Forging A Strong Environmental Policy

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The Next Hundred Years: Forging a Strong Environmental Policy to Take Our Natural Resources Back Excerpted from Howard Dean's speech in San Francisco, CA.

One hundred years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon for the first time. And he asked the people of Arizona to make sure that it stayed unspoiled.

"Leave it as it is," President Roosevelt said. "Keep it for your children and your children's children and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American should see."

It may seem odd to you that a Democratic presidential candidate should quote so approvingly something said by a Republican president. But there's a reason. (9) WhenPresident Roosevelt made that speech; he was exhibiting something that we haven't seen in this country for a long, long time. And that is a Republican president providing leadership on the environment.

Because of President Roosevelt's leadership, when we visit the Grand Canyon, our children can see pretty much the same view he did. But what legacy is the Bush Administration leaving for the next hundred years?

Environmental ...
... issues are national security issues. While the Administration does nothing to curb oil consumption, where does our oil money end up? It flows through governments in the Middle East to terrorist organizations who teach their children to hate the United States.

Environmental issues are health issues. As a doctor, I know that failure to act on the environment has devastating health consequences. As President, 1 will urge Congress to strengthen the laws reducing pollutants in our land, water and air. I'll help our legislators to think of these environmental commitments as 1 do as part of our broad vision for health care reform.

Environmental issues are economic issues. The right-wing radicals want us to believe that we must choose between having a healthy environment or a healthy economy. I believe that a healthy environment will support a healthy economy.

Ask fishermen if they need a healthy ocean to survive. Ask loggers if they need healthy vibrant forests. Ask CEOs if they need employees who go to work rather than to their doctors. How much productivity do we lose from preventable illnesses exacerbated by the pollutants spewing out of smokestacks and drainage pipes?

It can be difficult to bring business interests and environmentalists together. Bat from my experience as a Governor, I know that we make the greatest gains when we do just that.

I come from a state that, like California, has a deep respect for our environment and a strong tradition of protecting it. I'm proud that under my leadership, we protected over 470,000 acres of land, nearly 8% of Vermont for future generations.

I ordered that the mobile emissions in Vermont be reduced to levels below those required by the Kyoto Protocol. And I played a leading role with the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in reducing the threat of mercury pollution in the region's waters.

As a Governor, I always had a five-, a twenty-and a hundred-year vision for Vermont*My five-year vision dealt with issues where an investment now could produce tangible results during one term in office.My 20-year vision addressed the needs of the next generation. Investments in kids today would pay off when they finish school or college, find jobs and contribute to the community.

My 100-year vision was for the environments I wanted to be sure that we were taking steps at present to ensure that future generations would live healthy lives in a world with the same resources, land, and natural beauty that we inherited.

Real leadership is about making investments whose payoffs might not become apparent in our lifetimes. Real leadership requires taking action today that will benefit generations yet to come. That's the kind of leadership I tried to provide for the people of Vermont when I was Governor. And that's the kind of leadership I will provide for this nation and the world when you send me to Washington, DC.