Environmentalists have hope for EPA head

Environmentalists have hope for EPA head
BY JIM BALLOCH
balloch@knews.com

Several local environmentalists say that Christine Whitman's exit as director of the Environmental Protection Agency may help President Bush dodge some flak over his environmental record.

"It is not surprising that she is leaving right before the next election," said Danielle Droitsch, executive director of the Tennessee Clean Water Network.

"It would certainly be very hard for her to answer for this administration's environmental policies," Droitsch said. "The environmental community will be looking very hard at who Bush appoints to the next post. I don't have extraordinarily high expectations, but there are some people who would be of much greater concern than others."

Some environmentalists believe Whitman may have left at least in part because of a personal discomfort level with the Bush administration over issues.

"I think that early on in her tenure, she had to make some compromises with her own values," said Ulla Reeves, Regional Air Director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

"There may be a lot of reasons under the surface for her departure that she's not willing to say," Reeves said. "I don't think the EPA has nearly been living up to its name."

"There is no doubt that we've seen a backing off of environmental protections over the last three years," said Don Barger, Southeast Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association. "The shots are being called from the White House. So I don't believe that anyone else who sits in that seat will make a difference or change the direction in which the EPA has been heading over the last few years."

Barger said there could be a combination of reasons for Whitman's resignation that include the fact that she would be on the firing line for questions about Bush's environmental record.

"A campaign is a pretty grueling thing," Barger said. "I would not want to be the person in a campaign who would have to defend this administration's environmental record. That would be a very stress filled, agonizing time."

Barger agreed with Reeves' assessment that Whitman may have been tightly reined in by the Bush administration.

"I think her record as governor of New Jersey suggests that she would have taken some different positions if she had been given the opportunity to do so," Barger said.

Gary Wade, Chairman of Friends of the Smokies, said he could not comment about Whitman's resignation on behalf of the organization because it is strictly nonpartisan, and its mission is fund raising and support for the park.

"Air quality is the number one issue within the park, as identified by the park superintendent and his staff," Wade said. "Certainly the Friends of the Smokies, whose only agenda is to provide nonpartisan support for the park, would hope that the next appointee is someone who is aware of that issue."

Jim Balloch may be reached at 865-342-6315.