Saturday, May 12, 2007

Day 4: It's late. I have to be up early tomorrow. Wait... didn't I say that last night? Ah well, it's still true. So after a couple hundred miles of driving, a couple good meetings and lots of corn fields today, I'd rather write about this evening - It was a beautiful evening, mid seventies, not a cloud in the sky and having driven through corn fields all day the only thing to do was go to a ball game. And an Iowa Cubs game was the perfect tonic. Triple A baseball. Such americana. And then at the end of the 4-3 cubbies win, it was fireworks friday - the rockets red (white and blue) glare.

Maybe this presidential tailgetting is getting me patriotic, or maybe it's just something in the Iowa air, but I'm growing to like the state and like the people. I think the next few months could be fun.

ps. Technical complications have hindered the Obama YouTube posting promised yesterday, but it'll be up soon. promise.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Obama warming

Day 3: It's late. I have to be up and on the road be 6am tomorrow to get to a 8:15 meeting in Lisbon, Iowa - yes, hunters have no problem getting up early! So, you get nothing more than a tease tonight: I went to a Barack Obama event and got to ask him a question in front of about 500 people. Here it is, "As you know, coal burning power plants are the biggest source of global warming pollution, and yet 150 new coal plants are proposed for being built. Do you have plans to prevent these plants? or if not, what's your plan to stop these plants from emitting global warming pollution?"

For the answer, check out the blog tomorrow, and we'll have a YouTube video of his answer.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Iowa Global Warming

Day 2 in Iowa. Today I was part of a steering committee meeting of the Iowa Global Warming campaign. This is a coalition effort to get Iowa citizens to ask candidates focused questions on global warming solutions. Iowa stands to gain so much from solutions to global warming -whether it's cultivation of next generation biofuels or building new wind turbines - Iowans should, and will, be asking candidates about global warming. This campaign will help make sure people are at all public candidate events and that people are asking good questions that can get more than just the soundbyte answer.

Then this evening I went to a "Ask Mitt Anything" Mitt Romney campaign event. With easily 200 people in attendence, Romney smooth-talked his way through the assortment of questions on Iraq and immigration, then someone asked about global warming. Romney's answer lacked specifics, but he did site the need for better fuel efficiency, more renewables and, interestingly, nuclear power. He couched his answer in the need to be energy independent, with the side benefit of reducing global warming pollution. Not exactly what I'd like to hear in an answer, but glad he had to answer it. Tomorrow I'll be at an Obama event; can't wait to see if he brings up global warming unprompted.

Also... apparently there is some debate over whether the DC primary referenced yesterday is final. Iowa has a law that says they MUST be the first primary, so maybe the DC primary is just for the "Shadow Representive," the best DC can do for congressional representation.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Arrived in Iowa

I arrived in Des Moines today with exactly 250 days till the Iowa Caucuses. Although known as the "first in the nation" primary, Iowa is actually the second primary behind Washington DC, but Iowa still serves as a much more revered - and probably accurate - barometer of the nation.

For the next 250 days National Wildlife Federation (and, when appropriate, National Wildlife Action) will be working to get global warming as a pivotal presidential campaign issue here in Iowa. We'll also be working extensively in New Hampshire, and around the nation throughout the primary season and right up to the election 545 days from today.

For the next couple days I'll tell you what I'm up to while I'm here and my thoughts of what's going on here in Iowa. I'll leave you with my first political sighting, which came as I exited the airport. The first billboard I saw upon leaving the airport asked me if I was running for president. Yes, the billboard said, "Running for President? 'Before you ask for my support walk a day in my shoes.'" SEIU wants the 18 current Presidential candidates (that's right, 18 candidates!) to consider the American worker. Until tomorrow...

A Fight that has No Partisan Lines

The Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) is thought to be one of the largest pieces of pork barrel legislation. Opposition to it builds a unique partnership of strong fiscal conservatives and conservationists.

The National Taxpayer’s Union (NTU) uses the WRDA bill in the voter scorecard it publishes to rank how well Members of Congress are protecting our tax dollars. NTU strongly oppose the bill because of the number of special projects Members of Congress embed into the legislation and promote reforms to the Army Corps of Engineers in how they implement water projects. Urging Congress to reform the Corps is the link that builds this partnership as it is a main focus of Conservationists to ensure water resources are protected for the future. These organizations are working with Senators Feingold and McCain to establish an independent Water Resources Commission to prioritize water projects in the future.

Prioritization is a topic that for some reason draws support from an unlikely crowd in the conservation community that not too many people know about. In the past has been defeated by Barbara Boxer, who was able to whip votes against an amendment back in July of 2006. But this is an issue that receives strong support in protecting tax dollars and the environment from Presidential candidates across the political spectrum such as, Senator McCain (R-AZ) as the lead champion, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT).

National Wildlife Federation Joins General Motors and Shell Oil in Call for Swift Action on Global Warming

Statement by Larry Schweiger
President & CEO National Wildlife Federation
On the organization joining USCAP
U.S. Climate Action Partnership

Washington, DC (May 8) – “We are delighted to announce the National Wildlife Federation has joined the U.S. Climate Action Partnership.

“USCAP is a powerfully growing voice uniting American business and conservation organizations in the call for swift action to confront global warming. Together, we are urging the federal government to quickly enact strong legislation to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

“USCAP is advancing common sense solutions to an uncommon threat. Global warming is the defining issue of the 21st century, and the number one priority of our work on behalf of the National Wildlife Federation’s four million members and supporters.

“We look forward to working with our new USCAP partners as we continue our work with America’s hunters and anglers and all conservation advocates to advance legislation that effectively meets the threat of global warming.

“USCAP is also the latest demonstration that global warming is a top priority in mainstream America. Leaders of business in America are responsible to shareholders, employees and customers across every shade of American political opinion. They cannot afford to made decisions on the future of their enterprises through any partisan ideological lens.

“Today, in addition to the National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy, USCAP announces a doubling of business members including new members General Motors Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Siemens, AIG, Alcan, Boston Scientific, ConocoPhillips, Dow Chemical, John Deere, Marsh and Shell Oil.

“This group joins the organizations that founded USCAP earlier this year, including Alcoa, BP America, Caterpillar, Duke Energy, DuPont, FPL Group, Inc., General Electric, PG&E, and PNM Resources along with Environmental Defense, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pew Center on Global Climate Change and World Resources Institute.

“USCAP members are united on the goal of prompt enactment of national legislation using market forces to slow, stop and reverse the growth of greenhouse gas emissions over the shortest period of time reasonably achievable. USCAP’s “Call to Action” (available at www.us-cap.org) recommends that Congress establish mandatory emission targets to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas levels by 10-30 percent below today’s levels within 15 years, and a 60-80 percent reduction by 2050.

“We share that goal. We believe we all also share a moral responsibility to confront global warming to protect our children’s future. The fundamentally different planet that global warming threatens to create with severely diminished wildlife and radically altered habitats is not an alternative we can responsibly consider as a legacy.”

The National Wildlife Federation inspires Americas to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

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