Some day, a politician will offer reforms harmonizing environmental quality with responsible liberty and modest prosperity. This niche in our political ecology is vacant. Incentives to fill it have been weak.

This, however, is rapidly changing. Republican representative Sherwood Boehlert of NY said, "There were some valuable lessons learned by some who ignored environmental policy at their own peril." Celinda Lake, a Democrat pollster, explained in the past election, "the environment played a very important role". The incumbents who were defeated came from suburban and upscale districts. She notes: "The environment played a very heavy role in those districts."

But the candidates haven't yet caught up to the electorate. Democrats prefer "Nanny State" solutions to community conservation. Al Gore's learning curve for effective, efficient, and equitable environmental policy seems as flat as a pre-Galileo Earth Day.

Republicans, despite their 1994 "revolution", favor the exploiters and extractors. Dole was linked to ethanol-subsidy addict Archer Daniels Midland. Congress members including Helen Chenoweth and Tom DeLay bulldozed their favored corporate interests over environmental values. And Jack Kemp couldn't even pronounce the E.P.A.

Both parties are beholden to entrenched special interests. It seems elephants can't forget to plunder, and asses can't learn new ways.

Ross Perot's Reform Party doesn't even mention the environment. The upstart "Green Party" even with Ralph Nader, America's most famous professional agitator, won only 2.4% of California's vote. And Libertarian Party candidate Harry Browne did great on Internet polls, with a landslide in Cyber-America. But, like Perot, Browne's platform ignored environmental topics.

Here is a green campaign speech, available to all candidates. It's provided to candidates from all parties. Longer versions are available in FREE's "Green Blueprint for America," and a shorter version is found in "The Candidate's Guide to Environmental Issues" by Joe Bast of the Heartland Institute.

THE GREEN SPEECH

"I believe in protecting the environment. I believe in conservation and preservation, in parks and wilderness, in using, enjoying, and stewarding our natural environment. We all have a duty to make this world a safer and cleaner place.

"I'm proud of our progress in improving the environment. Since the first Earth Day, air is cleaner, water is cleaner, and many animals are rebounding. Lead emissions have virtually disappeared and water quality, especially in the Great Lakes, has greatly improved. The bald eagle and peregrine falcon have made dramatic recoveries.

"We can do better still. Problems of disappearing habitat, ineffective regulations, and new pollution require innovative policy tools. The easy solutions have already been implemented. Next, we must address insensitive and inefficient public lands management, unnecessarily high regulatory costs, and unintended consequences of environemental mandates. We need a new environmentalism for the 21st century.

"My environmental vision sees a safer and cleaner world. Its foundation is sound science rather than hysteria. Citizens are demanding policies that deliver the biggest "bang for the buck." Policies that fail to respect people's liberty and property will fail. We must, however, recognize that, at times, rights conflict. Is my clean air worth your job? My cheap power, your salmon? We can't avoid such trade-offs. Here are seven principles that will help us wisely and fairly achieve a better environment.

"1. Demand sound science:

Too often, crisis entrepreneurs create hysteria in order to drive their policies and increase their own budgets. Peer-reviewed science is critical to reform.

"2. Prioritize risks:

Our resources are limited, so we must get the most for our money. Cost-benefits analysis can help prioritize risk and first address the greatest risk to our health and to our environment. We want the most environmental benefit for the least cost.

"3. Decentralize decision-making:

Command-and-control, one-size-fits-all, centralized planning falsely assumes that all communities are identical. This approach stifles creativity and wastes scarce resources. Distant bureaucrats can't manage local environments with sensitivity or efficiency. Letting locals make decisions encourages innovation, learning, and responsibility. But locals must recognize regional and national interests.

"4. Carefully privatize some public assets:

Commodities should be produced by private interests who anticipate and respond to market signals. Amenitites should be preserved and made available by public trusts. The federal government should monitor and conduct research, not manage and redistribute to the well-organized. Bureaucracies tend to foster waste, corruption, and short-term political calculus.

"5. Respect property rights:

The Constitution requires due compensation when government takes or restricts private owners' property. When government is used as an engine of plunder, the plundered usually react. Unjust environmental policies build enemies of those whose cooperation is vital, like farmers, ranchers, and forest owners.

"6. Hold polluters accountable:

Courts can and should hold polluters responsible for the damage they cause. Let them scramble to find appropriate technology.

"7. Promote prosperity:

Demand for environmental quality is like that for BMWs, foreign travel, and gourmet food; it increases with education and income.

"The American public is committed to environmental quality. We've made much progress in that direction. To do more, we need to promote prosperity, secure property rights, and responsible freedom. These are values worthy of America's heritage and a bridge to a greener future. Thank you for your vote next Tuesday."