Bush has his first campaign stop in Nevada

Thursday, June 1, 2000 | 11:17 a.m.

INCLINE VILLAGE -- Texas Gov. George W. Bush, GOP candidate for president, today outlined a five-point plan to encourage conservation, including spending $2 billion more in the next five years.

Bush, speaking at Sand Harbor State Park to about 250 people, said he will pour more money into the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which he says is now depleted.

Bush made his first campaign stop to Nevada, giving the conservation speech and then holding two fund-raisers for the Republican Party and for his campaign.

Bush criticized the Clinton administration, saying it has never fully funded the Land and Conservation Fund. Half of this money is supposed to go to state and local conservation efforts, but they never get their share, he said.

Under his plan, Bush said 50 percent of the money from the fund would be distributed to state and local conservation groups. Sand Harbor State Park was developed with land and conservation funds, but Nevada has not received any of that money from the federal government in the last five years, Bush said.

Bush called for creation of a tax-incentive program for capital gains tax relief for private landowners who voluntarily sell their lands for conservation purposes. He said this would encourage the protection of environmentally important land. He estimated that would mean $66 million a year in tax benefits to landowners. At present, private landowners receive a tax break if they donate their property for conservation.

The Texas governor also called for elimination of the federal estate tax. He said that would make it easier for private landowners to pass their land intact to the next generation instead of having to sell it for tax purposes.

Bush said he would "be a president who trusts the governors, the congressmen and the people." He said the present administration has an attitude "Washington knows best."

Rochelle Nason, executive director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe said she was pleased to hear Bush's comments about funding the Land and Water Conservation Act.

But she said she did not see a lot of "substantial differences between Bush and (Vice President) Gore."

Bush arrived in Reno Wednesday night and stayed at a small motel across from the airport. He will host a $20,000-a-couple roundtable discussion and a $1,000-a-plate luncheon at an exclusive Tahoe enclave called Glenbrook.

Accompanying Bush on his trip to Lake Tahoe were Colorado Gov. Bill Owens and Wyoming Gov. Jim Ginninger.

Bush was introduced by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn who praised him for improving schools in Texas. "The results in Texas schools are impressive."

As Bush was making his policy statement on land conservation today, radio airwaves were delivering an ad sponsored by the Sierra Club that attacks the Texas governor on his environmental prowess.

"George Bush has a plan to clean up the air and water: Just ask the polluters to stop," begins the ad running statewide in Nevada as the candidate speaks at Lake Tahoe.

The ad outlines how Bush let industry write anti-pollution measures and how Texas leads the nation on the Environmental Protection Agency's toxic release list.

Sun staff writer Mary Manning contributed to this story.