On first glance, this Los Angeles Times piece may seem somewhat parochial — the California Attorney General points out angrily that the Bush assault on the environment is so pervasive and all-encompassing (“Business 10, environment 0,” as he so pungently puts it) that some of California’s environmental budget is being gobbled up just defending the state of the state in court. But do read it. It turns out that Atty. General Lockyer is doing the media’s job. This is the first piece I’ve seen in the mainstream press that, thanks to him, actually summarizes and enumerates the scope and depth and strength of this “assault” (a word I’ve not seen used before anywhere in the news columns of any paper I’ve been checking out). Tom
Battles Over Bush Policies Drain State
Attorney general’s office must divert funds to protect environment, Lockyer complains
By Tim Reiterman
The Los Angeles Times
January 27 2003SACRAMENTO — State Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer says that defending California’s environmental protections against a broad assault by the Bush administration has cost the state millions of dollars and will force his office to shift resources from fighting pollution.
Lockyer said in an interview last week that President Bush’s “pro-business” environmental policies have threatened regulations governing everything from offshore oil drilling and toxic cleanups to forest management and air quality.
“Protecting our natural resources and our environmental laws from the federal government’s rollbacks and attempts to preempt state enforcement will be one of the biggest single environmental challenges,” Lockyer said. “Resources that should be used for prosecuting polluters will have to be diverted to fighting the federal government.”
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SACRAMENTO — State Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer says that defending California’s environmental protections against a broad assault by the Bush administration has cost the state millions of dollars and will force his office to shift resources from fighting pollution.
Lockyer said in an interview last week that President Bush’s “pro-business” environmental policies have threatened regulations governing everything from offshore oil drilling and toxic cleanups to forest management and air quality.
“Protecting our natural resources and our environmental laws from the federal government’s rollbacks and attempts to preempt state enforcement will be one of the biggest single environmental challenges,” Lockyer said. “Resources that should be used for prosecuting polluters will have to be diverted to fighting the federal government.”