Tag: governors

Region’s New Governors Face Challenges

New governors from different political parties than their predecessors took over in more than half of the states around the Great Lakes. In most of those states, the governor’s seat went from Republican to Democrat. Some environmental groups are optimistic that the changes will benefit their causes. But the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham spoke with journalists around the region who feel politics and state budgets will slow any change the new governors might want:

Transcript

New governors from different political parties than their predecessors took over in more than half
of the states around the Great Lakes. In most of those states, the governors’ seat went from
Republican to Democrat. Some environmental groups are optimistic that the changes will benefit
their causes. But the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham spoke with journalists
around the region who feel politics and state budget problems will slow any change the new
governors might want:


Five of the eight Great Lakes states have new governors. Four of those states went from
governorships long-held by Republicans to a Democrat governor.


For example, Republicans held the Illinois govenor’s seat for 26 years. That changed when
Democrat Rod Blagojevich took the office. The environment was not a huge issue in the
campaign. Under the Republicans there’s been an interest in acquiring large pieces of land for
parks and creating green corridors. And Blagojevich is even retaining the previous
administration’s director of the state Environmental Protection Agency. Still, some
environmentalists feel they’ll fare better under a Democrat.


At the Illinois capitol, Bill Wheelhouse is the Statehouse Bureau Chief for Illinois Public Radio.
He says the change probably won’t be that significant…


“Environmental groups will see more friendly territory for some of their pet projects to some
degree. But, Illinois is not a liberal state. It’s not one that is concerned with ground-breaking
legislation on the environment or anything else. Politics is a business in that state and that can
never be forgotten.”


Despite that, the new governor, Blagojevich, has outlined a couple of areas he’d like to change.
One is charging businesses for pollution discharge permits, something that’s been free in the past.
It’s popular among lawmakers because it brings in more money for the state which is facing
budget deficits. Bill Wheelhouse says another issue Blagojevich has proposed is legislation
mandating that Illinois power companies use renewable resources such as wind and solar power.


“What it would do is in just a couple of years require that part of the energy portfolio of a utility
company include five percent renewable energy and that would increase, I believe, up to about
15-percent a decade down the road.”


Again, that kind of legislation wouldn’t cost the state any new money. That’s a plus.
Wheelhouse adds that even with Blagojevich’s fellow Democrats controlling both the House and
the Senate, any environmental proposal that doesn’t pay for itself is not likely to get very far,
because of Illinois’ budget deficit.


It’s the same story in other states. Illinois’ neighbor to the north, Wisconsin, also saw a shift
from several years under Republican governors to a newly installed Democrat. Jim Doyle is now
Governor.


Reporter Chuck Quirmbach covers environmental issues for Wisconsin Public Radio. He says
the race for governor touched on the environment, but there was another more immediate issue to
consider.


“The overwhelming issue, the issue common to a lot of states is the state budget deficit here in
Wisconsin, but the environment was an important difference. It energized a lot of environmental
groups to vote for Doyle or this Green Party candidate who got about two-percent of the vote. So,
it was a significant difference. It may not have been the number one issue in the state, though.”


Quirmbach says while environmentalists are optimistic about a Democrat taking the governor’s
office, Governor Doyle will have to compromise with the Republicans who hold a majority in
both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature… and he’ll have to make compromises because of the
state’s budget…


“The threat to the green agenda will be the economy and whether Doyle decides, ‘Well, putting
people to work might be more important than protecting certain wetlands or protecting the
environment from air pollution.'”


Across Lake Michigan from Wisconsin is another state that’s long had a Republican governor.
Michigan elected Democrat Jennifer Granholm, and in Michigan, the environment was a key issue
in the campaign for governor.


Sarah Hulett covers state government for Michigan Public Radio Network. She says the
Democrat governor quickly moved on an environmental issue which gets some Republican
support in Michigan.


“Right when the governor came in, Governor Granholm, she put together a land-use commission
— Smart Growth Commission, I think, is the name of it — made up of Democrats and Republicans
and involved the Republican leaders in both chambers in that. So, she’s off to a pretty good start
in terms of the environment, I’d say.”


But, like Wisconsin and Illinois, Michigan is facing budget problems and Hulett says the new
Democrat governor might find the environmental initiatives that cost the state will be a hard
sell to the Republican-held legislature.


“Well, the deficit is huge. And, so, that affects everything across the board. And, you know, the
environmental community is having to be patient with some of these initiatives.”


It’s a similar story in Pennsylvania where Democrat Ed Rendell took the governor’s seat from
Republicans. Rendell is friendly to environmental issues, but he, too, has to deal with a budget
deficit and he has to work with a Republican-controlled legislature.


So, despite conventional wisdom which indicates more enviro-friendly laws might come from a
Democrat in the Governor’s mansion, in those states where there’s been a change, the economy
might force those governors to put the environment further down on the list of priorities.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Lester Graham.

REGION’S NEW GOVERNORS FACE CHALLENGES (Short Version)

Half of the states surrounding the Great Lakes have seen the governor’s office switch from Republican to Democrat. Environmental organizations believe that will be good for their causes. But the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports other factors might interfere:

Transcript

Half of the states surrounding the Great Lakes have seen the governor’s office switch from
Republican to Democrat. Environmental organizations believe that will be good for their causes.
But the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports other factors might interfere:


Conventional wisdom finds that Democrats are more often friendly to environmental issues than
Republicans. Of course that’s not always true, but when four Democrats seized four
governorships that had been long-held by Republicans, many environmentalists were optimistic
they’d get a better deal. That optimism might be short-lived. Now that the Democrat governors
in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania have had time to look at the budget, the reality
of politics is setting in and in most cases the environment isn’t quite as high on the list of
priorities. Each of the states is facing budget shortfalls, some amounting to a couple of billion
dollars. And in three of those states the Democrat governor will have to work with a legislature
controlled by Republicans. Political observers say it’s clear that the new governors will have to
find compromises in any environmental initiatives they talked up during the campaigns.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Lester Graham.

Power Shift for Great Lakes Governorships

The recent elections mean that there’s a power shift in the region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports that a group made up of Great Lakes states governors will change dramatically:

Transcript

The recent elections mean that there’s a power shift in the region. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports that a group made up of Great Lakes states
governors will change dramatically:


Of the eight Great Lakes states, five of them have elected new governors. And most of
the new governors are from a different party than their predecessor.


“Actually, this is the largest turnover in one election cycle that the Council’s had in its
twenty-year history. ”


That’s Maggie Grant with the Council of Great Lakes Governors. The council deals with
issues surrounding the Great Lakes and trade in the region.


“We don’t see major policy shift, although, we look forward to the new energy and ideas
of our governors that they bring to the table.”


Coming to the table are a lot more Democrats. Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and
Pennsylvania all elected Democrats to replace their Republican governors. Grant says
party affiliation isn’t that important to the group – fighting for the Great Lakes region is.


For the Great Lakes Consortium, this is Lester Graham.

FORGING ALLIANCES IN ‘STEEL DUMPING’ DEBATE

Steel has once again become a big issue in U.S. trade policy. Many steel companies around the Midwest are worried about ‘steel dumping’ and are urging President Bush to support new tariffs and quotas on imported steel. But some steel users say the Bush Administration should back off. How the President handles the issue could affect both jobs and the environment in the region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chuck Quirmbach reports:

Transcript

Steel has once again become a big issue in United States trade policy. Many steel companies around the Midwest are worried about steel dumping and are urging President Bush to support new tariffs and quotas on imported steel. But some steel users say the Bush administration should back off. How the president handles the issue could affect both jobs and the environment in the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chuck Quirmbach reports.


The amount of commonly used types of foreign steel coming into the United States has risen about a third over the last five years, and a federal trade panel ruled recently that much of that imported steel is being sold here at a price lower than what it cost to make it and ship it here. That’s a practice called dumping. The trade panel found that such dumping poses a serious threat to domestic steel makers. So the panel says President Bush should slap tariffs on many product lines of foreign-made steel to raise the prices of the imports. But that’s not such a hot idea to some other industries, which use plenty of foreign steel.


(furnace/factory ambient sound)


Here at the Engel Tool and Forge Company in Milwaukee…this second-generation family business now uses about 600 tons a year of steel imported from countries like Brazil and Sweden. In the warm and grimy forging area, workers use a robot to move five foot long steel bars that have been heated to 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. Owner chuck Engel watches the orange and white-hot bars enter a machine


“That’s a preforming press …a hydraulic press that preforms the metal. It’s removed from there and moved into a finished form that we gain our finished desired shape.” (WHAM noise)


The bars are scrunched into wheel axles that’ll be shipped to heavy equipment makers in the mining or construction industries. Engel says his company is doing all right during the recession. So he’s says he strongly opposed to the president possibly tinkering with that success by slapping higher tariffs on imported steel.


“I am sure there is a certain amount of unfairness on both sides of the fence but I believe that competition should be what sorts this problem out rather than the government.”


Engel contends domestic steel makers got quote- fat and sassy — over the last twenty years…and he says mergers, downsizing and other changes now taking place among domestic manufacturers will help them compete in the world steel market. Engel says if steel tariffs do go up…he’d have to pass along the price hikes. But other players are urging President Bush to approve higher steel tariffs. The United Steelworkers of America hopes the president even goes beyond what the trade panel recommends. Some environmentalists are also quietly supporting the domestic steel industry. That’s even though green groups have a track record of battling steel manufacturers. Cameron Davis of the Chicago-based lake Michigan federation acknowledges big steel has a dirty history in the area.


“Well traditionally, the steel industry especially in northwest Indiana has been responsible for a fair amount of pollution in the Great Lakes…and that’s air-based pollution, water based pollution, land based pollution across the board.”


But lately environmentalists have been trying to forge alliances with unions like the steelworkers. And Davis notes that environmental lawsuits and other changes have gotten domestic steel makers to start cleaning up their act in recent years. He says if nothing is done to slow the rise in steel imports that could make the United States environment worse. Davis cites the aquatic nuisance species that tag along in the ballast water of foreign ships…including presumably, the ships that bring in foreign steel.


“Without some help in protecting the GL steel industry, we’ll see more and more foreign steel coming into the country. And with that foreign steel probably more aquatic nuisance species that will do more damage not only to the Great Lakes but to rest of country.”


United States flagged Great Lakes shipping companies that haul iron ore from Minnesota and northern Michigan are also siding with the domestic steel makers. George Ryan is president of the Lake Carriers Association. He says if the domestic steel industry keeps getting hurt by foreign imports…there might be some local improvements like less air pollution emitted over Gary or Cleveland, but Ryan says, what about the rest of the globe.


“For anyone who has seen photographs from outer space, we have one world that moves the air around to all parts of the world we can’t really say we condone dirty air in Brazil and in China and okay to do it there cause we’re protecting our air in the United States.”


Ryan is a member of the Great Lakes Commission…which is urging the president and congress to boost steel exports and reduce unfair competition from abroad. Commissioners do the bidding of eight Great Lakes governors…most of whom are republicans like George W. Bush. If the president does not do more to protect United States steel makers and jobs that could be an issue in the gubernatorial and congressional elections next November. Mr. Bush has to announce his plans on steel tariffs and quotas by mid-February. For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium this is Chuck Quirmbach in Milwaukee.