SIERRA

     No one has to tell you how important this election is to the environment. There isn't an environmental organization in the country that is not seriously concerned with President Bush's policies on the environment. The all consuming approach to "materialism" leaves no room for considering a place in our society for the environment. The belief that all we Americans want is more things is cynical and depressing.

     Locally we have two elections of importance. One is the presidential and the other is the Second Congressional District race; candidates; David Ashe (D) versus Thelma Drake (R).

     In a series of four brief articles we will provide an overview of the issues and positions of the candidates. These articles will address:

1. Sierra Club national environmental concerns,
2. Thelma Drake's voting record in the Virginia Assembly according to the League of Conservation Voters,
3. The environmental issues for the Virginia Assembly from the Virginia Conservation Network, and
4. The Sierra Club Questionnaire for candidates to national offices and the Second congressional candidates responses.

     (Thelma Drake did not respond to our questionnaire and is standing on her environmental record which was "zero" in the 2004 General Assembly.)

     1. Allowing three times more mercury in our air for decades longer. Mercury causes severe mental damage to the brains of over 300,000 babies per year according to the March of Dimes.

     2. Forcing taxpayers, instead of polluters, to pay for cleaning up abandoned toxic waste sites.

     3. Letting old, polluting power plants to upgrade generating equipment without requiring them to install modern pollution-cutting controls.

     4. Pushing for billions more in subsidies and tax credits to coal, oil, and nuclear industries while doing nothing to reduce our dependence on oil.

     5. Turning over control of an additional 5 million acres of Western public lands to oil and gas companies.

     6. Abandoning the Kyoto Protocol to combat global warming. The Kyoto Protocol was agreed to by 155 other nations.

     These policies clearly benefit only 1-2% of corporate America. In the long run we will all have to pay more to either use the land or to clean it up.

     The question is: how do we assess the environmental positions of the two candidates, Thelma Drake and David Ashe.

     We submitted a Sierra Club National Questionnaire for candidates to federal offices to both candidates. Thelma Drake did not respond, but we do have her voting record, which we will address next. David Ashe did respond to the questionnaire and we will address his responses.

     The complete questionnaire is available on our web site under "Election 2004".

     Working together the Virginia Conservation Network and the Virginia League of Conservation Voters identified the major environmental issues before the General Assembly and her voting record.

     The issues were: 1. Air Quality, 2. Water Resources, 3. Land Use and Agricultural Vitality, 4. Smart Growth, 5. Transportation, 6. and Funding for Open Space and Natural Resources.

     Thelma Drake did not support any of the bills addressing these matters and she certainly didn't initiate any legislation addressing the problems associated with them.

     The candidate's complete response to the questionnaire can be found on the web site www. virginia.sierraclub.org/cbg under "Election 2004"

     The local environmental community has had a chance to assess candidate Ashe's understanding and interest in environmental issues. Approximately, two months ago The Chesapeake Bay Group hosted a get-to-know-the-candidate forum. We presented our concerns with speakers: Barbara Henley, Herb Jones, Skip Stiles and Jay Taylor of Wetlands Watch.

     The candidate was then afforded the opportunity to express his positions. The candidate was informed on the issues. He might not be an expert on these matters, but was approachable and very receptive to information. We do consider David Ashe a dramatic improvement over Thelma Drake.

Response to question 6: National Parks are the last true open-space that our growing country will be able to maintain. For the environment and our future, we must protect our parks. I do not support drilling in the Alaskan Arctic Refuges. It does not make business sense in any way to permanently damage the environment to drill for 4 months of oil.

Response to question 8: Since inception, Clean Air Act has proven successful at ensuring the health of our citizens without unnecessary impact on industry. I support the Clean Air Act.

Response to question 11: Management of livestock waste is one of the most important environmental concerns todayÉ

Response to question 12: Superfund enjoyed broad support and success when first established. It should not have been allowed to sunsetÉ

     This information is helpful in assessing a candidates qualifications. No response seems to be a statement of disinterest in the entire issue.

Fred Adams Click to email comments, or call 467-2775.

     Once again we will welcome our favorite world traveling nature photographer, Ronn Maratea for our November meeting. He has wowed the members on several occasions with his outstanding photographs from his many safaris in Africa.

     For this program he will feature creatures from other parts of the world. First, the chilly habitat of walruses in the Bering Sea. Then, the warm environs of delicate, colorful butterflies. A strange mix, but surely a photographic journey to be enjoyed by all.

     Low interest rates, cheap land, great natural resources, and a solid economic base have combined for another growth boom in our region. This puts pressure on localities that have smart growth policies in place like Virginia Beach's "Green Line" and Suffolk's Unified Development Ordinance. It also puts pressure on cities that are reviewing their growth policies, such as Chesapeake.

     Chesapeake is redoing its comprehensive plan for the first time since 1990 (think of a comprehensive plan like a corporation's business plan - a strategic plan for profitability over the long run). They are planning the city's growth out to 2026 and laying out the policies needed to keep the city healthy. The plan put together by the city staff, with citizen input, looks like a good one - there is a rural area in the south, a growth boundary, a transition zone of suburban growth in the middle, and a zone of intensive growth in the north.

     However, that smart growth plan is under attack by developers seeking to strike smart growth language and carving out areas beyond the growth boundary for development. Worse still, they are seeking a proposal for mandated growth each year, whether market forces call for it or not.

     Sierra Club members in the region, especially those in Chesapeake, need to get involved. For more information, contact Skip Stiles at skipstiles@yahoo.com, or call 757-623-4830.