Grist interview with John Kerry on the environment . . .

[OneBlueSky]

don't know if this has been posted before . . . a good read either way . . .

Kerry's Jubilee
A Grist interview with Democratic presidential contender John Kerry
By Amanda Griscom
Grist Magazine
23 Sep 2003

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2003/09/23/griscom-kerry/

He has the jaw and build of Paul Bunyan; he windsurfs, kite-boards, and snowboards; and he's married to Teresa Heinz, one of the most powerful environmental philanthropists in the country. He has his finger on every hot-button environmental issue in D.C., from helping to lead the Senate campaign against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to pushing for improved fuel-efficiency standards to advocating for an aggressive renewable energy development plan. With the exception of that Harley Davidson Wide Glide he likes to parade at campaign events, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) looks to be the ultimate embodiment of Beltway eco-chic.

But what goes on behind the glossy-green public image? What does this presidential candidate's environmental record really look like after his nearly 20 years in the U.S. Senate? Rifle through the archives of the League of Conservation Voters, and you'll find he gets an A+ -- literally. Kerry has a 96-percent lifetime voting record, outscoring all of the other candidates. (Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman comes in second with 93 percent.) Despite concerns that Kerry is a limousine liberal, there seem to be few contradictions between his environmental image and his track record -- a couple of peccadilloes aside. (Beyond his Harley, which he says he'll never relinquish, Kerry the renewables advocate is hesitant to support the Cape Wind project in his own state, likely influenced by his wealthy, beachfront-owning constituents who oppose the wind-energy farm.)

Late one recent night (at 11 p.m. EST, to be exact), Grist tracked Kerry down on the campaign trail -- rather, in the campaign jet, flying from Colorado to Boston -- to discuss his environmental record, President Bush's "New Environmentalism," and balancing his vision for a clean-energy future with his passion for his motorcycle.

- more . . . Q&A with the interviewer . . .

http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2003/09/23/griscom-kerry/