Editorial: Congress’ sneak attack on nature

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 1998 | 10:02 a.m.

Attempts to gut environmental policies may be more subtle as Congress nears the end of its session this year, but they are no less dangerous.

Instead of simply introducing stand-alone legislation that would change environmental policies, some members of Congress are choosing an underhanded approach. They are quietly inserting anti-environment measures into spending bills in the hope that that these controversial policies will become law with little or no debate on their merits.

Here's how it works: Business interests turn to friendly members of Congress, who in turn attach provisions -- called "riders" -- to big spending bills. Some of these provisions would change environmental regulations on mining companies, oil companies and developers.

One controversial rider would boost timber production in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. Another rider would alter Forest Service plans to remove roads from national forests. Yet another rider would postpone for one year new regulations that would increase by $66 million the royalties that oil companies pay to drill on federal lands.

In the public relations war, at least, this effort has backfired: Opposition to these policies has grown even stronger as people object to not only the substance of the policies but also to the subterfuge being used.

As the Associated Press reported last week, attempts to pass these anti-environment policies in the House failed when moderate Republicans threatened to join Democrats in blocking legislation they thought would be bad for the environment. That's when business lobbyists opted to instead try their luck in the Senate, where they're finding a better reception.

Hopefully the Senate Republican leadership will realize that these anti-environment riders are destructive to both the environment and the integrity of the legislative process. But that body's GOP leadership has shown little savvy this year in handling other important issues the American public cares about -- such as curbing HMO abuses or passing campaign finance reform -- so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that they will try this end run.

President Clinton should hang tough in his threat to veto spending bills that carry provisions that would end up harming the environment and sound public policy.