<div dir="ltr">Dawn,<div><br></div><div>Thank you for getting us that answer. I had heard about proposals to pipe water, but was hoping that was not what Kripchak was proposing to support. All in all he seems like a great candidate. </div><div><br></div><div>Vic</div><div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">When the Earth, its products, its creatures become his concern, man is caught up in a cause greater than his own life and more meaningful. Only when man loses himself in an endeavor of that magnitude does he walk and live with humility and reverence. - William O. Douglas</div></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Apr 21, 2024 at 7:29 PM Dawn Hewitt via Green <<a href="mailto:green@fuusm.org">green@fuusm.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto">Sorry to bother you again, but I gotta give candidate Michael Kripchak credit for responding to email. (But I gotta take away a few points for his verbosity. ) In a nutshell, here’s what he says: He trusts the federal governments and its checks and balances. If scientists deem a nationwide aqueduct system as viable and sensible, then he’d back it—assuming it meets the standards of required National Environmental Policy review and requirements.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">You can read it for yourself if you have a free 10 minutes. —dawn</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Michael Kripchak</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:vote@kripchak.com" target="_blank">vote@kripchak.com</a>></span><br>Date: Sun, Apr 21, 2024 at 1:06 PM<br>Subject: Re: Climate change<br>To: Dawn Hewitt <<a href="mailto:dawnbirder@gmail.com" target="_blank">dawnbirder@gmail.com</a>><br></div><br><br><u></u>
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Ms. Hewitt:
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<br><strong>Bottom Line, Up Front (BLUF):</strong> My proposed system will not wreak havoc on the environment and will only be implemented with approval by experts and citizens alike.
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To clarify, allow me the opportunity to explain my political philosophy and how it relates to your friends' concerns.
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<br><strong>The Federal Government ACTUALLY works:</strong>
<br>One of the advantages of electing me over my opponent is that the citizens of the 6th get a Representative who ACTUALLY knows how the federal government works. My opponent sees the federal government as an obstacle and impediment to his authoritarian-corporatist utopia. I see the federal government as a treasured institution that advances the ideals of the Enlightenment that our Founding Fathers carefully laid out for us.
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<br>The bureaucracy of the federal government and the career government civilians are essential to the proper functioning of our Government. Often the most mundane acts of the Reds are the most insidious and damaging as they defund and gut our agency budgets which means the government can't do what We the People have asked them to do. Then the Reds pillory the Fed Gov't for being broken and further defund and cut our agencies leading to more dysfunction and citizen ire - a veritable death spiral. This is especially dangerous since the manner in which they do this is so mundane that it passes over the watchful eye of the media and never gets reported. Having worked on the inside, I know exactly how they do it and have first-hand knowledge of the disastrous effects of their "mundane" policies.
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<br>To assuage your Green Friends' concerns, let me state that, as a former military/government scientist, I know first-hand that the federal government is the single greatest institution on this planet with a combined expert knowledge unseen ever in human history. For every obscure policy, there is - somewhere within the federal government - a federal office with officials who are the preeminent experts of that field. When it comes to water-management I am not that person. But when it comes to setting the conditions for the federal government to work for the public good and allocating the resources to put ideas into action - I am.
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<br><strong>Specifics of the Policy:</strong>
<br>This is why my policy initiative is to direct the Dept of the Interior to lead this as this is their area of expertise. Drawing upon my experience of military research and taking Lessons Learned from DARPA's successful track record, placing the challenge of a national water-management infrastructure project in the hands of federal agency to solve is the best way to achieve actionable results. They along with other federal agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers will conduct a study and report their findings to Congress (re: the Public).
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<br>Whether the outcome of their initiative yields a recommendation for Congress to fund a national aqueduct system or other solution, the project will first have to pass through the hoops of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). An EIS looks through a proposed solution and assesses the concerns your friends have for potential impacts and damages to the environment. It assesses impacts to water, air, fauna, flora, endangered species, social impacts, economic impacts, and even cultural impacts. As you can imagine, it is very thorough. It proposes alternatives, if needed, and outlines mitigation plans to any effects uncovered. Most importantly, it is submitted for PUBLIC COMMENT. Public comment allows citizens - such as your green friends - to petition concerns that the Fed Gov't may have overlooked and the government is required to heed the concerns that arise from public scrutiny.
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<br><strong>The Devil is in the Details:</strong>
<br>This procedure is codified under law as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. I have first-hand experience of this law's efficacy as it has even stopped the US military from conducting live fire tests of immediate national security all on the account of endangered prairie mice migrating through a bombing range. When it comes to the environment, not even a reincarnated General George Washington is powerful enough to bypass this law.
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<br>Unfortunately, the efficacy of NEPA is contingent on the administrators running the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The CEQ is tasked with overseeing NEPA and any EIS for large national projects. Under the Trump Administration, the CEQ relaxed many of the oversight provisions of NEPA and defanged its ability to enforce environmental laws all in the name of "efficiency". If you notice, my opponent also likes to liberally use the term "efficiency" in his campaign. Beware of Pharisees. These code words that the Reds use are designed to slip under the radar of the press and of our citizens.
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<br>Fortunately, when Biden assumed office, he reversed Trump's disastrous executive orders and restaffed the CEQ with competent authorities to restore Obama-era NEPA protections. This is why it is ESSENTIAL that not only Biden is elected but Senator Sherrod Brown is too. A Democratic-controlled senate can deny the appointment of CEQ officials that would otherwise harm the environment and neuter government oversight.
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<br>I hope I have alleviated your friends' concerns and provided some more insight on how we can implement these policies that are important to the future of our District.
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Respectfully,
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Michael L. Kripchak
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Democratic Candidate
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US Congress, OH-06
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<a href="https://www.kripchak.com" target="_blank">www.kripchak.com</a>
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On 04/18/2024 2:38 AM CEST Dawn Hewitt <<a href="mailto:dawnbirder@gmail.com" target="_blank">dawnbirder@gmail.com</a>> wrote:
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Hi again, Michael!
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I forwarded your wonderful, encouraging answer to my query about environmental policies to some of my “green” friends. In the ensuing discussion, several asked what you meant by a mega project to move excess water from flood-prone areas to drought-stricken areas. It sounds logical, but could in itself have pretty damaging landscape or ecological impacts.
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Can you explain what you mean on this topic? My green friends and I (who are all inclined to endorse and support you) want to know what you’re talking about.
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Thanks!
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—Dawn Hewitt
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Marietta
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On Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 11:18 PM Michael Kripchak <<a href="mailto:vote@kripchak.com" target="_blank">vote@kripchak.com</a>> wrote:
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Ms. Hewitt:
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Please forgive the length of this email but I want to emphasize and leave not a shadow of doubt with you of my concern for the environment. Only second to immediately defeating the fascist authoritarianism of this election cycle, is my commitment to fight the long-term threat and challenge to a sustainable future and Green Earth.
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My campaign team has analyzed the demographics of our district and has come to the conclusion that traditional messaging on the environment will not be as effective in OH-6 as it would in other parts of the USA like in CA or NY. As such, we have taken a playbook from the lessons learned fighting the ozone hole crisis of the 1980s. That is, the ozone hole wasn't fixed because of messaging but through sound economic policies (namely: HFCs were cheaper than ozone-hurting CFCs).
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As I state at the end in my "Primary Policies Initiatives" found in: <a href="https://www.kripchak.com/press-releases" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://www.kripchak.com/press-releases :</a>
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"...many of [my] policy proposals go a long way in furthering ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES to fight climate change, yet I did not specifically speak to that. This is by design. These policies that can save America – that can save the 6th – are by their very nature environmentally friendly. I will not allow the environment to be turned into a political issue and Congress does not need to sacrifice our Green Earth on the altar of economic prosperity."
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To further clarify my stance under my response to the League of Women Voters questionnaire also found in: <a href="https://www.kripchak.com/press-releases" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://www.kripchak.com/press-releases :</a>
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"I will not entertain any debate on the existence of climate change nor the anthropological
<br>causes of it – this is settled science. The DoD has stated that this is their primary national
<br>security risk and I will not accept inaction nor obstruction in Congress. China right now is
<br>leading the world in green tech development. If we fail to act, we are in danger of losing to
<br>them in this new economic sector costing us more jobs overseas as others trade with them
<br>instead of us. I will launch 2 megastructure initiatives bringing jobs to Ohio: instruct the DoI to
<br>devise a national water resource mgmt. megaproject to divert excess rain from flood-zones to
<br>those drought-stricken and direct the DoE to finally commercialize fusion energy."
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Furthermore, my campaign is focused on farmers, hunters, and outdoorsmen. These groups have a vested economic and social interest in conservation efforts and pro-environment policies. By focusing on them I can advance green policy initiatives without being bogged down in divisive national rhetoric that only harms and impedes these causes that you and I care about.
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I share your alarming concern for fracking and brine disposal. On the campaign trail I've discussed this issue with many voters especially in Steubenville, Martin's Ferry and Marietta. I have even gone into WV and campaigned across the border to help Democrats there and raise awareness even though some have said that "I'm wasting my time there" because I know that our water tables do not respect man-made political borders and to protect your water, your air, and your health, requires a concerted effort amongst all the Representatives nearby even those not from our State.
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Immediately after his blind-loyalty to Trump, the scariest thing about my opponent's campaign is his dedication to fracking. His folksy attitude about it is especially alarming as it disarms voters and lulls them into not caring about the massive damage he will do to our District. This is why my campaign is taking the fight to the People to understand that their way of life is in danger if we elect him and allow him to proceed with his fracking plan. He offers economic advantages with fracking, I am offering economic prosperity with my Green initiatives.
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Later this week I have a meeting with the Sierra Club where we will discuss among several things the following points:
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- Fighting my opponent's natural gas fracking policy
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- Increased funding and federal oversight over ODNR and the corruption in Ohio EPA
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- Advanced carbonics R&D to use coal NOT for burning but for next-generation materials such as graphene enabling transmission of green energy sources across long distances
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- Sustainable farming that reduces reliance on fertilizers and pesticides
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- Cleaning up and preserving our natural landscape (both forests and water) of the Appalachian foothills
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- PreK-12 education based on the "Whole Person Concept" that gets kids out into nature to treasure our natural resources and instill a conservatory mindset at a young age
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- National moonshot program for commercializing fusion power
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The biggest help I can get with saving our planet and our way of life is for you to spread the word that I am fighting for you and I am fighting for Mother Earth. The more people know about my campaign and what I am trying to do for you, the better shot I have in making a difference in Congress.
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I hope I have answered your questions to your satisfaction and that I have left no doubt in your mind of my commitment to your concerns.
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Respectfully,
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Michael L. Kripchak
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Democratic Candidate
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US Congress, OH-06
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<a href="https://www.kripchak.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">www.kripchak.com</a>
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On 04/16/2024 3:37 AM CEST Dawn E. Hewitt <<a href="mailto:kripmbfx@premium15.web-hosting.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">kripmbfx@premium15.web-hosting.com</a>> wrote:
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Name: Dawn E. Hewitt
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Email: <a href="mailto:dawnbirder@gmail.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">dawnbirder@gmail.com</a>
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Phone: 8123203449
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Message:
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Dear Mr. Kripchak,
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I live in OH-6, in Marietta. Your policy statements don't mention a transition to clean, renewable energy; the health impacts of fracking, or the threats of brine disposal here in the DUMPING GROUND of Ohio, WV, and PA--Washington County, OH. Climate change is an existential threat that is being neglected. Please be a Congressperson for a healthy, sustainable future. Thank you.
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