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This year's presidential election might again hinge on Florida, particularly along the so-called Interstate 4 corridor that stretches from the Tampa Bay area through Orlando. President Bush, John Kerry and their running mates probably will drop by often, so Xpress wants to help make a little sense of what they will be saying. This is the second in a series about issues surrounding the election.
For others in the series, visit www.sptimes.com/xpress
Today, Xpress looks at what the candidates have to say about the ENVIRONMENT.
WHAT BUSH SAYS: During his administration, President Bush says "the air has become cleaner, the water more pure and we have reversed the net loss of wetlands," and parks are better protected and have more funds. During a second term, he wants to reduce power-plant emissions of dangerous mercury and gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides, which can contribute to breathing problems and acid rain. He wants programs that would dedicate $40-billion in the next 10 years to restore millions of acres of wetlands and protect the areas around working farms and ranches. The Bush administration has funded research into cars fueled by hydrogen. He said he "will seek to promote environmentally sound domestic oil production in just 1 percent of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."
WHAT KERRY SAYS: Kerry boasts that the League of Conservation Voters, which calls itself the political voice of the environmental movement, has called him an "environmental champion." (The same group has given Bush an "F" on his environmental record.) Kerry promises to reverse Bush-Cheney rollbacks to the Clean Air Act and plug loopholes in the law. He also says he will help clean up the nation's most contaminated water resources. Much of his environmental platform centers around helping people improve their local communities. He wants to make parks and sports fields clean and safe, clean up contaminated sites and help reduce traffic congestion and urban sprawl. He wants to encourage automakers to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles and wants corporations to pay for the cleanup of toxic-waste messes instead of having taxpayers foot the bill. Kerry does not support drilling for oil in the Arctic refuge.
BEHIND THE PROMISES: Kerry has widespread support from environmental activist groups; even Republican insiders have acknowledged that to voters, Kerry probably is more appealing when it comes to this issue. On Earth Day in April, Kerry blasted Bush, saying he has shown little interest in the environment until election time. But as many activists and scientists increase warnings about emissions, fuel consumption and global warming, Kerry's record isn't quite squeaky clean. As a senator, he voted against the Kyoto protocol on global warning, saying he would prefer to renegotiate some of the terms. His anything-but-simple lifestyle with heiress wife Teresa Heinz Kerry includes five luxury homes and an SUV.
Next week: Xpress looks at the candidates' views on HOMELAND SECURITY.
- Information from Times files, the Associated Press, www.georgewbush.com and www.johnkerry.com was used in this report.