Neither Democrat Bill Orton nor Republican Richard Harrington can claim to be striving for the green vote this election based on their stands on environmental issues.
Here's how the candidates compare on selected environmental issues:Wilderness: Harrington says he's sympathetic to rural Utah and opposes designating any more land as wilderness. "There are no biological imperatives requiring additional wilderness," Harrington said during a KBYU-TV debate. He also opposes designating lands in national parks as wilderness and says mineral extraction industries bring more revenue into Utah than tourism does.
After 18 months of studying the issue, Orton proposed designating 1.18 million acres of new wilderness on Bureau of Land Management property. He also wants to designate 1.8 million acres in the San Rafael Swell, Escalante Canyons and the Cedar Mesa archaeological region as national con-ser-vation areas.
Toxic waste disposal: Orton said waste disposal businesses should not be treated differently from other businesses provided they meet safety and health standards. He says Utah should not be the "trash can" of the nation. The federal government needs to give states control over waste disposal issues, including veto power to stop shipments a state doesn't want to handle.
Harrington also wants toxic waste disposal left up to the states. The federal government should stay out of the issue, according to Harrington.
Endangered Species Act: The Endangered Species Act is up for reauthorization in 1993. Harrington says animal species should not be protected to the point that humans are harmed. He favors a less restrictive act that balances the needs of animal species with the needs of people. The balance has swung too far the other way, he believes. Harrington told the editor of a weekly newspaper that he likes animals, "but if the spotted owl is too stupid to fly out of the tree when somebody chops it down . . . Mankind can be a much better steward than Mother Nature."
Orton will not vote to reauthorize the act unless it is modified to provide compensation for property owners who are prevented from developing their land to protect an endangered species.
Grazing fees: Orton opposes increases in grazing fees. He says grazing lands must be properly protected but also available to ranchers and farmers.
Harrington also opposes increases in grazing fees.
Cabinet status for EPA: Both candidates oppose elevating the Environmental Protection Agency to Cabinet status.
Clean Air Act: Orton believes the Clean Air Act approved in 1990 was a fair, workable compromise. He says the act should be implemented and its effects weighed before making further changes to it. Orton says efforts to clean up the air must include individual actions, such as willingness to drive less, use clean fuels and use mass transit. Utah's low sulfur coal should be marketed throughout the world.
Harrington said "we need to strike a balance that provides maximum employment, maximum pros-perity and at the same time provides as clean an atmosphere as technology and our ability to pay for technology permits." He says citizens of polluted areas are going to have to be willing to pay higher costs to achieve clean air.