EPA Nominee’s History Casts a Troubling Cloud

Re “Pin Him Down on Pollution,” editorial, Sept. 25: It matters little what former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt commits to in relation to the environment. Leavitt is a Utah extractionist and a utilitarian, and he will enforce only those policies that George W. Bush commands that he support. To say that former EPA Administrator Christie Whitman and Leavitt are both moderates is to paint with an awfully broad brush. Whitman’s frustration over the Bush administration’s constant, heavy-handed intrusion into her ability to implement common-sense environmental approaches led to her resignation, not her desire to spend more time with her family. Whitman was certainly not liberal in her environmental views. She was, however, relatively fair.

Leavitt is far more conservative, and far more dangerous. His euphemistic “enlibra” must be seen for what it is -- a commitment to environmental degradation for the benefit of humans. The benefit of raping the land extends to only a few humans. The masses suffer the consequences. Leavitt and Bush are cut from the same tired mold. When it comes to environmental issues, do not place your trust in either of these environmental degradationists.

J.B. Litvak

Costa Mesa