Earl Blumenauer: “I again commend the gentlewoman for her valiant efforts in terms of promoting the environment and livability of our…”

“I again commend the gentlewoman for her valiant efforts in terms of promoting the environment and livability of our Nation's capital. I think she is doing a job on behalf of all of us, because we all have a stake in the success of Washington, D.C. I would like to return, Mr. Speaker, to focus for a few moments about the environment and what difference it is going to make in the election this fall. We are now facing the issue of what candidate and which political party will do the best job. It is very clear that the Republican ticket, even though not currently in office on the national level, does in fact have an environmental record. Former Representative Cheney, when he was in the House for almost 13 years, compiled a lifetime voting record on environmental issues of 13 percent, one of the worst in that period of time. Likewise, Governor Bush in his two terms now as governor of Texas has an environmental record. Where is his leadership dealing with the fact that Texas puts more chemicals in the air than any other State and by most rankings is the State with the worst toxin level in the atmosphere? Were Texas a country, it would be the world's seventh largest national emitter of carbon dioxide. The largest problem is the dangerous amount of nitrogen oxide which mixes with the exhaust vehicles to create ozone and smog. And under the leadership of Governor Bush, in 1999 Houston surpassed Los Angeles as the country's smoggiest city.”