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The St. Petersburg Times
www.sptimes.com
President Bush's visit
As President Bush visits Florida, let's hope he will be
inspired to support the Everglades restoration efforts and
protect the gulf from oil drilling.
A Times Editorial
June 4, 2001
We welcome President Bush to Florida and hope he will have
a productive visit this week. He will stop at the Everglades
today for an environmental photo opportunity, then travel
to Tampa to help build a house for a poor family and promote
his tax cut. It's the kind of trip presidents make to connect
with individual Americans, and Bush should also take this
chance to learn something about Florida's unique natural
setting.
Perhaps the president will notice that development is creeping
closer to Everglades National Park. His eye may linger on
Florida's jewel, its sugary sand beaches that still form
the backbone of our economy. Certainly he will spend time
with his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, who can explain how important
quality-of-life issues are to all Floridians, no matter
their party affiliations.
Though his stay is brief, the president will have the opportunity
to reassure us on major threats to the Everglades and gulf
beaches, two of our most valuable assets.
At his Everglades stop, President Bush is expected to acknowledge
his support for an $8-billion restoration plan for the River
of Grass. His encouraging words, and any additional funding,
will be welcomed. But he should also address the news that
his defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, is reconsidering
the Air Force's decision to oppose construction of a commercial
airport on the edge of the Everglades.
Homestead Air Force Base was abandoned after Hurricane
Andrew inflicted serious damage on it. The Air Force decided,
after a lengthy study, that limited development was the
best use of the property. In ruling out a new airport favored
by influential Dade County developers, the Air Force came
to the only sensible conclusion. The former base lies between
Everglades and Biscayne national parks, and an airport would
bring noise pollution, toxic runoff and urban sprawl to
those fragile spots.
It would make little sense to spend billions of dollars
to fix the Everglades, then approve an airport project that
threatens the park. The Air Force got it right. Yet in a
May 10 letter to Sen. John Warner, R-Va., Rumsfeld said
he has asked his staff to review the Air Force's decision
and indicated he could reverse it.
The timing is terrible for President Bush. As he poses
for pictures with an Everglades backdrop, Floridians will
wonder if his administration is speaking with one voice
on this critical project.
Another issue is equally vital to Florida's future: offshore
oil drilling. Vice President Dick Cheney favors expanded
exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, beginning with a parcel
(6-million acres called area 181) that is just 30 miles
from the Panhandle and 200 miles off Pinellas beaches. That
decision is short-sighted. Any small gain made in oil production
would be far outweighed by the risk to Florida's economy
and environment from an oil spill.
President Bush has good reasons to reject drilling off
the state's coast. He could differentiate himself from some
Senate Democrats, who also have given in to oil industry
blandishments and favor drilling in area 181. And he could
give his brother, who opposes the drilling and faces a likely
re-election bid in 18 months, an environmental victory of
his own.
In California on Wednesday to support national park improvements,
President Bush said, "Our duty is to use the land well,
and sometimes, not to use it at all." He says he is
concerned about the environment, yet many of his actions
belie his commitment. Here, in Florida, are two chances
for the president to act on his word.
Mr. President, please tell Floridians that an airport will
not be built next to Everglades National Park and that the
eastern gulf is off limits to oil drilling.
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