WHERE THE CANDIDATES STAND ON : The Environment

Background: In 1988, then Vice-President George Bush promised to by the “environmental President.” Since then, the Bush Administration has made controversial decisions on the Endangered Species Act, wetlands preservation and global warming. Those decisions, along with Bill Clinton’s record as governor in Arkansas, are likely to form the basis of any debate over environmental issues in the general election.

President Bush does not support negotiations toward a treaty on global warming with binding limits, timetables and targets, but he will attend the 160-nation Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June. Bush signed a toned-down version of the Clean Air Act. The Bush Administration sought to overturn the Endangered Species Act and to reduce the standing of environmentalists to bring lawsuits. New Bush Administration regulations could reduce wetlands by 20% to 40%. He has endorsed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Patrick J. Buchanan contends that many environmental regulations are unnecessarily restrictive and result in job losses. He has criticized Bush for signing the Clean Air Act, citing the cost to industry.

Bill Clinton supports a global treaty to stabilize carbon dioxide emissions in industrialized countries in the year 2000 at 1990 levels. He favors wetlands protection but would allow less stringent regulations on wetlands used as farmland. He has called for a ban on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As governor of Arkansas, he built a record of land and forest conservation but came under fire for allowing a huge Tyson Foods Inc. chicken processing facility to operate without a waste water pre-treatment plant until contamination reached crisis levels.

Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. supports a global treaty to stabilize carbon dioxide emissions in industrialized nations by the year 2000. He backs expanded protection of wetlands. Brown was generally considered an environmentalist as governor of California, backing alternative energy development and clean air legislation.