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Commonwealth environmental policy will focus on up front issues that are not theoretical in nature but can have more of an immediate impact and thus preserve environmental integrity for everyone. In large cities and urban areas polluted air and ozone will be dealt with by better planning of mass transportation, encouraging the cost effective introduction of alternative fuels and transportations. By finding incentives for conservation and utilizing better city planning, pollution and energy concerns can be dealt with. Industries will be held to local and regional accountability for air, water or land that is polluted. All local communities should have stronger and more convenient recycling services, especially through privatization where possible. A standardized market-wide use of recyclable materials which are easy to recollect for recycling will be endorsed to provide ease and incentive for all communites to have adequate recycling programs. Where local governments provide collection services and limited landfills, the charging for throwing away of recyclables and the championing of waste disposal that involves organic composting will be considered. We will advocate and encourage market and consumer demand for design of consumer products that conserve resources such as gas efficient cars, low power electronics, well insulated houses, passive and active solar design in construction. We will facilitate consumer demand and the peer pressure to bring about better ways industries, products and consumers can transact commerce; maximizing recycling and use of environmentally friendly materials while minimizing environmental impact. We will also advocate and help spawn through the bully pulpit and our across-the-board tax elimination policies the research, development and markets that lead to new and better processes industries can use to profitably produce but preserve environmental integrity. Proper and necessary industries that function as best as possible in terms of environmental impact will be better able (due to the tax elimination windfall) to invest and experiment with profitable, ecosystem-friendly manufacturing techniques. Those that do not function as best as possible will be encouraged in similar fashion to improve. In appropriate cases there will be restrictions or fines or there will be helds accountable to their communities for any gross, negligent and avoidable environmental damage that is committed especially if there were alternative manufacturing methods that were easily accessible to that particular industry and that were cost effective. However, we will not unduly shut down or unduly infringe upon valid industries or make ridiculous regulations in the name of environmental extremism or in the name of unjustified, unproven environmental theories which will derail the economy and in the end will only work to harm the environmental movement. We will protect against the overzealous government seizure of land. Land confiscation will be accordingly tempered or reversed as to not drive private residence, farms or enterprise asunder and to not unduly impede human access or enjoyment of said land. We oppose broad-based, federal level environmental regulations that overly broadstroke many different ecosystems, communities and businesses without regard to each area's particulars and balances. Environmental legislation should be enacted at the regional or local level and localities should best decide land conservation and management. We will not legislate on behalf of global warming when instead local environmental concerns will give impetus to justify local clean air, land and water laws. |