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Environment

Environment

We have a responsibility to leave the planet in better shape than we found it for the next generation. I will continue to look for ways to achieve this goal during my time in Congress.
 
Historic Preservation
I, along with Rep. Mike Turner, started the National Historic Preservation Caucus to serve as a forum for Members to discuss ways to protect and revitalize historic places and structures. America's historic places define our national character and deserve our care and stewardship. The value of these places is not solely in what they teach us about our history, but also in what they promise for our future.
 
National Parks
I believe our national parks reflect our national identity and must be preserved. I support increased funding to our national parks because I am concerned that they are undermanned and have insufficient resources to be properly managed. Poaching or inappropriate use could impede the health of these environmental sanctuaries, and I have co-sponsored legislation to protect our national parks.
 
I am a co-sponsor of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, which would designate millions of acres of federal land throughout Utah as wilderness. The legislation would ensure that this land is available for future generations to enjoy. 
 
Beach Protections
North Carolina has 241 public coastal beaches that stretch 415 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. In a report "Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches" by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), North Carolina's beaches were ranked high for percentage of samples that met the public health standards. North Carolina's beaches play a significant role in the state's economy with millions of tourists visiting our state's beaches every year. 
 
The Beach Protection Act would reauthorize the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, which requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work with states on using the latest science to test beach waters. If the water is positive for contaminants, the beaches are required to close until the beaches are cleaned. This law also set up monitoring and notification programs to provide information on the conditions of all public beaches. The Beach Protection Act also requires the EPA to approve methods of detecting water contamination within two hours so that beaches may be closed quickly. Currently, it takes 24 to 48 hours for reliable testing results. This legislation would also increase the annual grant to $60 million annually. In 2006, North Carolina received a $302,000 BEACH Act grant. On April 16, 2008, this legislation passed the House by a voice vote; had a recorded vote been requested, I would have voted in favor of this bill. It now goes to the Senate for further consideration.
 
Wildlife Protection
I have joined the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus in an effort to raise awareness for the refuge system, support adequate budgets and to ensure that future generations have access to our refuges. More than 40 million people visit National Wildlife Refuges each year for recreation, education, hunting, fishing, bird watching, photography and much more. There is at least one wildlife refuge in each of the 50 states, and one within an hour’s drive of every major U.S. city.
 
In addition, I am a cosponsor of the Udall-Eisenhower Artic Wilderness Act (HR 39), which aims to designate the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as a wilderness area with permanent protection. The Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge stretches from the Beaufort Sea to the Brooks Range and serves as a crucial breeding and migratory habitat for more than 200 species, including polar bears, caribou, and more than 160 birds. The act would permanently close this unique ecological zone to oil drilling and development.
 
Last year, I was one of more than 120 proud cosponsors of the Udall-Eisenhower Artic Wilderness Act and this year I joined 130 of my colleagues in co-sponsoring this legislation in the 110th Congress. 
 
I will continue to look for ways to support preservation of our wildlife refuges.

I believe the United States, as the world's leader in science and technology, has a responsibility to develop solutions that protect our planet's resources without adversely affecting economic and social progress.

 As Chairman of the Science and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, I have had the opportunity to hold hearings relating to climate change. I plan to continue using my subcommittee as a bully pulpit for promoting sensible policies that can reduce the threat global warming poses to our planet. 

I believe that we need to focus more of our resources towards climate research and am a cosponsor of the Climate Stewardship Act. This legislation would call for the reduction of emissions for six greenhouse gases from anticipated levels beginning in 2010. It would require that greenhouse gas emissions from covered entities be limited to year 2000 levels. 

The main threat to polar bears is habitat loss from receding sea ice. It is clear that global warming is the proximate cause for the melting of Arctic Sea Ice and the loss of the polar bear's habitat.
 
As Chairman of the Science and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, I have had the opportunity to preside over hearings relating to the polar bear such as a hearing on the major global warming-related challenges facing the Arctic, including the fate of polar bears as projected by the U.S. Geological Survey.