Portman: Climate change is real, we have to do something

OAK HARBOR — Rob Portman has been active for years in Lake Erie issues, believes climate change is real and needs action and won the 2016 Clean Water Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. So how did the Ohio Republican, two years into his second term as a U.S. senator, manage to get a 0 percent rating in 2017 for environmental votes scored by the League of Conservation Voters?Born and raised in the Cincinnati area, Portman spent his undergraduate years at Dartmouth University, where he belonged to a canoe club, taking part in canoeing and kayaking expeditions around the world. His government career has included serving in the U.S. House and important posts in both Bush administrations.Portman, 62, climbed aboard charter boat captain Dave Spangler's boat at Wild Wings Marina near Oak Harbor on Aug. 18 to go fishing, talk to environmental officials and visit the Perry Memorial in Put-in-Bay before holding a Lake Erie roundtable discussion when back on the mainland.The Register was invited to ride along, so we took the occasion to record a 23-minute interview, asking about many hot-button environmental issues as we could think of. Some highlights:On the importance of Lake EriePortman said he's well aware Lake Erie is the most important tourist destination in Ohio and pointed out he's been involved in many efforts to aid the lake, including fighting for the full $300 million funding sought by environmental groups for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.President Barack Obama tried to slash the funding for the initiative even though his administration tried to eliminate it, and President Donald Trump has tried to essentially eliminate it.Portman said he's tried to work with lawmakers from both parties in other lake related legislation, including a bill dealing with harmful algal blooms and pushing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deliver a final plan for keeping Asian carp out of Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes.On ratings from environmental groupsAsked about his zero percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters, Portman replied that it's become "a totally partisan group" and said he works well with Democrats in the Senate on Great Lakes issues.A group called the Ohio Environmental Council Action fund put out a press release in March headlined, "Republican Congressman Jim Renacci Votes Against Lake Erie."It turned out that what the group had been referring to was that Renacci voted against a $1.3 trillion budget bill, which included $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.Portman said that the budget bill included many items and said Renacci supported the GRLI.Renacci is running against U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in the fall election.Portman, who has worked well with Brown on Great Lakes issues, said he believes Renacci also would support Lake Erie measures."I'll be honest with you, I try to view the lake issues as nonpartisan. I think it's really important to not make it a partisan issue," he said.On climate changePortman said he believes the Earth is warming; the data is clear. It's less clear on how much of that is man-made, but "I'm willing to err on the side of saying that human involvement is part of it," he said.Portman said one of his bills is the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, co-authored with Democrats and backed by the Nature Conservancy, which saves tropical forests by forgiving debt to the U.S. from developing countries in exchange for conservation measures."We're fighting very hard right now to get it reauthorized," he said. The bill is important in reducing carbon in the atmosphere, he said.Portman said he also supports an energy conservation bill that also will save large amounts of carbon from going into the air by making buildings more energy efficient.Summing up his client change views, Portman said, "I believe we know enough to know we have to do something. I believe there are some sensible things we can do that don't have a big negative economic impact."On federal vs. state and local action on Lake EriePortman said he's heard some Republicans ask why algal blooms in Lake Erie are a national issue, rather than a state and local issue.He said he explained that the Great Lakes are a national resource, and that dealing with them involves federal elements such as the satellites that orbit the earth and provide Lake Erie photography for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."It's not like the City of Toledo has satellites, much less the state of Ohio," he said.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.U.S. Sen. Rob Portman holds up the freshwater drum he pulled out of Lake Erie while fishing August 18 on the boat owned by Dave Spangler, right. U.S. Sen. Rob Portman snaps a photo from the top of the Perry Memorial on South Bass Island.