Earth Day's Point, Counterpoint
As the President Touts His Environmental Record, Kerry Assails It
By Amy Goldstein and Lois Romano
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, April 23, 2004; Page A07
WELLS, Maine, April 22 -- President Bush marked Earth Day on Thursday by touring a coastal marsh and defending his environmental strategies, saying that his administration "has put in place some of the most important anti-pollution policies in a decade."
Bush's appearance at an estuarine research reserve in southern Maine sought to deflect a stinging critique of his environmental record by Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) during a three-day southern tour, in which the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee set forth his environmental agenda. Kerry's tour ended Thursday in Houston, one of the nation's smoggiest cities.
Bush did not advocate any new policies. But he emphasized a plan, part of his fiscal 2005 budget, that would try to restore 3 million acres of fragile wetland areas during the next five years.
"Today we have a president who's gone to Maine . . . to talk about what he's doing for wetlands," Kerry responded. "Once again, the say-one-thing-and-do-another administration is pretending to the American people . . . because for the last 31/2 years, this president has had a proposal that would have lost us 20 million acres of wetlands."
This week's environmental claims and counterclaims, which are likely to continue when Bush travels to the Florida Everglades on Friday, show how candidates are jockeying even to dominate issues that most voters consider subordinate in what is predicted to be a close election. Democrats say Bush is vulnerable on his approach to conservation, which favors collaboration with the private sector and voluntary improvements over strong federal enforcement.
Most environmental groups oppose Bush's environmental policies, but polls show they are favored by about half of voters. That is significantly below his rating on his anti-terrorism campaign, but above that for his approach to prescription drug benefits for the elderly.
Surveys show that voters trust Democrats on the issue far more than Bush. But a Washington Post-ABC News poll late last year found that, among people who tend to support Democrats, just 3 percent said candidates' environmental stances would be the most critical factor in how they vote.
Both candidates are working hard to cultivate an environmentally friendly image. Those efforts have intensified around the 34th anniversary of the first Earth Day.
The federal Web site, EarthDay.gov, features photographs of the president, in sunshine and shirtsleeves, at national parks and forests. For his part, Kerry's campaign Wednesday issued a news release that called him "a lifelong hunter and a fisherman," and announced the formation of a group of fellow sportsmen who want him to become president.
The stagecraft aside, Bush and Kerry's philosophies on the environment differ substantially.
During Bush's speech here, a rare one lately in which he did not mention the war on terrorism and the conflict in Iraq, he reemphasized his belief that conservation should rely largely on private efforts.
"Good conservation and good stewardship will happen when people say, 'I'm just not going to rely upon the government to be the solution to the problem,' " he said. Bush said the administration's policies have lessened dangerous emissions, reclaimed brownfields and reduced the release of phosphorus into rivers and streams. "Since 2001, the condition of America's land, air and water has improved," he said.
Bush visited a 17th century farm along the coast that is now a privately run reserve to study the ecology of coastal environments. The site is about six miles from the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, and the president's mother, Barbara Bush, sat in the second row during his speech. The visit was an official presidential trip, not a campaign event, so it was paid for by taxpayers.
Bush lost Maine in 2000 to Al Gore by 5 percentage points, and it is considered a battleground state this year. Protesters lined a country road near the entrance to the reserve, with one demonstrator carrying a placard that said, "No trees left behind." It was a play on No Child Left Behind, part of Bush's education policy, and an allusion to his policy of trying to curb forest fires by permitting more logging.
Kerry was greeted by as many as 1,000 supporters at the University of Houston, where for the third day in a row he slammed the administration's environmental policies -- this time in Bush's back yard.
"He's actually proven himself very good at recycling," Kerry joked to an approving crowd. "He just recycled the deficit, the bad economic policies, the bad environmental policies, the bad foreign policies. And that's why he's got to be recycled back to Crawford."
Kerry also took the opportunity to hark back to last Sunday's news report -- based on a book by Bob Woodward -- that the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, pledged to lower oil prices to help the U.S. economy before the November election.
"I don't know and nor do you if it was a deal," Kerry thundered. "I don't know if it was a secret pledge, and I don't know . . . if it was just a friendly conversation. . . . But American people need a president who isn't just going to have a friendly talk, but a president who's going to fight for a guarantee for lower prices for Americans.
"Mr. President, I'm here today to say if there was no deal, no agreement . . . then stand up today and jawbone OPEC to lower the price now," Kerry said.
Despite assurances from Bandar that there was no deal, Kerry said, "I think we have a right to ask OPEC why they're waiting. What are they waiting for?"
On Thursday, Kerry released his records of meetings with lobbyists. He pledged to be forthcoming in his dealings with businesses, and assailed the administration for creating an energy policy in "secret deals."
"I pledge to you when I am president, no deal will be cut and no legislation will be written by polluters in exchange for campaign contributions," he said.
Romano reported from Houston.
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