Legislative Priority: Environment

I understand that clean air and water are cornerstones of public health and that Oregon's last wild places deserve permanent protection.  Below are some of the ways that I am fighting to protect Oregon's environmental legacy.

The Bush administration has worked hard to dismantle over thirty years of environmental progress in our country.  In order to bypass the legislative process, the administration has repeatedly used its executive powers and the judicial system to enact regulatory changes that advance its anti-conservation agenda.  I continue to stand firmly opposed to these attacks because I believe that they undermine the democratic process and threaten the very fabric of our nation's collective environmental values.

I have proudly fought against several attempts to approve drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and to date have helped to successfully protect this pristine land for future generations.

I care deeply about protecting Pacific salmon, a keystone species of the Northwest. This year's fisheries failure has proved once again that ecological mismanagement is having a disastrous impact on West Coast fisheries. We must continue working to restore our listed fish stocks in the Northwest.

I believe that mercury does not belong in our air and water.  I have urged the Environmental Protection Agency on numerous occasions to strengthen, not weaken, the agency's regulation of power plant and automobile emissions.

I believe we must protect Oregon's natural treasures for future generations.  Among others, such treasures include Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, Steens Mountain, and the Oregon coast.