Environment and Energy

Throughout his more than 20 years in the United States Senate, Senator Lieberman has proven himself a true environmental champion. From helping to negotiate the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, to consistently working to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska from oil and gas drilling and exploration, to fighting to better fund conservation efforts along Long Island Sound and authoring several bills to combat climate change – including the first one to ever make it to the Senate floor for a vote, Senator Lieberman has committed himself tirelessly to the preservation of our air, land and water.

Senator Lieberman believes there is no greater threat to our environment than global climate change. Global warming does not just threaten our environment. It endangers our economy and national security, as well. Left unabated, its impacts will ravage coastlines and coastal communities, destroy roadways and railways, and seriously degrade land resources and biodiversity. Additionally, climate-induced droughts will cause famine, threatening already scarce resources and further destabilizing developing nations that are unable to quickly adapt. Every day we fail to reform our energy habits, we guarantee the solution will be far more expensive; if we wait much longer, there may be no solution at all.

Although greenhouse gas concentrations are an international problem, the United States is undeniably wasteful when it comes to our consumption of energy, which is why Senator Lieberman has worked hard to ensure that efforts to improve building efficiency are properly funded and widely implemented.

Over the past five years, Senator Lieberman has introduced several bills to reduce our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions – two of which were voted on in the Senate, but ultimately failed. He believes that setting a cap on carbon dioxide emissions will not only benefit our environment, but will drive our economy forward as American entrepreneurs develop the clean energy technology that will fuel the United States in the future.

On May 12, 2010, Senators Lieberman and John Kerry released a comprehensive energy and climate discussion draft called the American Power Act (APA).  The goals of the APA are to create new jobs across the economy, increase our national security by putting America on a path toward energy independence, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and clean up our air and water.  Additionally, a priority of the APA is to achieve these goals through mechanisms that are business and consumer friendly.  Senator Lieberman is optimistic that the Senate will take up and pass this comprehensive energy and climate legislation this year.

To learn more about the American Power Act, click here.

Skip to: Energy Initiatives in the ARRA | LIHEAP | Protecting the Long Island Sound | Connecticut Conservation Efforts | Preserving the Upper Housatonic Valley | Recognizing Connecticut's Treasures | Lowering Energy Prices | Clean Water | Legislation from the 111th Congress |

Energy Initiatives in the ARRA

Senator Lieberman was among the majority of Senators who supported President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which included $43 billion specifically designed to revive the renewable energy industry and provide capital to eventually double domestic renewable energy generation capacity. $3 billion has already been directed for research, development, and implementation of a variety of renewable energy sources, including jumpstarting the construction of new bio-mass, solar, wind, and geo-thermal renewable production facilities.

US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu also announced plans to provide $93 million to support further development of wind energy in the US, as well as $467 million to expand and accelerate the research and use of geothermal and solar energy throughout the country. Not only will these projects move us closer to a clean energy economy, but their construction will also provide new green job opportunities in every region of the country. The ARRA also established a program to provide direct payments in lieu of tax credits in support of these new facilities. Senator Lieberman also worked to get an investment of an estimated $8 billion to local and state weatherization and energy efficiency efforts. More than $3.3 million will go directly to Connecticut in federal funding to update and improve the efficiency of state courthouses and federal buildings.

Lowering Energy Prices

Senator Lieberman firmly believes that financial speculation by institutional investors and hedge funds in the commodity markets is a primary reason food and oil costs have risen to unprecedented levels. Prices have fluctuated wildly in recent years. The Senator has chaired numerous hearings on the issue at the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

In 2008, Senator Lieberman introduced the Commodity Speculation Reform Act, S. 3248, which would add transparency to futures markets and close the door to excessive speculation by tightening key investment laws and clarifying the oversight mission of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The bill will also provide additional resources to the CFTC, whose oversight has grown over the past few years while its resources have dwindled. According to the Senator:

“Each trip to the gas station or grocery store puts a strain on family budgets. We are not, as some continue to argue, witnessing the ebb and flow of natural market forces at work. We are instead seeing excessive market speculation at work and that is why our government must step in with new laws to protect our economy and our consumers.”

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

The Senator has been a constant advocate for increased LIHEAP funding, especially in times of record energy prices. Senator Lieberman was proud to vote in favor of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act (HR. 2638), which increased LIHEAP funding in Fiscal Year 2009 to $5.1 billion, of which CT will receive $126 million. In May of 2009, Senator Lieberman joined with over 40 of his colleagues to send a letter to Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Cochran requesting that the FY 2009 funding level of $5.1 billion be maintained for FY 2010. The Senator has also co-sponsored legislation to enhance the ability of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state attorneys general to investigate and take action against gasoline price-gouging during times of declared emergency. For more information on Energy Assistance programs in Connecticut, visit the Citizen's Energy Corporation Website.

Protecting the Long Island Sound

In September 2006, Senator Lieberman helped secure final passage of his Long Island Sound Stewardship Act. President Bush signed the bill into law the following month. The Act will help protect Long Island Sound by providing financial incentives for landowners to preserve environmental quality and improve public access within the Long Island Sound area, which is home to 8,000,000 people.

Senator Lieberman and his Connecticut colleague, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), originally introduced the bill in 2004. It establishes a broad-based Long Island Sound Stewardship Advisory Committee, comprised of federal, state, local, and tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, landowners, farmers, fishermen, and other businesses. The Advisory Committee is charged with recommending land parcels within the region for designation by the US Environmental Protection Agency as Stewardship Sites eligible for special preservation funds. The Act authorizes $25 million per year for fiscal years 2007 through 2011 to the EPA Administrator to carry out the Act.

In February 2006, Senator Lieberman announced his opposition to the Shell/TransCanada proposal to place a 1,200-foot long floating re-gasification facility called Broadwater in the New York state waters of Long Island Sound. In addition to the installation of the floating re-gasification facility, the project would require a 25-mile underwater pipeline to connect the facility to the existing Iroquois pipeline. He cited the negative impacts that the facility's construction and operation threatened to have on wildlife, first responders, recreational users, and commercial fishermen.

Since that time, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the US Coast Guard each have issued a draft environmental impact statement, and the Coast Guard additionally has issued a waterway suitability report. Those documents support the project but at the same time identify dozens of costly and restrictive measures that would be necessary to protect public safety and the environment if the facility were built.

In May 2007, Senators Lieberman and Dodd wrote FERC to criticize the Commission's proposed environmental impact statement for the Broadwater project. They identified gaps in the underlying Coast Guard safety analysis and asked FERC to obtain new information filling those gaps before issuing any final environmental impact statement

New York State also objected to the project under the Coastal Zone Management Act on the grounds that the proposal was inconsistent with the Long Island Sound Coastal Management Program. On April 13, 2009, the Department of Commerce issued a decision upholding New York States’ and Senator Lieberman and Senator Dodd’s opposition to the Broadwater LNG proposal. In its review, the U.S. Department of Commerce concluded that the adverse coastal impacts outweighed its national interest and would undermine decades of federal, state, and local efforts to protect the region.

Connecticut Conservation Efforts

Preserving and promoting Connecticut's natural and historical treasures has been a priority for Senator Lieberman throughout his career representing the state. Working with fellow Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd and others in the state's Congressional delegation, Senator Lieberman succeeded in establishing the first national park in Connecticut at Weir Farm; adding the Mark Twain House to the register of historical places; and securing federal protections and funding for the McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge. In April 2007, Senators Lieberman and Dodd introduced the Weir Farm National Historic Site Amendment Act to enable this National Historic Site to acquire new lands. This bill was included in the Omnibus Public Lands Act, S. 22, which passed the Senate and was signed into law in March 2009.

Preserving the Upper Housatonic Valley

In September 2006, Senator Lieberman helped secure final passage of his Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Act. President Bush signed the bill into law the following month.

The Upper Housatonic Valley is a unique cultural and geographical region that encompasses 29 towns in the Housatonic River watershed, extending 60 miles from Lanesboro, Massachusetts to Kent, Connecticut. The valley has made significant national contributions: through literary, artistic, musical, and architectural achievements; as the backdrop for important Revolutionary War era events; as the cradle of the iron, paper, and electrical industries; and as home to key figures and events in the abolitionist and civil rights movements. It includes five National Historic Landmarks and four National Natural Landmarks. The area has already developed many significant heritage activities including an Iron Heritage Trail brochure, a graduate course for local teachers on the area, and a summer art event.

The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Act officially designates the region as part of the National Park Service system. It also authorizes $1 million in grants annually, up to a total of $10 million, for a variety of activities that conserve the significant natural, historical, cultural, and scenic resources, and that provide educational and recreational opportunities in the area.

Recognizing Connecticut's Treasures

In February 2007, Senator Lieberman and Senator John Warner reintroduced their Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail Designation Act. The bill would amend the National Trails System Act to grant the Historic Trail designation to the 600-mile route taken by the allied armies of General George Washington and General Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau in 1781 from Newport, Rhode Island, through Connecticut and other states, to Yorktown, Virginia. This bill was included in the Omnibus Public Lands Act, S. 22, which passed the Senate and was signed into law in March 2009.

Also in February 2007, Senators Lieberman and Dodd introduced the Eightmile Wild and Scenic River Act, which would amend the National Wild and Scenic River Act to include Eightmile River. The Eightmile River officially became the newest Wild and Scenic River in May 2008.

In April 2007, Senator Lieberman joined Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) in introducing the New England National Scenic Trail Designation Act. This bill would amend the National Scenic Trail Act to include the 190-mile trail route through Connecticut and Massachusetts. In Connecticut, the trail proposed for designation includes the Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail and encompasses classic New England landscapes, such as unfragmented forests and large river valleys. This bill has been referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Legislation from the 111th Congress

Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act
Senator Lieberman is a co-sponsor of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor Amendments Act that was introduced in January of 2009. The Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, also known as the “Last Green Valley” between Boston and Washington D.C., is a 25-town area in eastern Connecticut that was designated as the nation’s fifth National Heritage Corridor in 1994. The Heritage Corridor/Areas Program encourages the preservation of the nation’s distinctive historic, natural and cultural resources such as the colonial archaeological sites and pristine natural landscape that can be found in the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley. Senator Lieberman supports the extension of the bill’s authorization to September 30, 2015 to help ensure the continued maintenance of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley for the enjoyment of Connecticut’s residents.

Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act
On January 29, 2009, Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act (TCFA) of 2009 was introduced. Senator Lieberman is one of ten co-sponsors of the bill that will reauthorize the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998. The original legislation forgives certain official debt owed to the U.S. government by developing nations if the money is instead invested in local conservation projects. As of October 2006, 12 TCFA bilateral agreements had been signed, generating $135 million for tropical forest conservation in 11 countries over the next 10-25 years, including Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador, and the Philippines. The Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act of 2009 expands the original bill to include coral reefs and coastal marine ecosystems within the scope of possible conservation projects.

Clean Water Restoration Act
The Clean Water Restoration Act of 2009 seeks to expand the regulatory protections of U.S. waters and wetlands, a purpose that spurred Senator Lieberman to co-sponsor the legislation. The Clean Water Act is the central law governing the pollution of U.S. surface waters. Supreme Court decisions made in 2001 and 2006 relating to the bill have limited the law’s jurisdiction over isolated wetlands, streams, and other waters. The Restoration Act will modify CWA by replacing the term “navigable waters” with “waters of the United States,” thus expanding the area under the act’s reach and strengthening the protection of our nation’s water from pollution.

The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act
Senator Lieberman is a co-sponsor of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2009. Of the more than 800 known bird species in the U.S., approximately 500 species migrate across borders. Many of these species are dwindling in number due to deforestation and development that threaten their natural habitat. In 2000, NMBCA established a federal matching grants program to support public-private partnerships carrying out neotropical migratory bird conservation projects throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Between 2002 and 2010, the program supported 333 projects, and over 2 million acres of bird habitat have benefited from land conservation projects. The re-authorization of NMBCA would help to ensure the perpetuation of healthy migratory tropical birds by increasing the program authorization to meet expanding funding needs.

Captive Primate Safety Act
The Captive Primate Safety Act of 2009 seeks to amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to include primates as one of the “prohibited wildlife species” not available for sale in either interstate or foreign commerce. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that there are over 15,000 primates owned by private individuals or entities throughout the nation. Primates can inflict serious injury on human beings and spread life-threatening diseases; in most cases, the average pet owner does not have the resources to provide for the basic physical and social needs of primates in captivity. These regulations are meant to ensure the safety of pet owners as well as the humane treatment of primates. Senator Lieberman strongly supports the promotion of animal and human welfare at the center of the legislation and is one of the bill’s eight co-sponsors.

Tribal Law and Order Act
Senator Lieberman is a co-sponsor of the Tribal Law and Order Act that was passed by the Senate in June of 2010. The bill was introduced by Senator Byron Dorgan (ND), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, in response to the deficiencies in law enforcement that have led to high crime rates on many Indian reservations. On average, Indian reservations experience rates of violence that are 2.5 times higher than the national rate, a result of inadequacies in the investigation, prosecution, and reporting of crimes. The legislation seeks to increase coordination and communication between federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies. It also looks to provide public safety in tribal communities by deputizing tribal police officers to enforce federal laws on Indian land against all offenders.

Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act
The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009 seeks to end the inhumane transport of American horses to other countries for slaughter for human consumption. Senator Lieberman is one of the bill’s 28 co-sponsors. While the last slaughter house in the U.S. was shut down in 2007, the problem of exporting American horses for slaughter remains; in 2009 alone, more than 90,000 American horses were transported to other countries for slaughter. The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act would put an end to this barbaric practice by amending the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to three years for possessing, shipping, transporting, purchasing, selling, delivering, or receiving any horse, horse flesh, or carcass with the intent that it be used for human consumption.

Open Fuel Standards Act
Senator Lieberman is a co-sponsor of the Open Fuel Standards Act introduced in April of 2009. Like previous versions of this legislation, OFS looks to reduce oil consumption for transportation purposes by increasing the number of different types of fuels used by automobiles. The legislation requires 50% of new American automobiles to be flex fuel vehicles warranted to operate on gasoline, blended ethanol, methanol or biodiesel, with that number raised to 80% by 2015. This requirement will benefit the American consumer by giving drivers more options at the gas pump. The bill also marks an important step in U.S. progress towards energy independence by reducing our reliance on foreign oil.