Environment

Congressman Sarbanes shares the same passion for the environment as the people of Maryland’s Third Congressional District, who have a strong history of environmental advocacy for, and stewardship of, the Chesapeake Bay. The Congressman is dedicated to addressing the many environmental challenges facing our nation, such as climate change, protecting clean air and water and finding alternatives to the finite supply of fossil fuels, among many other issues.

Specifically, Congressman Sarbanes’ environmental efforts have focused on empowering citizens as everyday environmental stewards. He is also the author of the No Child Left Inside Act, which aims to provide meaningful outdoor education experiences to students across the country.

As a leader on the Congressional Chesapeake Bay Task Force, Congressman Sarbanes is raising awareness among his colleagues in Congress about the perils facing the Bay. With a particular focus on improving the health of Bay tributaries, he has helped inform Members who represent parts of the Chesapeake Bay watershed about pollution originating from streams or rivers in their District that flows into the Bay.

Congressman Sarbanes is also fighting to provide adequate federal resources and enact a regulatory framework that will help improve the health of the Bay. With this goal in mind, he has introduced legislation and worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to empower individual homeowners as Chesapeake Bay stewards. To learn more about how you can help protect the Chesapeake Bay, visit: www.chesapeakebay.net.

Big Money Is Polluting Our Environment

In the 2012 election cycle, the oil and gas industry gave more than $143 million to candidates running for elected office. The following year, the oil and gas industry spent over $350 million on lobbying expenditures, capitalizing on their newly bought influence to bend public policy to their advantage.

The return on this political investment is impressive. Recent analysis by Oil Change International indicates that the oil and gas industry receives $59 in federal subsidies for every $1 they spend on campaign contributions and lobbying. Moreover, these political investments provide the oil and gas industry will billions of dollars in tax breaks, with the “Big Five” oil companies – which are some the most profitable corporations in the world – receiving $2.4 billion in annual tax breaks from the federal government.

Despite the fact that three out of every five Americans support ending tax breaks for the oil and gas industry and that 80 percent of Americans think the U.S. should take action to address climate change, Congress has voted time and time again to weaken or altogether scrap critical environmental protections. Swamped by the influence of the oil and gas industry, the voice of the American people cannot be heard.

Congressman Sarbanes is working to combat the influence of wealthy and well-connected special interests, like the oil and gas industry, by elevating the voice of the American people in Congress. The Government By the People Act (H.R. 20), which the Congressman authored and introduced, would break Congress’ dependence on big money by creating an alternative to today’s campaign finance system, empowering everyday citizens with a tax credit for campaign contributions and amplifying their voices with a matching fund.