2008 Woodie Awards
Bush, Kerry diverge widely on environmental issues
Randy Lee Loftis
Issue date: 4/29/04 Section: News
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DALLAS - The differences between George W. Bush and John Kerry on the environment can be measured by the same yardstick that scientists often use to measure pollution: Parts per million.
That's because the prize in the political battle over the environment isn't a huge number of voters but the smaller number who haven't decided whom they'll support or whether they'll vote at all.
Analysts say the environment, like many other issues such as education or crime, is rarely a prime factor for most voters. In an election dominated by the economy and the war in Iraq, the percentage of people who list the environment as their top political concern is in single digits.
"Let's be honest - this is going to a close election," said Bush campaign spokesman Danny Diaz. "We recognize that there are a lot of different issues that drive a lot of different voters."
The differences between Bush and Kerry on the environment weren't just cooked up by political consultants. The candidates diverge sharply on several points.
"The president has a record of achievement in the environment," he said. "When you look at his record in air quality, national parks, national forests and a host of other issues, this administration has stressed innovation and technology."
Here's a breakdown of where the candidates stand on some major environmental issues:
- Air. Clear Skies, the centerpiece of Bush's clean-air efforts, would rewrite the Clean Air Act to let utilities earn, buy and sell credits for cutting emissions of nitrogen oxides, which cause smog, and toxic mercury. A company that needs to cut its emissions could avoid actual reductions by buying credits from another company that reduced its pollution more than the law required.
That system has been applied with great success to sulfur dioxide, a component of acid rain. Bush said using the technique for other pollutants would reduce them 70 percent by 2018 and save $1 billion in compliance costs.
That's because the prize in the political battle over the environment isn't a huge number of voters but the smaller number who haven't decided whom they'll support or whether they'll vote at all.
Analysts say the environment, like many other issues such as education or crime, is rarely a prime factor for most voters. In an election dominated by the economy and the war in Iraq, the percentage of people who list the environment as their top political concern is in single digits.
"Let's be honest - this is going to a close election," said Bush campaign spokesman Danny Diaz. "We recognize that there are a lot of different issues that drive a lot of different voters."
The differences between Bush and Kerry on the environment weren't just cooked up by political consultants. The candidates diverge sharply on several points.
"The president has a record of achievement in the environment," he said. "When you look at his record in air quality, national parks, national forests and a host of other issues, this administration has stressed innovation and technology."
Here's a breakdown of where the candidates stand on some major environmental issues:
- Air. Clear Skies, the centerpiece of Bush's clean-air efforts, would rewrite the Clean Air Act to let utilities earn, buy and sell credits for cutting emissions of nitrogen oxides, which cause smog, and toxic mercury. A company that needs to cut its emissions could avoid actual reductions by buying credits from another company that reduced its pollution more than the law required.
That system has been applied with great success to sulfur dioxide, a component of acid rain. Bush said using the technique for other pollutants would reduce them 70 percent by 2018 and save $1 billion in compliance costs.