Presidents

Environmental issues, and policies have recently come to the for-front of American politics in the past four decades. This recent rise in the environment is due in part to the rapid boom in population in the past 40 years. The two major party candidates for the 2000 presidential election have keyed in on certain environmental issues to make strong arguments for the presidency. Gov. George W. Bush, who is the republican presidential candidate, is pretty much anti-environmental, but the rich people love him. Vice President Al Gore, who is the democratic presidential candidate, is in favor of conserving the environment, he also has his devoted group of followers. Their environmental concerns are one of the many reasons that they have our country going in chaotic state of being.

Gov. George W. Bush claims to be committed to a new era of environmental protection. Some of his proposals include: The redevelopment of abandoned contaminated industrial facilities, known as "brownfields." Directing the EPA to establish high standards for brown field cleanups. These higher standards will provide a lot more flexibility that the current Superfund standards. They will also fully protect human health and the environment. Gov. Bush believes that prosperity is meaningless without a healthy environment. But problems arise when leaders rely on Washington for regulation and dictation for environmental issues from afar. For that reason, as President, Bush will set high standards, and work to build conservation partnerships between the federal government and the state governments, local communities and private landowners to meet and exceed those standards. Another major issue is the Kyoto protocol. Bush believes that the Kyoto Protocol is ineffective, inadequate and unfair to America. The Kyoto Protocol, according to Bush exempts 80 percent of the world, including major population centers like China and India from falling in line. Bush, will also the new Tier II standards that will require lower sulfur, cleaner-burning gasoline and cleaner cars. From Bush's standpoint the local and state governments best handle land management decisions. The challenges of urban sprawl draw attention to the need to give a new lease of life to our inner cities, through improved public schools, cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields, reduced urban crime rates and creating a strong, healthy economic environment that supports job creation.

Vice President Al Gore has made the environment his signature issue. He has challenged America to make the next ten years the Environmental Decade-making extraordinary progress in cleaning our air, water and soil; cracking down on polluters; developing cleaner sources of energy and curbing the risk of global climate change. The democratic presidential hopeful, Al Gore, is proposing a new Energy Security and Environment Trust (ESE)-a bold and unprecedented, commitment to achieve and even more prosperous economy, powered by cleaner, more reliable energy, in a healthy, truly livable environment. The ESE is a new $150 billion fund that will create a cleaner environment by providing tax breaks and other financial incentives for clean and reliable sources of electricity; long-term energy solutions to reduce our reliance on imported oil; and new energy- efficient transportation technologies. The Trust Fund will also offer American consumers tax breaks and other incentives to purchase energy-efficient cars, sport utility vehicles, trucks, homes, appliances, and other products.

"For me, a commitment to the environment has always run deeper than politics. We have to do what's right for our environment, because it involves all of our lives-from the simple security of knowing that our drinking water is safe, to the more ominous thinning of the ice caps at the top of the Earth." -Al Gore

Al Gore wants to build a strong record of preservation for open spaces and protection for natural treasures, he supports full funding for our National Parks, and he wants to stop commercial exploitation of environmentally sensitive land. Gore also promotes smart growth and livable communities. Thus, creating Better America Bonds to preserve open spaces and clean up brownfields. Gore also wants to protect the people from industrial and toxic waste by making the "brownfields" tax incentive permanent, and supporting Superfund cleanup of the worst environmental problems in the country. Vice President Gore believes that choosing between the environment