Improving environmental policies through campaign finance reform

1
Improving environmental policies through campaign
finance reform

• Democracy Matters

2
Selling Out

• Energy, Utilities, Chemical, and Automotive
  Industries
• Campaign contributions from these industries
  direct policies that affect the environment

3
Cheneys Energy Task Force (made of industry
lobbyists)

• recommended drilling in ANWR, weakening
  regulation for air pollution controls around
  power plants, building new refineries, increasing
  reliance on coal, and Increasing gas and oil
  exploration on public land
• Contributed 54.5 million to Republicans, 25.2
  million to Democrats
• Environmental groups contributed 411,300 to
  Republicans, 3.7 million to Democrats

4
Electric Utilities Industry

• EPAs New Source Review revised in 2002, 2003.
  (plants no longer had to install pollution
  reducing technology)
• Republicans received 53.9 million
• Democrats received 32.4 million

5
Oil and Chemical Industries

• Oil/Chemical industries wish to shift Superfund
  cleanup burden to consumers
• Contributed 158.6 million to Republicans, 54
  million to Democrats
• Congress refused to authorize Superfund taxes on
  these industries
• Consumer take 71 of the cleanup burden

6
Auto Industry and Unions

• Auto Industry (and congress) resists efforts to
  raise fuel efficiency standards (the single
  biggest step to curb global warming)
• Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards remained
  at 1975 levels with SUVs getting special
  treatment
• Hummers got up to 100,000 in tax deductions in
  2003
• Congress sold out to the Auto and Unions
• Republicans got 66.8 million
• Democrats got 23.1 million
• Unions gave Democrats 18.3 million
• Unions gave Republicans 198,000

7
Solution Clean Elections

• Limit the influence these industry have on
  environmental policy
• Congressmen no longer have to depend on these
  vast sums to keep their jobs
• Levels the playing field between corporate and
  environmental interests
• Reduce the corrupting influences of money
• Congress can legislate in the interests of their
  constituents rather than their donors

8
Strategies

• Push for Clean Elections on the State level
• Participate in Lobby day at the end of the month
• Sign the DM petition
• Make Campaign Finance Reform an environmental
  issue
• Inform members

9
Other benefits of clean elections

• Improve voter turnout
• Opens political process to under-represented
  groups
• Liberates politicians from any obligation to
  large contributors
• More competitive elections