Ayotte: Climate a Concern

Hanover — Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., staked out a position on climate change during a Thursday visit to Dartmouth College, saying she believed that humanity should work to reduce its contribution to the phenomenon.



Ayotte, who is up for re-election in 2016, was in the Upper Valley to reach out to conservationists with a roundtable discussion focused on her support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which helps protect public lands and waters — including sections of the Appalachian Trail that pass through Hanover.



“I believe that it is a real issue, that obviously man-made activity is contributing to carbon dioxide emissions and that we should be of course working on solutions that I hope are common-sense solutions,” Ayotte said of climate change in an interview after the event.



She called for “energy efficiency and other measures to help reduce the impact that carbon has on our environment.”



A one-term incumbent, Ayotte faces a likely general election challenge from New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, who also has said that climate change is real, exacerbated by humans and in need of solutions.



Ayotte’s climate change position, which is more moderate than many in her party, might be part of a 2016 election effort to appeal to environmentally conscious independents, according to political observer Dean Spiliotes, a civic scholar at Southern New Hampshire University.



“There are people out there who are almost single-issue voters on climate change — those folks are unlikely to vote for her in any event,” as their ballots usually go to Democrats, he said.



Rather than win those votes, Ayotte may wish to “pick off independents who are comfortable enough voting for a Republican ... but would like to see a set of positions that are more moderate,” Spiliotes said.



A Hassan spokesman said on Thursday that the governor believes humans contribute to climate change, and touted her sponsorship as a state senator of New Hampshire’s participation in the 2008 Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, which authorized a cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions among several northeast states .



“The science is clear that climate change is real and that human activity is contributing to it, and Governor Hassan has long fought to combat climate change and address its impacts,” spokesman William Hinkle said in an email. “A healthy environment and economic development go hand-in-hand, and climate change is threatening our economy, our environment, our people and our way of life.”



As governor, Hassan signed legislation to update the state’s renewable energy portfolio and establish a long-term state energy strategy, Hinkle said.



On Wednesday, Ayotte said the RGGI, while a state-level program, is “very worthwhile.”



Ayotte noted that she had co-sponsored the 2015 Energy Efficiency Improvement Act authored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H, and signed into law in April. Ayotte added an amendment of her own that imposed energy-efficiency standards in commercial buildings.



Beyond the efficiency measures, she offered few other specifics Wednesday on how the federal government could address climate change.



“I think we need to make sure that we use the best technology that we can on, for example, power plants and other measures,” Ayotte said in the interview. “That’s why I’ve consistently supported measures that the best technology that exists is used on our energy sources to protect our environment. And obviously, more opportunities in development in renewables is always positive, in terms of energy efficiency as well.”



In other environment-related votes, Ayotte has supported oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, as well as the Keystone XL pipeline. She twice voted against legislation that would have made it easier for power plants to obtain exemptions to the Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality standards.



On climate change, Ayotte stands in contrast to the Republican presidential primary field, where most candidates alternately contend that the Earth is not warming, that humans are not significant contributors, that the science is not conclusive or that immediate action is not necessary.



Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, during a town hall meeting Tuesday in Lebanon, said humanity played a role in climate change, but said scientists haven’t determined how much of it is attributable to people.



“Humans have some impact,” he said in response to an audience question. “I don’t think anybody can honestly say the science is over as it relates to the longevity of the impact, when that impact plays out, and what the actual impact will be.”



Rather than focus directly on reducing emissions, the government should not “pick winners and losers,” he said, and advocated letting markets sort out the problem while humanity waits for a new technology to “reinvent the wheel” in regards to global warming.



Asked about the apparent distance between her views and Republican orthodoxy, Ayotte kept the focus on her own position.



“I’m my own person,” she said, adding, “It’s about my views and representing New Hampshire, so that’s my focus, as opposed to what other candidates believe about issues.”



Ayotte’s stance is not unusual for a Granite State Republican in Congress, Spiliotes said, citing former U.S. Rep. Charles Bass, who he said had “always positioned himself to the left of the party on conservation issues.”



After the Dartmouth event, Ayotte joined a group hike on a trail segment that runs to the south of the town’s lower water reservoir and features newly conserved land.



Rob Wolfe can be reached at rwolfe@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.”



U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., takes in the view during a hike on conservation land near the Appalachian Trail in Hanover. Valley News — Sarah Priestap





