Message on Earth DayApril 21, 2003We need an energy policy, and President Bush has none-unless you consider drilling and destroying the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge an energy policy. We need to bring the public back into public lands, instead of making decisions with special interest groups behind closed doors. The Bush Administration should be ashamed that it is gutting the environmental protections we have worked so hard to achieve. We need to be improving-not rolling back-clean air and water standards. As Governor, I ordered emission controls in Vermont to be more stringent than those required by Kyoto, I led the conservation of over 470,000 acres of Vermont land, and I created the nation's first "energy efficiency" utility to provide statewide strategies for conserving energy. We have the technology to be able to do so much to improve our environment; all we need is the political will. By developing a coherent energy policy that strengthens both conservation and renewable resources, we can reduce our reliance on foreign oil and strengthen our national security. On Earth Day, we need a renewed commitment to our planet, to meet a new generation of global, national, and local environmental challenges.
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