The Making of a Conservative Environmentalist: With Reflections on Government, Industry, Scientists, the Media, Education, Economic Growth, the Public

Durnil, a mover and shaker among Indiana Republicans, tells how he became an environmentalist and argues that conservatism and environmentalism need not be in conflict. In 1989, President Bush appointed Durnil to be the United States chair of the International Joint Commission, a binational organization whose charge is to safeguard the environmental resources along the U.S.-Canadian border. With absolutely no environmental background, but with impeccable conservative credentials, Durnil was a purely political appointment; but during his tenure, he took his job seriously and did his homework. Here, he focuses on the consequences of introducing toxic substances into ecosystems and argues that government resources should be spent on the elimination of such toxics rather than on remedial efforts. Within this rather narrow, but critically important, field, Durnil raises provocative points. Disappointingly, however, he dismisses as trivial other environmental issues that he has not yet personally studied (e.g., he argues against ``worrying about such esoteric theories as global warming''). Durnil's repeated asides in support of conservative causes unrelated to environmentalism (e.g., anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, pro-family values) detract from an otherwise cogent thesis. (Sept.)