In Beachfront Photo-Op, Steele Presents Environmental "Platform"

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Standing on a sandy beach against the backdrop of the Chesapeake Bay in Stevensville, Steele was surrounded by a bevy of Eastern Shore officials, including U.S. Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest. Steele called for more federal money to promote technology for environmental protection, to support local lead abatement programs and to fully fund the Brownfields Revitalization Act. "We have a lot of work to do. It is time for real issues to have a seat at the table in Washington, D.C., so we can really focus on getting something done, for the bay and for the environmental protection of our state," said Steele.

The head of the Maryland Democratic Party called Steele's agenda "a joke." "By the record of his administration in Maryland and his allies in Bush's Washington, Steele will side with huge corporate polluters over the environment every time," said state party Chairman Terry Lierman.

As part of his agenda, Steele said, he would work to enforce the federal Clean Air Act. That promise struck Janice Graham, legislative chairwoman for the Sierra Club's Maryland chapter, as empty. She pointed out that the Ehrlich administration blocked Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. from joining other states in challenging federal regulations that environmental groups said hindered efforts to curb air pollution from power plants. "It's amazing, if he'd done any of these things as lieutenant governor, we'd be a lot farther along," said Graham, whose group has endorsed both Mfume and Cardin.

Mfume's campaign said one glaring omission in Steele's agenda was his failure to address global warming. Mfume "was actively involved in addressing the threat to the ozone layer when he was a congressman," said Steve Marinoff, a campaign spokesman. Oren Shur, a spokesman for the Cardin campaign, said, "This underscores the difference between Michael Steele and Ben Cardin. Steele held a 30-minute press conference on the environment, Ben Cardin has a 30-year record of strengthening the environment and protecting the Chesapeake Bay."

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http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.environment07sep07,0,310803.story?coll=bal-mdpolitics-headlines

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