Reilly Says Gore Is Not an ‘Environmental Extremist’ : Politics: The EPA chief disagrees with the phrase being used by other White House officials, but insists Bush has kept his pledge to protect and conserve.

William K. Reilly, director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Friday disagreed with other Bush Administration officials who have characterized Democratic vice presidential candidate Al Gore as an “environmental extremist.”

While praising Gore’s record on environmental issues, Reilly--who recently has been critical of some Administration policies--also insisted that President Bush has kept his pledge to be “the environmental President.”

In an interview on “John McLaughlin’s One-on-One,” Reilly said he disagreed with some of the environmental measures proposed by Gore in his book titled “Earth in the Balance.” But he also indicated that he admired Gore’s commitment to environmental issues and thought it would help the Democratic ticket, particularly in California.

“I have a lot of respect for that book,” Reilly said. “I think the kinds of issues he addresses, the fact that he wrote it himself and it is obviously the product of a lot of concern and passion. . . .

“I think Sen. Gore, obviously, is very proud of his environmental record, and he has done some important things. . . . I don’t think he is an environmental extremist.”

Bush himself has never referred to Gore as an environmental extremist. But other top Administration officials, including White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater, have frequently used that phrase in referring to the Tennessee senator.

This was not the first time in recent weeks that Reilly has disagreed with Administration policy. In a memo recently leaked to the press, the EPA director criticized the Administration’s approach to the June Earth Summit in Brazil.

Reilly said that while he agrees with some of Gore’s suggestions, he disagrees with the Democrat that drastic changes are needed to preserve the environment for future generations.

“(Gore) refers to a ‘wrenching transformation’ of society,” he said. “I guess that’s the phrase that I recalled as most graphic and with which I disagree most strongly. I don’t think that the course we are on is going to require a wrenching transformation somehow to get it right.”

At the same time, Reilly, who will address the Republican National Convention later this month, accused the Democrats of “doing serious violence to the Bush record” when they argue that the President has not protected the environment.

“The last 3 1/2 years have been a period of unprecedented environmental progress for America, on all fronts,” he said, pointing to an increase in the EPA budget and the number of prosecutions of polluters by his agency.

Reilly said he plans to defend Bush’s environmental record at the convention.

“I’m going to say that George Bush has been the environmental President,” he insisted. “By the traditional measures that you judge such people on, he has been very strong.”

And Reilly criticized the environmental record that Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton has earned during his tenure as governor of Arkansas.

“I don’t think that the Clinton Administration gave very high priority to the environment,” he said. “I think that, as he has said in his Earth Day speech, he gave his priority to jobs and economic development. The environment of Arkansas, I think, reflects that.”

Specifically, Reilly said that Arkansas is suffering pollution problems related to the pulp, paper and poultry industries.

Reilly said he also disagreed with Democrats who called Bush a “hypocrite” when he visited a plant operated by Evergreen Inc. in California last June. Evergreen, which recycles used oil, is suing the EPA for failing to encourage recycling of oil.

“This is something that is a sort of thing that happens in a campaign, and it seems to me is very regrettable,” he said. “We are in favor of recycling oil.”