The Local Delegation: Rep. John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.)

Democratic U.S. Rep. John P. Sarbanes of Maryland's 3rd District was online Monday, Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. ET to take your questions about his work and goals in Congress this year.

The transcript follows.

Rep. Sarbanes joined the House in 2007, replacing Ben Cardin, who himself ran for the Senate seat vacated by Sarbanes's father, Paul. Prior to his election he was an attorney in Baltimore for nearly 20 years.

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Rep. John P. Sarbanes: Good Morning, thank you for participating in this morning's online discussion. This is a great opportunity to hear from everyone and to have a chance to answer your questions directly. I believe that the best way to represent Maryland's Third District in Washington is through an open discussion about the most pressing issues facing America today.

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Baltimore: Energy issues are on everyone's mind these days. With alternative energy (wind and solar) a long-term solution at best, and with the need to drastically cut back on the generation of electricity through burning coal in order to reduce pollution and fight global warming, the three alternatives that seem most promising are expanded drilling for oil offshore and in Alaska, the expansion of nuclear power and the importation of liquefied natural gas to dramatically increase our supply of natural gas. Where do you stand on expanded offshore drilling for oil, on drilling for oil in Alaska, on the expansion of the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant and on the proposed Liquefied Natural Gas importation terminal at Sparrows Point in Baltimore Harbor?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: I do not believe we are at the stage where we have to expand offshore drilling. There are current reserves offshore for which the oil industry has permits. These should be explored first as well as the 68 million acres of land on shore where the oil industry has permits to drill.

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Baltimore: Can you explain how your federal student loan forgiveness plan works? Is there a Web site that can give you information on it?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: Any person with a federal loan or federal consolidated loan who goes into public service -- defined as government service, non-profit service and other related service -- and stays in for ten years, can receive reduced monthly loan repayments on those loans for ten years and then at the end of the ten year period, can have whatever balance remains totally forgiven.

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Rep. John P. Sarbanes: The Web site for loan forgiveness information is www.ibrinfo.org. My Web site is www.sarbanes.house.gov.

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Parkville, Md.: Is the state -- and particularly our district -- making much headway toward improving the sewage infrastructure so as to come into compliance with the 2005 Department of Justice/Environmental Protection Agency consent decree (to prevent sewage overflows, citizens' property damage, environmental harm, etc.)?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: I know the city is focused on the need to comply. Of course, the cost of compliance is significant. I would like to see a greater investment of federal dollars in the rebuilding of our infrastructure across the country, which should include helping with these local costs.

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The Bay: As an avid sailor and Marylander (your mother was my advisor in school) I'm deeply concerned with the state of the Chesapeake Bay. Can you tell us what the state of things are with regard to regional coordination of environmental protection agreements and enforcement? While Marylanders must do more if there is any chance of saving the Bay, the watershed for the Bay is enormous, and work on it requires the coordination of seven states. My lay opinion is that little agreement or coordination has been accomplished. What gains were made were negated by environmental policies of the past few years. Is that right?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: I agree that the Bay will only be saved if we have critical coordination among all the key players. That means business, government and the private citizenry. I was thrilled to be able to sponsor the permanent authorization of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Act which provides funding for Bay related activities across the watershed. I have also sponsored the No Child Left Inside bill which will fund environmental education across the country.

I also believe that we must encourage citizens and groups to take ownership of the tributaries in their own backyards. If we clean up the rivers and creeks that flow into the Watershed, we will clean up the Bay. I am a member of the Bay Watershed Task Force in Congress which is focused on this effort.

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Annapolis, Md.: The housing bubble is almost over, and the greedy speculators are being bailed out by a frightened Congress. How overheated do you think the economy will become when you combine the favorable exchange rate of the dollar with the probable additional stimulus Congress will pass?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: I think we are still far from overheating the economy. The bigger concern at this stage is making sure it doesn't completely stall. One measure to help address this is a second stimulus package.

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Annapolis, Md.: Rep. Sarbanes, I am a constituent in your district. I've contacted your office several times about legislation to address energy issues. As you know gasoline is nearly $4 per gallon, and the price of electricity has spiked in Maryland in the past year. What are you doing to address energy issues? Will you work to get something done this year? Do you support nuclear power? Do you support increasing domestic oil production and refining capacity? As you know, the House adjourned without getting something done despite protests by House Republicans. Would you support a special session in August to get something done? Thank you.

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: With my colleagues, I have pushed for legislation that would curb speculation in the energy sector, would force oil companies to use the drilling permits they already have on public lands across the country and to put a windfall profits tax on the oil companies, which are posting record financial profits. All of these measures have unfortunately been frustrated by special interests. I will continue to fight.

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Baltimore, Md.: What are "innovative and aggressive solutions" to address economic challenges, and where will the money come to pay for them?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: I believe we should put significantly more resources into rebuilding our infrastructure across the country -- bridges, tunnels, highways, railways. In particular, we should bring a new level of support to public transportation. Many realize that we are far from where we need to be in that respect and this has been driven home by the high cost of gas as people look for alternatives to highway driving.

In addition to infrastructure, we should also be investing in our people -- that means education (from pre-school to college and beyond), workforce development and training.

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Baltimore: In a 2006 survey of economists, 85.3 percent agreed that "the gap between Social Security funds and expenditures will become unsustainably large within the next fifty years if current policies remain unchanged," and 77.2 percent agreed that "the best way to deal with Social Security's long-term funding gap is to increase the normal retirement age" -- yet your policy is at odds with the vast majority of economists. How in general do you view the opinions of experts when forming policy decisions? Do you look to experts to decide policy, or do you make up a policy and then look for an expert who agrees?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: Expert advice is a critical component of any analysis and I give it serious consideration. At the same time, I try to listen as carefully as I can to the input that comes from my constituents regarding the impact of particular policies on them.

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Chevy Chase, Md.: The minimum wage recently was increased, yet these are the only wage earners who have to go to Congress and the president for a wage increase. When do you think an automatic cost of living adjustment will be provided for the minimum wage?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: I like the idea.

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Baltimore: What is your position about reducing the budget deficit and the national debt? For example,what funding should be reduced so that the No Child Left Inside bill can be funded?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: Funding sources come from sound revenue policies, from good priorities (for example, if we bring our troops home from Iraq, we can eliminate the ongoing expense of our presence there) and from cutting out government waste. Billions of dollars have been wasted by private contractors in Iraq, for example. In another instance, we recently learned that the cost to the government of moving six million seniors from the Medicaid prescription drug program to the Medicare prescription drug program was $3.7 billion. This was an unnecessary move and seemed to only benefit the drug companies.

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Glen Burnie, Md.: No question, just a comment. I receive e-mail updates from you that include issue questions that allow constituents to comment directly. I don't know how many other members of Congress are doing that, but I think it's a great way to help constituents connect. Keep it up; it, at the very least, gives the feeling of having a voice!

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: Thank you so much. I place a high premium on communication and giving my constituents as many ways as possible to provide input to me. If others would like to participate and receive the Sarbanes Standard, our e-newsletter, you can sign up at www.sarbanes.house.gov. We also encourage you to contact our office with any issues you may have and we will do our best to help you. Our office number is 410 832-8890.

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Odenton, Md.: Energy security -- do you agree with the 10 Senators on the compromise bill for energy independence? I hope the Democratic leadership will support this bill. We can't do just one thing for energy independence, we have to look at all options -- solar, wind, nuclear, battery-cars, etc. The biggest thing is increasing fuel-efficiency standards on cars even further.

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: I have received a number of questions about energy today. I am pasting below a letter I recently sent to my constituents on the issue. Thank you for your interest.

Dear _____:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the rising cost of energy and our Nation's energy policies. I appreciate hearing from you and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

Unfortunately, rising energy costs are squeezing the budgets of many American families and businesses. Because these are such difficult times for so many, it is hard to accept that the oil companies raked in $155 billion in profit last year. Yet some argue that if we only give these companies more tax breaks, more land to drill on, and more benefit of the doubt, they will help us reduce the price of gasoline. I am not convinced.

Though there is no easy solution to the rising cost of gasoline, I have supported several bills that seek to rein in gas prices and provide some short-term relief. With my support, the House of Representatives has passed: 1) a bill directing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to utilize its full authority to immediately curb excessive oil speculation and trading practices that have affected prices by disrupting the normal supply and demand for energy commodities; 2) legislation to reduce the amount of oil the U.S. government places in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, so that more oil can remain in the market; and 3) a measure authorizing legal action against certain Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) entities that intentionally limit the supply or fix the price of oil. The latter legislation would also create a Department of Justice Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force to examine price gouging in the sale of gasoline in the United States.

As it pertains to drilling on public lands, the Bureau of Land Management indicates that, in 2007, only 4,704 of the 7,561 permits issued for oil and natural gas drilling on public lands have been executed by the industry. In my view, we should not authorize drilling on additional lands until these existing 68 million acres have been explored. That is why I voted in favor of H.R. 6251, the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act, which would force oil companies to act on existing leases or relinquish their permits to do so. I am also an original cosponsor of H.R. 39, the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness bill, which would prohibit drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. My view is that drilling in the Refuge could significantly damage this pristine habitat without significantly addressing America's energy problems. I am strongly opposed to drilling off the coast of Maryland for the same reasons and because of the impact such proposals could have on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

I believe it is more important than ever for America to adopt an aggressive and long term strategy to develop alternative sources of energy. Only by ending our addiction to oil will we be able to retain our competitive advantage and ensure a promising future for our children. Around the world, this generation will have to achieve a balanced approach while confronting problems such as the finite supply of fossil fuels, global warming, and many other important economic and environmental problems. I will continue to support reasonable measures that accomplish these goals and oppose those that do not.

Again, I appreciate hearing from you. Please do not hesitate to contact me about other issues of concern to you in the future.

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Nuclear energy: Two of the posted questions included requests for your views on nuclear energy, and you haven't responded to either. Please stop dodging the question: What are your views on expanding the use of nuclear power in responding to our nation's energy needs?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: Nuclear energy can be an important source of clean energy. The issue is the safety of the reactors and the safe disposal of waste to ensure no harm to the environment. If we can address these concerns adequately, then I believe we should take advantage of this energy source.

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Columbia, Md.: Given that the Congress largely seems to be bought and paid for by various business interests and their lobbyists, would you support legislation to provide federal funding for all congressional elections?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: I have been a strong supporter of public financing of campaigns and other campaign finance reforms. The influence of money on politics is significant and has a distorting effect on public policy making.

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Rockville, Md.: Good morning, Rep. Sarbanes. I was working as a volunteer for Jamie Raskin at the Electrik Maid right at the time police were spying on peaceful protestors in Takoma Park from that very spot. How could something like this have happened, and what can we do to prevent injustices like this in the future?

Rep. John P. Sarbanes: This incident just reaffirmed to me how critical it is that we strive always to achieve the right balance between securing our safety as a nation and protecting the privacy rights of individuals. We must always attend to maintaining the public trust in our government and the bedrock principles of our democracy.

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Rep. John P. Sarbanes: Thank you for your questions and for participating in today's online discussion. I really enjoyed it and in case you were wondering, I was directly responding to your questions. I apologize if there were any typos. I haven't had to type this fast in a while.

Each month, I email my virtual newsletter the Sarbanes Standard which includes updates, upcoming events and Town Hall meetings. My e-newsletter also includes surveys that provide you with a way to keep me informed of your views on various issues. Unfortunately, with so many participants I was not able to get to everyone's question. If you were unable to ask your question I encourage you to share your thoughts with me by visiting my Web site www.sarbanes.house.gov or calling my District Office at 410-832-8890.

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