ATTACK ON THE ENVIRONMENT excerpts from Broken Nation
The land was once spiritually sacred to the Natives here in North America. They believed God lived on the mountains and so they protected the mountains. They believed God lived in the lakes and streams so they protected the lakes and streams. They believed God lived in the trees and so they protected the trees. If people still believed this, illegal logging and clear-cutting of forests would never have occurred. In many parts of the world including the United States, God has been removed from nature. And now their little Noah will have to face a much bigger flood, literally.
America is faced with a crisis that is being ignored by too many— the degradation of the environment and nature. This crisis is only getting worse due to the current administration and their anti-environmental policies. But the Bush Administration has a few logical reasons why they are so against conserving the environment. Money is one motivating factor; Another is their disrespect for America’s natural heritage, which happens to be a core American value now in jeopardy.
FORESTS AND WILDLIFE
There are two things that stand in the way of the timber industry, preventing it from making its maximum profit—they are the forest itself and the wildlife in it. Environmentalists and scientists have been fighting a gruesome battle with the Bush Administration from day one in 2001. The George H.W. Bush Administration (1989-1992) listed an average of 58 species per year on the endangered and threatened list. The Clinton Administration (1993-2000) listed an average of 65 species per year. As of 2005, the current Bush Administration had only listed 31 species since 2001—and all have been by court order. More endangered or threatened species means less habitat destruction, which means less profit for the timber industry as well as the oil and mining industries.
The administration has found a way around some of the environmentalists who are fighting to save endangered species and forests. They’ve created their own advisory and review boards to undermine the qualified ones. One example is in the fight to save the Northwestern Spotted Owl, which Al Gore coincidentally fought hard to and succeeded in protecting during his tenure as a U.S. senator. The administration has claimed that there is new evidence that contradicts the previous findings, suggesting there is no need to protect the species. The administration has hired its own private “investigation” team to reevaluate the threat. Whether they will be successful in overturning the previous findings and changing the law is uncertain, but it’s just their attempt that’s frightening enough.
Another example of the administration’s tactics is their creation of a five person “review team” made up of predominantly non-scientists who proceeded to overrule a $12 million science-based plan for managing old-growth forest and reducing the risk of fire. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “This non-scientific team has undermined 9 years worth of work from over 100 reputable scientists from both the Forest Service and academia.” A scientific review panel put together by the Forest Service recently found that the new reviews fail to consider key scientific information.
During his 2000 presidential bid, Bush was the top recipient of donations from the forestry and forest products industry, receiving nearly $300,000. In return, Bush overturned the Roadless Rule in the southeast Alaskan Tongass National Forest, which happens to be the largest national forest in the U.S. According to the Associated Press, more than 2.5 million comments were submitted on the Roadless Rule during the six month public comment process and 98 percent of the comments submitted supported keeping the rule intact. But the ADMINISTRATION have never been about majorities.
On August 22, 2002, Bush proposed a policy for our national forests which would make it easier for timber companies to log and remove trees and brush from 190 million acres of the most “fire-prone forests” across the country. Bush asked the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior and his Council on Environmental Quality to authorize thinning projects on an emergency basis, as well as to find ways of rushing through environmental assessments. According to the Associated Press, Bush also asked Congress to pass legislation that will ensure that vital forest restoration projects are not tied up in courts.
The administration has designated some land to protected wilderness: 530,000 acres. But when looking at it in perspective, Ronald Reagan designated 10,600,000 acres. Even the “Great Communicator” knew better! On the other hand, the “Administration Communicator” Bush, is just up to his neck in debts to old friends and campaign contributors.
BIG OIL AND GAS
We all know by now that “Big Oil and Gas” is having a major effect on politics and world peace, but its most devastating impact is the degradation of the environment. In 2000, the Energy Department of the Clinton Administration said the U.S. could cut all energy consumption by 45% by 2030 through the use of energy efficiency and more renewable sources. In the process they said we would create 773,000 new jobs and save consumers over $1 trillion by 2010. So what happened to these positive estimates? Were they made up and then forgotten about?
The answer is the Energy Department changed under a new administration and began a very different agenda, one that includes oil. The truth is, Bush is working for big oil and gas, and when the big oil and gas corporations want maximum profit the environment suffers. First, look at the 1.5 million dollars in contributions Bush received in 1999 and 2000 from the oil and gas industry. These are record-breaking contributions. Bush actually set an all time U.S. and world record for receiving the most corporate campaign contributions. It is also important to remember that Bush has presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.
Defending these industries are huge law firms like Troutman Sanders, which defended Mobile in one of many cases for underground gas leaks. This firm is notoriously known for defending the worst corporate polluters, and members of the firm just happened to contribute to both George W. Bush and Tom DeLay. Furthermore, according to their own website,
The firm has helped energy companies launch numerous new business ventures…Attorneys have close relationships with officials at the White House, Congress, FERC, Department of Energy, SEC, state legislatures, and other agencies…Many Troutman Sanders attorneys have spent part of their careers inside government. The Firm’s attorneys have drafted and lobbied for the enactment of many pieces of energy legislation. By virtue of its experience and relationships with key policymakers, the Firm is well-positioned to influence the development of public policy.
And so the firm even proudly admits it is “well-positioned to influence the development of public policy.” Not a good thing for American democracy! Remember that when corporate defenders are in charge of public policy, we have what Mussolini called Corporatism, a.k.a. fascism.
Let’s look at the president’s top associates. The members of his administration are the wealthiest of any administration in history with direct ties to the oil and gas industry. Vice President Dick Cheney is the former CEO of Halliburton Oil in Dallas, Texas and still collects a healthy pension. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton defended the lead paint industry and is a protégé of the infamous anti-environmentalist James Watt. Norton has also argued that the Endangered Species Act is unconstitutional! Deputy Secretary of the Interior J. Stephen Griles is a former vice president of a mining company and also worked under James Watt. Griles also lobbied for petroleum, mining, and oil companies. Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Rebecca Watson is a former lawyer for gas, timber, and petroleum companies. Another superb appointee of Bush’s is Sam Bodman, Secretary of Energy. Bodman also has a clear conflict of interest. He ran a Texas-based chemical company, one that “spent years on the top five lists of the country’s worst polluters,” according to Jason Leopald of Earth Island Journal. Bodman also worked for the Cabot Corporation, which spewed over 54,000 tons of toxic emissions into Texas skies just in the year 1997 alone. The company was also accused by the United Nations in 2002 for “helping fuel the wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Cabot also illegally plundered the vast natural resources.” In 2000, after years of breaking environmental regulations, Bodman was appointed as Deputy Commerce Secretary. Being one of the administration's wealthiest, and also a fair contributor to the Bush campaign, Bodman still owns major stock in Cabot, yet he was promoted to Energy Secretary. These major examples are only the tip of the iceberg. There are obvious personal interests on the agenda of the Bush Administration and they all have to do with modern industrialism.
The administration has done more than hire former employees of the energy sector. You can’t get what you want—drilling the Alaskan tundra, mining the Everglades, etc. without battling the ones who oppose it—the leading world scientists. So Bush went ahead and hired their own scientists. Scientists? Well, maybe not.
SCIENCE MISPLACED
In February 2004, The Union of Concerned Scientists released an extensive report titled Scientific Integrity in Policy Making, which investigated the administration’s misuse of science. This well documented report revealed many frightening facts of the administration’s tampering with scientific fact to gain their own advantage for special interests. The report emphasized that “the administration has consistently sought to undermine the public’s understanding of the view held by the vast majority of climate scientists that human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases are making a discernible contribution to global warming.” The administration’s reasons are, of course, to appease the industry that supports them. For example, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, in September 2002, the administration deleted a section on climate control from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual air pollution report. One other White House alteration to the EPA’s draft reports in 2003 was the insertion of a reference to a discredited study of temperature records helped funded by the American Petroleum Institute.
According to Dr. Bierbaum from the Office of Science and Technology, who left after the first year of the Bush administration, “The scientists who knew the most about climate change at OSTP were not allowed to participate in deliberations on the issue within the White House inner circle.” The administration is evidently trying to centralize all review of scientific information, which is essential in policy making. And not only is the White House keeping the government’s key specialists out of their areas, they are also appointing their own. One of two appointed Associate Directors, Richard M. Russell, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and nothing more. No Doctorate, no Master’s degree, and no experience in a technology related field. There is certainly no shortage of qualified scientists or technicians, except a qualified person might not necessarily agree so easily with the administration’s politics and ethics.
Here’s another example of an appointment for the sole purpose and benefit of the administration’s special interests. Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services, rejected five qualified nominees and appointed individuals who were guaranteed to oppose the tightening of federal lead poisoning standards. One appointee, Dr. William Banner, had previously testified in court on behalf of Sherwin Williams in a lead poisoning case. According to scientists, Banner was either ignoring or just not comprehending forty years of data that proves the dangers of lead paint— all to defend a corporation. Note Gale Norton’s past experience with the lead paint industry. So not only is the environment suffering because the Bush Administration is tied into these types of big corporations, but they are also jeopardizing the safety of our children— all to defend a corporation and make a quick buck.
If you don’t believe this, just look at the environmental law changes and subsequent damage Bush achieved as governor of Texas, now the most polluted state. During his governorship, Houston beat out Los Angeles as the smoggiest city in America. Just watch the local cancer rates in the coming years—they are guaranteed to go up. Stronger pollution laws would DEFINITELY lower cancer rates and improve everyone’s overall quality of life, but judging by Bush’s healthcare record he obviously doesn’t care about that either.
CONCLUSION
What this environmental crisis comes down to is Bush supports the aging and worried industries of this country and vice versa. Old ways over progress. These industries are worried because when it comes to energy our technology has far surpassed our need for oil. Alternative energy is challenging the oil and gas industry. Wind, Solar, and Hydro sources of energy are bound to eventually take over. The current energy industry is trying to do everything in its power to stop the funding and initiation process of an alternative energy industry.
One hundred fifty years ago, George W. Bush may have very well been everyone’s hero— a president aggressive in industry and war was favored. However, that was 150 years ago in a very different era. War is much different now and industry is no longer necessary in the same terms as it was then. Bush has been running this country as though it were still the 19th century. Perhaps nature itself will be the one to knock the cowboy off his horse; but unfortunately we'll be the ones who are going to suffer, as already seen with Hurricane Katrina. It's time to change the way we think, vote, and live. Or it'll change us.
