As the humid, summer-like air finally gave way to an equally tepid rain shower, I took refuge in the Friends of the Earth tent, and talked with Kathryn Mitchell, of Kensington, Md. Kathryn energetically urged action on all fronts--at home, nationally, and internationally. Economic measurements need to be carefully reconsidered, she believes, in order for real sustained progress on the environment to take hold globally. Kathryn says, "when you want to know the cause of environmental degradation, follow the money."
While we were discussing the Friends of the Earth's position on economics and the environment we were joined by Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth, smiling as drops of rain glistened on his eyeglasses. He took issue with the argument that budget deficits preclude constructive governmental action on the environment.
"Only two dollars out of every one hundred dollars spent by the federal government goes to actions beneficial to the environment," he said.
"What do you mean by, "beneficial to the environment?" I asked. "Does that include park expenditures?"
"Yes, and EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the projects at Dept. of Energy which would be considered environmentally beneficial" He was clear that he did not consider any projects related to coal or nuclear power beneficial to the environment. And, at the same time, Blackwelder continued, the federal government spends only slightly less than that 2% on projects which are bad for the environment." (Friends of the Earth has allied with the National Taxpayers Union to advocate spending cuts friendly to the environment; they call them "Green Scissors Cuts.")
"What do you consider to be the worst offenders, in terms of projects paid for by tax dollars, that damage the environment," I asked him.
"There's a highway across West Virginia, a pet project of Sen. Byrd (D.W.Va.), there's all the subsidies to nuclear power, and there is a foreign aid project funding construction of a nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. There's a dam being constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation in Colorado. These are examples, there are many more, of course."
"You say 2% of the federal budget. But how many dollars."
"Its 33 billion dollars," asserted Blackwelder. "You know a billion dollars is a stack of twenty dollar bills that would reach to the top of the Washington Monument."
I stopped for a moment and looked up at the towering obelisk, now damp and shining as the sun broke through. I didn't attempt to check his math. And I don't have that many twenty dollars bills.
For information on the Green Scissors call Ralph Gennaro at Friends of the Earth (202) 879-4286. Friends of the Earth are on the Internet at foedc@igc.apc.org.