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G.O.P. Hears Nature's Call
The Party Scrambles On Environmental Policy
(TIME, Mar. 4) -- Last year Republican freshmen rolled into Washington toting
the Contract with America and vowing to dilute and roll back
decades of laws and regulations, including those aimed at
ensuring clean air, clean water and unsullied wilderness areas.
But because they misread popular sentiment on the environment,
the G.O.P. took a beating in the polls on this issue. Now as
many as 91 House Republicans are voting with the Democrats on
environmental measures. Shortly after the House reconvenes this
week, Speaker Newt Gingrich is expected to announce the
formation of a task force to review the Republican approach to
the environment; he says the party "mishandled" the matter last
year.
A sampling last fall by Republican pollster Linda DiVall
revealed that 55% of G.O.P. voters do not trust their party to
protect the environment, which prompted her to note that "our
party is out of sync with mainstream American opinion." Suddenly
"Senators and Congressmen who had a tin ear for the environment
for the past three years are all over the issue," says Greg
Whetstone of the Natural Resources Defense Council. So, too, is
the Clinton Administration, after a brief hiatus in which the
Democrats seemed willing to compromise with the antiregulatory
zealots. (Clinton even signed a bill that had the effect of
opening vast tracts of national forest for logging--which he now
"regrets.'') Recently, with much fanfare, Vice President Al Gore
unveiled a plan to protect the Everglades, despite opposition by
powerful sugar companies. On the eve of the Florida primary, it
was a clear challenge to G.O.P. efforts to reclaim the green
vote.
TIME This Week
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