Bush environmental record: Broken record of broken promises

NRDC has released its comprehensive report on the Bush administration's environmental record during the first term. After years of steady improvement the nation's water and air pollution now are getting worse under Bush's tenure, according to government data. Among the most troubling trends, the report documents increases in the amount of toxic releases nationwide from industrial facilities, along with worsening mercury contamination, sewage contamination and air pollution. Meanwhile, federal enforcement against polluters has declined dramatically, and hazardous waste cleanups have dropped to record lows. "The Bush administration's reign of environmental error is taking its toll," said Gregory Wetstone, director of NRDC's Advocacy Program and one of the report's authors. "The regulatory structure supporting America's environmental laws has been systematically eroded, and now we're seeing the damage. . . ." Despite the Bush administration's claims of a political mandate following the election, the public largely rejects the White House's hostile policies toward the environment. Last week USA Today/CNN/Gallup released polling results (conducted Jan. 7-9) showing the number of people who "disapprove" of Bush's environmental record has risen from 37 percent last year to 45 percent, while the number of those who "approve" of his environmental policies has fallen from 53 percent to 49 percent.
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