In what is beginning to look more and more like an effort to get his 2004 presidential campaign off the ground, Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) has been blasting President Bush’s environmental policies with greater frequency lately. First in a press conference reacting to the White House announcement on climate change and “clear skies,” then in a speech to the California League of Conservation Voters, Sen. Lieberman has been highly critical of President Bush, calling him “AWOL in the war on environmental pollution,” and accusing him of being “too cozy” with the oil and gas lobby. He then announced that he would hold hearings in the Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chairs, to review Bush Administration decisions that he believes weaken industry regulation.
Sen. Lieberman, who was narrowly defeated along with former Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 election, is seeking to capitalize on the one issue area where President Bush appears to be vulnerable. Earlier this month, President Bush revealed his plan for a “clear skies” initiative, which will reduce power plant emissions of the three worst air pollutants by 2018. The initiative would:
· cut sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by 73 percent, from current emissions of 11 million tons to a cap of 4.5 million tons in 2010, and 3 million tons in 2018
· cut emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 67 percent, from current emissions of 5 million tons to a cap of 2.1 million tons in 2008, and to 1.7 million tons in 2018
· cut mercury emissions by 69 percent, from current emissions of 48 tons to a cap of 26 tons in 2010, and 15 tons in 2018.
President Bush also announced that his Administration was committed to reducing the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions by 18% over the next ten years. Both initiatives will rely on market-driven approaches, such as emissions trading, to reach their goals. The White House has decided not to include mandated carbon dioxide emissions reduction in its “clear skies” proposal, which has angered Senate Democrats, as well as Senator James Jeffords (I-VT), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Sen. Jeffords is supporting legislation that addresses all four pollutants.
In his speech to the League of Conservation Voters on February 20, Sen. Lieberman called many of the Bush initiatives “reactive and regressive,” claiming that “too often, when it comes to the environment, the Bush Administration has stood up for the industries and interests that don't want to change because they profit from business as usual. It's time for the President to start reflecting the values and interests of the vast majority of Americans when it comes to the environment.” He criticized the President in particular for his climate change and clear skies proposals, calling them “deeply disappointing.” Sounding more like a candidate every day, Sen. Lieberman said “we needed a breath of fresh air, and we got a plan for more polluted air. We needed the President to make clear that when it comes to climate change and clean air, we as a country are committed to leadership, innovation, and collaboration. We got a declaration of passivity, stagnation, and unilateralism.”
The European Union (EU) has reacted negatively to President Bush’s two proposals as well, calling them insufficient to deal with the growing problem of greenhouse gases and global climate change. In a statement released by the EU earlier this month, the group charged that “the intensity target proposed [in the Bush plan] allows for further increases in absolute emissions and is not sufficient to fight climate change effectively. In contrast, the Kyoto Protocol requires most industrialized countries to achieve absolute reductions while they still expect economic growth.”
