EXCERPTED FROM: HUFFINGTON POST RSS Feed (Direct Quote):
www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-ed-markey/#
"REP. ED MARKEY:
...Edward J. Markey has constructed an extraordinary legislative record
since his first election to the United States Congress in 1976. As one of
the most senior Members in Congress, he has shaped more than 20 years of
telecommunications policy while championing consumer rights, health reform,
the elimination of large monopolies, the conservation of environmental
resources, the reduction of nuclear threats and the strengthening of our
homeland security.
He is one of the most informed voices in Congress concerning both energy
and environmental policy, and he has consistently championed consumer
rights, clean tech, energy efficiency and environmental protection.
Rep. Markey's legislative record spans the breadth of Congressional
policymaking reflecting his position as a senior member of three key
committees: the Natural Resources Committee, where he currently serves as
Ranking Member, the Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Committee on
Homeland Security. Markey also had the honor of Chairing the House Select
Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming during the 110th and
111th Congresses.
On Energy and Commerce, Rep. Markey was the Chairman of Energy and
Environment subcommittee in the 111th Congress, and served Chair/Ranking
Member of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet for
27 years.
In addition, he is the co chair of bipartisan Caucuses on Nonproliferation,
on Privacy, on Alzheimer's disease, and on Cystic Fibrosis. He is a fighter
for the welfare of his constituents in the blue-collar and high-tech
communities of his district north and west of downtown Boston and, as the
dean of the Massachusetts delegation in the House, he also works to harness
the energy and influence of his colleagues on behalf of the entire
Commonwealth.
Competition remains Chairman Markey's economic mantra - in his words,
``ruthless Darwinian competition that would bring a smile to Adam Smith.''
Accordingly, he has been instrumental in breaking up anti-consumer,
anti-innovative monopolies in electricity, long-distance and local
telephone service, cable television, and international satellite services.
He was one of the only members of the Commerce Committee to fight AT&T's
monopoly in the early 80s and is a principal author of the requirement that
the Bell Operating companies accept local telephone service in the 90s. His
pro-competition policies have directly benefited job creation in Eastern
Massachusetts and throughout the country. Rep. Markey is a champion for Net
Neutrality and nondiscrimination on the Internet and for new sources of
effective competition to cable TV franchises, local telephone operators,
and satellite and other wireless services.
On energy and the environment, Markey led the effort to pass the landmark
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which boosted fuel economy
for cars and trucks to 35 MPG by 2020 -the first increase in fuel economy
in 32 years. He also co-author of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy &
Security Act - the comprehensive energy and climate bill that included a
Renewable Energy Standard, and a cap on dangerous carbon pollution.
He was one of the principal authors of HR 6, one of the first bills to pass
the 110th Congress, seeking to recover $14 billion in unnecessary tax
incentives to the oil and gas industry and redirecting that funding to a
new fund for incentives for energy efficiency, renewable and alternative
fuels. He led the effort to pass the landmark 1987 National Appliance
Energy Conservation Act which has eliminated the need for hundreds of large
carbon-emitting electric power plants by setting minimum energy efficiency
standards for major energy-consuming household appliances such as
air-conditioners, refrigerators and washer-dryers. His amendment to the
Clean Air Act ensured that energy efficiency would be credited under the
cap-and-trade system that has reduced acid rain.
In addition to leading the effort to raise the minimum fuel efficiency
standards for cars and light trucks sold in America, and he has led the
effort to prevent oil and gas drilling in the federally-protected Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. The ongoing oil and gas drilling activity on the
North Slope already leads to greenhouse gas emissions that exceed the
emissions of Washington DC. From 1985-1987, he chaired the Energy and
Commerce Committee's Energy Conservation and Power Subcommittee, and from
1980-1984 he chaired the House Interior Committee's Oversight and
Investigations Subcommittee. He also serves as an honorary Co-Chairman of
the Board of Directors of the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy.
On the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Markey has focused on
closing gaps in our homeland defenses, particularly in the areas of
nuclear, aviation, rail, liquefied natural gas and chemical security.
National Journal named Rep. Markey to its ``Homeland Security 100'', a list
of the top leaders influencing homeland security policy, identifying him as
``a tenacious watchdog, relentlessly prodding the Bush Administration to
crack down on what he sees as critical gaps in the nation's security. He
is
a key leader on providing privacy protections for personal information such
as medical records, financial records, and purchases on-line. Rep. Markey
is also leading the reform of the Food and Drug Administration, which
continues to prevent important information concerning drug safety from
being readily available to the public. As a leading consumer advocate in
Congress, Rep. Markey continues his legislative efforts to protect
consumers from fatal fires through the establishment of the first federal
standard for cigarette fire safety."
The above article is a direct quote from the HUFFINGTON POST RSS Feed:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-ed-markey/#
Please view the complete and factual government record of "Legislation
Sponsored or Cosponsored by Edward J. Markey" at this link as well:
Perhaps PT might do well to read the following legislative "bio" of Rep.
Markey before commenting on the gentleman's record(s)..