| | The REAL Inconvenient Truth
Currently, the U.S. Debt is estimated at: $11,459,807,380,955 Your share of today's public debt is: $36,683 | | | |
| | | | Bringing Nuclear Jobs to Ohio
 For the past eight years, as Chairman or Ranking Member on the Senate Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, Senator Voinovich has been focused on preparing Ohio and our country for a nuclear renaissance. Most recently, he joined Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and U.S. Representative Jean Schmidt in making a major announcement about the U.S. Department of Energy's Piketon site. The announcement highlighted a large-scale effort to transition a portion of the site into a 21st century clean energy nuclear production center. Sen. Voinovich also recently joined the Babcock & Wilcox Company as they announced their plans to manufacture small modular nuclear reactors, which will result in millions of dollars in investments over the next three years. This program is expected to create several hundred new jobs at their Euclid and Barberton facilities in Ohio, and is exactly the direction Sen. Voinovich believes we should be heading as a state and country.
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| | | | Taking a Stand Against a Destructive Energy Tax
While Sen. Voinovich is committed to a comprehensive and economically viable solution to climate change, he does not believe this should be done on the backs of working families. His lead role in the climate change debate and vote against the Lieberman-Boxer climate bill last year helped save hundreds of thousands of Ohio jobs and protected Ohio seniors and families from sky-rocketing natural gas, electricity and gasoline costs. Now Ohio faces a new threat in the form of the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, which recently passed the House and is being considered by the Senate. Analysis indicates that Ohio families could be forced to spend about $800 more each year for transportation and electricity costs alone if this legislation becomes law. Add in increased prices for home heating oil and natural gas, and that number will certainly rise even higher. Perhaps of most concern is that this legislation does not treat all regions of the nation equitably. Analysis of the bill's provisions relating to the electric power sector shows that many coastal states actually stand to benefit from passage of the bill, while states in the Midwest like Ohio are particularly hard hit. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the authors of the legislation are from California and Massachusetts. On top of this, the bill contains no provision to ensure that China, India and other rapidly developing economies take steps to reduce emissions. Without reductions by these nations, the Environmental Protection Agency confirms that the bill will have no impact on climate change. Sen. Voinovich has long sought policies that harmonize our nation's economic, environmental, energy and national security needs and is hopeful that dramatic improvements can be made to the Waxman-Markey bill so that Washington can begin dealing with this important issue. He will continue to work on alternative solutions to climate change, like the bipartisan bill he recently introduced – the American Clean Energy Development Act of 2009. This legislation seeks to jump start clean energy technologies and engage our international partners – an idea Environment and Energy Daily has called "the only proposal that takes that challenge seriously." | | | |
| | | | Leading the Fight for Fiscal Reform
 As the Senate's leading "debt hawk," Sen. Voinovich has been calling for fiscal responsibility since the beginning of his career in public service. Currently, the U.S. fiscal situation remains bleak. The debt burden has grown from $5.6 trillion when Sen. Voinovich first came to Washington in 1999 to a staggering $11.2 trillion today – an increase of exactly 100 percent in 10 years. In the next few days, Sen. Voinovich will again be speaking on the Senate floor about the fiscal crisis facing our nation. Please stay tuned to the senator's Web site, www.voinovich.senate.gov, for updates on his upcoming speech and details so you can watch his remarks. Also, please visit his Web site to view the newest addition to the homepage: a federal debt clock. As a former mayor and governor, Sen. Voinovich understands the importance of making difficult budget decisions. He recognizes that the nation cannot continue to spend uncontrollably and reduce revenue with the assumption that our children and grandchildren will pay for it tomorrow. | | | |
| | | | Enhancing Homeland Security through PASS ID Legislation
As a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Sen. Voinovich is dedicated to protecting the American homeland. Safety and security have become two of his top priorities, especially in the post-9/11 era. In 2004, the bipartisan 9/11 Commission recommended that the federal government set standards for driver's licenses but left it up to Congress to determine what those standards should be. Recently, Sen. Voinovich joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues to introduce the Providing for Additional Security in States' Identification Act of 2009 (PASS ID), a bill that would implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendation to enhance the security of driver's licenses while reforming and resolving many of the troubling aspects of the REAL ID Act, which was enacted in 2005 and has been a source of concern for state and local governments. To address those concerns, the PASS ID Act sets standards for the issuance of driver's licenses, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission, but does so in a way that takes into account states' needs and capabilities. The Secretary of Homeland Security, the National Governors Association, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Major Cities Chiefs, the National Association of Police Organizations, Inc. and the National Sheriffs' Association have all expressed their support for the PASS ID Act of 2009, and the legislation is expected to be considered during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing this month. | | | |
| | | | Receiving "Champion of the River" Award
 For the past 40 years, Sen. Voinovich has dedicated himself to fighting what he dubbed "The Second Battle of Lake Erie" – the battle to reclaim Lake Erie and its tributaries. Recently, Sen. Voinovich was a keynote speaker at "The Year of the River 2009: 40 Years of Progress" event in Cleveland, which acknowledged the organizations and individuals responsible for 40 years of clean water progress on the Cuyahoga River. At the event, Sen. Voinovich was presented with a "Champion of the River" award. His long history of support for the Great Lakes dates back to 1967, when he was elected to the state legislature and saw firsthand the effects of pollution on the lake and the surrounding region. Through his positions as co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force and a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Voinovich has secured more than $1.7 million in funding for the green bulkheads project along the Cuyahoga River. Additionally, Sens. Voinovich and Brown introduced the Clean Water Affordability Act of 2009, which will help at least 86 Ohio communities, including Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), modernize aging infrastructure and drastically reduce combined sewer overflows into watersheds. | | |
