As a voter who ranks environmental, conservation and energy issues among my most urgent concerns, I was gratified to hear candidates talk about global warming and energy policy. I didn't hear much about any other environmental issues, though, and that troubled me. There are so many. The Clean Water and Clean Air Acts need help. The current administration has gutted pollution reporting rules, and toxins in many consumer products go entirely unregulated. There are species and habitat that need protection, and all sorts of issues involving competing interests and access to federal land. Some environmental issues are inherently local, but the federal government certainly could do more to promote mass transit and anti-sprawl community planning. If, like me, you want to know more about where the candidates stand on such issues, I suggest a visit to the League of Conservation Voters website, especially their presidential candidate profiles.

In a shameless effort to boost traffic on my blog, I also want to note that while I admire some libertarian policies and principals, Ron Paul's policy toward pollution and polluters (in short, he says, "So sue them") is so simplistic and disingenuous as to be beneath contempt.