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Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Carragher who wrote (1939)	10/10/2000 10:54:01 AM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10042

Bush allowed the oil business to "regulate itself" in Texas. If you breathe the air in Houston you can experience the results personally. There is no political pressure on the oil business down there and almost no regulation. It's a "dead zone" environmentally and no politician in Texas dares stick his neck out to question it. I look forward to the national debate shedding light on this as it's a really disgusting situation. Also, cleaning up the environment does not have to cost jobs. In fact it creates job. And it's a lot cheaper to clean up now than later. That has been proven time after time. I have been going to Houston to see my folks for 15 years now. Every year the air gets worse and last year it was so bad I am cancelling my trip there for Christmas and suggesting we meet in Florida. You literally cannot go outside some days. It is like breathing through an exhaust pipe.

To: John Carragher who wrote (1939)	10/10/2000 11:55:47 AM
From: Rambi	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10042

John, I hope you'll forgive my butting in-- but I wasn;t sure that AS would reply- and I think your questions were important-- AND that the Democrats will ignore them. I"m not saying that GWB is an environmental god, like Gore, but I think blaming him for the condition of Houston is a bit overly dramatic. Democrats held the governorship constantly until Bill Clements in '79. THey regained the seat in with Mark White for four years, but Clements returned in 87 for another term. It's been a pingpong- 4 years of Clements, then four of Ann richards, then Bush- who finally managed, by a huge margin, to win a second term. As for EPA guidelines, I don't know the current status, but I think it's also important to note why pollution has become so severe. It goes much farther back than GWB!!! ANd here's some facts from an IBD article earlier this summer. Environment Setting Straight the Record on Pollution in Texas In an April speech, Vice President Al Gore charged that Texas is the "No. 1 most polluted state in America." Going even further, the League of Conservation Voters says Gov. George W. Bush's tenure in Texas led to "worsening air quality and a general governing philosophy that, if applied nationally, would jeopardize three decades of national environmental progress." Bush's critics cite two misleading pieces of information to support their claims, says NCPA Senior Policy Analyst H. Sterling Burnett: Texas leads the nation in toxic releases, and Houston recently replaced Los Angeles as the city with the nation's "dirtiest" air. Here are the salient facts: Not surprisingly, Texas did lead the nation in toxic releases since the state leads the nation in chemical processing and oil refining -- but according to the Environmental Protection Agency toxic releases in Texas actually fell by 14 percent between 1995 and 1997, compared with an average 1.5 percent decline for all states. According to the EPA figures, during that period, Texas reduced the amount of toxic chemicals released by 42 million pounds -- more than all the other states combined. Moreover, the toxic release inventory is not a meaningful measure of the risk from chemical releases since it includes shipments of chemicals from one company to another, shipments to a landfill -- even if required by law -- and recycling or reuse of listed chemicals. Also, the EPA considers only the number of pounds of a chemical released -- without regard to its danger. Bush's environmental defenders point out that he pioneered a voluntary plan that reduced air pollution from industrial plants and utilities in Texas. Source: H. Sterling Burnett (National Center for Policy Analysis), "Is Lone Star State Nation's Dirtiest? Gore Says Yes, Data Say Otherwise," Investor's Business Daily, June 13, 2000.