Editorial: Let’s give ‘enlibra’ a chance

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1998 | 11:36 a.m.

In the black-and-white rhetoric of today's political world, "compromise" is viewed as a dirty word. Rather than finding common ground, activists increasingly push elected officials to adopt extreme positions even when most Americans see many issues as possessing hues of gray. The discourse in Washington has grown progressively worse over the years, especially when it comes to environmental issues, which have produced some of the most divisive debates.

While solutions to environmental problems continue to elude Washington policymakers, Western governors in the past year have been seeking to find a new approach to dealing with the environment, seeking dialogue in place of diatribes. Last week the Western Governors Association wrapped up a summit of more than 250 people in an effort to find a consensus on common sense solutions to environmental problems. Most Westerners, they believe, understand a balance can be found in providing jobs and preserving the environment.

Earlier this year the Western governors endorsed a policy statement that rejected the polarization that has come to define the debate over how to best protect the environment. They call this new approach "enlibra," which embraces the concept of compromise. Supporters note the word "en" is Latin for "moving forward" and "libra" means "balance."

Frequently environmentalists believe that policies should be tougher, set and carried out by Washington regulators. Businesses, meanwhile, contend that these are issues best left to the states, with little or no regulation. Obviously neither course is always acceptable and Western governors acknowledge this. They assert a middle ground can be forged, allowing Washington to establish national standards, but letting the states figure out solutions to reach the national goals.

Some of the ranchers, environmentalists and government regulators who attended the Western Governors Association meeting in Phoenix last week were uneasy about enlibra. This skepticism should be expected because there have been phenomenally hard-fought battles between some of these groups on environmental issues.

Enlibra faces an uphill battle. But just throwing up our hands and continuing the divisive politics of the past and present will not solve the problems the West faces. More dialogue and more common sense approaches are needed.