.  The debate reminded me of ‘water, water everywhere, but is it safe to drink?’

“The Republicans slashed funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund by $241 million, on top of last year’s cut of $251 million.  The clean water fund pays for cleaning up sewage and polluted run-off.  It also creates thousands of good jobs for engineers, contractors, skilled laborers, manufacturers, and others.

“Led by the Ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, David Obey of Wisconsin, Democrats fought to restore the $500 million for clean water by reducing the tax cut for millionaires.  The Republicans voted our amendment down.  They said we couldn’t afford it.

“Democrats did have a couple successes on clean water in the Interior bill.  With your help, we forced the Environmental Protection Agency to back away from a new policy allowing partially-treated sewage in lakes in rivers, which are the source of our drinking waters.

“We also had a strong vote against opening up the protected areas on the Outer Continental Shelf to exploration for natural gas.  We will not allow our beautiful coastlines to be laid waste by oil spills!

“As we all know in California, even a small amount of the gasoline additive MTBE can contaminate our water.  Democrats are working to ban MTBE. 

“Can you believe that even with the public outcry to eliminate MTBE, House Republicans insisted on freeing MTBE producers from liability?  They don’t just want to protect MTBE from lawsuits.  They want to give the MTBE companies 10 years to phase it out, and give them a $2 billion dollar payoff. And even after 10 years, the President could still decide not to ban MTBE! 

“Led by Congresswoman Lois Capps of California, Democrats fought to strike protection for MTBE from the energy bill.  We narrowly lost the vote, but we forced Republicans to show the American people where they stand, and that’s with the polluters!

“Last year, because Tom DeLay insisted on the MTBE provision, we brought the whole energy bill down.  We hope to do the same this year.  It’s a bad bill, and it won’t do anything to solve our energy problems.

“As the 109th Congress goes forward, Democrats will continue to fight for clean water, clean air, and cleaning up toxic wastes that are endangering the health of our children.

“Democrats in the House of Representatives have put forward our New Partnership for America’s Future, which reaffirms our dedication to six core values for a strong and secure middle class:  national security, prosperity, fairness, opportunity, community, and accountability.

“The core value of community includes our commitment to enforcing our environmental laws, cleaning up pollution, harnessing innovative technology to produce affordable clean energy, and preserving our great national parks, forests, fragile coastlines and wildlife.  Our rallying cry is that polluters should pay for the damage they do.  Our children should not pay with their health!

“Thank you, California League of Conservation Voters.  You win victories not only because you are right, but because you are tough and politically savvy and relentless.  You put legislators on notice that America’s beautiful environment must be protected.

“Keep talking about real, daily problems that affect everyone’s quality of life—safe neighborhoods, clean water and air, and public health—problems that the average person can identify with and become outraged over. 

“We need to combine our inside maneuvering in Congress with your outside mobilization.  Environmentalists will win, not just because we are right or committed.  We will win because we are strategic and organized!

“Thank you to tonight’s honorees, and thanks to all of you for your dedication to the fight to conserve our precious environment.  Good night.”

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi