Congressman Pombo's Defeat Is Good News for Environment

The Democratic Victory is good news for environmentalists. Congressman Richard Pombo was chairman of the House Resources Committee. He was finally defeated in California's 11th District. According to Pombo global warming was a "myth." So that pretty much sums up where he was coming from. He worked to gut the Endangered Species Act, to permit drilling for oil off the California coast and to sell public lands to mining interests. He was supported financially by the oil, gas and timber industries. Democrats' green agenda gets big boost By Alicia Mundy and Warren Cornwall Seattle Times staff reporters For years, the state's environmental and energy-conservation activists have hit a brick wall in Congress in the form of Rep. Richard Pombo, the outspoken Republican from Stockton, Calif. No more. Pombo was swept from office Tuesday in an election that put Democrats in control of Congress and left environmentalists optimistic they'll see more money for parks, progress on Puget Sound cleanup, and creation of a new wilderness area in Snohomish County. The Democrats' victory in the House promotes Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, and other Washington Democrats to key positions in the new Congress. "It's nothing less than a sea change," said Dicks, who will become chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Interior Department, National Parks and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). More at The Seattle Times