Kerry once again on the right side when it comes to the environment...

[Mass]

Sadly, he seems to be the only one in the Senate to be on the right side.

http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/aviation/231295-lahood-senate-committee-hammer-lousy-eu-airline-emission-trading-rules

The effort to oppose the EU's emission trading system met resistance Wednesday from Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who called the objections to the rules being raised by his colleagues on the commerce and transportation panel laughable.
"I laugh at this discussion of whose airspace is whose," Kerry said. "The stuff that goes up there doesn't stay in any one airspace. We get China's fumes. We get Indiana and Massachusetts.'"

The House has passed legislation to block the EU from applying its emission trading rules to U.S. airlines, and a companion measure is being carried in the Senate by Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).

But Kerry said Wednesday the United States should not dismiss the EU's rule out of hand because it had been "one of the consistent foot-draggers" on reducing airline emissions.

"The Europeans are right to questions the motives of some of those who oppose their efforts ... and they're right to question whether the United States is serious about this effort, because we haven't been," Kerry said.

The New York-based Environmental Defense Fund agreed with Kerry's assessment, saying the EU's proposal for emission trading was "modest" and "reasonable."

"Aviation is one of the fastest-growing sources of [global warming] pollution," EDF International Counsel Annie Petsonk told the Senate committee Wednesday. "U.S. airlines say they have cut emissions by 15 percent, but … their emissions dropped with the financial crisis, and they are projected to grow."

[MBS]

1. Thank you for this.

It's unbelievable to me that he's not more widely recognized, and thanked, for his consistent, long-time, way-ahead-of-his-time commitment to environmental issues.
And it's even more unbelievable to me that for DECADES now, while our environmental problems become ever more obvious and ever more direct, we can't get Congress as a whole to ACT!!
SOOO frustrating.

[politicasista]

2. It may be

grudges from 2002-2008. :shrug


This may or may not make sense, but being in DC, every record on each issue (stellar as it is) is always seen through a political prism, as opposed to being a private citizen with an iconic accomplishment. It also hasn't helped that the GOP has somewhat framed the environment as a negative for Dems (i.e. climate change).

Do agree about the gridlock Congress though. Gee!

[MBS]

3. the environment should transcend politics

The future of our planet is at stake.
Since 1980 (when Reagan became president, and appointed the outrageous, and hyper-partisan, anti-environment James Watt as Secretary of Interior), the Republicans have made this a partisan issue. This is a disgrace, and, because of the urgency of the issue, the continuing obstruction of environmental measures by Republicans is actually a danger to national security, not to mention a danger the planet; and it's reason enough to work like hell to make sure that Obama stays in the White House and that the Dems can strengthen their control of the Senate, and take back the House.

[politicasista]

4. True n/t