Rep. John Sununu (R): Dirty Dozen 2002
New Hampshire Senate Race
Lifetime LCV Score - 29%
View John Sununu's Race At A Glance page.
Rep. John Sununu has failed to put the interests of New Hampshire families first. He worked to weaken local land-use laws, give out billions of dollars in subsidies to dirty coal-fired power plants and let polluters off the hook from cleaning up their own toxic waste.
Opposed Cleaning up Toxic Mercury
New Hampshire has one of the highest concentrations of toxic mercury pollution in New England, due primarily to emissions from coal-fired power plants. The average level of mercury in the state³ rainfall is more than four times the recommended level, and a statewide fish consumption advisory for the toxin has been in effect since 1995. As a recognized developmental toxicant, mercury is linked to birth defects, low birth weight and psychological or behavioral deficiencies that emerge as a child grows. Sununu supported policies that could exacerbate mercury contamination in New Hampshire. He voted to delay the clean up of mercury from power plants and fought for a bill to provide coal interests with $5.8 billion in taxpayer subsidies.
Worked to Weaken Toxic Clean Up Laws
Over the past decade, 61 million pounds of toxics have been released into New Hampshire³ air, water and land by industrial facilities located within the state, and there are 18 toxic waste sites on Superfund³ National Priorities List. Sununu voted to weaken reporting requirements on polluting industries and supported legislation to exempt certain companies from the responsibility of cleaning up the toxic wastes they created.
Voted Against Local Control of Land-Use Decisions
Open space and natural areas are important to New Hampshire³ economy and quality of life. Recreation, tourism, agriculture and forestry generated $8.2 billion in 1996 and 1997, 25 percent of the gross state product. New Hampshire is also the Northeast³ fastest growing state, losing 20,000 acres of open space to development annually, due in part to a 55 percent increase in housing units between 1980 and 1998. Sununu voted against local control of land-use decisions by supporting a bill to give land developers the ability to challenge state and community laws in a federal court. The new provision would make it easier for developers to use the threat of costly lawsuits to coerce small towns into approving unwanted and environmentally destructive projects. One Northeastern Republican referred to the bill as ? egregious attack on local zoning prerogatives in the history of the republic.?????p>
Rejected Tougher Arsenic Standards
A 1999 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report found that arsenic in drinking water causes bladder, lung and skin cancer, and may cause kidney and liver cancer. The World Health Organization and the European Union established a standard of 10 parts per billion (ppb) in drinking water as a safe level for human consumption. In New Hampshire, an estimated 116 public water systems, including 13 public schools, would violate the 10 ppb standard. One year after NAS published its findings, Sununu voted to delay the EPA from implementing the stronger protections and to prohibit the agency from enforcing existing laws.
Opposed Landmark Conservation Bill
In 2000, a bipartisan group of 315 House members joined forces to support the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA), a bill to fund open space protection, coastal impact assistance, wildlife conservation, historic preservation, and easements for farm and forest land. For New Hampshire, the bill meant $31 million annually for these projects, including matching funds for the state³ popular Land and Community Heritage Investment Program and $6 million for coastal stewardship efforts. For rural counties like Coos, Grafton and Carroll, CARA would have meant tax relief for possessing large areas of protected forestland. Sununu opposed the bill. In fact, he was the only representative from a New England state to vote against final passage. CARA passed the House of Representatives by a three-to-one margin.
The Race
After a hard-fought Primary battle to unseat incumbent Sen. Bob Smith, Rep. John Sununu is taking his poor environmental record up against Gov. Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire Senate race. The latest polls find Sununu and Shaheen within the margin of error, and it is considered a toss-up.
Sununu environmental record speaks for itself--he has received lower scores on LCV's National Environmental Scorecard than any other congressman in New England, every year he has been in office. He opposed legislation to protect drinking water from cancer-causing arsenic, preserve open spaces and ensure the public's right to know about toxics released in their communities. While drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and safe drinking water were hotly debated during the primary, the environment will continue play a significant role in the campaign for the General Election as Gov. Shaheen ranked environmental protection among her top priorities.
