Environmentalists, businesses reach compromise

[flashl]

By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY

Governmental inaction is prompting environmental groups and big business to cut unprecedented deals to promote energy exploration and other development in return for major conservation initiatives.

The agreements preserve large amounts of undeveloped land, impose stricter environmental practices than required by law and generate big investments in alternative energy. The deals also clear the way for oil drilling, new power plants and large residential developments.

Experts say the move to private agreements reflects a loss of faith in the government's ability to handle some of the USA's most pressing environmental disputes. "I started off believing in regulation, but government agencies compromise and change rules," San Francisco environmental lawyer Clem Shute says. "These private deals are a pragmatic way to accomplish good things."

Steven Hayward, an environmental scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, says the agreements signal an era of "practical environmentalism." He says Congress has been in a stalemate for decades on major environmental legislation, especially on emerging issues such as land conservation, transportation and energy. That has forced businesses and environmental groups to reach out to each other, often after sparring a few rounds in court. Recent big deals:

Really?

[DCKit]

1. I never thought of it that way....

Congress as middle-man(agement) and an impediment to getting the job done.

I guess if the environmental groups set some rules and negotiate directly, the time spent in Congress debating, blocking and loading bills with pork is null and void.

Sounds like a win-win situation with the DLC, RNC and individual Congresscritters not being able to extort money from either side of an issue for favorable votes. That's gotta sting!

[Buzz Clik]

2. Bullshit.

In 2000, Bush gave some examples of voluntary environmental compliance from Texas, and they were shown to be total lies.

Some companies are secure enough to "go green" without a flamethrower up their drawers, but the vast majority look only to the bottom line.

A return to regulatory enforcement is much anticipated and desperately needed.

[bhbwl]

3. Pragmatic=sleeping with the enemy

"The deals also clear the way for oil drilling, new power plants and large residential developments."

How is this a win for the Green Movement? They caved to let Big Energy ruin more land with their crummy wells and pave over more tracts of land with suburban sprawl, and I'm supposed to be glad about this?

"Green Business" is an oxymoron. Fat cats aren't making this deal for the good of the planet, just to line their pockets. The only thing "green" about Big Energy is their money.

Fails the smell test for me. Same ol' same ol: Big Energy ripping the people off, ruining the planet and laughing all the way to the bank.

Maxine Waters was right, but she needn't have stopped where she did.