Lamar Alexander

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said he is committed to conservation efforts, but critics argue his voting record on environmental issues leaves much to be desired.

“Conservation of the environment is one of my passions,” said Sen. Alexander, who is up for re-election in November. “I’ll be glad to put my conservation record up for examination by anyone because I think it’s a pretty good one.”

Tim Greeff, deputy legislative director of the League of Conservation Voters, said Tennessee’s senior senator isn’t living up to his words.

“If he wants to cut down on air pollution and particulate matter, that’s great,” he said. “But when you judge someone on their environmental records, there’s what you say and then there’s what you actually do when faced with a vote. It’s hard to hide behind a record as bad as his.”

The league, an organization that pushes pro-environment policies, gave Sen. Alexander a score of 33 out of 100 on its 2007 environmental report card. It noted that last year he voted against bills that would have repealed subsidies for oil companies, required utilities to generate more energy from wind and solar sources and increased funding for land conservation programs.

The report card credited Sen. Alexander for voting in favor of increased auto mileage standards and a mandate to use more alternative fuels, such as ethanol.

Sen. Alexander said his environmental record includes many other pieces of legislation and initiatives that the League of Conservation Voters ignored.

He said he introduced a bill that granted tax credits for people installing solar panels. He also has pushed for stiffer mercury, nitrogen and sulfur emission limits on utilities, he said, being one of the first Republicans to introduce a climate change bill five years ago that would have established a cap-and-trade system for power plants.

Another bill he introduced would have established a low carbon fuel standard, and he has been a staunch supporter of nuclear energy as a clean-air alternative to coal-fired plants, he said.

He cited a list of awards from various environmental organizations, including the Solar Champion Award in 2005 from the Solar Energy Industries Association, a “Friends of the Outdoors” Award from the Outdoor Industry Association in 2005 and 2007 and a parks conservation award in 2007 from the National Parks Conservation Association.

When giving Sen. Alexander the award, the Conservation Association said he “demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the protection of America’s natural and cultural heritage.”

Recently, Sen. Alexander was one of eight senators who wrote the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, objecting to its proposed weakening of emissions regulations that would have made it easier to build coal-fired power plants near national parks.

“The Great Smokies are the most polluted park, due to ozone,” Sen. Alexander said. “This rule would take us backward. We just got started on cleaning them up. We’ve asked EPA to withdraw the rule, and if they don’t, I’ll introduce legislation to overturn it.”

RECORD OPEN TO INTERPRETATION

Other environmental groups haven’t been as sanguine about Sen. Alexander’s voting record.

The Center for American Progress Action Fund, a left-leaning think tank, last year said Sen. Alexander demonstrated his loyalty to “big oil” by voting against an amendment to an energy bill that would have included new incentives for renewable and alternative energy sources.

The funding would have come from new taxes on oil and gas companies. The League of Conservation Voters noted that vote in its report card.

“He’s had many opportunities to vote on a ton of bills that address clean air, and he’s voted against them,” Mr. Greeff said. “Leadership isn’t about just putting out bills. You have to take the opportunities that come before you.”

Progressive magazine Mother Jones recently named Sen. Alexander as one of Congress’ “Top 10 Fossil Fools,” criticizing his introduction of legislation that would remove tax credits for wind power.

Nashville attorney Bob Tuke, one of three Democratic contenders for Sen. Alexander’s seat, called the senator’s opposition to wind power “indefensible,” noting that Chattanooga-based Aerisyn LLC manufactures windmill parts.

Mr. Tuke’s campaign also noted that Sen. Alexander has received $360,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry since being elected in 2002.

“His policies are hurting our chances at achieving energy security and generating green-collar jobs in Tennessee,” Mr. Tuke’s campaign said in a statement.

Sen. Alexander said he is opposed to wind power because it is unreliable, scars the landscape and requires significant taxpayer subsidies.

Sen. Alexander’s Democratic opponents also have also attacked his opposition to an emissions cap-and-trade bill that recently failed and his calls to open offshore areas for oil drilling, which they say would do nothing to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Besides Mr. Tuke, former Knox County Clerk Mike Padgett and Nashville businessman Kenneth Eaton are vying for Sen. Alexander’s seat.

Sen. Alexander said he voted against the cap-and-trade bill because it would have the effect of raising gas prices while creating a $7 trillion “slush fund” for the federal government. The legislation would have established limits on carbon emissions and allowed companies in compliance to sell any remaining emission allotments on the open market.

Sen. Alexander said his support for offshore oil drilling comes from a realistic assessment that increasing domestic supplies of oil is a necessary intermediate step until alternative fuels are viable.

“The Democrats are trying to repeal half the law of supply and demand,” Sen. Alexander said.

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