(Host) Democratic State Senator Peter Welch has outlined the environmental plank of his campaign for Congress.
He wants to end tax breaks given last year to oil and gas companies and put the money instead into renewable energy, alternative fuels and energy efficiency.
(Welch) “We have to acknowledge that global warming is real and it must be addressed immediately. We have to develop an energy policy that’s up to the challenge.
“That includes reversing our dependence on big oil, having tax incentives that go to alternative energies, that increase mileage standards, that reduce greenhouse emissions, that build green businesses.
“We’ve been doing that in Vermont, we have to do it nationally. This is something that can be good for the environment as well as good for the economy. We have an opportunity to build our economy as well as improve the environment. And we have to act immediately before it’s too late.”
(Host) Welch also wants the United States to sign onto the Kyoto protocols, which call for international reductions in the carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming.
He says there are significant differences on environmental issues between him and Republican front-runner Martha Rainville.