By Bart King
There’s no denying the economic crisis has dominated President Obama’s first 100 days in office. The young administration has been forced to define its domestic and international agendas in terms of economic recovery, and thus far it has provided the vision needed to find opportunity at the center of this challenge.
History will judge the effectiveness of the $787 billion stimulus package and the course set by an enormous budget that proposes to overhaul health care, education and energy. The legislative battles that will be fought over these issues will demonstrate whether or not Obama can skillfully employ the Presidential bully pulpit, a task for which he certainly has the charisma and the attention of the public.
However, he has already proven himself to be a decisive chief of the executive branch, the area in which his experience and ability were questioned during the election campaign.
The environment has been one of the greatest beneficiaries of this authority, as the administration has set a feverish pace in righting the wrongs of its predecessors. Environmentalists have been thrilled—giddy even—to have a President who views nature as a limited resource to be protected rather than plundered.
The Bush administration saved some of its dirtiest deeds for its final days in office—weakening the Endangered Species Act, making it easier to practice mountaintop removal coal mining and pushing hasty plans for oil shale development in Utah. Obama wasted no time overturning each of these and instituting a full review of the Bush’s plans for offshore drilling and the permitting of new sources of air pollution.
Obama’s swift move to return science to its rightful place as an undeniable factor in policy decisions has restored credibility to federal agencies that rely on public trust. Nowhere is this more visible than with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Bush administration undermined the regulatory authority of the EPA at every turn, viewing it as an impediment to strong business. Despite a crippled economy, Obama has shown that industry will not be given a blank check at the expense of clean water and air. He appears to understand the market can thrive within a clearly defined framework that protects human and environmental health.
Within a week of taking office, Obama ordered the EPA to review Bush’s refusal to allow the state of California to set tougher emissions standards for automobiles. He has since directed the Agency to coordinate with the Department of Transportation to devise comprehensive federal standards on automotive emissions and fuel efficiency—an initiative to which Bush gave little more than lip service throughout his presidency.
Similarly, the Supreme Court in 2007 gave President Bush the authority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. He did nothing. Obama began the process by the middle of April.
"The days of Washington dragging its heels are over. My administration will not deny facts, we will be guided by them," Obama said.
Now I realize I’m comparing apples to oranges here. But I can’t help myself; this is a really good apple.
Here are a few other executive actions that have made me proud of my rejuvenated government. The EPA has begun monitoring air quality at schools across the country. It restored reporting rules for companies using toxic chemicals. It proposed the first regulations for mercury emissions resulting from cement production, and the President gave his full support to an international effort to reduce mercury emissions nationwide.
Oh yeah, and the first lady planted a vegetable garden at the White House—an act of cultural leadership that could play a big part in helping Americans to reconnect with the natural world.
I’m not in full agreement with every step that’s been made over the last 100 days. I wanted a higher proportion of stimulus spending and budget allocations to go towards research and development of energy technology. And I continue to believe a straight carbon tax would be more effective in addressing climate change than a cap-and trade system. But this seems like nitpicking when I consider that for the first time a President’s demonstrated priorities are aligned with my own.
I realize a large number of Americans want to follow a different path than Obama has chosen, but I believe there is agreement as to the destination. I know Americans want better education, affordable health care, clean energy and a clean environment. That’s why I’m even more hopeful—now that I’ve seen Obama’s first measured steps—that an even greater majority of the public will eventually follow his lead.
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Bart King is News Editor of SustainableBusiness.com. This column is available for syndication.
Contact bart@sustainablebusiness.com.
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