Interview, Washington D.C., March 31, 2008
"A Renewed Sense of Protecting the Common Good":
Environmental Issues and the US Elections
Interview with Tom Martin,
Executive Vice President of the National Parks Conservation Association
FES: Mr. Martin, if you could host a Presidential debate in any of America's National Parks, which one would it be? And why?
Martin: Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the people that designed our political system gathered to debate the basis for it. They spent months trying to decide whether to secede from the British colonial system - a traitorous act that could have cost them their lives - and if so, the basis for that secession. They debated with passion, but with a sense they could accomplish something great together.
I'd love to see today's candidates throw out the polls and spin-meisters that usually guide their discourse and reveal their vision for a revitalized nation with a restored place in the world.
FES: Which aspects of environmental policy should be top priority for the next President of the United States?
Martin: The next President needs to change the culture of our environmental agencies from the present one that avoids every meaningful decision to better protect our environment. We need to replace the prevailing special interest fawning by our regulators with a renewed sense of protecting the common good.
We must also restore funding for our nation's environmental programs and lands. Chronic underfunding has left us with a crumbling infrastructure and degraded lands. Things like drinking water plants and sewage treatment need immediate attention. Our national parks and forests also suffer from years of underfunding.
Finally, energy policy, air pollution and global warming need quick attention. We need to begin to aggressively transition from a fossil fuel based energy system to a low emission and conservation based system.
FES: Are there substantial differences between the candidates' platforms in terms of environmental issues and do you feel that environmental issues are sufficiently represented in any of the campaigns?
Martin: There are differences between the candidates on environmental issues, but more notably in their records in the Senate than in their campaign platforms. During the primary season other issues allowed candidates within the same party to draw differences with the others on issues of interest to their activist base. I expect that as the campaign moves from its primary phase to the general election phase these differences will become more noticeable and prominent.