remember, tuesday is soylent green day (finger to the wind edition)
"Soylent Green's Made of People" is my campaign slogan!
ENN:
He's set up the world's largest protected marine reserve, raised air pollution standards and pledged to end damaging fishing, but President Bush still draws environmentalists' ire for his stance on global warming.
Ecologically minded critics view Bush's many "green" initiatives as incremental steps -- not the sort of bold action they say is needed to combat global climate change.
"It would be like paying attention to giving your loved ones a good manicure when they need medicine and operations for major illnesses," said David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
This year has seen the Bush administration promoting numerous environmental plans, most recently by announcing last week that the United States will work to eliminate destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling.
In September, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new proposed air quality standards that the agency's chief proclaimed were the toughest in U.S. history. Environmentalists said the standards fell short of what scientists -- including EPA's own experts -- recommended as safe.
In June, Bush consulted with such boldface environmental names as underwater explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau -- Jacques Cousteau's son -- and marine biologist Sylvia Earle to set up the massive Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, the world's biggest ocean reserve.
Doniger and others were appreciative but ultimately unimpressed.
'SAFE, SECOND-TIER ISSUES'
"Who could be against setting aside a Hawaiian park?" Doniger asked rhetorically in a telephone interview. "But these are safe, second-tier issues that don't offend any of the industries that they care about."
These industries, Doniger said, include coal, oil, auto making and electric power.
In his 2004 re-election campaign, Bush got more than $4.7 million from the energy industry, $4.8 million from the transportation industry, $4.9 million from agribusiness and $33.8 million from the finance, insurance and real estate industries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which keeps track of federal election statistics.
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