spectr17
10-07-2001, 01:13 PM
Babbitt burnishes his green. But critics appear unconvinced
10/6/01.
By ERIC FIRPO, Santa Barbara News-Press
Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt went to USCB on Friday evening viewed by some as an environmental turncoat for his consulting work for two high-profile coastal development projects.
After a brief speech and a question-and-answer session that saw him go toe-to-toe with a few of his harshest Central Coast critics, Mr. Babbitt left having changed few minds.
"He just confirmed to me that he's sold his environmental credentials for money," said Tarren Collins, an attorney and Sierra Club activist fighting a Hearst Ranch development proposal in San Luis Obispo County.
Mr. Collins was one of a few dozen protesters who gave an edge to a gathering in front of Campbell Hall prior to Mr. Babbitt's talk.
They held signs denouncing the former Interior head and chanted slogans such as, "Babbitt's in bed with Hearst, let's prepare for the worst," and, "What does Babbitt want the most? More development on the coast."
Before the event, a few hinted they wouldn't be bashful in exercising their First Amendment rights to heckle Mr. Babbitt inside Campbell Hall, a possibility that a few beefy police officers inside the auditorium seemed prepared to deal with.
It turned out there was no need. Protesters might have been disarmed from the outset by his folksy charm, or, perhaps more likely, by an announcement that he would open the floor to any question following his talk, and he did exactly that.
But not before he warned against global warming, which he called the biggest environmental threat of our era.
He also made a point to bash the environmental policies of President Bush, such as a proposal to drill in the Arctic -- "vandalizing the Arctic Wildlife Refuge," he called it -- which he said kowtowed to oil interests.
President Bush's decision to unilaterally pull the United States out of the international Kyoto Protocol, designed to cut greenhouse gases, was a terrible move, he said.
He also criticized the president's stated goal of "energy independence" as myopically isolationist in a world that's becoming borderless.
"We need to listen to the rest of the world," he said.
Engagement with others in an ever-shrinking globe was a broad theme he repeated.
Then he reduced that to a personal level to explain his involvement with the Hearst Ranch, fighting for development rights to partition the 83,000-acre property in San Luis Obispo County into 297 parcels based on records from the 1800s. Critics say the Hearst Corp. might then use the threat of development to force conservation groups to buy development rights at a huge cost.
"I genuinely believe the Hearst family .Ê.Ê. are trying to protect their land," Mr. Babbitt said.
The Ahmanson Ranch in Ventura County, owned by Washington Mutual, is slated for 3,000 homes, two golf courses and roughly 400,000 square feet of commercial buildings.
Ahmanson owners, Mr. Babbitt said, "came to me and said as follows .Ê.Ê. 'We believe you can help us figure out how to deal with environmental complaints.' That fits the kinds of things I have done."
After his talk, he defended his decision as Interior secretary to extend the life of 36 offshore oil leases, which he predicted will never be developed.
And he was again peppered with questions from critics unsatisfied with his explanation about why a man once known for conservation has lent his name to developers.
"They're trying to maximize profits by using the name Bruce Babbitt," Ms. Collins said.
10/6/01.
By ERIC FIRPO, Santa Barbara News-Press
Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt went to USCB on Friday evening viewed by some as an environmental turncoat for his consulting work for two high-profile coastal development projects.
After a brief speech and a question-and-answer session that saw him go toe-to-toe with a few of his harshest Central Coast critics, Mr. Babbitt left having changed few minds.
"He just confirmed to me that he's sold his environmental credentials for money," said Tarren Collins, an attorney and Sierra Club activist fighting a Hearst Ranch development proposal in San Luis Obispo County.
Mr. Collins was one of a few dozen protesters who gave an edge to a gathering in front of Campbell Hall prior to Mr. Babbitt's talk.
They held signs denouncing the former Interior head and chanted slogans such as, "Babbitt's in bed with Hearst, let's prepare for the worst," and, "What does Babbitt want the most? More development on the coast."
Before the event, a few hinted they wouldn't be bashful in exercising their First Amendment rights to heckle Mr. Babbitt inside Campbell Hall, a possibility that a few beefy police officers inside the auditorium seemed prepared to deal with.
It turned out there was no need. Protesters might have been disarmed from the outset by his folksy charm, or, perhaps more likely, by an announcement that he would open the floor to any question following his talk, and he did exactly that.
But not before he warned against global warming, which he called the biggest environmental threat of our era.
He also made a point to bash the environmental policies of President Bush, such as a proposal to drill in the Arctic -- "vandalizing the Arctic Wildlife Refuge," he called it -- which he said kowtowed to oil interests.
President Bush's decision to unilaterally pull the United States out of the international Kyoto Protocol, designed to cut greenhouse gases, was a terrible move, he said.
He also criticized the president's stated goal of "energy independence" as myopically isolationist in a world that's becoming borderless.
"We need to listen to the rest of the world," he said.
Engagement with others in an ever-shrinking globe was a broad theme he repeated.
Then he reduced that to a personal level to explain his involvement with the Hearst Ranch, fighting for development rights to partition the 83,000-acre property in San Luis Obispo County into 297 parcels based on records from the 1800s. Critics say the Hearst Corp. might then use the threat of development to force conservation groups to buy development rights at a huge cost.
"I genuinely believe the Hearst family .Ê.Ê. are trying to protect their land," Mr. Babbitt said.
The Ahmanson Ranch in Ventura County, owned by Washington Mutual, is slated for 3,000 homes, two golf courses and roughly 400,000 square feet of commercial buildings.
Ahmanson owners, Mr. Babbitt said, "came to me and said as follows .Ê.Ê. 'We believe you can help us figure out how to deal with environmental complaints.' That fits the kinds of things I have done."
After his talk, he defended his decision as Interior secretary to extend the life of 36 offshore oil leases, which he predicted will never be developed.
And he was again peppered with questions from critics unsatisfied with his explanation about why a man once known for conservation has lent his name to developers.
"They're trying to maximize profits by using the name Bruce Babbitt," Ms. Collins said.