Category: Greg Chisholm
Connecticut to Sue EPA
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2002–The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed new regulations that would allow power plants to upgrade facilities without improving emissions standards.
The state of Connecticut plans to take the EPA to court to stop these changes. From Washington, WNPR’s Tia Carioli reports.
Under the current system, when a power plant significantly upgrades or replaces equipment, it triggers the New Source Review, or NSR.
The NSR Requires plants to use the most environmentally safe technology
available.
Routine maintenance work does not trigger the New Source Review, and the new rule is designed to relax the definition of routine. So, in effect, plant operators would have less federal oversight of their operations.
Connecticut, and eight other NE states, will claim that giving the plants such leeway is illegal because it circumvents the Clean Air Act.
CT AG Richard Blumenthal believes northeastern residents will be in danger if these new rules are not challenged.
The message of the Bush administration to the Northeast essentially is: Northeast drop dead and the rest of the country can go with it, so far as environmental standards are concerned.
Blumenthal claims that power plants will no longer have an incentive to lower pollution rates and that plants in the Midwest will continue to emit harmful pollutants that are blown into the northeastern atmosphere.
6,000 asthma attacks every year, more than 300 deaths attributable
directly to the nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide that are produced by these plants and in turn are blown by the prevailing winds to the Northeast.
But the EPA insists the new proposal is aimed at lessening emissions from these Midwestern power plants.
One of the provisions of the rule allows a plant-wide cap on pollution, instead of regulating each component of the plant individually.
EPA Assistant Administrator Jeff Holmstead says their studies show a plant-wide cap will be environmentally friendly.
We’ve done studies at 6 pilot plants, in facilities around the country, and in each case, what happens is as soon as the cap is in place, they actually reduce their overall emissions to provide flexibility in the future so that as the market changes, as they need to make changes in the future, they can respond quickly.
Blumenthal claims this flexibility weakens the intentionally rigid Clean Air Act. Echoing his criticisms are Connecticut Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman, who went so far as to call for EPA Head Christie Whitman’s resignation.
Frank O’Donnell, executive director of the Clean Air Trust, an environmental advocacy group, blasted the policy and the way it was introduced.
They announced this in a sneaky manner almost: late on a Friday afternoon, typically a time to bury bad news and put it out, and the head of the EPA Christy Whitman wasn’t even in town for this. 6:11 She was obviously so embarrassed at the nature of this rollback that’s happening on her watch that she wasn’t even around for it.
The EPA shrugs off these assaults as partisan politics. And Scott Segel, a spokesperson for an industry group representing power plants, attacked Blumenthal for not taking action within his own state to reduce air pollution.
What’s interesting to me about some of the political leaders in Connecticut, the Attorney General included, is that he would rather sue power plants in Ohio than defend a cleaner feul program for automobiles in Connecticut. Its way easier to just sue people in Ohio then it is to actually fix problems in Connecticut.
Blumenthal dismissed Segel’s claim, saying that Connecticut’s biggest air quality problems are not created in state.
To give you some idea of the dimensions of the problem caused by these
Midwestern plants we could literally shut down all of our power plants,
take all of our cars off the road and we still would be out of compliance with the federal air quality standards because of the huge amounts of contaminants that are blown from the Midwestern power plants to our atmosphere and damaging our air quality as a result of the coal burning plants located elsewhere.
Blumenthal has already drawn up the lawsuit papers against the federal
government, and he hopes the courts will decide within a year what the future of air quality regulation will be.
For WNPR, this is Tia Carioli in Washington.
Broadcast on Connecticut Public Radio, in Connecticut.
Mr. Bradley Goes to Washington
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Nov. 27, 2002--Congressman-elect Jeb Bradley recently found himself lost in the Capitol. He is slowly getting adjusted to Washington DC. NHPR correspondent Gregory Chisholm has more on Bradley's congressional orientation.
I'm looking around so that I make sure that I have my orientation so that I walk in the correct way--There's the Capitol! Alright...
LAST WEEK, JEB BRADLEY SPENT HIS TIME LEARNING HIS WAY AROUND THE U.S. CAPITOL.
BRADLEY WON ELECTION TO CONGRESS FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE'S FIRST DISTRICT EARLIER THIS MONTH.
AND SINCE THEN HE'S BEEN GETTING FAMILIAR with the rules and procedures of Congress as well as the layout of the city.
I'm trying to, as you saw walking over here, make sure I orient myself in terms of geography. I you go on all of the tunnels under the Capitol, there's always signs telling you where you are and where you are going, but I like getting outside.
Bradley doesn't like being cooped up indoors.
An experienced climber, he enjoys the open SPACES.
My top criteria for an office is windows that open...(Why is that)...I like fresh air.
TROUBLE IS, SENIOR MEMBERS GET FIRST PICK OF THE OFFICES IN A LOTTERY SYSTEM.
FRESHMAN Bradley will likely get one of the last choices.
BUT Setting up his office IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
HE'S ALSO GOT TO ASSEMBLE A STAFF AND FIND A PLACE TO LIVE.
ALL THAT'S GOT TO BE DONE BEFORE JANUARY 7th, that's WHEN THE 108 CONGRESS is sworn in.
THAT'S WHEN HE BEGINS LIVING A SPLIT LIFE.
WEEKDAYS, HE'LL BE IN WASHINGTON.
HE PLANS TO SPEND THE WEEKENDS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE WITH HIS FAMILY…AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.
I'll have the portabello sandwich…
Sitting at lunch in Union Station near the Capitol BRADLEY ENHANCES his meal by mixing a vitamin C powder in his grapefruit juice...
Don't be grossed out by this…
he says HE BEGAN THIS DAILY RITUAL WHEN HE OWNED a natural food store for 16 years.
THE former state legislator DISTINQUISHED HIMSELF AS A BIT OF A DETAIL MAN.
SOME MIGHT CALL HIM A POLICY WONK.
AND THAT HASN'T CHANGED IN WASHINGTON.
HE'S ASKED TO BE ASSIGNED TO THE HOUSE Transportation committee.
HE WANTS monitor the WIDENING OF Interstate ninety three BETWEEN MASSACHUSETTS AND MANCHESTER.
Highway users AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES ARE anxious TO FINISH the project quickly.
BUT THEY'VE butted heads with environmental groups AND LOCAL RESIDENTS who are trying to PROTECT THE STATE'S WETLANDS.
I would hope that the parties can sit down around a table and negotiate a resolution that's not overly costly to the State's highway fund and drivers eventually and does not delay road projects, but at the same time does the job and mitigates the environmental impact.
BRADLY'S answer is reserved, balanced and careful.
HE'S learning the political rhetoric so common to politicians.
But THE WASHINGTON NEWCOMER still lacks the image-consciousness seen in seasoned pols.
In THIS city titles dictate status and access is power.
BUT Bradley STILL introduces himself simply as Jeb and gives out his personal cell phone number. He arrived without a staff member or press-handler.
He apologizes for being late.
HE SAYS someone told him that if he is on time in Washington, he's wasted fifteen minutes of his life.
And he readily admitted not completely understanding a vote he's ALREADY cast.
IT TOOK PLACE in a Republican organizational meeting.
IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH CREATING greater accountability for the Appropriations Committee.
There were people for it, people against it…I thought that not really knowing the ins and outs and the people and all of that, it just seemed to make sense to me.
Many consider Bradley more moderate than John Sununu, the Republican he replaces in the Congress.
Perhaps because my record in the legislature on working to resolve particular environmental issues and I'm pro choice, perhaps that has something to do with it.
But Bradley says he COMPLETELY SUPPORTS President Bush's POLICY ON the wars on terrorism and Iraq, and the tax cut.
(Walking through leaves)
ON HIS WAY back to the Capitol BRADLEY IS RUNNING late for his next meeting.
Bradley spoke to his wife earlier about the color of the foliage in New Hampshire.
He's been in Washington only a week and he can't wait to get home.
For NHPR News, this is Gregory Chisholm in Washington
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
Maloney Leaves Washington
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2002--Connecticut's 5th District Congressional Race was watched around the country as redistricting pitted two incumbents against each other in the most expensive House race Connecticut has ever seen. Republican Nancy Johnson came out victorious over Democrat James Maloney. Two weeks later, Maloney is talking about why he lost and what is in his future. WNPR Correspondent Tia Carioli reports from Washington.
Congressman James Maloney will leave his Congressional office for the last time today.
Over the past week, his staffers have been scrambling to pack up the office and find new jobs.
After representing Connecticut's 5th District in Washington for six years, Maloney will be returning home to Danbury.
His opponent Nancy Johnson has 14 more years experience and greater public recognition which he says made his campaign an uphill battle from the beginning.
But Maloney says he's not one to back down from a challenge.
I think we ran a very good campaign, I think we had a huge mobilization of volunteers, we had well more than 1,000 volunteers on election day doing all kinds of things, that tremendous spirit and that tremendous commitment all around the district. (18 secs)
Despite that commitment, Maloney couldn't keep up with Republican opponent Nancy Johnson in one of the five most expensive races in the country.
Johnson raised and spent over 3 million dollars, compared to Maloney's 1.8 million dollars.
This money gap also manifested itself on a national level.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised about 85 million dollars, while the National Republican Congressional Committee raised close to 160 million dollars.
Maloney says Republican deep pockets helped the GOP to not only maintain control of the House of Representatives but also to gain control of the Senate.
The Republicans have very substantially greater resources than the Democrats …I think what the Democratic party will need to do is expand and deepen its fundraising efforts. Its going to ultimately its going to have to go out to the public and intensify its efforts in a sort of a grass roots approach to fundraising to compensate for the corporate money that has been flowing into the Republican coffers. (27 secs)
But in order to gain the majority in either house of Congress, the Democrats have to do more than just raise money.
After their election losses, the House Democrats sought new direction for their party, and chose Nancy Pelosi as the new Minority Leader.
Maloney says Pelosi's experience as a political party leader, as opposed to former Minority Leader Richard Gephart's background as a public servant, will give her a better understanding of the changes that must be made.
She has a very keen appreciation and understanding of the need to strengthen political parties as a vehicle for public policy… and I think she will invest more of her time and effort in rebuilding the infrastructure of the Democratic party.
(14 secs)
Maloney plans to help the Democrats rebuild the party whether or not he is in Washington.
And for the time being, Maloney is looking forward to spending time with his family.
My oldest daughter is going to be going to college next year, so this year and this coming summer will really be the last year that she really is going to be around before she goes off to college, so I think that's a wonderful opportunity to spend time with her as well as her two younger sisters and my wife. (17 secs)
He has not ruled out running for Mayor of Danbury, or even running for Congress again in two years.
And he proudly recalled his election night speech when the people started chanting "Jim for Governor."
The people have been very kind to make a number of suggestions. All I've said is I'm committed to stay involved in Public Life and we'll have to see how that works out in the specifics…I haven't ruled anything in, I haven't ruled anything out. (19 secs)
At age 54, Maloney says he hopes to have many years of public service ahead of him.
For WNPR, I'm Tia Carioli, in Washington D-C
Broadcast on Connecticut Public Radio, in Connecticut.
Bishops’ Conference Results in New Rules
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2002--New Hampshire Bishop John McCormack says new rules adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will improve the way the church handles sex abuse cases. NHPR Correspondent Tia Carioli reports from Washington.
Under the new rules any credible allegation would be scrutinized in an investigation that could result in a Church Court hearing. If a cleric were found guilty he would be banned from practice and could be removed from office.
New Hampshire Bishop John McCormack says the new guidelines would let Bishops resolve cases that began decades ago.
Rome has given us the opportunity to remove the statute of limitations in these cases, which we didn't have before. Most of the reports we received, 95% of the reports we received, were about 10, 20, 30 years ago.
But some victims of abuse are concerned the confidential Church Court hearings would allow the church to cover up allegations. The rules will now be sent to the Vatican for approval.
For NHPR News, this is Tia Carioli in Washington.
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
Statistics Show New Hampshire Remains Safe
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2002--New Hampshire is the safest state in the country according to FBI statistics released Monday. However there is a glaring exception in the area of sexual assault.
NHPR Correspondent Tia Carioli reports from Washington.
New Hampshire is the 18th worst state in the US in terms of forcible rape. There were 458 reported rapes in 2001.
While these numbers are down from 2000 they are unusually high for a state that ranks as one of the safest in violent crimes.
Some experts believe that the rape numbers reflect the success of state outreach programs and law enforcement training to ensure that these crimes are reported.
Grace Mattern is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence:
New Hampshire does do a good job in bringing the different players to the table to collaborate and talk about what's the best way for us to come together to fully meet the needs of victims.
However, Nicole Tower of the YWCA in Manchester believes that only one quarter of rapes in New Hampshire go reported because she says the judicial system badgers rape victims. This, she says, creates no deterrence to the crime.
For NHPR news, this is Tia Carioli, In Washington.
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
Smith Snubs Bush
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2002--Since his loss in the primary to John Sununu, Senator Bob Smith has refused to aid his fellow Republican in the upcoming election and has even turned down the President's request for help. NHPR Correspondent Greg Chisholm reports from Washington.
According to an article published Thursday in Roll Call, Republican Senator Bob Smith refused several White House requests to join President Bush on his recent visit to New Hampshire to support John Sununu.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Scott McClellan confirmed that Smith was contacted but declined the invitation because of a prior family commitment.
The article reports that Karl Rove, Bush's top political advisor called Smith three times attempting to convince him to travel with the President on Air Force One as a show of Republican solidarity.
The article suggests that Smith might have been rewarded for his cooperation with a job in the Bush administration. McClellan dismissed that assertion as "ridiculous."
A spokesperson for Smith confirmed the invitation but would not comment on private
conversations between Smith and White House officials.
For NHPR News, I'm Gregory Chisholm in Washington.
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
FEC Reports Show Huge Gaps in Funding
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2002--FEC disclosure reports made available this week and last, show a growing gap in the amount of money each candidate has raised in the race for New Hampshire's available Senate seat. NHPR Correspondent Gregory Chisholm reports from Washington.
Democrat Jean Shaheen's campaign has raised 3.8 million dollars to date, nearly tripling Republican John Sununu's total of 1.7 million dollars.
Third quarter reports also show Shaheen has received twenty-one percent of her total money from Political Action Committees while PACs have contributed thirty seven percent of Sununu's total money.
Among Sununu's significant contributors are Exxon-Mobil, the Nuclear Energy Institute, and the National Rifle Association.
Shaheen's main donors include Emily's List and The League of Conservation Voters, one of three groups sponsoring television issue ads that began airing last week attacking Sununu.
With two weeks left before election day, Shaheen has1.3 million dollars on hand to spend, dwarfing Sununu's 300,000 dollars.
For NHPR News, this is Gregory Chisholm, in Washington
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
FEC Reports Cause Controversy in Bass-Swett Race
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2002--Federal Election Commission reports have become the center of bickering between candidates in New Hampshire's 2nd district race. NHPR Correspondent Tia Carioli reports from Washington.
According to FEC reports released Tuesday, Democrat Katrina Swett's campaign has collected over one million dollars while Republican Incumbent Charlie Bass has raised a considerably smaller $650,000. Controversy surrounds where the money is coming from. The Swett campaign insists most contributors are local.
But Sally Tibbits, a spokesperson for Bass's campaign blasted Swett for listing small contributions from New Hampshire in an attempt to distort the fact that most of her money came from out of state.
She's listing and itemizing campaign contributions of $.50 and $1 so that it looks like she has support from NH when in fact 95% of her money comes from out of state, outside New Hampshire.
Swett's campaign dismissed these allegations, claiming the large number of small donations shows she is in touch with New Hampshire's working class.
For NHPR News, this is Tia Carioli, in Washington.
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
Bass-Swett Race Heats Up Over FEC Disclosures
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2002--Candidates in New Hampshire's 2nd district race fired shots at one another over recently released Federal Election Commission reports. NHPR Correspondent Tia Carioli reports from Washington.
With more than a million dollars raised, Democrat Katrina Swett has raised more money to date than Republican Incumbent Charlie Bass's six hundred fifty thousand dollars. But the Swett's campaign points to Bass' contributions as an indication of his support.
Alex Zaroulis, a spokesperson for Swett's campaign chided Bass for receiving sixty three thousand dollars, over half of his total contributions this quarter, from Political Action Committees, and for not having enough contributions from New Hampshire.
Charlie's fundraising clearly is not on fire here. I mean, to have an additional 29 New Hampshire contributors is not showing broad base of support.
Bass's campaign dismisses these charges. A spokesperson says more important than the number of new donors is the amount coming from New Hampshire.
The reports indicate that Bass has raised twice as much money from New Hampshire donors this quarter than Swett.
For NHPR News, I'm Tia Carioli, In Washington.
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
Diesel Soot Puts N.H. Residents at Cancer Risk
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Oct. 03, 2002--New Hampshire residents may be at a higher risk for cancer says a new study out of Washington. NHPR Correspondent Gregory Chisholm reports.
Over three hundred people in New Hampshire may be at a higher cancer risk because of diesel soot according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
According to the report, every county in New Hampshire has unhealthy levels of air toxins, caused in part by diesel engines such as bulldozers, portable generators, and tractors.
Josh Irwin is director of the New Hampshire branch of PIRG.
That's pretty shocking - rural remote Coos County, the air there, because these pollutants are so harmful, is still above the level the EPA considers acceptable.
The report calls for tougher standards on diesel construction and farm equipment Alan Shaeffer of the Industry' s Diesel Technology Forum, called the reported risks theoretical.
And he added that diesel engines are 8 times cleaner than 12 years ago and he claims the industry continues to make progress ireducing pollutants further.
For NHPR News this is Greg Chisolm in Washington.
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
