Air Date: Week of July 26, 1996

Living on Earth listeners weigh in via phone and mail on our recent portrait of House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s environmental history.

Transcript

NUNLEY: Our exploration of House Speaker Newt Gingrich's environmental record sparked a number of comments. Mark Clemens of Provo, Utah, writes that "the willingness of Gingrich to dismiss both regulation and litigation as failed approaches reveals his re-conversion to environmentalism as an opportunistic pose. The provision of many environmental laws to allow citizen suits to force compliance with emissions standards has empowered -- isn't that one of the Speaker's favorite words? -- ordinary people to stop pollution through the courts." Mr. Clemens continues, "Until he recognizes the value of these suits it's still not time to trust Gingrich with the nation's family silver."

"I enjoy your program while doing my exercises," writes James Stewart over the Internet. "I am a conservative and therefore sincerely care about people and the environment. I support reasonable, intelligent efforts based on real scientific conclusions to preserve our environment for our future and our children's future. I support Newt Gingrich."

Laurie Saldana writes via e-mail, quote, "If Gingrich and the corporations had their way, no doubt they would continue to discharge waste into our air and water, all the while claiming no scientific evidence exists to prove they are harming the environment."

WARNER: This is Jack Warner. I'm calling from Sparta, Wisconsin. I have felt that as a, what I would consider, I am a moderate Republican, and I feel that he's doing, been very pleased that he's doing an excellent job in combining genuine environmental concerns with real issues that impact us every day, business, economics, and labor, employment, those type things. We must combine the interest and concerns of all those issues into realistic, pragmatic, workable, long-range planning."

NUNLEY: Shirley Parr's note was short and to the point. "What do I think of Newt's environmental record? Well, judging from recent years, if we elect any more like him in November they'll be serving cream of spotted owl soup for lunch in the Congressional cafeteria."