ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, December 18, 1996           TAG: 9612180079
SECTION: EDITORIAL                PAGE: A-18 EDITION: METRO 

THIS GUY'S A COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN?

IN THE heady days following their 1994 takeover of the Hill, Republicans undertook a slash-and-burn approach to the environment, or at least an approach that was perceived as such. As House Speaker Newt Gingrich has conceded, this strategy and its appearance came back to hurt them.

Republicans went to extremes in some cases, he says, and got their message confused. They seemed to put polluters' interests ahead of the public interest, and so turned off a lot of Americans, including many Republicans, who favor vigorous protection of the environment.

The speaker says he's hoping for higher marks on green concerns in the coming session. There may be reason to hope he'll get them. Gingrich did support a commendable revision of the Clean Water Act this year.

But then there's Don Young.

Two years ago, Gingrich appointed the Alaska Republican chairman of the House Resources Committee, an important committee that deals with most environmental legislation. Recently, the House GOP caucus, with nary a dissent, approved Young's reappointment. It will become official next month - unless Gingrich decides not to reappoint him.

What is Rep. Young's attitude toward the environment? You can start to form a picture of it from statements he's made on the record this year.

Young told public radio in August he was "proud" to call environmentalists his "enemy." Why? "They are not Americans, never have been Americans, never will be Americans."

The National Journal asked the congressman to sum up his environmental philosophy. His answer: "If you can't eat it, can't sleep under it, can't wear it or make something from it, it's not worth anything."

The Anchorage Daily News asked Young what he sees in trees. "I see paper to blow your nose."

Hmmmm.

A nationwide advocacy group calling itself Republicans for the Environment is calling on the speaker to dump Young.

Gingrich should take the advice.

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