Wednesday, 21 May 2003

Whittled Away

U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman handed President Bush her letter of resignation yesterday, citing the desire to spend more time with her family. Whitman, who was frequently at odds with the Bush administration and constantly under fire from conservationists and industry leaders alike, did not mention political differences as a factor in her decision to step down from her post. Her resignation -- which will be effective June 27 -- comes shortly after the White House called on Cabinet members and senior staff to leave now or commit through the 2004 election. In her letter to Bush, Whitman defended the EPA's policies, which environmentalists have characterized as a series of attacks on air, water, and land protections. Enviros have been predicting Whitman's resignation since last year, with some calling on her to step down on principle to protest the Bush administration's anti-environmentalism.

Rebel With a Cause?

With the environment acknowledged by many as President Bush's weakest link, nearly every Democrat running for president has taken up the mantle of eco-warrior. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is no exception. As governor, Dean racked up a decent environmental record, and there's no doubt that his green agenda would be light-years better than that of the Bush administration. But how good is "better"? In a special Grist interview with the presidential candidate, Dean talks about the centrality of his environmental agenda; about how money from the Bush tax cut should be spent on promoting renewable energy instead, about how he distinguishes himself from the other Democratic candidates on the environment; about getting business to buy into an environmental agenda; and, oh yeah, about his SUV. Get a jump on election season by reading Amanda Griscom's interview with Howard Dean, only on the Grist Magazine website.

Dela-Wherewithall

The state of Delaware, which already distinguished itself this year by approving criminal sanctions for executives at polluting companies, has now announced a voluntary program designed to give manufacturers incentives to surpass state environmental and conservation standards. The Principles for Responsible Industry program, which was announced yesterday by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (D), sets high benchmarks for worker protection, pollution prevention, waste reduction, energy conservation, and corporate citizenship; if companies meet the targets, they can earn accelerated permit reviews, community recognition awards, and fewer inspections. Ciba Specialty Chemicals and DuPont have already signed on to the program, and Minner said she would call on all manufacturers in the state to enroll.

Forests Fired

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed President Bush's "Healthy Forests" initiative, which would limit environmental and judicial reviews of proposed tree-cutting projects in the name of preventing forest fires. Approval of the initiative came despite a report released last week by the General Accounting Office that found that, contrary to White House allegations, very few logging projects were subject to significant delays as a result of environmental and judicial reviews. Proponents of Healthy Forests say the initiative would enable the removal of decades' worth of highly combustible underbrush and trees from as many as 20 million acres of public lands. But critics call the plan a smokescreen to permit backcountry logging by playing on fears ignited during last summer's wildfire season. Although the House measure passed 256 to 170 (after an eleventh-hour White House rally to bring representatives over to Bush's side), the fate of the bill is far less certain in the Senate, which killed a similar measure last year.

Neverglades

In more bad news for the environment, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) yesterday signed into law a highly controversial plan that will delay cleanup of phosphorus from the Everglades by a decade and, critics say, potentially result in the loss of $4 billion in federal funding for the massive restoration project. Bush -- who said signing the Everglades Forever Act was "the tough choice, but [...] the wise choice" -- asked the Florida legislature to draft another bill to address some of the act's weak points, including language that could dilute the restoration and help the sugar industry evade paying for its share of the cleanup. Sugar industry reps, for their part, were also unhappy with Bush and said the new law would reduce the flexibility of their cleanup efforts.