Jeffords and Leahy Assail Bush Administration Environmental Record

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 16) - Vermont Senators Jim Jeffords and Patrick Leahy today joined leading environmental groups at a Capitol Hill press conference to highlight the anti-environmental record of the Bush Administration.

Jeffords, the Ranking member of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said, "We've got some tough fights ahead. Our job is not just to prevent the Bush Administration from moving us backward on environmental issues, we must take action to move our nation forward on clean air, clean water and other crucial environmental issues. We will use every legislative tool available to protect our environment from the disastrous policies of the Bush Administration."

Jeffords continued, "The Bush Administration has given a new meaning to the term "T.G.I.F." for polluters. The oil companies, the power industry, developers are all saying -- Thank God It's Friday. They do this because every Friday afternoon the Bush Administration takes the opportunity to roll-out some sort some sort of new regulation -- or new rule -- or new administrative action that hurts our environment. Last week it was the roll back of rules governing our wetlands, before that it was our endangered species, before that our national parks, before that clean air. The list of these "while you're not looking announcements," goes on and on. They do it on Friday afternoon because they know that is when it will get buried in the news cycle, when it will get the least amount of attention."

Senator Leahy said, "It certainly is not just a coincidence that these rollbacks are typically slipped out on a Friday afternoon or right before a holiday. When it comes to the Administration's policies on the environment, every Friday seems to be Friday the 13th. But if you are a big polluter everyday is a holiday. Market timing can only go so far, when the product you are selling is a lemon. The American people are beginning to catch on to these holiday gifts to special interests, because they come at the expense of cleaner air and water."

Over the last eight weeks, while much of the nation was focused on the holidays, the Bush Administration has continued - and perhaps even accelerated - its efforts to protect special interests and weaken environmental protections and conservation measures.

Wetlands. On January 10, 2003, the Administration issued guidelines that could result in the loss of federal protection for up to 20 million acres of swamps and bogs. The Administration also took steps to possibly redefine what bodies of water should be protected under the Clean Water Act following the January 2001 ruling that cast doubt on protections for millions of acres of wetlands unconnected to larger waters.

Environment and public health. On December 19, 2002, the Administration issued a cost-benefit report calling for more than 300 rules to be revised, eliminated or expanded. These changes affect food safety standards, arsenic in drinking water, energy-conservation standards, and logging in national forests.

Clean water. On December 16, 2002, the Administration issued final regulations under a court-ordered deadline that would weaken clean water protections concerning Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. The new rule will affect 15,000 large and medium-sized U.S. corporate farms.

Wildfires. On December 11, 2002, the Administration issued proposed regulations that would scale back environmental reviews and judicial oversight concerning national forests and public lands. The Administration's plan fails to provide the funding to reduce the threat of wildfires near communities. Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior, said "forests have grown like a cancer and they need to be treated."

Forest planning. On November 27, 2002, the Administration proposed new regulations that would weaken national forest protections established by the Reagan Administration in 1982. Habitat protection, public participation, and scientific review would be weakened or eliminated under the proposed regulations - and increased logging would occur.

Salmon protection. On November 25, 2002, the Administration proposed new regulations to weaken salmon protections in order to allow increased logging in the Pacific Northwest.

Clean air. On November 22, 2002, the Administration issued final regulations that would weaken the Clean Air Act's New Source Review program and cause an increase in emissions.

Drilling in national parks. On November 21, 2002, the Administration approved natural gas drilling in Padre Island National Seashore in Texas, the nation's longest stretch of undeveloped beach.

Climate change. On November 20, 2002, James Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said that "climate change is a technology issue." Connaughton believes technological innovations, not curbs on emissions of greenhouse gases, hold the solution to global climate change.

Environmental reviews. On November 15, 2002, the Administration announced it would attempt to make it easier to exempt from environmental reviews, activities that it sees as having an insignificant effect on national parks, national monuments, and other public lands.

Snowmobiles. On November 5, 2002, the Administration proposed to increase by more than 35 percent the number of snowmobiles allowed in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

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