Those of us who believe that global warming is a problem want a good climate change bill. Even among people who are environmentally minded, the definition of a good bill may vary from person to person. Some of us are afraid of nuclear power, some of us cringe at the thought of off-shore drilling, and some of us don’t want to spend money on researching technologies like clean coal. When it comes to getting a substantial bill passed, some of us will be tempted to adopt a rigid, uncompromising "take no prisoners" approach. We are going to expect the Democrats to do exactly as we want them to because they are supposed to feel as strongly about the environment as we do.
When I volunteered to adopt Sherrod Brown for this series, I knew he was considered "on the fence" regarding the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (CEJAPA), but I was also aware of the fact that he is a conscientious liberal who truly cares about the welfare of the people he represents in Ohio.
Who He Is
Sherrod Brown is a junior senator from Ohio. He has been in the senate since 2006 and is up for reelection in 2012. Ohio Democrats are fortunate to have someone like Sherrod Brown representing them. A liberal who won election to the Senate by campaigning as a populist, he normally supports the energy and environmental issues we would expect him to. He has received high marksfrom groups such as the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, League of Conservation Voters, American Wind Energy Association, American Wilderness Coalition, National Parks Conservation Association, and the Sierra Club.
He supports legislation that will liberate us from the dependence on foreign oil without drilling off of our shores or in Alaska, he believes in fighting global warming and investing in the research and implementation of clean energy sources.
In taking action to lower gas prices, we must invest in alternative energy to end our reliance on foreign oil. I oppose giving more permits to drilling in the United States when big oil already has 68 million acres (approximately 2.5 times the size of Ohio) of unused oil leases. It is a mistake to pin our hopes to domestic drilling, which offers no short-term energy relief or long-term energy solution. Alternative energy is the key to our nation’s energy future, and I am committed to accelerating the development and production of alternative energy in Ohio and throughout the nation. – Sherrod Brown’s web site
Position on Climate Change Bill
Brown has made it clear that he is not only interested in changing the way the U.S. influences climate change through carbon emissions but also in the way the rest of the world does. He believes in a principled approach to achieving environmental goals. He understands that climate change needs to be addressed but he has also identified what he sees as an undesirable effect our legislation could have on jobs and the economy here at home. In a speech he gave to the Senate in June, he explained his opposition to the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008, sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer, by saying that instead of reducing emissions it would, in effect, be exporting emissions. He argued that when companies have a choice between staying in the U.S. and abiding by our environmental standards and going to other countries where they will not be held to such strict regulations, they will often move to another country. He believes that this will not only increase the number of unemployed workers in the U.S. but will leave the whole world even more vulnerable to global warming.
Brown and other Midwestern senators’ insistence on tariffs on imports from countries with lower environmental standards was addressed a week or so ago in John Kerry and Lindsey Graham’s op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times when they conceded support for a border tax on products from these countries and their willingness to protect American businesses from increases in energy prices that might encourage them to close or move overseas.
Sherrod Brown sees climate change legislation as a big opportunity to create thousands of new jobs in the manufacturing and technology of clean energy sources.
Energy Industry Donations
According to OpenSecrets.Org, 75% of Brown’s campaign committee contributions for 2005-2010 have come from individuals. The top five industries which have contributed to his campaign do not include any energy industry donations.
Can Democrats Make a Deal with Brown?
It’s abundantly clear from Brown’s past voting record that he favors a strong climate bill. With the current economic crisis putting so many people out of work in Ohio and elsewhere, he is understandably concerned about how any legislation is going to affect jobs. I do not live in Ohio but I am in what is commonly referred to as the midwestern rust belt and many of the manufacturing jobs in my home state have vanished in recent years. This has contributed to rising poverty levels, strained social services, and increased demands on charitable organizations such as food banks. Senator Brown is right to advocate on behalf of the working poor in Ohio. If his constituents don't have jobs that will provide a living wage, they are not going to be supportive of climate change laws even if they and their environment stand to benefit from those laws.
A look at some of the bills that Brown has sponsored or, in some cases, co-sponsored gives you a good idea of his interest in reducing America’s carbon footprint and making the environment a top priority. Although he has been critical of the climate change bill, Brown has said that ultimately he will not support a filibuster of this legislation even if he opposes the final bill. The New York Times op-ed by Kerry and Graham seems to indicate that Brown’s anxiety about the fate of jobs in these difficult times is something that should be considered and that it will not be a reason to allow climate change legislation to stall.