Full Version: Bush Touts Environmental Achievements...
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Earlier today at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base in Knoxville, Tennessee, President Bush made remarks, touting the progress the goverment has made in protecting and repairing the environment. Here are the transcripts of the speech.
Bush's Earth Day Remarks
I felt bewildered as he spoke about the progress that was made and how that was "good for the country", as if it was a major victory in the war on terror, and he looked as if were patting himself on the back.
It was like seeing a husband tell a wife, "Hey Wife, I took out the trash! That's good for the house!", and the wife looking at the husband funny. Duh, of course it's a good thing, but it also *needs* to be done.
Worse over, he spoke of all this progress, and never once mentioned the fact that the ANWR proposal would be detrimental to the environment of Alaska or alternative energy.
From what the remarks sounded like to you, is this a case of touting serious progress or trying to score points by saying "see, I'm a good guy for the environment"?
This just seems like a "feel good" speech to me. There are certainly a lot of general statements in it that I would agree with:
I'll let the administration make their case:
Protecting Our Nation's Environment (White House)
You can see that things like the Healthy Forests Initiative and the Clear Skies Initiative make Bush sound like a Green. But let's look at some opposing views:
Debunking the "Healthy Forests Initiative" (Sierra Club)
Facts About the Bush Administration's Plan to Weaken the Clean Air Act (Sierra Club)
You can choose which viewpoint you accept, of course. I tend to think of the Sierra Club as a nice, mainstream, Mom-and-Apple-Pie type of organization, so I listen to what they say. (Something from a radical group like Earth First! would need to be taken with a large grain of salt.)
I tend to agree with the League of Conservation Voters:
LCV (June 24, 2003)
Even if there is some exaggeration in this, I doubt that Bush can be thought of as the Environmental President.
Happy Earth Day.
QUOTE
One of the interesting things about our nation is that since 1970, the air is cleaner and the water is more pure and we're using our land better; and our economy has grown a lot. My point is, it's possible to have economic growth and jobs and opportunity and, at the same time, be wise stewards of the land.
I'll let the administration make their case:
Protecting Our Nation's Environment (White House)
QUOTE
On December 3, 2003, President Bush signed legislation implementing key provisions of his Healthy Forests Initiative. The President's initiative is helping restore the health and vitality of forests and rangelands, and helping reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires. This is benefiting communities and wildlife habitats.
...
President Bush's initiative, which has been introduced in Congress, would dramatically improve air quality by reducing power plants' emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury, by approximately 70 percent over the next 15 years, more than any other clean air initiative. This historic proposal will bring cleaner air to Americans faster, more reliably, and more cost-effectively than under current law.
...
President Bush's initiative, which has been introduced in Congress, would dramatically improve air quality by reducing power plants' emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and mercury, by approximately 70 percent over the next 15 years, more than any other clean air initiative. This historic proposal will bring cleaner air to Americans faster, more reliably, and more cost-effectively than under current law.
You can see that things like the Healthy Forests Initiative and the Clear Skies Initiative make Bush sound like a Green. But let's look at some opposing views:
Debunking the "Healthy Forests Initiative" (Sierra Club)
QUOTE
The initiative is based on the false assumption that landscape-wide logging will decrease forest fires.
This premise is contradicted by the general scientific consensus, which has found that logging can increase fire risk.
...
Real public protection requires honest fuel reduction a quarter-mile around communities and involving the public and community leaders in long-term education and planning. Instead, the President's plan would promote logging of large, commercially valuable trees miles from at-risk communities.
This premise is contradicted by the general scientific consensus, which has found that logging can increase fire risk.
...
Real public protection requires honest fuel reduction a quarter-mile around communities and involving the public and community leaders in long-term education and planning. Instead, the President's plan would promote logging of large, commercially valuable trees miles from at-risk communities.
Facts About the Bush Administration's Plan to Weaken the Clean Air Act (Sierra Club)
QUOTE
The so-called "Clear Skies" initiative expands the pollution trading system that results in some communities getting cleaner, but many communities losing out on cleaner air.
...
By the 15th year of the Bush plan: 450,000 more tons of NOx, one million more tons of SO2, and 9.5 more tons of mercury would be allowed than under strong enforcement of existing Clean Air Act programs.
...
By the 15th year of the Bush plan: 450,000 more tons of NOx, one million more tons of SO2, and 9.5 more tons of mercury would be allowed than under strong enforcement of existing Clean Air Act programs.
You can choose which viewpoint you accept, of course. I tend to think of the Sierra Club as a nice, mainstream, Mom-and-Apple-Pie type of organization, so I listen to what they say. (Something from a radical group like Earth First! would need to be taken with a large grain of salt.)
I tend to agree with the League of Conservation Voters:
LCV (June 24, 2003)
QUOTE
League of Conservation Voters President Deb Callahan announced today that LCV gave President George W. Bush an “F” on the organization’s 2003 Report Card on the administration’s performance on environmental issues.
...
“President Bush is well on his way to compiling the worst environmental record of any president in the history of our nation,” said Callahan. “Bush’s dismal Report Card is dominated by a disturbing trend: time after time, Bush favors corporate interests over the public’s interest in a clean, safe and healthy environment. Under the Bush administration, corporate polluters have been allowed to write the laws.”
...
“President Bush is well on his way to compiling the worst environmental record of any president in the history of our nation,” said Callahan. “Bush’s dismal Report Card is dominated by a disturbing trend: time after time, Bush favors corporate interests over the public’s interest in a clean, safe and healthy environment. Under the Bush administration, corporate polluters have been allowed to write the laws.”
Even if there is some exaggeration in this, I doubt that Bush can be thought of as the Environmental President.
Happy Earth Day.
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