Backporch views of Russia didn’t provide the foreign policy gravitas Republican VP Candidate Sarah Palin needed to win over critics, but scenic views of Lake Superior do improve the environmental credentials of Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
“I can see Lake Superior from my porch,” a smiling Sen. Klobuchar remarked during her address to the HOW coalition at their annual conference in Duluth, Minn. Of course, it was meant to be funny but as with most jests, there is some truth – Sen. Klobuchar has proven her environmentally friendly reputation in the US Senate.
As a Great Lakes Senator and a Minnesota native, Sen. Klobuchar gets the connection between Great Lakes restoration and the region’s economy. Harking back to the 1970’s – another tough time for the Great Lakes region –Sen. Klobuchar recalled a billboard that stood outside of Duluth that read, “the last one to leave turn out the lights.” But today, largely due to Lake Superior and tourism dollars, Duluth’s economy is on the upswing. In fact, the city has been named as one of the top ten places to live by Outdoor Magazine.
“I see this (Great Lakes restoration) as an economic engine of our economy,” the Minn. Senator said, before turning the conversation to climate change. “We need to address the issue of climate change,” she said.
She’s right, of course, and the Coalition is urging changes to the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy to adapt it to expected changes. HOW is also encouraging local projects to include climate readiness measures in their work.
At the national level, Sen. Klobuchar feels confident there will be a successful climate bill passed this year once the issue of health care is tackled and moved from the floor.
Related posts:
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- Sen. Amy Klobuchar: Enthusiasm for White House Commitment to Global Warming
- Election Day 2010: Erie Sees Red
- Senator Feeling Heat for Inaction on Invasive Species
- Greate Lakes Senators Have the Great Lakes Basin in Their Hands