Health, Safety & the Environment

Westport Selectman Gavin Anderson expressed outrage over the National League of Conservation Voters’ endorsement of  Richard Blumenthal earlier this month.  His email to the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV), which is reprinted below, reflects his view that Mr. Blumenthal is a “self confessed, admitted public liar” because of statements about military service.  Mr. Blumenthal’s opponent, Ms. McMahon, has barraged Connecticut residents with endless  ”attack ads” harping on this single issue.   What is absent from the debate, however, as articulated by Ms. McMahon and Westport’s Mr. Anderson, is any meaningful discussion of Ms. McMahon’s environmental agenda or her vision of Connecticut environmental future.  Admittedly, Mr. Blumenthal made a serious misstep when he misrepresented his military service.  The issue, however, is who will is the better candidate for the office.  In that respect, Linda McMahon falls far short of the mark in any serious discussion about environmental issues that matter! 

 Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 1:43 PM, William A. Ruskin <WRuskin@ebglaw.com> wrote: 

  Mr. Anderson,   Thank you for your impassioned response to LCV’s endorsement of Mr. Blumenthal.  Would you have any objection to CTLCV posting your email comments on our blog and my posting them on my Connecticut Post blog?  If you pressed “send” in haste (or a momentary fit of passion), we wouldn’t want to take unfair advantage.  Please let Kelly Kennedy and me know whether your comments are blog-worthy or should remain private.  Thanks.   Bill Ruskin (CTLCV Ed Fund Board Member)
 
From: gavin anderson <gavin.anderson@me.com>

Date: October 13, 2010 6:40:47 PM EDT
To: ctlcv@ctlcv.org
Subject: Re: National LCV Action Fund Backs Blumenthal for US Senate

THis is a disgrace – to endorse a man who is a self confessed, admitted public liar – who has earned the disrespect of everyone who is insulted by the shame of his claims to military presence in a hostile theater where Americans were dying in great numbers.
You should be conserving DECENCY, INTEGRITY AND GOOD VALUES, Not the kind of shame and disgrace this individual is trying to excuse !
SHAME ON YOU.
Gavin Anderson.
Selectman, Westport.

The National League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, which works to elect candidates who will implement sound environmental policies, today announced its endorsement of Richard Blumenthal for U.S. Senate.  Connecticut’s own League of Conservation Voters seconded that endorsement with one of its own.   

“LCV Action Fund is proud to endorse Richard Blumenthal for U.S. Senate because he understands that the policies needed to grow Connecticut’s economy and keep America’s competitive edge are the same policies that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and curb harmful carbon pollution,” said LCV Action Fund President Gene Karpinski. “We are confident that as Senator, Richard Blumenthal will work to enact common-sense energy policies that create jobs in Connecticut while ensuring that America leads the 21st century’s clean energy economy.”   

Blumenthal supports comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and create new energy jobs.  Throughout his tenure as Connecticut Attorney General, Blumenthal has worked to support state legislation that invests in renewable energy to help create jobs and reduce carbon pollution. Blumenthal’s efforts as Connecticut’s Attorney General on behalf of environmental causes, including joining bipartisan fights to block controversial energy projects on the Long Island Sound, reflect his commitment to environmental protections and investments in job-creating clean energy. In January 2010, Blumenthal joined 15 other attorneys general in support of defending the EPA in their efforts to begin regulation of dangerous carbon pollution. 

In stark contrast, Blumenthal is running against Linda McMahon, the wrestling mogul, who has said she would consider voting to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency, which would threaten to undermine fifty years of regulation that has improved our water and our air. .She has also called the sound and settled science of global warming “potentially questionable”, which makes her downright scary!  Rarely have Connecticut voters been presented with such starkly different mindsets concerning our basic right to enjoy a healthy environment!

For the past ten years, the Environmental Summit, organized by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters,  has provided a unique opportunity for environmental leaders and elected officials to share information and discuss legislative priorities before the start of the legislative session through informal networking and panel discussions..  Signficantly, anyone in Connecticut can join the key decision makers in Hartford at the December 8 event and partake. 

This year, there will be almost assuredly be a packed house to hear Professor Daniel Esty, the featured keynote speaker.  Professor Esty is the Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy, and directs the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy as well as the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale.  He participated at the World Economic Forum in Davos and has served as an Obama campaign advisor on energy and environmental issues.  He is the author of the prizewinning book Green to Gold.  The event will be at the Jaycees Boathouse in Hartford.

On September 22, 2010, the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (“NYLCV Education Fund”) hosted Jay Walder, Chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (“MTA”), at an Eco-Partner Breakfast, a quarterly event at which leaders from around New York State meet to network and discuss issues of environmental concern. Jay Walder was nominated by Governor David A. Patterson on July 14, 2009 and confirmed as chairman and chief executive officer of the MTA on September 10, 2009. We applaud Mr. Walder for his vision and the aggressive steps that he has taken in his one year in office to keep the largest mass transit system in the United States moving in the right direction. Walder has prior experience in public transportation within the MTA, where he previously served as Chief of Staff and later as Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Walder left the MTA in 1995 to teach public policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Thereafter, he joined Transport for London, where he was credited with the introduction of that system’s extremely successful “Oyster card” and with leading the transportation charge as part of London’s successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Mr. Walder set the tone for the morning’s discussion by emphasizing the importance of seeking “transformational” change rather than “evolutionary” change at MTA. Mr. Walder identified two significant transformational milestones in the New York subway system. The first occurred in 1982, when the MTA’s first capital program was established. As a New Yorker, Mr. Walder recalled to mind how the New York subway system was considered a symbol of urban decay in the 1970’s, characterized by graffiti, constant breakdowns, oppressive heat in summer and ineffectual heating in winter. As a result of capital improvements, today’s subway system no longer suffers from the systemic problems of the 1970’s. He points out that there was a breakdown every 7,000 system miles in the 1970’s as compared to today when there is a breakdown only every 150,000 miles.

The second transformational milestone was the introduction of the MetroCard in 1991. As a result of the MetroCard’s introduction, tokens became relics of the past, and monthly and weekly passes and automatic bus/rail transfers became a pleasant reality. Subway ridership increased from 3.5 million riders daily in 1992 to over 5 million riders daily today. Although the MTA has been criticized for recently announced service cuts, Mr. Walder has made significant strides in his one year in office in reducing MTA’s annual operating budget. This cost-cutting initiative has resulted in the removal of 3,500 jobs, a reduction by 20% of positions at MTA HQ, reduction in overtime, consolidation of functions and renegotiation of contracts with vendors. MTA is now introducing “countdown” clocks in subway stations to remove rider angst over train delays and to make New Yorkers’ long-time habit of constantly looking over the edge of the platform toward the tunnel for the next train a thing of the past.

The bipartisan Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (CTLCV) has endorsed a bipartisan slate of 28 candidates, all of whom demonstrate strong leadership on environmental issues. To obtain the endorsement, the candidates must be committed to protecting Connecticut’s land, water, air, and wildlife, and to working for sustainable solutions to pressing state issues like transportation, energy, and waste management.

“We are pleased that our state legislature and the candidates seeking to serve in the House and Senate have put a high value on these issues-which is consistent with what their constituents expect and deserve,” said Lori Brown, the League’s Executive Director. Brown continued, “These candidates are dedicated to protecting the environment and want to be sure we do not roll back protections as we rebuild our economy.”

In Connecticut State Senate races, CTLCV endorses:

· Sen. Toni Boucher (R-26)

· Rep. Beth Bye (D-5)

· Sen. John Fonfara (D-1)
· Sen. Donald J. DeFronzo (D-6)

· Sen. Martin Looney (D-11)

· Sen. Edward Meyer (D-12)

In Connecticut State House of Representatives races, CTLCV endorses:

· Eileen Baker (D-23)

· Rep. Michelle Cook (D-65)

· Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-103)

· Rep. Livvy Floren (R-149)

· Rep. Stephen Fontana (D-87)

· Rep. Deborah Heinrich (D-101)

· Rep. John Hetherington (R-125)

· Rep. Thomas Kehoe (D-31)

· Rep. Matthew Lesser (D-100)

· Rep. Joan Lewis (D-8)

· Rep. Bob Megna (D-97)
· Rep. Mary Mushinsky (D-85)

· Rep. Vickie Nardello (D-89)

· Rep. James O’Rourke III (D-32)

· Catherine Osten (D-47)

· Rep. Lonnie Reed (D-102)

· Rep. Linda Schofield (D-16)

· Rep. James Spallone (D-36)

· Rep. Diana Urban (D-43)

· Rep. Pat Widlitz (D-98)

· Rep. Roberta Willis (D-64)

· Rep. Elissa Wright (D-41)

These candidates’ responses to CTLCV’s environmental survey and their voting records may be viewed at http://www.ctlcv.org/surveyor by contacting CTLCV directly.

Every election year, CTLCV surveys candidate on their positions, records, and plans for protecting the environment. The League also interviews candidates as appropriate and reviews incumbents’ record in its Annual Environmental Scorecard.

Consumer Reports Safety blog recently reported the alarming statistic that each year there are 4.7 million dog bites in the United States.   Apart from postal workers, often find themselves violent pets, children are particularly vulnerable.   Each year 800,000 Americans seek medical attention for dog bites; half of them children. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency department and about 16 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control &  Prevention, which has a website for avoiding dogbites.  Children 5 to 9 years old are the most vulnerable.  As part of their training, letter carriers are told: Don’t be fooled when a resident says, “My dog won’t bite.” That’s good advice.  Consumer Reports recommends the following  as is the following: (1) Don’t approach an unfamiliar dog; (2) If knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still; (3) Avoid direct eye contact with a dog; (4) Do not pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first; (5)  Don’t disturb a dog while she’s sleeping, eating, chewing on a toy, or caring for puppies; and (6) Don’t run from a dog, its natural instinct is to chase you.

Not surprisingly, having a dog in the home results in a higher incidence of dog bites. The more dogs, the more likelihood of bad encounters. Adults with two or more dogs in the household are five times more likely to be bitten than those living without dogs at home, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  That’s why it’s important to take precautions if you are considering getting a dog as a pet. Because so many dog bites happen to young children, the ASPCA recommends waiting until your child is at least 10 years old before getting a dog. When you do, the main safety lesson for children is to not chase or tease dogs they know and to avoid dogs they don’t know.

CNN reported not too long ago that Frank Mitloehner, an air quality specialist from the University of California at Davis, accused the authors of a 2006 report published by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (“FAO”), titled “Livestock’s Long Shadow”, of skewing scientific data to grossly exaggerate the impact of livestock farming on climate change and, at the same time, underplaying the impact of climate change caused by transport. As the debate over the legitimacy of certain climate change science continues to swirl in both scientific and academic as well as policy making circles, it is vitally important to avoid politicization of the science. Politics may be unavoidable when policymakers’ decisions on climate change will have a likely impact over time of tens of billions, but every effort should be made to keep the science on the straight and narrow. That is why this article and the underlying FAO report is disturbing. The 2006 report claims that meat production is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions world-wide (greater than impact of transport). The report goes on to claim that livestock farming occupies a whooping 30 percent of the world’s surface and that its environmental impact will double by 2050 unless drastic action is taken now. Who knew? Frank Mitloehner contends the U.N. reached its conclusions for the livestock sector by adding up emissions from farm to table, including the gases produced by growing animal feed; animals’ digestive emissions; and processing meat and milk into foods. The U.N. also downplayed climate change caused by transport by failing to add up emissions from well head to steering wheel, and only considered emissions from fossil fuels burned while driving. In fact, leading authorities agree raising animals for food accounts for about 3 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., while transportation creates an estimated 26 percent. Mitloehner’s clarification must have brought about sighs of relief from U.S. beef associations, who were no doubt concerned about their member companies being tagged with responsibility for Hurricane Katrina’s damage in Louisiana and Mississippi and the loss of sea ice in Kivaluna in the Northwest! Meanwhile, environmentalists and campaigners including Paul McCartney, used the U.N.’s findings to urge consumers to eat less meat and save the planet with slogan: “Less meat = less heat.” Sadly, once an icon in children’s literature, Old McDonald’s Farm, is no longer the innocent “EIEIO” of toddler rhyme, but a potential malefactor with inadequate insurance coverage to boot.

The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters (“CTLCV”) reported yesterday that United States Senator Chris Dodd and United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood made a special appearance at Connecticut’s capital yesterday to discuss the future of a high speed rail corridor connecting New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts.  The DOT Secretary advised the press that “Connecticut has its act together. This corridor has its act together.  I can’t say that everywhere I go.”  Building a high speed rail line up the New Haven / Hartford / Springfield corridor would serve to reduce traffic congestion on Interstate 91 and assist in making our regional economy more competitive.  In addition, a rail line on the Tri-City Corridor would provide residents of central Connecticut with better access to New York City, western Massachusetts, Vermont and eventually Boston.