McCain Pledges to Revoke New Wilderness Protections

Speaking in this remote hamlet tucked into the snowy White Mountains, Sen. John McCain said Monday that if he is elected to the White House next year, he will revoke a landmark order from President Clinton last October that could double the federal wilderness protected from logging, mining and other development.

The Arizona Republican also sided with California against the Clinton administration’s recent decision to extend the life of 36 oil leases off the state’s Central Coast for up to four years.

McCain said the federal government should be a “responsible partner” with state or local communities in making such resource-management decisions.

“The idea that Washington knows best and that local residents cannot be trusted to do what’s right in their own backyard is the epitome of federal arrogance,” McCain said. “If land is governed by decree absent genuine public participation, we will only widen the chasm of distrust between the people and the government.”

McCain’s message divided the audience of about 60 listeners in this town on the flanks of the 780,000-acre White Mountain National Forest, where the scenic beauty heightens the local environmental awareness but many of the livelihoods are also dependent on nearby logging and related industries.

Some Bethlehem residents felt snubbed last October by Clinton’s plan to put as much as 54 million acres--about two-thirds of the nation’s still pristine forests--off-limits to vehicles. Clinton would accomplish this by banning construction of new roads in national forests, which critics characterize as making the land inaccessible to all but hikers, cross-country skiers and boaters. After hearings next year, the rules could be made permanent in the final weeks of 2000.

“It has serious implications to the north country’s economy,” said David Scanlan, a local tree farmer who introduced McCain. “People here are angry there was no consulting process. We need to preserve natural areas and be responsible stewards, but allow exploitation of renewable resources.”

But Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club, said McCain appeared to be “pandering to whatever he thinks is politically convenient” regarding both the logging issue and the oil leases in California.

“It’s easy to criticize oil leases that are overwhelmingly unpopular in [California], the most populous state in the nation,” Pope said.

McCain professes great admiration for President Theodore Roosevelt, who preserved vast stretches of America’s remaining forests and barred commercial development on 194 million acres of federal land. He said he was proud that during his 17 years as an Arizona lawmaker, 3.5 million acres of his state were placed in the wilderness-preservation system.

As president, McCain also promised:

* To eliminate within eight years the $5-billion backlog in maintenance work at America’s national parks.

* To fully fund the $900 million authorized for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is used to purchase public lands for conservation and recreation.

* To support research and development of “green” technologies, such as solar power and electric vehicles.

* To establish an “environmental report card” to monitor compliance with environmental laws.

* To review and overhaul the nation’s environmental laws, many of which he says are old and outdated.

McCain is leading the national GOP front-runner, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, in recent surveys of voters in New Hampshire, site of the nation’s first primary on Feb. 1. On Monday, his campaign also announced that it has raised $1 million in the last week, reaching its goal for the year ahead of schedule.

The senator has warned that the Republican Party is losing support because of the perception that it sacrifices environmental concerns to business interests. So far, the most aggressive environmental initiatives in the presidential race have come from Democrats.

Pope said that although he is not an admirer of McCain’s record as senator, his record is better than Bush of Texas, where pollution problems rank among the worst in the nation.