Copyright 2000 Gannett Company, Inc.
USA TODAY
November 3, 2000, Friday, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 13A
LENGTH: 1615 words
HEADLINE:
Environmental canyon lies between nominees Advocacy groups, business leaders say
a lot is at stake
BYLINE: Tom Kenworthy
BODY:
In a presidential election that offers clear
choices on a whole
range of issues, few are as stark as the environment.
From their general philosophical approaches to how they would
address specific problems ranging from global climate change to
pesticide regulation to saving endangered animals,
Republican
George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore differ sharply.
"Prosperity will mean little if we leave to future generations
a
world of polluted air, toxic lakes and rivers, and vanished
fields and
forests," Bush said in an environmental address last
spring. But he also has
lambasted the "old system of mandate,
regulate and litigate."
He
promised that under a Bush presidential administration, there
would be fewer
dictates from Washington on environmental policy
and more cooperation with
state and local governments, business
and private citizens.
Gore, whose
book Earth in the Balance is a battle cry for
tougher environmental
protections, wears proudly the mantle of
environmentalist. "We have to do
what's right for our Earth because
it is the moral thing to do," he said in
a speech in June.
Groups representing business and environmental
interests say the
stakes are enormous because critical choices are looming
on meeting
clean air and clean water standards, global climate change,
public
lands conservation and a host of other issues.
As public
lands are increasingly managed to enhance recreation
and protect wildlife,
rural communities throughout the West are
undergoing an economic
transformation. Even staunch advocates
of that change, such as the Idaho
Conservation League's John McCarthy,
say that in many places, the "short
term future is pretty grim."
"All three branches of government --
the White House, Congress
and the Supreme Court -- are up for grabs in
2000," says Daniel
Weiss, political director for the Sierra Club, which
expects to
spend $ 2 million supporting Gore this year. "These institutions
will determine environmental protection for the next decade and
beyond."
Citing the government's role in developing
regulations on clean
air, water quality and fuels, and the
impact of those regulations
on local communities' ability
to develop economically, U.S. Chamber
of Commerce Vice President Bill Kovacs
says, "The critical infrastructure
of the U.S. is at stake."
For
advocates on both sides, there is little middle ground.
Environmentalists charge that when it comes to pollution, Bush
nearly always sides with industry and that Texas and its large
cities
are among the nation's worst in toxic emissions, smog and
water quality
problems. Bush prefers to point out the progress
his state has made in
cutting air pollution, reducing toxic releases,
cleaning up hazardous waste
sites and improving drinking water
quality.
Business sees Gore
as a classic "command and control" environmentalist
whose policies would
stifle economic developmentand trample on
private-property rights.
Analyzing key issues
This is the last in a
series of articles analyzing key issues
facing the next president.
Today: Preserving the environment.
Previously published:
Americans without health insurance
(Sept. 22); education plans (Sept. 26),
the military's search
for a mission (Oct. 3); saving Social Security (Oct.
17); spending
the surplus (Oct. 25) and paying for prescription drugs
(Wednesday).
Election controls environmental direction
For much of the last six years, the Clinton-Gore administration
and the Republican-led Congress have been at odds over environmental
issues: global climate change, managing public lands, and overhauling
laws, such as those governing the Superfund and endangered-species
programs. With control of Congress and the White House at stake,
this
election could break that deadlock.
Toxic pollution by U.S.
manufacturers
Industries must report to federal and state
governments when they
release, as part of normal production, any of nearly
650 toxic
chemicals. Industries that release the most toxics into the
environment
include chemical, primary metals and paper manufacturers.
(in billions of pounds)
'883.9'952.5'972.5'98*2.4
Water quality in the USA
Runoff from city streets and agricultural fields -- so-called
non-point source pollution -- is the source of about 60% of the
USA's
water pollution. But that runoff is not strictly regulated
under the Clean
Water Act. Water-quality ratings under the EPA's
inventory in 1998:
Rivers842,426 miles
Good55%
Good, but threatened10%
Polluted35%
Lakes17.4 million acres
Good46%
Good, but threatened 9%
Polluted45%
Estuaries28,687 square miles
Good47%
Good, but threatened10%
Polluted44%
Trends in U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions
The primary greenhouse gas emitted into the
atmosphere is carbon
dioxide; most of it comes from the combustion of fossil
fuels.
A greenhouse gas is an emission linked to global warming. From
1990 through 1997, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion
rose.
Greenhouse gas emissions
(in billions of
tons):
'901.8'972.0
Logging in U.S. National Forests
The nation's 191 million acres of national forest are a far less
important source of timber than they used to be. But the timber
industry
is still important economic force in many Western communities,
and
production from national forests has been a volatile issue
as the
Clinton-Gore administration has shifted forest management
more toward
wildlife and recreation.
Timber harvested
(in trillion
board feet**)
'8812.6'99 2.9
* -- 1998 figure does
not include releases from seven industrial
sectors added that year.
** -- A board foot is lumber measuring one-foot by one-foot by
one-inch.
Comparing the candidates' policies and proposals
Republican George W. Bush
Public lands
Recently unveiled
a plan to eliminate a $ 4.9 billion maintenance
backlog at national parks.
Criticized Clinton plan to protect
43 million acres of roadless forest and
designate large tracts
of western land as national monuments. Says "land
management
decisions are best made at the local level." Supports full
funding
for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is used to buy
and protect land.
Endangered Species Act
Criticized the
"heavy-handed approach" of federal agencies that
implement the act and says
the act should be revised to provide
incentives for landowners to protect
species. Economic and social
costs should be considered before listing
species, he says, and
the act must protect the rights of private property
owners.
Climate change
Once a skeptic on whether the Earth
is warming, Bush now says
"the science proves there's global warming." He
opposes the
Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels and
believed to cause global warming.
Sprawl
Says "the
challenges of urban growth are best handled by local
and state governments,"
though some federal policy changes, such
as eliminating the estate tax, can
play a role.
Air and water pollution
Supports the Clinton
administration's Tier II emission standards,
which from 2004 to 2009 would
require cleaner burning gasoline
and lower emissions of
nitrogen oxide and sulfur by cars, light
trucks and sport
utility vehicles. He has not proposed a detailed
agenda for further reducing
air and water pollution.
Pesticides
Supports the Food
Quality Protection Act passed in 1996 that mandates
closer scrutiny of the
health effects of pesticides, particularly
on children. But says it should
not be implemented in a way that
disrupts access to "safe crop protection
products."
Toxic wastes
One of his main environmental
proposals deals with cleaning up
toxic waste "brownfields." It involves more
flexible federal
standards for cleanup, protecting redevelopers of polluted
sites
from legal liability, and extending tax incentives for such cleanups.
Democrat Al Gore
Public lands
Has advocated strict
protections for roadless areas and supports
the increased designation of
monuments and wilderness areas. Supports
full funding for the federal Land
and Water Conservation Fund.
Endangered Species Act
Supports
the act and says he believes it should be strengthened
to include
"comprehensive ecosystem protection for habitat"
needed by threatened and
endangered species.
Climate change
Has sought to raise
awareness of global warming since his earliest
days in Congress. He favors
ratification of the Kyoto Protocol
and is a strong advocate of reducing
greenhouse gas emissions.
Sprawl
Believes in a strong
federal role in helping local communities
manage growth. Announced a
"livability" agenda that would direct
federal agencies to help communities,
including $ 1 billion to
protect farmland and open space, ease traffic and
work on "smart
growth" strategies.
Air and water pollution
Supports the administration's new soot and smog standards and
argues
for phasing out older power plants that cannot meet clean
air standards. Has
supported new requirements for polluted water
runoff on states and believes
the Clean Water Act must be strengthened
to enforce those requirements.
Pesticides
Fully backs the law and supports "tough standards
to eliminate
any unacceptable risks that pesticides may present to human
health."
Toxic wastes
Has been a staunch defender of the
Superfund cleanup program and
opposed congressional efforts to lower cleanup
standards and weaken
provisions requiring polluters to pay for cleanups.
Source: USA TODAY research
GRAPHIC: GRAPHIC, b/w, Frank Pompa, USA
TODAY, Sources:EPA Toxic Release Inventory, 1998 EPA National Water Quality
Inventory Report to Congress in 1998, U.S. Forest Service(Bar graph, Line graph)
LOAD-DATE: November 03, 2000 
