Peter
Silveston
51
Crested Flycatcher Lane
Kiawah
Island, SC 29455
Congressman
Mark Sanford 51
Crested Flycatcher Lane
322
Cannon House Office Building Kiawah
Island, SC, 29455
Washington,
DC , 20515
August
19th, 2013
Dear
Congressman Sanford,
I
am disappointed that your staff has been unable to arrange a meeting between
you and the Executive Committee of the Robert Lunz Group of the South Carolina
Sierra Club Chapter before I leave on a trip out west. I hope that a meeting
can be arranged during a later visit to your constituency. This letter is a
poor substitute for such a meeting.
My intent in this letter is to set out the
position of the local Sierra Club group on conservation and energy policy
issues facing South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
On
Conservation:
1)
We wish to see legislation protecting public land, such as
Parks, Monuments and National Forests. Namely that there should be no net
encroachment of such property. Diversion of any such land in the public
interest must be replaced by equal or greater replacement in a contiguous way (sSimilar
to regulations now governing wet lands).
2)
Federal funding of agencies charged with protecting and
administering public lands ( as numerated above) should be protected in deficit
reduction actions of the government in as much asso that agency budgets are reduced
to no greater extent than the average reduction and certainly no more than the
budgets of the military forces.
3)
We wish to see lLegislation protecting environmentally
sensitive land from commercial development, or at least, a prohibition of the
use of public money to restore such land after environmental catastrophes, such
as a hurricane. I refer specifically to the proposed development of Capt’n
Sam’s Spit on Kiawah Island and the recent landfill operations at Wild Dunes on
the Isle of Palms.
4)
We support a Ffederal grant or perhaps a loan for the
purpose of creating a park on properties surrounding Angel Oak on Johns Island.
5)
We are also concerned about littering and waste dumping on
public land, such as in the Francis Marion National Forest or , indeed, on our
highways, but we have no ideas of what federal action might be undertaken to
eliminate this problem.
On
Energy Policy Issues:
1)
We fully endorse the National Sierra Club position that that
global warming is a paramount national problem and that vigorous federal action
is necessary. The issue is particularly important for the 1st
Congressional District. The mean annual sea level has already risen by over an
inch in the last decade. Although this is negligible with respect to daily life
and commerce, it has a large impact on property and perhaps life during storm
events.
2)
To limit global warming, the federal government should
promote the adoption of practical renewable energy, such as solar energy, wind
power, use of agricultural and forest wastes, while discouraging employment of
fossil fuels.
3)
To enact 2) above:
a)
End federal subsidies of all types to the giant and wealthy
oil corporations.
b)
Enact a carbon tax on automotive as well as power sales of
oil and coal products
c)
Enact or aurthorize EPA to set and enforce emission
standards on mercury, sulfur dioxide and other toxics in power plant stack
emissions
d)
Require Federal review of fracking proposals to limit water
and air pollution by those operations.
4)
Further to 2) above
a)
Legislate the construction and finance of a national
electric power grid to move power across the country so as to balance
generation capacity and power demand (This could be modeled after the National
Highway system created in the 1960”s). Such a grid is essential in order to
exploit intermittent power sources.
b)
Enact legislation that will allow public and private
property owners to rent out space or rent solar collectors and require
utilities to buy such power for distribution to its customers. Such legislation
should include allowing utilities to charge a standby charge on power supplied
to a local solar generator. There is currently a problem in South. Carolina where
utilities have a power supply monopoly in areas they serve.
c)
Continue tax breaks for capital expenditures on solar energy
capture and other power conservation expenditures
d)
Enact a program of federal guaranteed low interest rate
loans for construction of wind turbine farms and for bringing power on shore in
the case of “farms” off the Carolina coast.
The
Sierra Club has supported you in several of your past political campaigns, so
you are well aware of our influence on your constituents. The Lunz Group of the
South Carolina Sierra Club Chapter has close to 1,000 members and our positions
are often adopted by young people and college graduates in our area.
As
Political Chair for the Lunz Group, I receive the “Project Vote Smart” record
of congressional votes and speeches which I report on to the Group Executive.
Of course, I want to receive your newsletter and other reports that your office
issues.
Sincerely,
Peter
Silveston
