This is the twenty-third article in a continuing series by the NRDC Action Fund on the environmental stances of political candidates in key races around the country.
At the turn of the 20th century, Canton, Ohio was a hub of American politics. At that time Canton native, William McKinley, was campaigning for the Presidency from his front porch, meeting with delegations brought in by train from across the country. Ohio’s 16th Congressional District includes all of Canton and most of surrounding Ashland and Medina counties to the west. The district leans slightly Republican, and John McCain carried the district in the last election 50-48%. Republican Ralph Regula represented the district in the U.S. House for 36 years until retiring at 84. Democrat John Boccieri defeated Regula’s handpicked successor Kurt Schuring to win the election in 2008. In November, Boccieri faces off against businessmanJim Renacci.
During his short time in Congress, John Boccieri has proven to be a consistent vote for clean energy and the environment. In 2009, his first year in the House, he earned a 93% rating from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), which means he voted the right way on just about every issue they scored. Most notably, he voted in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES), the first global warming bill to pass a chamber of Congress. After the vote on ACES, Boccieri said in an editorial that:
“The pillars of this legislation create hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide that cannot be outsourced: producing clean, green energy; protecting our national security; and moving away from our dependence on foreign energy, especially oil….
The Ohio Congressional delegation negotiated with leadership on two significant amendments for our state. With the help of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, we established a regional power authority that would serve Ohio and surrounding states…. Working with Senator Sherrod Brown and Congressman Zack Space, I introduced (H.R. 3083) to help manufacturers in the United States transition to building and producing the components necessary for alternative energy systems that will make America a leader in new energy production. It provides billions of dollars in loans to small and medium-sized manufacturers to retool and refit their businesses to create these new products and compete in a clean energy economy….
The American Clean Energy and Security Act is a bold step towards energy independence. This position is not a partisan view, but an American view, and we must begin this journey together for the future of our country.”
In that editorial Boccieri says clearly, and truthfully, that “there are no taxes in [ACES] and [utility] rates still remain a function of state government.” That hasn’t stopped Renacci from misrepresenting the bill as a “National Energy Tax.” He claims that ACES “threatens to wipe out 40,000 jobs in Ohio,” even though collaborative research by the University of Illinois, Yale University and University of California has shown that ACES could potentially create more than 60,000 jobs in Ohio.
Renacci made a telling comment recently, giving a good predictor of how he’d vote on environmental issues in Congress, when he could not name a single issue on which he’d differ from Republican Minority Leader John Boehner. Over six terms in Congress, Boehner has earned a 1 percent career rating from LCV, which means he has voted the wrong way on virtually every environmental issue. Boehner famously called ACES “a pile of shit,” and argued that the bill would increase energy taxes by more than $3,000. It turned out that Boehner had misread the MIT study he was citing as the source for the $3,000 figure; however he kept on using the number, even after the author asked him to stop. To top it all, Boehner believes that “the idea that carbon dioxide is… harmful to our environment is almost comical.” What is truly laughable is that Jim Renacci can’t find one thing to disagree with him on.
The NRDC Action Fund believes that it is important for the public in general, and the voters of specific Congressional districts, be aware of this information as they weigh their choices for November.