Today when you walk past the Environmental Studies Division of the Outing Club's voter registration drive in the Hopkins Center, consider that in 1994 a member of Congress won his seat by only 21 votes. Also consider that in New Hampshire, both the Senate race and the 2nd district race for the House are too close to predict.
For students concerned about the environment, the New Hampshire election and many elections across the country are critically important. The 104th Congress will likely go down in history as the most anti-environmental Congress ever. Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" sought to dismantle some of the most effective environmental legislation of the past thirty years.
Among the worst legislation passed was the 1995 Salvage Logging Rider that mandated huge increases in timber harvesting on National Forests and suspended all environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act and NEPA requirements for environmental review of timber sales.
The Republican Congress also introduced legislation to dismantle the Clean Water Act, open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, and severely limit the EPA's enforcement powers and budget. Much of this legislation was slipped into riders on "must pass" spending bills -- a tactic that limited debate in Congress and curtailled public involvement.
Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) and Representitive Charlie Bass (R-NH) were among the leaders of this attack on the environment. Smith, who consistently worked to dismantle environmental legislation, voted to drastically weaken nuclear waste policy by eliminating many environmental health and safety protections and mandating rail and truck transport of radioactive waste. Bass, though slightly less reactionnary than Smith, voted for a bill that would undermine the Clean Water Act by gutting the Act's programs for limiting toxic discharges into lakes and rivers.
According to the League of Conservation Voters, a non-profit organization that rates congresspeople based on their environmental voting record, Smith earned a meager 15 percent score, while Bass finished the last session with a 31 percent rating. For his anti- environmental votes and efforts to pass "takings" legislation that would require the government to pay corporations to comply with environmental laws, Bob Dole received a 4 percent rating.
Although there were exceptions, Republicans generally had a much poorer environmental record than Democrats. The average Republican LCV score was 11 percent in the Senate and 15 percent in the House, while the Democrat averages were 89 percent in the Senate and 76 percent in the House.
Many pieces of anti-environmental legislation, such as "takings," are still waiting passage on the Senate and House floors. If the Republicans hold onto their majority in Congress, these bills could become laws.
In New Hampshire, where both the Senate and 2nd district House races are close, students have the opportunity to support stronger environmental legislation by voting out Senator Smith and Representitive Bass. The Sierra Club has endorsed democrat candidates Dick Swett in the Senate race and Arnie Arneson in the House race. Both candidates have pledged to take a stronger stand on the environment - especially Arneson who has had a long standing commitment to the environment.
If you have not registered to vote, you can contact your hometown for an absentee ballot. Alternatively, you might consider registering in New Hampshire at the Environmental Studies Division of the Outing Club's registration drive today in the Hop. You can get more information on your congressperson's voting record by logging onto the League of Conservation Voter's Homepage at www.lcv.org.
The student vote can make a difference -- especially in New Hampshire where the races are close. We have the opportunity to vote out anti-environmental incumbants and demand that Congress take a stronger stand on the environment.
