2001 LCV Environmental Rating: 100%

Lifetime Environmental Rating: 85%

During the last six years, Rep. Ronald Kind has demonstrated a stellar commitment to safeguarding the environment. His consistent dedication to protecting our natural resources and public lands earned him a perfect 100% score on the 2001 National Environmental Scorecard and a lifetime score of 85%.

Protecting the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is a vital resource for drinking water, irrigation, industries, recreation, commercial transportation, and wildlife. Wisconsin and other mid-western states depend heavily upon the health of the river to sustain their economies and provide residents with water. Kind has focused on the importance of protecting and sustaining the Mississippi River’s precious resources for both humans and wildlife. He is the Chairman and co-founder of the Upper Mississippi Basin Congressional Task Force. He has pushed to improve its management system and prevent cutbacks in management funding. The river faces constant erosion and run-off problems which are exacerbated by human activities. In response, Kind has sponsored legislation to reduce sediment loads and nitrogen-based fertilizer runoff from farms that have threatened the river’s water quality. 

Promoting Farmland Conservation
Farms are at the heart of Wisconsin’s economy and an important part of the state’s culture and history. The state claims one of the nation’s largest dairy production areas. Kind understands that safeguarding these farms must be a priority. He is a strong proponent for farmland conservation measures, serving on both the Agriculture and Resources Committees. In 2001, he sponsored an amendment to the farm bill that would have transferred $19 billion from crop subsidies to increased farm conservation payments. Before final passage of the farm bill this year, Kind led an effort to cap subsidy payments to farmers at $275,000 and allocate half of the money saved by the spending cap to conservation funding. 

Safeguarding Public Lands and Resources
Kind has shown a dedication to protecting our public lands and natural resources. He has consistently voted against oil and gas drilling on public lands, including drilling in national monuments and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. His concern for protecting the nation’s boundary waters from pollution and support for alternative energy investments has led him to co-sponsor legislation to prohibit oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes and to vote against drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Kind strongly believes in investing in renewable energy, voting consistently in favor of increased fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles and in favor of energy efficiency measures.

The State
Wisconsin’s 3rd District runs from the southernmost border of the state north almost to Lake Superior, following the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers on its western edge. Since Wisconsin lost a seat in the redistricting process, the new third district includes a larger portion of the state than previously.

The District is famous for being the largest dairy area in the nation. However, since 1980, more than half of all of its dairy farmers have gone out of business. Smaller farms have not been as successful as in the past due to a decrease in the demand for milk and competition with the European Market’s subsidized dairy products. Important industries include heavy manufacturing centered in the district’s two largest cities, La Crosse and Eau Clair, and tourism, concentrated around the northern lakes. Minneapolis and St. Paul have contributed to suburban growth the district but the district’s population as a whole remains below the state and national average. 

Ron Kind faces Republican candidate Bill Arndt in November, but political analyst Charles E. Cook calls this race a solid Democratic seat.