Bush, George H. W. Administration

Hesitations on Policy

Even as he strongly advocated for environmental protections and seemed to have a personal interest in the environment, President Bush also had reservations about the possible negative consequences of environmental policies that could be implemented too quickly. He claimed in 1992, “We cannot keep some of the extremes of the environmental movement happy because I believe that a sound environment can go hand-in-hand with reasonable growth.” President Bush was particularly concerned about how strict environmental provisions might affect jobs, especially in the lumber industries of the northwest where “40,000 people could be thrown out of work.” When asked about the environment in a presidential debate, he refused to “burden the automobile industry with the kind of costs the Europeans wanted us to put on the industry.” He also mentioned the American families who would be affected by overly protective policies toward the Spotted Owl, a symbol of the environmental movement as well as popular resistance to some environmental policies that affected jobs. Bush seemed determined to protect the environment in principle; but he was wary of the political consequences of signing international agreements and enforcing policies that might—in the short term—risk the jobs of American voters.