The Quiet Man by John H. Sununu

Author:John H. Sununu
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-04-24T22:00:00+00:00

6

Free-Market Policies for the Environment and Energy

On November 30, 1988, seven weeks before taking office, at a breakfast meeting in the White House, George Bush met with a group of thirty activists from the very strong environmentalist lobby; among them were representatives of the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation. The Reagan administration had been somewhat dismissive of such groups, so the earnest men and women had not met with a president in nearly a decade. The depth of pent-up ambition was apparent in their presentations. They wanted more money for their favorite agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, and another $5 billion or so for other programs.

Bush had extensive experience in the energy sector and a personal commitment to environmental issues. In the campaign, he made it clear that energy and the environment were two of his highest domestic priorities. He knew, however, that trade-offs would have to be made in both of these areas, and he was keenly aware of the financial bind facing the country. Bush believed that market incentives could encourage sound environmental decisions and that a healthy, productive American energy sector would give the nation greater leverage in foreign affairs.

The environmentalists had to be realistic, Bush told the gathered group. He understood the complexity of the issues and they, in turn, needed to understand that there could be, and probably would be, some disagreements between his administration and many aspects of their own environmental agenda. He left them with an upbeat message, though. “I know there is some skepticism about my commitment, but it is real and I’m going to surprise you in a good way,” he said.

The president surprised more than just the environmentalists in the subsequent years. With his Clean Air Act (1990) he deftly broke up a twelve-year legislative logjam that had prevented any progress toward cleaning the nation’s air; then he implemented a national energy policy that is still reaping rewards to this day. The act and the policy were underappreciated at the time, but together they were among his greatest domestic legislative accomplishments.

THE CLEAN AIR ACT

During one of his many visits to New Hampshire in 1987, Vice President Bush had a long conversation with me about what a Republican agenda for environmental policy might look like. We both felt that the power of the marketplace could create incentives for the private sector to make the investments needed to protect the environment. Bush knew that a policy based only on prohibition could kill job creation and hold back economic development. The Reagan administration had similar concerns, but instead of proactively seeking solutions it just let the Democrats who were blocking legislation have their way.

We also talked during that visit about how Republicans could recapture the initiative on the environment as a political issue. In New Hampshire I had proposed legislation to cap the release of acid rain–producing emissions. That legislation passed without major modifications, and our Acid Rain Control Act of 1985 made New Hampshire the first state in the nation to enact legislation addressing the problem.

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