Energy and the Environment: The Corporate Empire Scores a W

by Marie Simpson, Lynne Gildensoph, and Lisa Ann Pierce, WAMM

Energy issues have not received so much public attention since the 1970s. High natural gas and gasoline prices, California's rolling blackouts, a greedy industry set on deregulation, the use of indigenous lands for cheap energy production and waste-dumping, and the looming disaster of global warming have our attention. We cannot help but to hope that the environment will benefit from increasing awareness and motivation to conserve. Of course, pro-industry forces are generally not on the side of the environment and they have George W. Bush's all-star corporate team in their back pocket. Three of the oilman's appointments will strongly influence public policy related to energy and the environment: Spencer Abraham, Gale Norton, and Christie Todd Whitman.

Spencer Abraham

At least we know "W" has a sense of humor. He probably laughed all the way to the podium when he went to announce Spencer Abraham's nomination as Secretary of the Department of Energy. After all, as a first term Senator, Abraham sponsored legislation to abolish the department he now heads. Yes, Abraham fits well with the pro-corporate Bush Administration. The Hightower Lowdown reports that, in the 2000 senatorial elections (which, by the way, he lost), "Abraham was tops in campaign contributions received from energy executives and lobbyists."

Having a pro-industry, anti-regulation secretary is bad news for the environment, since the Department of Energy is responsible for setting energy efficiency standards, energy-related research, the U.S. nuclear weapon program, and clean up of all the radioactive disasters that program has left in is wake. Spencer earned his zero-rating from the League of Conservation voters by supporting oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and opposing funding of solar and renewable energy research by the Department of Energy. Furthermore, as the saying goes, Abraham "voted early and often" to send our nation's nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain in Nevada-- a plan opposed by environmental and indigenous activists.

The only thing that seems to moderate Abraham's conservatism is his own heritage as a Lebanese American. Some Arab Americans are applauding Abraham's appointment since the Department of Energy relates so closely to Arab states. It is worth noting, too, that he has helped relief organizations obtain permits to supply food and medicine to Iraqi civilians suffering under the U.S./UN sanctions. Unfortunately, he is better positioned (and more likely to be rewarded) to help his friends in the energy industry.

Gale Norton

Another of W's appointees is Interior Secretary Gale Norton. While denying she is an extremist, Republicans and Democratic supporters ignore Norton's past writings and speeches, which reveal a person who values individual and corporate interests over the interests of the current and future citizens of this country and the earth. Norton is a champion for private property rights and has numerous past affiliations with groups connected to the mining and gas industries. Norton has been quoted saying, "Interestingly, we might even go so far as to recognize a homesteading right to pollute or to make noise in an area."

Norton, who has argued that the Endangered Species Act is unconstitutional, recently acknowledged during her confirmation hearing that perhaps global warming is more serious than she first thought. In a speech to her new department on February 15, 2001, Norton stated that she favors oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A clear statement of what we can expect from Norton is contained in her statement to her agency, which includes the National Park Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Land Management. The Denver Post quotes Norton: "I respectfully disagree with those who say that to protect the environment we must violate the Constitution." We can only assume that she refers to the Constitution as interpreted by Norton and profit-hungry corporations.

Christie Todd Whitman

Although the post of Director of the Environmental Protection Agency is not a cabinet position, the director wields a fair amount of power over federal environmental policy. W nominated Christie Todd Whitman, then Governor of New Jersey for the post, and she was subsequently confirmed by the Senate.

Whitman was touted as the "moderate" among a group of conservatives, probably because she appears to be pro-gay and pro-choice. However, her record on environmental issues is somewhat murky. The Black and Latino Caucus in New Jersey have roundly criticized her for cutting jobs (hundreds were laid off) and the budget (by 30%) at the state's environmental protection agency, and for decreasing the amount of money available for brownfield (polluted site) reclamation. In addition, under her watch, New Jersey participated in racial profiling, something she has recognized and vowed to change.

Whitman's policies to allow self-policing of pollutant release is also controversial, and as part of her corporate-friendly agenda, some companies were able to dump pollutants at high rates due to relaxed rules. Whitman brings this agenda to the federal government, where she has said, "No longer do we debate about whether we need to protect our environment. Instead we discuss how we can keep America green while keeping our economy growing."

She plans to review environmental regulations in the light of cost-benefit analysis, and has indicated that she will reconsider the Clinton environmental policies that were made just prior to his leaving office. In her favor is the fact that her administration was central to strengthening curbs on smog production in the Midwest and other places, and she also advocated for protecting open spaces. In fact, her administration put into place protections on 250,000 acres of farmland, which, according to the New York Times, was about as much as had been preserved in that state over the past three decades.

Conclusion

If you like the idea of nuclear waste on the highways, oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and industry self-policing pollutant release, these are good days in Washington. But for the rest of us, our disappointment is only outweighed by the deep sense of inevitability that foreshadowed these events. Who could feign surprise that a big oil presidential ticket would turn out an administration like this? We cannot afford, however, for despair to hold us down. It is time to roll up our sleeves for the sake of the earth and our shared future.