Congressman Dennis Kucinich

Environment

Congressman Kucinich recognizes that we cannot continue to allow the exploitation of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land that feeds us as if they were unlimited resources. They are precious resources and they are owned by the public. Polluting and abusing these resources is neither sensible nor sustainable from an economic, human health, or environmental standpoint. Congressman Kucinich will continue to press for tough enforcement of existing environmental laws and the continued strengthening of these laws. Creation of a sustainable and just world is a top priority for Congressman Kucinich.

One of the best ways to make change in the world is to adopt a sustainable approach to living at the local level. Right now in Cleveland, there is an effort to bring sustainability to Northeast Ohio. People are organizing elected officials, businesses and the public to adopt sustainability as a regional policy. The result will be programs to control urban sprawl, promote livable communities and smart growth, and regional planning in an environmentally beneficial way.

Advancing Asbestos Reduction in Developing Countries

Funding Lead Removal From Schools

Advancing Asbestos Reduction in Developing Countries

Following a letter of inquiry spearheaded by Congressman Kucinich and co-signed by four other Members of Congress, the World Bank has finalized construction guidance that would drastically decrease the use of asbestos in new construction projects. The report, originally commissioned in 2006, was technically reviewed in 2008 but stalled awaiting final administrative approval. In March 2009, Congressman Kucinich sent a letter to World Bank President Robert Zoellick questioning the delay.

Asbestos is a highly toxic material that has no place in construction projects here or anywhere else, especially when viable alternatives are available. This guidance will reduce exposure and permanent lung damage to citizens and workers around the world. Global asbestos use is on the rise at the very time it should be eliminated. This report is a necessary first step toward reversing that trend

The guidance states: “Health hazards from breathing asbestos dust include asbestosis, a lung scarring disease, and various forms of cancer ... Mesothelioma, a signal tumor for asbestos exposure, occurs among workers’ family members from dust on the workers’ clothes and among neighbors of asbestos air pollution point sources. Some experimental animal studies show that high inhalation exposures to all forms of asbestos for only hours can cause cancer.”

The full text of the 17 page report is available HERE.

Funding Lead Removal From Schools

Congressman Kucinich won a victory to ensure that money will be available for schools to remove sources of lead in drinking water. His legislative language was included in a committee amendment to H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, which passed the full House of Representatives on May 14, 2009. Ohio schools will be able to apply for grants from the estimated pool of $228 million for Ohio to replace potential sources of lead including solder, pipe fittings, faucets, valves, meters, pipes, and any fixtures containing brass. Congressman Kucinich is a member of the Education and Labor Committee that passed the legislation.

Schools in cities with older infrastructure, like Cleveland, are in special need of attention because their plumbing may still contain lead. However, newer buildings also contain potential sources of lead, including solder, pipe fittings, faucets, valves, meters, and any fixtures containing brass. The longer water remains in contact with lead plumbing, the more likely the lead can enter the water. That means that facilities with on again/off again water patterns, such as schools, are at a much greater risk of water contamination.

Lead poisoning remains a serious concern in Cleveland and nationally. In 2007, over 22% of Cleveland children tested were found to have an elevated blood lead levels, according to the City of Cleveland. Children are particularly sensitive to lead contamination. Their bodies are developing and growing and absorb more lead than an adult body. Even at low levels of lead exposure, children can experience reduced I.Q., impaired learning and language skills, hearing loss, problems with attention span, and aggressive behavior that studies have linked to a higher likelihood of criminal activity. At greater levels, lead poisoning can also damage the brain and central nervous systems, interfering with learning and physical growth.

Global Warming and FEMA

In the spring of 2006, Congressman Kucinich introduced an amendment to the FY2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, H.R. 5441. It would have required FEMA to conduct a comprehensive study of the increase in demand for FEMA's emergency response and disaster relief services as a result of weather related disasters associated with global warming during the next 20 years. The assessment would have included an analysis of the budget, material and manpower needed to meet the increased demand for FEMA services. Though the amendment failed on a largely party line vote, it paved the way for similar studies to be passed by the House in the future.

After persistent efforts, Congressman Kucinich was successful in getting language in H.R. 3221, the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act that required the FEMA study. H.R. 3221 passed the House of Representatives on August 4, 2007.

Congressman Kucinich then took steps to make sure the information was put to use. Just days prior to the bill’s final passage, Congressman Kucinich held a hearing on FEMA’s preparedness, in which he got R. David Paulison, Administrator of FEMA, to admit FEMA's failure to plan for the increase in extreme weather like Hurricane Katrina that is expected to occur as a result of global warming. Under dogged questioning by Congressman Kucinich, Mr. Paulison admitted that they had not considered global warming in their long term planning. He then promised that FEMA would consider the predicted effects of global warming in their future planning.

In the wake of a devastating 2005 hurricane season, Congressman Kucinich introduced a Resolution of Inquiry (H. Res. 515) demanding that the White House submit to Congress all documents in their possession relating to the anticipated effects of climate change on the coastal regions of the United States.

The Kucinich resolution was co-sponsored by 150 Members of Congress including the House Minority Whip and the Ranking Members of the House Science Committee, Government Reform Committee, Education and the Workforce Committee, Transportation Committee, Judiciary Committee, Rules Committee, Ways and Means Committee, Small Business Committee, House Administration Committee and Homeland Security Committee.

A Resolution of Inquiry is a rare House procedure used to obtain documents from the Executive Branch.

Resolved, that the President of the United States is requested to provide to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of adoption of this resolution, all documents (including minutes and memos) in his possession relating to the effects of climate change on the coastal regions of the United States produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Weather Service, the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Assessment Synthesis Team, and the US Geological Survey.

Congressman Kucinich passed an amendment to the Beaches Protection Act on April 18, 2008 that will make Ohio’s shores cleaner and safer, while protecting the local economy. The amendment would let the public know when a state or local government is able to identify the source of pathogenic contamination of water bodies like Lake Erie.

HR 2537, the Beaches Protection Act, would allow state and local governments that get grants to monitor beach water quality to use their funds to identify the source of the contamination. The Kucinich amendment requires that the public is notified when the polluter is identified. Communities deserve to know about the health threats that exist in their own backyard. When people are given information about pollution sources in their neighborhood, they become stewards of the environment. Community Right-to-Know approaches to environmental protection have been held up as an example of effectiveness, empowerment, and low cost in environmental protection strategies. The Toxics Release Inventory, which discloses pollution information from the largest facilities, is a well-known example.

Beach waters contaminated by raw sewage, one of the primary causes of substandard water quality, pose threats to health and to the economy. The short term health risks of swimming in water contaminated with biological pathogens are known to include gastroenteritis, respiratory infection, ear infection, skin rashes, and pinkeye. Lake Erie provides drinking water for approximately 11 million people. The risks are also economic. Many coastal communities, including Northeast Ohio, depend on tourism for their local economies. Lake Erie alone generates $2.5 billion dollars annually in tourism revenue.

Congressman Kucinich announced a plan to protect the Great Lakes Compact, which is vulnerable because of the bottled water loophole. The Compact defines Great Lakes water diverted in containers of 5.7 gallons or less as a commodity instead of a public good. That creates a loophole that could be exploited and widened to result in the privatization of Great Lakes waters for commercial sale, thus undermining the intent of the agreement. If implemented, Congressman Kucinich's plan would have strengthened the Compact while keeping it on track for rapid final approval by Congress.

The first step of the plan is to clarify that Congress does not intend the Great Lakes to be a product, but a publicly owned entity. On August 20, Congressman Kucinich sent a letter to the Judiciary Committee requesting clarification in a report that accompanies the Congressional ratification of the Compact. This letter is available here.

The second step of the plan is to adopt Congressman Kucinich’s bill, H.R. 6814, which strengthens the public doctrine by amending the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, which tasks the Great Lakes states with negotiating what ultimately became the Compact. Congressman Kucinich was the first in Congress to raise concerns about the bottled water loophole when he wrote about it in a 2006 article featured in Waterkeeper magazine.

In the summer of 2006, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that it had set up 34 zones throughout the Great Lakes, including Lake Erie near Ohio's 10th Congressional District, to conduct live fire exercises on small boats. The Great Lakes are the world’s largest source of fresh water and provide clean drinking water for the people of the entire region. Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes are also an important resource for trade, recreation, transportation, species diversity, and international cooperation. Upon learning about the proposal for live fire exercises, which would have involved large quantities of lead ammunition to be discharged into Lake Erie, Congressman Kucinich called a summit of local environmental, labor, commerce, and government officials to help understand the implications of these weapon exercises. Congressman Kucinich also called upon individuals and representatives of organizations to comment to the Coast Guard as part of the Coast Guard's rulemaking process. Congressman Kucinich asked the Coast Guard to conduct a full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970. Nearly 1,000 citizens commented, mostly against the proposed weapon exercises. As a result of these efforts, the Coast Guard decided to forego the exercises. Congressman Kucinich remains vigilant of any future efforts by the Coast Guard to revitalize its plans and stands ready to once again lead the opposition against live fire exercises in the Great Lakes.

Environmental Health Perspectives

Congressman Kucinich organized opposition to a proposal by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) that would privatize one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed journals in the world: Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).

EHP ranks first among one hundred thirty-two environmental science journals, and among ninety public environmental and occupational health journals. If it were considered among the general medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA, it would rank tenth.

Much of its prestige and quality directly results from its status as an independent, publicly funded journal. For example, it has one of the strictest conflict-of-interest policies of all peer-reviewed journals. It is uniquely able to carry out public education efforts and grant free access to some of the most important science of our time, which the private publishing sector would be unlikely to support. Its management by NIEHS also bestows scientific prestige by proxy.

EHP is already run efficiently. In the last four years, the NIEHS has reduced the EHP budget by fifteen per cent while turning it into a journal whose research articles are free, expanding EHP’s reach to other countries, expanding EHP’s educational programs, and dramatically increasing the scientific quality of the articles. NIEHS continues to aggressively seek cost cutting measures.

Congressman Kucinich organized support among colleagues in the House and sent a letter to the head of the National Institutes of Health in opposition to this change. In the summer of 2006, the NIEHS announced that it would not privatize the journal, a significant win for Congressman Kucinich and scientists and advocates the world over who depend on the journal.

However, another attempt to privatize EHP was uncovered in late 2006. Congressman Kucinich is continuing to work to maintain the reputation, integrity, and value of EHP.

Protecting NIEHS Priorities

The National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is shifting its priorities under its former director. However, some research on the effects of environmental problems on our health is too important to eliminate. Congressman Kucinich spearheaded a letter signed by leadership of relevant caucuses and committees that expressed support of research that is on the chopping block. Those areas include:

- Disproportionate health impacts on communities of color

- Research that involves and directly assists the communities affected by the pollution

- Research on the prevention of children’s diseases with environmental causes

- Prompt release of the biannual Report on Carcinogens, a description of suspected or known carcinogens.

The Report on Carcinogens (RoC) is a biannual, congressionally mandated report that scientifically evaluates the scientific evidence to compile a list of all substances known or suspected to cause human cancers and to which Americans are exposed. The RoC is a reference standard for the private sector, for certain legislation, and is even used overseas as an authoritative text on carcinogens. The timely release of this critical Report is a priority for state and federal regulators, for international regulatory bodies, for communities, and for Members of Congress. Congressman Kucinich has learned that the RoC has been placed on track for release by early 2007. Before the NIEHS letter mentioned above, the RoC was believed to be two years behind schedule.

After receiving numerous complaints about the conduct of NIEHS Director, Dr. David Schwartz, Congressman Kucinich teamed up with Congressman Henry Waxman to conduct a joint inquiry through the Domestic Policy Subcommittee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Since then, three additional committees initiated their own inquiries into Dr. Schwartz. In August 2007, Dr. Schwartz stepped down as Director of NIEHS until an internal inquiry is completed.

After Dr. Schwartz stepped down, Congressman Kucinich had a hearing in the Domestic Policy Subcommittee about the prudence of Dr. Schwartz’s decision to change the research direction of EHP’s research agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). During that hearing, acting Director, Sam Wilson, pledged to retain NIEHS’ focus on prevention of disease instead of continuing Dr. Schwartz’s efforts to move toward treatment and cure, which is typically the domain of the other institutes in the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In February 2008, Dr. Schwartz stepped down permanently.

Mercury exits power plants that burn coal, falls back to the ground, and ends up in our rivers, lakes and oceans. The result is that 45 states, including Ohio, have advisories against eating certain fish. The EPA estimates that over 600,000 fetuses are put at risk every year because of mercury exposure through the mother’s consumption of fish. Yet, the EPA’s Clear Skies bill will allow these power plants to continue to foul our air, water and food with mercury for a much longer time period than if they were to simply enforce the existing law, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Congressman Kucinich has cosponsored the Clean Smokestacks act, mentioned above. He also gave a powerful opening statement to the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs in which he detailed the health effects of mercury exposure and illustrated why it makes economic sense to implement strong mercury regulations. He then questioned Stephen Johnson, Deputy Administrator of the EPA, who admitted for the record that the EPA had used language supplied by industry in its rulemaking for mercury.

Environmental Risks Of Mercury In Dental Fillings

Congressman Kucinich organized opposition to a proposal by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) that would privatize one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed journals in the world: Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).

EHP ranks second among one hundred thirty two environmental science journals, and fifth among ninety public environmental and occupational health journals. If it were considered among the general medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA, it would rank tenth.

Much of its prestige and quality directly results from its status as an independent, publicly funded journal. For example, it has one of the strictest conflict-of-interest policies of all peer-reviewed journals. It is uniquely able to carry out public education efforts and grant free access to some of the most important science of our time, which the private publishing sector would be unlikely to support. Its management by NIEHS also bestows scientific prestige by proxy.

EHP is already run efficiently. In the last four years, the NIEHS has reduced the EHP budget by fifteen per cent while turning it into a journal whose research articles are free, expanding EHP’s reach to other countries, expanding EHP’s educational programs, and dramatically increasing the scientific quality of the articles. NIEHS continues to aggressively seek cost cutting measures.

Congressman Kucinich organized support among colleagues in the House and sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health in opposition to this change.

Keeping Oil and Gas Interests Out of the Interior Department

Since being appointed in August 2001, Deputy Secretary Griles has received $284,000 annually for four years from his former lobbying firm, National Environmental Strategies. His NES salary is nearly double what he receives as Deputy Secretary. Congressman Kucinich is concerned about possible conflicts of interest at the Interior Department because of this unusual financial situation and because the issues pushed by Griles’ former clients are the same ones he advocates as Deputy Secretary, including: oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf, weakening Clean Water Act rules in order to allow mine fill to be dumped in rivers and streams, weakening Clean Air Act rules for electric utilities so they do not have to adopt modern pollution controls when plants undergo upgrades that increase emissions, and pressuring the EPA to remove environmental concerns about coal bed methane gas drilling in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. Unfortunately, the Interior Department has refused to release to the public the $1.1million financial arrangement or ethics decisions related to it. Congressman Kucinich has led his colleagues in a request to the Interior Departments for these documents.

Toxics

In 2005, the EPA announced its plans to weaken the Toxics Release Inventory, an essential program that requires polluters disclose how much they are polluting. This information is critical to emergency personnel who need to know where the toxic chemicals are in their areas in order to protect the public. It is also important to researchers who look for patterns of diseases like cancers that might be caused by the polluters. Congressman Kucinich was a signatory to a letter opposing the changes. He also joined two of his colleagues on the Government Reform Committee to demand justification for the attempted cuts when the need for a strong TRI has never been greater.

The widespread use of pesticides in the environment has brought convenience with a cost. Untold numbers of Americans are exposed each day to pesticides, whose long-term effects may never be known. At the same time, these pesticides are sometimes an essential weapon in the fight against insect borne diseases like West Nile Virus (WNV). In October 2004, Congressman Kucinich urged the Committee on Government Reform to consider the long term effects to the environment and human health of allowing public health officials to use pesticides against WNV without limit even when it was against the law and there were cleaner, healthier, more effective ways to do the job. Read the testimony here.

December 3, 2003 marked the 19th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster in India, in which 27,000 died and over 100,000 remained health impacted due to their toxics exposure. However, Union Carbide and its parent company, Dow Chemical, as well as the Indian government, have failed to clean up the factory site or prevent further poisoning of Bhopal’s water source from the chemicals. On May 22, 2003, Congressman Kucinich hosted a delegation of survivors of the Bhopal disaster to speak to Members of Congress and Congressional staff. In July 2003, Congressman Kucinich spearheaded a letter to Dow Chemical to urge it to take responsibility for environmental remediation. He was joined by 17 other Members of Congress in sending this letter. Congressman Kucinich was also part of an amicus brief filed by Members of Congress in October 2003 on behalf of the victims of the Bhopal disaster. The purpose of the brief was to urge the court to hold Dow Chemical accountable for the environmental disaster.

CERCLA, or Superfund, is a comprehensive law that addresses hazardous waste cleanup. Superfund included a series of small taxes in order to be consistent with the law’s “polluter pays” principle. Congressman Kucinich has worked to ensure that polluters, not taxpayers, pay the bill for pollution and that pollution is cleaned quickly and thoroughly. In order to push for faster cleanup of Superfund sites, Congressman Kucinich conducted an investigation and authored the report: What is a corporate tax cut worth? When it’s the Superfund clean up tax, it’s the “Best Bargain in Washington” for campaign contributions. He wrote a letter to Budget Committee Chairman Nussle and Ranking Member Spratt with many of his colleagues requesting a renewal of the taxes, and has been a cosponsor of legislation that would reinstate Superfund taxes.

In order to prevent US-financed pollution overseas, Congressman Kucinich spearheaded a letter in July to the President of the International Finance Corporation, James Wolfensohn, urging the IFC to vote against a loan for construction of a pollution-causing plastics plant in India. The plant would not only cause dangerous air pollution for Indian residents at levels that would be illegal in the United States, but would also complicate the ability of residents to access drinking water. The loan has not been granted.

In August 2002, Congressman Kucinich learned that a respected scientist at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences was being forced to sign a gag order. The scientist, Dr. James Huff, has spent decades working on occupational cancer risks. After Congressman Kucinich sent a letter raising questions about the gag order to NIEHS Director Olden, the gag order was withdrawn. Congressman Kucinich mobilized members on the Committee of Government Reform, and Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources, which has jurisdiction over NIEHS to ensure that public health scientists do not face threats against their work again.

Lead in the Environment

The most common source of lead poisoning in adults and children is lead paint. Not only are children susceptible to eating paint chips which contain lead, but lead can exist in dust from friction points like doors and windows. In addition, when homes are cleaned up by contractors, the lead problem can be made worse the work is not performed correctly. The Environmental Protection Agency released draft rules for contractors doing such work that did not protect homeowners or workers. Congressman Kucinich filed comments in support of a stronger rule. Read the comments HERE.

Water

Congressman Kucinich worked to ensure that all people can access clean water. Where access and quality are threatened by privatization, such as in the African country of Ghana, he has held briefings. As a fact-finding mission was leaving for Ghana, Congressman Kucinich hosted a congressional staff briefing for the delegates to speak about how international financial assistance was tied to water privatization projects. Such private projects have not been successful in helping get water to people in poor countries, and thus raise questions about the conditions under how US tax dollars are being spent. In August 2002, Congressman Kucinich traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa for the World Summit on Sustainable Development where he opened a session of the Parliamentarians for Global Action with a keynote speech on water privatization.

When it was reported that a major Clean Water Act program was going to be weakened, Congressman Kucinich questioned EPA Administrator Whitman during a Subcommittee hearing in July 2002. The Total Maximum Daily Load program (TMDL) sets maximum levels of different pollutants for water bodies that can still be considered in compliance with water quality standards. Currently, the overwhelming majority of the nation’s population lives within 10 miles of a polluted water body, and much work still needs to be done to clean up widespread pollution. When reports became clear that TMDL was going to suffer significant negative changes, Congressman Kucinich helped to spearhead a letter among his Congressional colleagues to oppose the rollbacks.

Nuclear Power/Waste

On June 14, 2000 Representative Kucinich sent a letter to the Secretary of Treasury objecting to the use of taxpayer dollars for a loan to Ukraine to complete the K2/R4 nuclear reactor project. The controversial reactors could not be licensed in the U.S., nor any other Western country, as their designs fall well below modern Western safety standards. The letter was signed by eight additional Members of Congress. Acting on behalf of the safety and health interests of all Americans, the Congressman sought to protect people from the dangers of nuclear waste. Congressman Kucinich has offered several amendments to each nuclear waste bill providing for unnecessary nuclear waste transportation. He has raised key safety issues such as avoiding populated communities, full-scale nuclear waste transportation cask testing, consultation with state and local government to select transport routes, ensuring private transportation carriers follow the routes selected, and advance notification of shipments. Congressman Kucinich authored a letter to Secretary Bill Richardson, the Secretary of Energy, asking for the release of Department of Energy maps of potential nuclear waste transportation routes. He also led a bipartisan group of Members of Congress to demand that the Department of Energy make available to the general public the potential routes. The effort was successful with the release of these maps on the OCRWM - Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management website.

Cleveland’s Eveready Plant Cleanup

In January 2000, Congressman Kucinich intervened in the planned redevelopment of the abandoned Eveready Battery factory. Eveready decided to abandon the original developer in favor of a less experienced developer who did not insist on a full environmental cleanup at this old battery production site. However, documentation of toxic metals and volatile organic chemicals in a waste pit on the site indicated that a cleanup was necessary. The Congressman asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to intervene to ensure public safety. Since these documents were not readily available for the public to review, Congressman Kucinich placed all the available environmental cleanup documents at the Walz Branch of the Cleveland Public Library over the objections of Eveready. The. U.S. EPA review should be complete soon.

Lincoln Park

Congressman Kucinich’s office was instrumental in obtaining a grant worth nearly half a million dollars to restore Lincoln Park in Tremont. The Urban Park and Recreation Recovery (UPARR) grant will be used to restore the park and make it a useful, attractive park in the center of the Tremont neighborhood.

Cleveland Cultural Gardens

Congressman Kucinich has continued ongoing efforts to ensure that the Cleveland Cultural Gardens remain protected against efforts by Cleveland Hopkins International Airport misapply federal wetland restoration money in a way that would harm this landmark of national and international historic significance. These efforts began in 2001 at the request of Cultural Garden's president George Parras, through Congressman Kucinich’s invocation of the National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 proceedings, and on to current efforts to protect and create a future international peace park.

Congressman Kucinich won $517,000 for the Cleveland Botanical Garden in the FY08 Commerce, Justice and Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. The Cleveland Botanical Garden provides sensory-rich environments to promote life-long learning. Their mission, blending education, social responsibility, culture and environmental stewardship helps people of all ages and backgrounds appreciate and benefit from the positive role that plants play in their lives. The funding for the Cleveland Botanical Garden will be used to expand the Green Corps entrepreneurial work/study program, serving disadvantaged urban teenagers, to additional locations. Green Corps gives disadvantaged urban teenagers the opportunity to learn horticultural and business skills that prepare them for success in the work place or college and encourages them to become lifelong environmental stewards.

Addressing Cuyahoga River Flooding Problems

In June 2006, several communities within the 10th Congressional District suffered significant flood damage along the Cuyahoga River and it tributaries. The communities included Brooklyn Heights, Independence, Parma, Valley View, and Walton Hills.

On July 16, 2006, at the request of mayors and small businesses in the affected communities, Congressman Kucinich held a community meeting to ensure the needs of the residents and small business were met by the appropriate federal agencies: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

FEMA confirmed that it was able to help residents affected by the flooding. The SBA confirmed that it could help businesses with flood assessments, including advice on what was needed for mitigation; and low-interest loans.

As of September 2006, the federal government had approved $3.2 million worth of repairs for Cuyahoga County residents and $170,000 for Cuyahoga County small businesses, with many applications still outstanding.

Public infrastructure damage estimates for the local communities exceeded $3.2 million in damages. Because the total damages are less than the necessary amount to trigger federal assistance, Kucinich worked with the State of Ohio and other members of the Ohio Congressional delegation to ensure that state help is available for local infrastructure damages.

Prior to community meeting, a number of constituents commented that the floods were coming more frequently than they remembered in the past. Therefore, Congressman Kucinich requested that the Army Corps of Engineers come to the July 16 meeting to hear from constituents and work with this office on long-term problem solving about the flooding. Long term planning is still needed to avoid future floods.

The Army Corps of Engineers attended the July 16 meeting and returned to the area later that week to meet with mayors and constituents about the flooding. Congressman Kucinich and Mayors requested a study by the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate flood damage reduction measures for affected cities. The funding was awarded

Efforts on Cuyahoga River Bank Stabilization

The west bank of the Cuyahoga River behind the West 25th Street Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) facility has experienced erosion. In 2000, Kucinich secured authorization for $500,000 for stream bank protection. In 2008, the erosion has worsened enough to threaten the Cuyahoga ship channel. At the suggestion of local authorities, Kucinich pushed to fund a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study to determine what specific actions must be taken to avert a stream bank failure. At Kucinich’s urging, the study commenced in summer 2008. He will continue to work with the Army Corps.

West Creek

Congressman Kucinich has worked closely with the West Creek Preservation Committee and residents in Parma, Independence, Brooklyn Heights, Walton Hills, Valley View, and Seven Hills to preserve this important tributary to the Cuyahoga River. Together with the WCPC and people of these communities, Congressman Kucinich helped acquire much of the $13.5 million in federal and state dollars that have gone into the preservation of the West Creek, including the preservation of nearly 500 acres, including the new 300 acre West Creek Reservation Metro Park, and the preservation of the historic Henninger House. Congressman Kucinich's help in a state lawsuit in 2001 and 2002, in conjunction with Parma's Mayor and Law Director and the efforts of the WCPC, resulted in the scaling back of a retail development that would have paved over most of the headwaters to West Creek. Much of the natural environment at the headwaters are now preserved.

In the summer of 2008, Congressman Kucinich announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded Cleveland Hopkins International Airport a grant of $880,000 to study airport noise. The grant was from DOT’s “Part 150” Noise Study, which local airports conduct under the rules of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The award was made on June 11, 2008. The Study will be a vital piece of the region’s response to the FAA’s Midwest Airspace Enhancement Program (MASE), which affects areas near Hopkins. MASE was originally implemented to ease congestion and simplify routes in the Cleveland air route traffic control centers; however, an unintended consequence of the Program was an increase in airplane noise.

This grant will enable Hopkins, with input from the people living near the airport, to be a better neighbor. The people living around the airport deserve to have a peaceful environment, and noise mitigation studies will help to accomplish this.

For years, Kucinich has fought for noise protections for the residents of the 10th district living around Hopkins. Moving forward, Kucinich has requested that Airport officials assemble an advisory council for the Noise Study and that the council includes residents living in the immediate vicinity of the airport.

Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Congressman Kucinich believes that allowing oil companies to explore for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska would further enrich big oil at the expense of the environment and human rights. By threatening the viability of the Porcupine Caribou hers that calves near the proposed drilling area, the future of the native Gwich’in tribe would be in immediate jeopardy. They depend on the herd for food and religious ceremonies. Depriving the Gwich’in of their means of subsistence and culture is a violation of international human rights agreements. Congressman Kucinich fought attempts to slip language into the must-pass FY06 Defense Appropriations bill as well as the Budget Reconciliation bill. Read Congressman Kucinich's speech, Dancing with Ghosts. He also championed a statement of support from members of Congress in support of the human rights of the Gwich’in.

Clean Air and Global Warming

Climate change will be one of the most important issues today’s generation will have to address. The most reputable scientists in the world agree that it is not only already underway, but there is still time to reduce its effects. Though the U.S. holds only 3% of the world’s population, it is responsible for 25% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Congressman Kucinich believes we have a responsibility to take action. In December 2004, Congressman Kucinich was the only Democrat to attend the Conference of Parties (COP 10) in Buenos Aires, Argentina where hundreds of governments gathered to try to determine ways to address climate change. There, he made it clear to the world that the majority of Americans want their country to act to address climate change. He also met with parliamentarians from China, Great Britain, The European Union, and others to discuss possible ways forward, despite the refusal of the Bush administration to take action.

History will likely show that one of the drivers of the disastrous hurricane season of 2005 was climate change. And yet, the administration continues its resistance to taking substantive action to counter it. In addition, the unacceptable response to Hurricane Katrina alone suggested no forewarning of this kind of event. In October 2005, Congressman Kucinich submitted a resolution of inquiry, which is analogous to a legislative subpoena, requesting copies of information in the possession of the President pertaining to the effects of climate change on the coastal United States. The resolution had 150 cosponsors.

Congressman Kucinich is committed to keeping our air free from pollution. In June 2002, he testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works during the hearing: Benefits and Costs of Multi-Pollutant Legislation, on the public health and environmental benefits of the Clean Power Act. Congressman Kucinich stressed the ethics of enacting multi pollutant legislation, for air pollution adversely affects society’s most vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. He is a cosponsor of multi-pollutant legislation introduced in the House, the Clean Smokestacks Act, which would require significant reductions in power plants by four key pollutants: mercury, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.

In addition to working for improved clean air legislation, he has also actively opposed rollbacks of the Clean Air Act. In March 2002, he wrote to Administrator Whitman to oppose U.S. EPA’s proposed direct final rule to approve Ohio EPA’s weak nonattainment New Source Review program and has sent Dear Colleagues to House members opposing New Source Review rollbacks.

Congressman Kucinich believes that job creation and economic revitalization are consistent with protecting the environment. In the 105th Congress, Congressman Kucinich initiated an effort to safeguard our environment by fighting to protect the Clean Air Act and to safeguard the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to tighten air quality standards. Congressman Kucinich maintained in letters to President Clinton and EPA Administrator Carol Browner that the public supports stricter clean air standards, and that these standards should be implemented without delay. The Congressman organized his colleagues by leading a campaign against an amendment to an appropriations bill that attempted to block the EPA from enforcing air quality standards. The amendment was quickly withdrawn after a bipartisan coalition in opposition was mobilized.

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