Go Nancy, Go Nancy! Go Ms. Speaker of the House!
In my former life as a political blogger on Jakeneck, which alas, no longer exists, I would rant and rave about politicians’ dirty little anti-environmental votes. I got a little burnt out (and despondent) after the 2004 election and withdrew from the political discussion arena, but plenty of other hardier folks kept working for change.
Well, a massive congratulations to all of you and your hard work! I’m celebrating regime change after last Tuesday’s elections, and I couldn’t be happier about so many anti-environmental politicos getting the boot (I’m talking to you Pombo, and you too, Santorum, and Allen, and DeLay. For the complete list of the enviornmental Dirty Dozen go here). For the winners, who have consistently also been Environmental Champions (hmmm…I see a connection here!) you’ll notice that there is a high percentage of our female representatives listed.
Not to mention that we now, for the first time in history, have a woman who’s the new Speaker of the House! As the Guardian mentioned, that’s just two heartbeats from the President (who shall not be named in this time of joy). And Ms. Pelosi’s environmental record, while not perfect, is pretty damn good. See some of her votes below, and go to the League of Conservation Voters site (who gave her a 91% rating on their environmental scorecard) to see more details.
-Voted YES on increasing AMTRAK funding by adding $214M to $900M. (Jun 2006)
-Voted YES on barring website promoting Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. (May 2006)
-Voted NO on deauthorizing “critical habitat” for endangered species. (Sep 2005)
-Voted NO on speeding up approval of forest thinning projects. (Nov 2003)
-Rated 90% by the LCV, indicating pro-environment votes. (Dec 2003)
For the first time in years, I am really proud to be an American this week. And just because it wouldn’t be me without a some kind of shopping link (that’s a joke, people), check out Protoculture, who has the great t-shirt (not organic, but sweat-shop free at least) below.
Can you tell I’m proud to be an American this week?
Starre Vartan
Starre Vartan is founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick.com and the author of the Eco-Chick Guide to Life. She's also a freelance science and environment writer who has published in National Geographic, CNN, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Pacific Standard, the NRDC, and many more. She lives on an island in Puget Sound with her partner and black cat. She was a geologist in her first career, and still picks up rocks wherever she goes.
