Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Experts Examine Bush's Environmental Record

Aired April 22, 2003 - 15:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: On this Earth Day, we thought we should take note of President Bush's environmental record. It has gotten less attention recently, obviously, with the national focus on war and terror. But what has been happening under the radar, and how is it affecting our land, air and water?
Well I'm joined by two guests, Myron Ebell, who is the director of Global Warming and international environment policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute...

MYRON EBELL, COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Hi, Judy.

WOODRUFF: ... and Carol Browner, who is the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. I want to ask both of you a very basic question. There was a March Gallup poll asking the public, has the president done a good job or poor job on the economy?

The American people are split down the middle. Forty-four percent say good, 43 percent say poor. Carol Browner, what's your view?

CAROL BROWNER, FMR. EPA ADMINISTRATOR: I don't think this administration has done a very good job. I think that the real test is, are they protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, the communities where we live with our families, where we raise our children? And, quite frankly, the grade is failing.

They're not living up to what they need to be doing in terms of keeping the environmental cop on the beat, cleaning up the toxic waste in our neighborhoods. They're not doing the job.

WOODRUFF: Myron Ebell?

EBELL: Well, in general, I think they are headed in the right direction, although I would say I'm a little disappointed that they have -- how slow the Bush people have been to undo some of the damage done by the Clinton-Gore administration.

WOODRUFF: For example -- which Carol Browner presided over.

EBELL: Well, on federal land management in particular, I think that there were terrible things done in the 1990s, which they want to undo, they are saying the right things in the Bush administration, but they are slow. I think on trying to improve the scientific basis of the environmental protection regulation, which I think was a very poor point in the Clinton administration, they have improved. They are emphasizing using sound science rather than trying to get the results out of science that they want.

WOODRUFF: Carol Browner, how do you respond to that?

BROWNER: Well, I think we all know that we set the toughest pollution standards any administration had ever set, and we set it with more science, more scientific process. In fact, the Supreme Court upheld the air pollution standards we set. What we see in this administration is a move towards limiting our public health protections to the outcome of a cost benefit analysis.

Quite simply, if it costs industry too much, if it costs the polluters too much, then they're not going to be required to clean up their pollution. And it's just not fair to the American people. It is simply not fair.

WOODRUFF: Let me cite another poll. We're stuck on polls today. This Gallup poll also showed Americans believe that protecting the environment should be a greater concern than economic growth, but only by a small margin. By 47 percent to 42 percent.

And look at the contrast, though, with 12 years ago, when you had almost, what, three times as many people saying the environment should be protected over economic growth. Myron Ebell, what's happened in that 11, 12-year period?

EBELL: Well, we've had stagnant economy the last few years. I think, largely, people are realizing that the environmental movement has really overreached and has not looked for balanced solutions that help both people and the environment, but that just say we've got to do it whatever it costs.

Well, the fact is that we cannot do environmental protection unless we are a wealthy society. Our environment is in much better shape today than it was 10 or 20 years ago, and it's in much better shape than in poor countries. And the reason is because we are wealthy.

WOODRUFF: Could that explain this change -- this shift in views, Carol Browner.

BROWNER: Well, I actually think it's interesting. That poll was in 1991, and under the first Bush administration you saw failure to enforce the environmental law.

We spent eight years enforcing the environmental law. We had the environmental cop on the beat. We were cleaning up toxic waste sites.

This administration is not doing that job. And as the public comes to see this, I think you will see a growing complaint against the administration. You know I traveled all over this country for eight years. I never once went to a community where they said to me, you know what, my air is too clean, my water is too safe. There are some things people want their government to do, and this is one of them.

WOODRUFF: Is this an issue people are going to vote on next year, Myron Ebell?

EBELL: Yes, I think so. And I think they'll largely vote for the incumbent's.

WOODRUFF: In other words, the job is good enough. You have some complaints that they haven't done enough to undo the Clinton enforcement, but you're saying enough.

EBELL: Yes.

WOODRUFF: A voting issue next year?

BROWNER: Absolutely. When we talk about asthma and our kids and we talk about dirty drinking water, it's a voting issue.

WOODRUFF: Carol Browner, Myron Ebell, we thank you both for being with us.

BROWNER: Thank you.

EBELL: Thank you.

WOODRUFF: Good to see you. Thanks for coming by.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired April 22, 2003 - 15:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: On this Earth Day, we thought we should take note of President Bush's environmental record. It has gotten less attention recently, obviously, with the national focus on war and terror. But what has been happening under the radar, and how is it affecting our land, air and water?
Well I'm joined by two guests, Myron Ebell, who is the director of Global Warming and international environment policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute...

MYRON EBELL, COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Hi, Judy.

WOODRUFF: ... and Carol Browner, who is the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. I want to ask both of you a very basic question. There was a March Gallup poll asking the public, has the president done a good job or poor job on the economy?

The American people are split down the middle. Forty-four percent say good, 43 percent say poor. Carol Browner, what's your view?

CAROL BROWNER, FMR. EPA ADMINISTRATOR: I don't think this administration has done a very good job. I think that the real test is, are they protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, the communities where we live with our families, where we raise our children? And, quite frankly, the grade is failing.

They're not living up to what they need to be doing in terms of keeping the environmental cop on the beat, cleaning up the toxic waste in our neighborhoods. They're not doing the job.

WOODRUFF: Myron Ebell?

EBELL: Well, in general, I think they are headed in the right direction, although I would say I'm a little disappointed that they have -- how slow the Bush people have been to undo some of the damage done by the Clinton-Gore administration.

WOODRUFF: For example -- which Carol Browner presided over.

EBELL: Well, on federal land management in particular, I think that there were terrible things done in the 1990s, which they want to undo, they are saying the right things in the Bush administration, but they are slow. I think on trying to improve the scientific basis of the environmental protection regulation, which I think was a very poor point in the Clinton administration, they have improved. They are emphasizing using sound science rather than trying to get the results out of science that they want.

WOODRUFF: Carol Browner, how do you respond to that?

BROWNER: Well, I think we all know that we set the toughest pollution standards any administration had ever set, and we set it with more science, more scientific process. In fact, the Supreme Court upheld the air pollution standards we set. What we see in this administration is a move towards limiting our public health protections to the outcome of a cost benefit analysis.

Quite simply, if it costs industry too much, if it costs the polluters too much, then they're not going to be required to clean up their pollution. And it's just not fair to the American people. It is simply not fair.

WOODRUFF: Let me cite another poll. We're stuck on polls today. This Gallup poll also showed Americans believe that protecting the environment should be a greater concern than economic growth, but only by a small margin. By 47 percent to 42 percent.

And look at the contrast, though, with 12 years ago, when you had almost, what, three times as many people saying the environment should be protected over economic growth. Myron Ebell, what's happened in that 11, 12-year period?

EBELL: Well, we've had stagnant economy the last few years. I think, largely, people are realizing that the environmental movement has really overreached and has not looked for balanced solutions that help both people and the environment, but that just say we've got to do it whatever it costs.

Well, the fact is that we cannot do environmental protection unless we are a wealthy society. Our environment is in much better shape today than it was 10 or 20 years ago, and it's in much better shape than in poor countries. And the reason is because we are wealthy.

WOODRUFF: Could that explain this change -- this shift in views, Carol Browner.

BROWNER: Well, I actually think it's interesting. That poll was in 1991, and under the first Bush administration you saw failure to enforce the environmental law.

We spent eight years enforcing the environmental law. We had the environmental cop on the beat. We were cleaning up toxic waste sites.

This administration is not doing that job. And as the public comes to see this, I think you will see a growing complaint against the administration. You know I traveled all over this country for eight years. I never once went to a community where they said to me, you know what, my air is too clean, my water is too safe. There are some things people want their government to do, and this is one of them.

WOODRUFF: Is this an issue people are going to vote on next year, Myron Ebell?

EBELL: Yes, I think so. And I think they'll largely vote for the incumbent's.

WOODRUFF: In other words, the job is good enough. You have some complaints that they haven't done enough to undo the Clinton enforcement, but you're saying enough.

EBELL: Yes.

WOODRUFF: A voting issue next year?

BROWNER: Absolutely. When we talk about asthma and our kids and we talk about dirty drinking water, it's a voting issue.

WOODRUFF: Carol Browner, Myron Ebell, we thank you both for being with us.

BROWNER: Thank you.

EBELL: Thank you.

WOODRUFF: Good to see you. Thanks for coming by.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com