Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Protecting the homeland

Friday, Nov. 23, 2001 | 9:18 a.m.

Large numbers of writers, including me, have searched for, and found, good and positive actions taken by the president. We have only one president and his name is George W. Bush. In recent days we have been subject to the criticism of having gone to sleep because some of his appointees are using the national tragedy as a cover for their activities.

Not everybody has dozed off or has remained silent while presidential appointees have been promoting their anti-environmental agendas. The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) nailed Interior Secretary Gale Norton for having "substantially altered biological findings" to promote the drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It was a month ago when the organization claimed, "It appears Secretary Norton misled Congress and broke her pledge to faithfully convey the best science on the Arctic Refuge." PEER went on to say, "Unless Ms. Norton was the victim of her own overzealous staff, she should have the decency to resign." She hasn't resigned so I'll assume her staff committed the sin.

Yes, I received the data for this accusation and put it in my desk drawer. What was happening in foreign affairs and our response to the terrorists was too important to ignore. Saving an environmental jewel in the Arctic had to be put aside with the hope somebody else would do something about it. Few people paid attention when Norton was nominated for the job despite knowing she was James Watt, her mentor, in a skirt. So they weren't shocked enough to say much about her efforts to promote drilling in the ANWR.

This week The Wilderness Society pushed the media buttons by openly accusing this administration of "trying to slip through policies that it must know are opposed by most citizens" under the cover of fighting terrorism. Wilderness Society President William H. Meadows said, "This is the same James Watt agenda of 20 years ago, with many of the same political appointees back in office to try again." This is all being done in the name of national security while the press is preoccupied.

So according to the Wilderness Society, what has been happening?

* Weakening protection of national monuments

* Facilitating road building in wilderness

* Watering down mining reform

* Siding with industry on off-road vehicle pollution

* Facilitating snowmobile use in national parks

* Pushing oil and gas leasing in proposed wilderness area

* Handicapping everglades restoration campaign

* Creating hurdles for use of freedom of information

* Retreating on wetlands protection

* Reducing environmental review in roadless areas

The same report goes on to identify the key administration appointees having "dedicated careers to aiding industries eager to exploit public lands." The appointees listed have made a career out of what former Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus would call the national crime of "rape, ruin and run" policy of environmental destruction.

Okay, Okay, you have my attention and I'll pay more attention to our environment. Like other Americans, I don't want to be so preoccupied with the war against terrorism that when all is said and done, we have lost much of what was worth protecting.