A message from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

I wrote to Senator Clinton a while back and this is her reply. Keep in mind the Bush agenda when you read this.

Thank you for contacting me regarding your interest in energy issues. Your opinions are important, and I appreciate the time you took to share them with me.

I firmly believe that a strong, balanced national energy policy is a key to strong economic and environmental policies as well. We need a policy that promotes the use of energy efficient technologies and alternative and renewable sources, increases energy production without disturbing precious natural resources (such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), improves the reliability of our electricity transmission grid, protects the public's health from harmful air emissions, and creates jobs.

In the summer and fall of 2003, the Senate debated an energy bill. The bill contained some valuable provisions, including a "Clean School Bus" program that I promoted to help school districts protect children's health reduce by reducing harmful diesel bus emissions. However, after reviewing the legislation in its entirety, I voted against it because it contained provisions that were bad for New York, and because it was not a well-balanced energy policy.

For example, the bill contained a liability exemption for producers of the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether known as "MTBE." This chemical has polluted groundwater throughout Long Island and other parts of New York. As a result, passing the energy bill would have burdened New Yorkers with hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs, while letting the oil companies that produced the MTBE with no responsibility for the cleanup. Furthermore, the bill did not include adequate measures to prevent future blackouts, a pressing issue for New Yorkers in the wake of the August 2003 blackout.

From a broader perspective, the bill was simply not a well-balanced energy policy. It contained billions of dollars of subsidies for oil and gas companies, but did not include a "renewable portfolio standard" to promote investment in renewable energy technologies. The bill aimed to increase domestic oil production, but did nothing to increase car fuel efficiency standards or take other measures to decrease our reliance on foreign oil. The bill did nothing to address the growing challenge of global warming.

Although I did not support the energy bill that the Senate considered in 2003, we may reconsider the bill in 2004. I hope that if we do, it is a more balanced policy that does not include provisions that are harmful to New York. In addition, I will continue to work for a forward looking energy policy that will help us achieve our energy, economic and environmental goals. In that regard, I am a sponsor of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Act of 2003 (S. 461), which would establish an "Apollo-like" program to promote the development and use of both stationary hydrogen fuel cells and fuel-cell powered vehicles, and provide $5.8 billion in federal fuel cell investment over 10 years. I am also proud to be an original co-sponsor of the Clean, Efficient Automobiles Resulting from Advanced Car Technology Act of 2003 (S. 505) -- also known as the CLEAR Act. This bill would amend the tax code to encourage and accelerate the nationwide production, retail sale, and consumer use of new motor vehicles that are powered by fuel cell technology, hybrid technology, battery electric technology, alternative fuels, or other advanced motor vehicle technologies.

Thank you again for writing to me about energy issues. Please visit my website at clinton.senate.gov... for updates on this and other issues being discussed before the United States.

Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton

I hope you didn't get too excited from receiving that. It looks like a form letter.

At least her office sent something back, if not her.

Now you can say you got a letter from a future president of the United States!

The 108th Congress has adjourned for the year, and I thought it was a good time to update you on the past twelve months. It has been an active session full of challenges and opportunities.

Like many of you, my top concerns this past year were economic security, homeland security, and national security. At the same time, I have continued to fight on other vital fronts, concentrating on efforts to improve health care, promote education, and protect the environment. It has been a tough battle. But I have been working hard to represent the state of New York and fight for the interests of New Yorkers.

Economic Development

Unfortunately for New York State and the Nation, our economic troubles have continued. What little recovery we have seen has been called a "jobless recovery." Again this year we watched as both manufacturing and white collar jobs moved out of our state and out of the county. However, there is hope on the horizon. In town after town and city after city, New York communities are coming together to plan for our future economic prosperity. This year we helped bring people together all over the state, including the meeting between Broome County businesses and Defense Contractors in Binghamton; the Farm-to-Fork meeting in Syracuse; the Microcredit launch in Albany; and most recently, the Broadband conference in Delhi.

As part of the continuing effort to spur economic growth, I have worked on forward-looking initiatives. I co-sponsored the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, which is now law. New York State is a leader in nanotechnology, and these funds hold the promise of more high-tech jobs across the state. I also joined with Senator Burn (Mont.) on a bill that will encourage rural broadband access.

Of course, I know many New Yorkers live in towns where there are few jobs. To assist the long-term unemployed, I helped win an extension of Unemployment Insurance on the first day of the 108th Congress. And I have called for an additional extension to help New Yorkers weather the weak job market.

I am also an enthusiastic supporter of a private sector venture called "New Jobs for New York." This not for profit effort, headed by my friend Roger Altman, is designed to attract new investment to communities throughout our state. Roger asked me to chair the New Jobs for New York Advisory Board and I gladly accepted. I look forward to helping this organization in any way I can and am excited about its potential for creating new opportunities for New Yorkers throughout the state.

There is much more to be done on the economic front. I look forward to working with all New Yorkers - citizens and business leaders, labor and trade, non-profits and government - to address these issues that are so fundamental to our livelihood.

Homeland Security

Like all New Yorkers and Americans, I will never forget the lessons we learned on September 11th, 2001. One such lesson is that our first responders need to be properly equipped so that they can respond to potential attacks. I have worked quite hard to win the resources needed to guard against future attacks. And I have worked equally hard making sure funds meant for our first responders actually arrive.

I began the 108th Congress calling for direct, increased, and threat-based homeland security funding for our communities and first responders. To fully understand this issue, my office conducted two comprehensive studies that looked at the needs of first responders and the efficiency of federal fund distribution. To our disappointment, both reports - one in January, one in October - concluded that first responders had many unmet needs and New York communities were not receiving federal homeland security funds in a timely manner. The information in these reports illustrated the need for changes in our homeland security funding program. (To read my reports, please go to: clinton.senate.gov...)

We all must remain vigilant when it comes to our domestic security. I will continue to fight for new resources, and work to make sure that current funds go to the first responders.

Defense And Our Veterans

This past Thanksgiving, I visited our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. I went on the trip, along with Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), to show support for our men and women in uniform and to see first hand the challenges they face. I was honored to spend the holiday talking with servicemen and women from the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum and the 914th Airlift Wing, out of Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. (For a detailed account of my trip, please go to: clinton.senate.gov...)

I was proud to honor these young men and women. I believe, however, that support for our troops should not end when their tour of duty is over. Nor should that support be solely limited to support of military action. This year, I wrote Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld objecting to the proposed closure of schools and commissaries on military bases, including the school at West Point and the commissary at the Stratten Air National Guard base. I also joined with fellow Armed Services Committee members to co-sponsor the National Guard and Reserves Reform Act for the 21st Century, a bipartisan bill designed to benefit members of the National Guard and Reserves.

In early November the Senate approved legislation to provide increased access to the military health care system, known as TRICARES, for members of the National Guard and Reserve. I co-sponsored this bipartisan effort because I firmly believe that at a time when we are increasingly relying on the services of our National Guard and Reserve we should not be denying them access to health care. Under this legislation, all members of the Guard and Reserve who do not have access to health insurance through their civilian employer will be able to enroll themselves and their families in the TRICARE program.

To safeguard our veterans, I co-sponsored the Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2003, part of ongoing efforts to fix a law that prevents disabled veterans from receiving both retirement pay and disability pay. I have fought for veterans' health care by working to prevent the closure of V.A. hospitals in Canandaigua, Montrose, and Manhattan.

Health Care, Labor, Environment, and Education

When we talk about health care over the past year, I feel like a doctor walking into the room with a distressed look on her face. When we began 2003, seniors were in dire need of a comprehensive prescription drug plan. As the year ends, the President has singed a bill that gives a cursory drug benefit at a huge expense. As I said before, this bill was a wolf in sheep's clothing. (To view my complete floor statement against this bill, please go to: clinton.senate.gov...) If left untouched, it will change Medicare as we know it and leave many seniors with less coverage than before. I fought against these changes and will continue to pursue a real, comprehensive drug benefit for seniors.

However, I assure you, it is not all bad news. Among other initiatives, I pushed for legislation known as the "Pediatric Rule," which assures that medicines needed by children will be studied for safety and effectiveness on children. This rule was adopted in the Clinton Administration. But the current Administration wavered on the rule. Now, thanks to the bipartisan support of my colleagues, the "Pediatric Rule" is again law. I also pushed for research that compares the effectiveness of alternative drugs for the same condition. This will assure that seniors and others know which drugs are the most effective, not just the most advertised.

In many ways, what we do in Washington is measured by the bills we pass. Often, however, our greatest victories come in the changes we prevent. One such change was the Administration's attempt to limit overtime pay. I co-sponsored the amendment that stopped the Department of Labor's attempt to deny overtime pay to 8 million Americans.

I also fought the Bush Administration's plans to weaken the Clean Air Act, and spoke out against changes in mercury regulations, and helped stall the energy bill (For my floor statement against the energy bill, please go to: clinton.senate.gov...). As I have said before, the environment is one of our most important fronts, not only due of its inherent link to the health of our nation, but because it is the area most under assault from the current administration.

Some other important accomplishments this year include: co-sponsoring legislation that continues the Adoption Incentives program I helped develop as first lady; fighting for the establishment of the National Museum of African American History and Culture; pushing to provide $100 million to meet the AmeriCorps funding shortfall; and introducing The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Act of 2003, which calls for an all-out commitment of national resources to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology.

I would like to conclude this update by telling you about an innovative, yet simple program that helps both New York students and apple farmers. Teaming with General Mills this summer, we launched the "Apples for Education Program." Students across New York State can "harvest" stickers from New York State apples and place them on posters in their school cafeterias. Schools redeem the posters for cash through General Mills' "Box Tops for Education Initiative." This program exemplifies what we can do when we work together: industry and education, business and government, students and farmers. It shows us that together, we can all prosper.

The past year was filled with challenges and opportunities. I am certain that 2004 will be as well. There is much to do for New York State and for New York families. I hope you will join me in making our New York community the best it can be.

Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton


clinton.senate.gov...

i see she didnt include the rather offensive joke she made about ghandi....rather insensitive for a democrat to make a joke about ghandi. WTF did he ever do to her to warrant THAT behavior?

oh you didnt hear about this? why am i not surprised???