Environmental Reform by GOP

* Your editorial “Environmental Reform Via Sledgehammer” (March 8), aptly described the environmental and financial costs of the GOP’s Contract with America.

In approving so-called “takings” and overzealous anti-regulatory legislation, the House has done a tremendous disservice not only to the environment, but to the American taxpayer as well. It is the taxpayers who will bear the burden of paying for this public policy boondoggle. The new congressional majority has clearly and unmistakably shown itself to be deeply hostile to the environment. Through its recent actions, the House has told America that it wants to wipe out a quarter-century of bipartisan efforts of environmental protection. It has, in effect, declared war on the nation’s wetlands, waterways, wildlife and national forests.

Make no mistake about it, The Wilderness Society strongly supports private property rights. We also believe everyone has a responsibility to future generations, to the American landscape and to our communities.

We intend to do everything we can do to kill these dangerous bills in the Senate.

JAY THOMAS WATSON

Regional Director

LOUIS BLUMBERG

Assistant Regional Director

San Francisco

* Yes, we need environmental reform via sledgehammer, via machine gun, even via atom bomb. The Endangered Species Act, the Superfund law, the Clean Air Act, etc., are some of the best examples of good intentions and high ideals raised to the heights of absurdity and resulting in oppressive bureaucracies, hyper-expensive costs and unobtainable goals.

Does any worker feel safer because the boss has 150 pounds of federal regulations in his office? Does any rational person believe that an area that has been farmed for 100 years should suddenly and without any compensation be declared a “wetland” or “habitat”? Under what logic can a company that did everything “by the book” in 1965 suddenly be billed to comply with a law that went into effect in 1985?

Over 70% of each Superfund dollar goes to pay men in suits carrying briefcases. They talk about priorities and argue about costs and responsibilities. Meanwhile, my tax dollars get wasted.

All environmentalists have two nasty secrets that they won’t admit to: Short of launching everything into space, it is impossible to clean up the environment. We can move it, ignore it, shield it, hide it, etc., but it is still part of the environment. The population of the Earth has doubled since 1950. We cannot feed, shelter, water and heal the population of 2000 unless our tools, ideas and policies are advancing as fast as the population is growing.

WOODROW J. HUGHES

Northridge

* The possibility that Congress will pass a moratorium on all regulations retroactive to Nov. 20, 1994, is bad news. This would include the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration ruling that all heavy trucks, including tractor-trailer and buses, have anti-lock-braking systems starting March 1, 1997. NHTSA says the rule will prevent up to 500 deaths, 27,000 injuries and 29,000 crashes a year. Most of the lives saved and injuries prevented would be those of passenger vehicle occupants.

The safety of ABS in commercial vehicles has been proved. ABS are currently required on large trucks in Japan and European Common Market countries. ABS can make tractor trailers easier to control and can help prevent wheel lock-up and jackknife.

HELEN SHANBROM

Santa Ana