LA Weekly

It's not particularly shocking to learn that federal prosecutors under President Bush brought fewer defendants to court for violating pollution laws than they did under Clinton, but there is a frightening precedent embedded in the numbers. On September 23, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse published a report comparing the Bush administration's record of enforcing environmental laws with Clinton's two terms. The study shows that prosecutors during Clinton's last term charged 319 defendants for violating 33 USC 1319, a statute stipulating enforcement of certain water quality regulations (like the one that says how much sewage can get dumped into your local river) -- a 54 percent increase over Clinton's first term. Under Bush, the number declined to 231. Filings for hazardous waste management dropped by 39 percent; filings for air pollution -- which had increased 139 percent in the second Clinton term -- dropped by 41 percent under Bush. "The findings appear to contrast with the claims of leading Bush Administration figures," according to the study's authors:

On June 14, for example, EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt took part in an interactive forum called "Ask the White House." In response to one question, Mr. Leavitt said the administration's primary objective was to persuade all Americans to comply with the rules established by Congress. "However," he continued, "if people evade the law, we will bring the full force and strength of the agency to bear in assurance that federal standards are met. We have a strong and active criminal enforcement program that works to complement our civil enforcement."

Here's what scares me: When Clinton had four more years in office, his mostly environment-friendly administration prosecuted dirty air and water offenders in far greater numbers than it did when Clinton had to worry about being relected. What will Cheney-Bush do if they win (and presume to have the same mandate)?

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