One of Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s first “reforms” was to dump a “Green the Capitol” campaign begun under predecessor Nancy Pelosi, and restore Styrofoam cups to the House cafeteria.
After a week spent voting to roll back environmental laws, the GOP-run House on Friday defeated an attempt by Democrats to block money for the purchase of Styrofoam containers.
“Over 20 years ago, McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants replace polystryrene foam with recyclable and paperboard containers,” Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Peter Welch, D-Vermont, wrote in urging colleagues to reinstate the Styrofoam ban.
“Green the Capitol” had succeeded in reducing energy use at the U.S. Capitol by 23 percent while cutting down water consumption by 32 percent. But aspects of it, notably a composting component, were controversial.
The “greening” included biodegradable eating utensils and trays made of cornstarch. Republicans complained loudly that the trays leaked and the utensils melted.
The effort by Moran and Welch to re-green the Capitol failed on a 179-234 largely party-line vote.
On Monday, the House of Representatives takes up a spending bill that prohibits regulation of mountaintop mining in Appalachia, gives the green light to uranium mining at the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, and slashes the Environmental Protection Agency budget by $1.7 billion from what President Obama requested.
After a week spent voting to roll back environmental laws, the GOP-run House on Friday defeated an attempt by Democrats to block money for the purchase of Styrofoam containers.
“Over 20 years ago, McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants replace polystryrene foam with recyclable and paperboard containers,” Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Peter Welch, D-Vermont, wrote in urging colleagues to reinstate the Styrofoam ban.
“Green the Capitol” had succeeded in reducing energy use at the U.S. Capitol by 23 percent while cutting down water consumption by 32 percent. But aspects of it, notably a composting component, were controversial.
The “greening” included biodegradable eating utensils and trays made of cornstarch. Republicans complained loudly that the trays leaked and the utensils melted.
The effort by Moran and Welch to re-green the Capitol failed on a 179-234 largely party-line vote.
On Monday, the House of Representatives takes up a spending bill that prohibits regulation of mountaintop mining in Appalachia, gives the green light to uranium mining at the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, and slashes the Environmental Protection Agency budget by $1.7 billion from what President Obama requested.
Timsomor Note: Soon people will need cardboard boxes and some of that styrofoam just to have a place to live. These guys don't care about really doing anything that will genuinely help someone out in the right way, not even themselves dealing with the story above! They only see dollars and tax cuts.
No comments:
Post a Comment