John McCain's Environmental Record
 

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John McCain's op-ed
"Nature is Not a Liberal Plot,"
published in the New York TImes
on November 22, 1996:

"As Republicans prepare to begin
a second term in control of
Congress, a deep skepticism
exists in the electorate about
the party's commitment to
protecting the environment.
Polls indicate that the environment
is the voters' number-one concern
about continued Republican
leadership of Congress.

"Public skepticism that
Republicans share Americans'
environmental values raises an
important question. Have
Republicans abandoned their roots
as the party of Theodore Roosevelt,
who maintained that government's
most important task, with the
exception of national security,
is to leave posterity a land in
better condition than
they received it?

"The answer must be no.
But if we are to
restore the people's
trust and retain the privilege
of serving as the majority party,
we better start proving it.
We need to assure the public that
in the 105th Congress the
Republican environmental agenda
will consist of more than
coining new epithets for
environmental extremists or
offering banal symbolic gestures.

"Some Republicans dismiss the
public's misgivings as the
product of hopelessly partisan
environmentalists who have
abandoned reason in favor of
sky-is-falling hyperbole and
who eagerly denounce even the
most justifiable reforms as evil
conspiracies to 'gut'
environmental law. But
blaming public skepticism
exclusively on the influence
of interest groups is escapism.
We Republicans are responsible
for much of the negative perception
of our environmental record.

"Too often the public views
 Republicans as favoring
big business at the expense of
the environment, and as too eager
to swing the meat ax of repeal
when the scalpel of reform is
what's needed. Last year, a
 Republican bill to repeal the
Clean Air Act and Republican
 attempts to pass riders on
 appropriations bills blocking
the enforcement of environmental
 laws contributed significantly
to mistrust and skepticism.

"Americans know that many
 environmental laws—
from the Superfund to the
Clean Water Act—desperately
need repair to make them more
cost-effective. In fact,
these two laws should be top
 priorities in the new Congress.
But killing the patient is a
lousy way to treat the disease
and squanders our credentials
as reformers while adding
substance to our critics'
accusations of extremism.

"Most important, we must learn
that protecting the environment
 requires the bipartisan cooperation
 necessary for progress on
all the great issues of our day.
 Partisanship breeds mistrust,
 demagoguery and gridlock.

"The estimable Morris Udall,
the former Democratic
Representative from Arizona
and a nationally recognized
 environmental leader, once
taught me a valuable lesson.
He reached across the aisle
to enlist my help in his efforts
to address the environmental problems of our state. We were
able to place more than 3.5 million
 acres of land into wilderness
 protection, increase the
preservation of public lands and
 tackle complex environmental
threats to the Grand Canyon.

"In the 104th Congress,
bipartisan consensus enabled
 Congress to reform and reauthorize
 the Safe Drinking Water Act
and pesticide legislation,
salvaging important
 accomplishments before
Election Day.

"Republicans should not allow
the fringes of the party to set
a radical agenda that no more
represents the mainstream of
Republicans than environmental
extremists represent the
mainstream of the Democratic Party.
Only by faithfully fulfilling our
stewardship responsibilities
can we expect to remain
the majority party.

"Far more important, our nation's
continued prosperity hinges on
our ability to solve environmental
problems and sustain the natural
resources on which we all depend."


Senator John McCain's op-ed,
"Nature is Not a Liberal Plot,"
published in the New York Times
on November 22, 1996.
Click here to read the essay on the New York Times website.

 

Senator John McCain has an impressive, proven environmental record.

During his 26 years as an elected official, Senator McCain has built an impressive record of conservation and environmental stewardship. He has been a true leader in advancing environmental policy. It is this record that prompted REP to enthusiastically endorse Senator McCain for President in the campaigns of 2000 and 2008.

It is worth noting that Senator McCain took significant political risks to champion the climate issue and energy conservation during the 2008 Republican primaries.

  • He featured his years-long efforts to address climate change in flyers sent to voters in New Hampshire.
  • He told conservative reporters that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would be just as bad as drilling in the Grand Canyon.
  • He advocated for stronger fuel economy standards in Detroit, while his primary opponents pandered to the auto industry.
  • He repeatedly raised the climate issue in the Republican debates—even when the question did not directly relate to it.

For well over a decade, Senator McCain has been out in front on the need for the Republican Party to return to its conservationist roots. On November 22, 1996, he published "Nature is Not a Liberal Plot" in the New York Times. (The entire essay is in the column at left.)

What follows is a brief overview of Senator McCain’s environmental accomplishments and positions on climate change, energy, water resources, clean air, wilderness and public lands.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Senator McCain has done more than just say the right things, or vote the right way on climate change. Since well before the issue became politically popular, he has exercised strong leadership and exhibited a dedication to the issue that is unparalleled in the U.S. Congress.

Here are some points worth noting:

#1. Since 2003, Senator McCain (along with Senator Joseph Lieberman) has repeatedly introduced bipartisan cap-and-trade legislation that would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, in the face of opposition by his own party leaders, used his political capital to secure votes on the legislation.

The bills he introduced include:

  • The Climate Stewardship Act of 2003 (S. 139)
  • The Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2005 (S. 1151)
  • The Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007 (S. 280)

The 2007 version, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions 67 percent by 2050, is co-sponsored by both Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

#2. McCain has worked diligently to educate colleagues in both Houses and on both sides of the aisle on the necessity of fighting climate change. 

He has sponsored numerous educational trips to persuade Senators and Congressmen of the need to address climate change:

  • He sponsored a fact-finding trip to Alaska in 2005 with Senators Clinton, Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lindsay Graham (R-SC). Graham, who had been “on the fence” before the trip, returned from Alaska convinced that climate change is real.
  • He sponsored a fact-finding trip to Antarctica in 2006 with Senators Collins and John Sununu (R-NH) along with a delegation from the House of Representatives. In a May 14, 2007 article in the Portsmouth (NH) Herald, Senator Collins commented: “McCain is as persistent as he is energetic. When he tackles a problem, he does not let go until he has identified a plan for solving it, and he has built the support necessary to implement his plan. Such has been his approach with climate change.”
  • He sponsored a fact-finding trip to Greenland in 2006 with Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Mel Martinez (R-FL), and Graham, as well as the wife of Senator Richard Burr (R-NC).

#3. McCain has been outspoken on the need for stronger action on climate change.

In an April 23, 2007 speech on energy policy, McCain said about climate change: “Some urge we do nothing because we can't be certain how bad the problem might become or they presume the worst effects are most likely to occur in our grandchildren's lifetime. I'm a proud conservative, and I reject that kind of live-for-today, 'me generation,' attitude. It is unworthy of us and incompatible with our reputation as visionaries and problem solvers. Americans have never feared change. We make change work for us.”

ENERGY

Senator McCain understands the nexus between energy security, climate protection, and national security. He is a strong supporter of diversifying and conserving our energy sources. One of his top priorities is to substantially reduce the impact that our energy consumption has on the planet.

Here are some points worth noting:

#1. In 2005, McCain voted against HR 6, an energy bill focused heavily on fossil fuel production.

In explaining his opposition, McCain cited the legislation’s failure to address climate change and promote conservation and renewable energy. In his June 28, 2005, floor statement, McCain said: “When it comes to solving America’s pressing energy problems, this bill simply does not go far enough. It will not reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it won’t assure the growing threat of global warming is addressed in a meaningful way, and it won’t effectively reduce the price of gasoline at the pump.”

#2. McCain has cast numerous votes in favor of protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling and signed numerous "Dear Colleague" letters urging that budget legislation not be used as a vehicle to authorize drilling.

He called Senator Ted Stevens’ 2005 gambit to attach a Refuge drilling provision to a defense authorization bill “disgraceful.”

#3. McCain has been a consistent supporter of increasing motor vehicle fuel economy standards.

In 2002, he sponsored the Fuel Economy and Security Act (S. 1923) to increase motor vehicle fuel economy standards to 36 mpg by 2016. 

In 2005, he opposed an amendment by Senators Christopher Bond (R-MO) and Carl Levin (D-MI) that would have made it harder for EPA to strengthen fuel economy standards.

#4. McCain has shown true courage in speaking the truth, even when doing so would hurt him politically.

On October 9, 2007, at a time when his Republican primary opponents were pandering to the auto industry, McCain told the Detroit Economic Club: “We need to work together to increase CAFE standards to a level that is practical and achievable for all new vehicles, foreign and domestic, because improved fuel economy will help our nation achieve national energy security, reduce carbon emissions, and improve local and regional air quality.”

WATER RESOURCES

Senator McCain has been one of Congress’ most aggressive leaders in trying to reform the way that Congress and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan major water projects such as dams and levees. Too often these projects are pork-barrel boondoggles pushed by parochial special interests. Often, such projects waste taxpayers’ money and severely degrade or even destroy wetlands, rivers and other aquatic ecosystems. 

Here are some points worth noting:

#1. In 2006, McCain sponsored bipartisan legislation (S. 2288) requiring independent review of the Army Corps of Engineers’ water projects and for Corps projects to meet Clean Water Act standards.

#2. In 2006 and 2007, McCain co-sponsored legislative amendments to establish an independent review commission to provide oversight to the Army Corps of Engineers.

(Both amendments were opposed by Senator Obama.)

#3. In 2005, McCain opposed efforts to shield producers and refiners of the chemical MTBE, a gasoline additive that has contaminated groundwater, from pollution liability.

CLEAN AIR

Senator McCain has been outspoken in support of strong enforcement of clean air policies, which protect public health and important natural treasures, including our national parks.

Here are some points worth noting:

#1. In 2005, McCain voted for a Senate resolution (SJR 20) that would have overturned an EPA rule exempting coal-fired power plants from strict air toxic control provisions of the Clean Air Act.

(On February 8, 2008, EPA’s action was overturned by an appeals court ruling.)

#2. In 2004, McCain signed a bipartisan senators’ letter urging then-EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt to take “prompt and effective action to clean up mercury pollution from power plants.”

#3. In 1990, McCain voted to adopt the Clean Air Act Amendments (PL 101-549).

WILDERNESS and PUBLIC LANDS

Senator McCain has been true to Theodore Roosevelt’s land conservation ethic and is recognized as a strong advocate for National Parks, wilderness, Wild and Scenic Rivers, and trails.

In 2006, Senator McCain was awarded the Bruce F. Vento Public Service Award by the National Park Trust. In presenting the award, NPT President Paul Pritchard said, “Over the past decade, Senator McCain has led efforts as diverse as legislation to create bonds for needed National Park repairs, protection of new parks and monuments in Arizona, climate change legislation, protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and greater environmental awareness of Antarctica. Like President Teddy Roosevelt, John McCain's legacy is diverse and meaningful."

Here are some points worth noting:

#1. In 1984, as a member of the House of Representatives, McCain worked with Congressman Morris Udall (D-AZ), to pass the Arizona Wilderness Act of 1984 (PL 98-406), which protected 1 million acres of forests.

#2. McCain was instrumental in congressional negotiations that led to passage of the Arizona Desert Wilderness Act of 1990 (PL 101-628), which protects 2.4 million acres of range, desert, and wildlife habitat.

The lands protected in this bill include Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, the largest wilderness reserve within a national wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states.

#3. He sponsored and won passage of the National Parks Overflights Act of 1987 (PL 100-91), which protects natural quiet in Grand Canyon and other national parks by limiting overflights.

#4. He voted in 2005 to support an amendment to the Interior appropriations bill (HR 2361) cutting off funds for building new logging roads in the Tongass National Forest, a rare coastal temperate rainforest.

#5. In 2007, McCain introduced legislation (S. 86) to designate Fossil Creek, a tributary of the Verde River in Arizona, as a Wild & Scenic River.

#6. In 2007, McCain introduced the Arizona National Scenic Trail Act (S. 1304), to add an 807-mile non-motorized trail to the National Trails System.

#8. McCain supports establishment of National Park Centennial Fund to eliminate backlog of park operations and maintenance projects.