7) Greater Biodiversity
The Endangered Species Act protects endangered and threatened species, and the ecosystems on which they depend. Signed into law more than 30 years ago, the Endangered Species Act is credited with the recovery of species such as the bald eagle and the gray whale, and with preventing 99 percent of the species listed as either endangered or threatened from becoming extinct.
Over the past couple of years, certain industries have kept up an aggressive lobbying campaign to persuade Congress to weaken the Endangered Species Act. House and Senate Democrats have always managed to beat back legislative efforts to lessen protection for threatened and endangered species.
With Democrats in the majority in Congress, attacks on the Endangered Species Act are expected to lose force.
8) Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been a political hot potato for years. Many Republicans, often with strong ties to oil companies, have pushed to open ANWR to oil exploration, arguing that the petroleum buried there could help end America’s dependence on foreign oil. Many Democrats have fought to preserve ANWR as perhaps America’s last pristine wilderness area, arguing that the amount of oil in the refuge could only supply U.S. demand for a few months.
While the debate is sure to continue, no matter which part holds the majority in Congress, the threat to ANWR will be considerably reduced with the Democrats in charge.
9) Greener Businesses
Many leading businesses are beginning to go green. Some see painting themselves green and showing their concern for the environment to be good public relations that is likely to draw more customers. Others see the profit potential of investing in and supplying green technology. Still others probably just want to do the right thing, even if the short-term costs are higher.
Having a new crop of eco-friendly local, state and national leaders is likely to create a business environment that will encourage more businesses to go green.
10) Greener Judges
A lot of environmental disputes end up in court, so having judges on the bench who see the value of balancing environmental issues and business priorities is an important component in protecting and preserving the environment.
Some local judges are elected, others are appointed by state governors. On the federal level, judges are appointed by the president and must be approved by the U.S. Senate. With more Democrats in the Senate, many observers believe there is a better chance of getting federal judges with a balanced perspective.
To learn how the results of the 2006 election in the United States may affect global warming, renewable energy, air quality and other important energy and environmental issues, see page 1.
