Environmental Stewardship

By Ed Robey

Ed has a long track record of responsible environmental stewardship working for a long-term sustainable future. This is why Ed has earned the endorsement of the California League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club.

"Everything we love and cherish about the North Coast is dependent on the health of our natural systems. Clean air, soil and water are the basis of our economic prosperity, our health, and the very lifestyle we cherish. The environment is not an issue separate unto itself, but is in fact an integral part of every debate and discussion we have. Consider Health Care for example. A clean safe environment is essential for good health. What about the Economy? If we damage the environment we damage the economy, and if we destroy the environment we destroy the economy. The notion that environmental stewardship somehow hurts the economy reflects a very narrow and shortsighted view of the matter."

Ed Robey

We need to take the long view for a sustainable future when evaluating the choices in environmental stewardship. The concept of stewardship means taking care of what we have not only for ourselves, but also for those who come after us.

Regarding Coastal Protection, I support the California Coastal Act, the Coastal Commission and the Marine Life Protection Act, and oppose off shore oil drilling.

How we manage our water is critical, and encompasses issues of water quality, habitat and species protection, agriculture and growth issues. I believe that we need to look at watersheds as systems, and implement public policies based on the fact that protecting our watersheds equals protecting our future. We need regional governance of water usage so that all the stakeholders have a voice in setting water policy.

We need to stop water pollution at the source. The more we can do this, the less we will have to clean up the results downstream. For example, here in Lake County I helped create the EPEC, Erosion Prevention and Education Committee, to establish and apply best erosion control practices to the growing wine grape industry, particularly with hillside vineyards. This has helped improve the water quality of Clear Lake.

I oppose clear cutting and support what are generally called sustainable timber harvest practices, including selective silvaculture. Clear-cutting is destructive to the watershed, causing negative impacts far beyond the boundries of the property that is "harvested".

One of my accomplishments as a county supervisor is that I led a successful effort to ban clear-cutting in much of Lake County. The Board of Forestry adopted special rules that we proposed and which became effective on January 1, 2001.

I support the development of renewable "green" energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Since, by definition, non-renewable sources will eventually run out, the sooner we develop renewable sources, the longer our non-renewable supplies will last.

In my district in Lake County, we built the world's first geothermal effluent pipeline, a project that transports treated sewage out of the Lake basin for injection into the Geysers geothermal steam field. This project both improves water quality, and has extended the life of the steam fields used for electrical generation. Although no one knows how long the steam fields can be sustained using this technology, it appears that it will be many many years, making geothermal energy a renewable energy source.

We need to identify sources and develop pubic policies to encourage conversion to cleaner technologies and discourage reliance on older dirtier technologies. I support retrofitting our older power plants with the latest pollution control technology. If a plant is not suitable for retrofit, phase out the older plants as soon as possible. We need to stop building fossil fuel plants and invest in renewable energy sources.

Also, I feel very strongly that the state should do everything possible to support and encourage the use of Zero Emission Vehicles, including requiring the use by state agencies and subsidizing their acquisition by counties and cities through grants, providing tax incentives to private companies and individuals. I am a big fan of hydrogen as a fuel, and would support state participation in development of the delivery systems and infrastructure to make hydrogen the fuel of choice.