Arlington County Board Chairman Paul Ferguson’s new clean-air program has drawn the attention of Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who asked him to join them in a news conference Thursday calling for new environmental policies.
In the Mansfield Room of the Capitol building, Ferguson sat alongside Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and called for the Bush administration to take action to stop global warming, increase the use of alternative fuels and decrease dependence on foreign oil.
The unassuming yet effective politician who has served on the board since 1995 seemed out of place next to political giants like Reid andBayh. However, his pointed criticism of the Bush administration was that of a hardened Democratic partisan and revealed his deep passion for environmental issues.
“The federal government has done nothing over the years” to improve the environment, he said. “Not only has the United States not led, they have actually hindered international efforts.”
“Hopefully, with you in control of the Senate, we’ll see some action,” he told Reid.
In an interview with The Examiner after the news conference, Ferguson said he was approached by Reid’s staff after announcing his greenhouse gas reduction plan earlier this month.
“They wanted to hear about what localities were doing,” he said.
A longtime environmental activist, Ferguson said he would be glad to continue providing information on his clean-air program if Democratic staff asks.
Under Ferguson’s ambitious plan, the county hopes to lower emissions by 10 percent from 2000 levels by 2012 by giving tax breaks for hybrid cars, requiring energy-efficient public buildings and distributing energy-efficient light bulbs to Arlington residents, among other measures.
In an aggressive effort to stop global warming, congressional Democrats have introduced four bills aimed at lowering emissions, with more expected. Bayh called on the White House to support them.
“There have been a whole lot of good intentions expressed” on improving the environment, he said, but “there hasn’t been enough action.”
