To the editor:
The writer who stated that Rep. Paulsen’s joining the Climate Solutions Caucus brings him credit fails to note that, even if sincere, such an act is too little and too late. His record on the environment is abysmal and making a show of interest in climate issues is but a play for votes. A look at just three of his votes helps one understand how the League of Conservation Voters can assign him a lifetime score of 16 percent on its Environmental Scorecard.
On Dec. 1, 2015, Paulsen voted with the majority to disapprove or invalidate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units. This was an attempt to prevent the EPA from taking stronger action to reduce greenhouse gases.
On July 18, 2017, Paulsen voted with the majority to pass the Ozone Standards Implementation Act of 2017 which basically pushed back the implementation of parts of the Clean Air Act by five or more years and doubled the interval between certain assessments of air quality from five to ten years. These changes can only have damaging effects on the quality of air we breathe.
On March 8, 2018, Paulsen voted with the majority to pass the Satisfying Energy Needs and Saving the Environment Act which exempts power plants from certain EPA rules including air quality regulations. Among other restrictions, the EPA is prohibited from requiring plants to comply with certain emission standards for hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide.
These three votes represent Paulsen’s pattern of opposition to laws and regulations that are intended to protect us and our environment. Any claim that he might make that he is serious about the environment rings hollow. We in the Third Congressional District can see that the evidence does not support the claims Paulsen makes.
MIchael Waring, Edina
Edina Sun-Current, August 2, 2018