On Tuesday, remember the environment

With elections coming up on Tuesday, it's time for concerned citizens to make up our minds about who we want to represent our interests for the next several years. There are so many issues vying for our attention -- the war in Iraq, the economy, health care.

And then there's the environment.

Has there ever been a more important time to think about ecological issues as we cast our ballots? Just today we learned that heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere reached a record high in 2005 and are still increasing, while the world's oceans may be devoid of fish by 2048.

Here in the Triangle, we recently discovered that we may be living near dangerous hazmat storage facilities without even knowing it. We also find ourselves at the center of a debate over our nation's energy future, with local utilities pushing to build new nuclear power plants despite serious security concerns while more sustainable alternatives struggle for public support.

Fortunately, there are organizations helping us to make smarter choices for the earth and the well being of future generations.

The Conservation Council of North Carolina's Conservation PAC has released its 2006 Legislative Scorecard, which evaluates current state legislators' voting records on environmental issues. CPAC has also made endorsements for current legislative races. In addition, the N.C. Sierra Club has made endorsements for state legislative races.

Environment North Carolina has asked candidates for Congress and the N.C. General Assembly to commit to support policies for a new energy future. That involves reducing dependence on oil, harnessing more renewable energy, promoting energy efficiency and investing in clean energy development efforts. The organization has posted a list of the candidates who have endorsed the platform to its Web site.

Another terrific resource for information about the candidates -- including those running for local offices -- is the Independent Weekly. The paper has posted to its Web site not only its own endorsements but also candidates' completed questionnaires, allowing readers to make up their own minds about critical issues, including some that relate to the environment. In addition, reporter Kirk Ross has a helpful story in this week's issue about the relatively obscure -- but still environmentally important -- races for Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors.

On the federal level, the League of Conservation Voters offers its endorsements for congressional candidates, though it does not make any recommendations this year for Triangle-area races. The national Sierra Club, however, does make some recommendations for congressional races in the Triangle.

If anyone knows of any other resources for environmentally minded voters that I may have missed, please drop me an e-mail at suesturgis[at]raleigheconews.com.