September 25, 2012

American Muslims consider environmental issues a high priority. Taking steps to ensuring a sustainable Earth is something the American Muslim community deems important. From greenhouse gases to clean energy independence, the environment has become an issue for this generation to take on so that future generations can take advantage of environmental resources.

Policy makers must focus on the environment itself without convoluting the issue with business, taxes and trade legislation, among others. This issue has been extremely important to the American Muslim community as it pertains to living on Earth in a responsible manner.

 President Barack Obama:

1. From protecting endangered species to restoring the nation’s ecosystems and investing in clean-energy solutions. The Obama administration and Democrats are committed to working to address our biggest environmental challenges.

2. Under the Obama administration, the Department of Transportation issued new fuel-economy standards, the first mandated increases in fuel economy for cars in decades.

3. The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first steps toward regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.

4. For the first time, the U.S. will catalogue greenhouse gas emissions from large emission sources — an important initial step toward measurable and transparent reductions.

(Source: http://www.democrats.org/issues/environment)

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney:

1. Republicans believe in “energy independence.”

2. They support an ’all of the above‘ approach that encourages the production of nuclear power, clean coal, natural gas, solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, as well as offshore drilling in an environmentally responsible way.

3. Republicans oppose the cap-and-trade legislation that would impose a national energy tax on families and small businesses that would kill jobs and raise utility prices.

(Source: http://www.gop.com/index.php/issues/issues/)