I don't understand why Republicans (in general) don't seem to give a shit about the environment. Ignore Al Gore and global warming, and at the end of the day, protecting our environment is still very important. Who doesn't want clean air and clean water?
Many areas of the country are experiencing major water restrictions. A lot of the focus these days are about conserving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. You don't hear a lot about water in the news and how it's important to reduce our water consumption. Energy and water go hand in hand. It takes a lot of water to produce energy. Nuclear power plants use a TON of water. If we conserve energy, then that's less energy the power plant needs to produce and less water they need to consume.
I think that many Republicans aren't really anti-environment. I think that they're pro-business, and Republicans (and many businesses) think that it would put them at a disadvantage to go green. To a certain extent, they're right. But like any major issue, it's complicated and can't be so easily dissected. For example, I've been reading in the paper lately about manufacturers striving to have zero landfill impact. Waste from manufacturing is recycled and/or is reused for other purposes. Walmart (for all the grief that many people give them) does a really good job using energy efficient equipment, day lighting, and other green practices. They are a company that realizes investing in these technologies saves money in the long run.
I see it everyday in my job too. I'm a mechanical engineer and I design HVAC systems for buildings. There are some clients that are all about first cost and aren't able to see how specifying energy efficient systems saves them in the long run. My company has designed dozens of LEED certified building, and they are all very competitively priced compared to non-LEED buildings. People don't realize that you spend extra money on good windows, additional insulation, etc that it results in requiring a smaller air handling unit because the resulting heating and cooling loads are reduced. Fortunately, more and more clients are "getting it".
All that said, I'm sure there are some sectors of the economy that would be hindered by tighter environmental regulations. We're already at a competitive disadvantage when competing in the global workplace. It would be even harder to compete if other developing countries do not also comply with these same regulations. I see that argument a lot. "Why bother? The rest of the world isn't doing it. They pollute a lot more than we do." I think that protecting the environment is something this country needs to lead on. This country needs to be the driving force behind protecting our environment. More pressure needs to be put on countries that are the biggest polluters (China and India for example) to significantly improve their environmental regulations.
Here's a LINK so you can check out how green your senators and representatives are. If your representative is doing a good job, contact them and tell them to keep up the good work and that you support them. If they are not doing a good job, tell them to get their ass in gear and that you'll kick his sorry ass out of office in November if he doesn't start voting the right way.