# Tree-hugger or toxic-waste burner? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2000, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067 "2000-12-17T23:50:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jcgmoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@jcgmoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcgmoi)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067/1 "2000-12-17T23:50:57Z")
According to an AP story of this afternoon the following are short-listed for Director, Environmental Protection Agency in a Bush administration: Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Secretary James M. Seif; Illinois Environmental Protection Agency chief Tom Skinner; former Illinois EPA chief Mary Gade; David Struhs, director of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Russ Harding, director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Anyone have the straight dope on these folks? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067/2 "2000-12-17T23:53:46Z")
That would be worth knowing about, considering that Bush is the polluter’s best friend, and Reagan did everything he could to trash the EPA without actually shutting it down. ---
**Author:** ![jcgmoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@jcgmoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcgmoi)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2000, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067/3 "2000-12-19T00:30:27Z")
I’m bumping this because I’m sure someone out there has the straight dope and because I would really like to know. Any information appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2000, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067/4 "2000-12-19T15:29:09Z")
Bueller… Bueller… Bueller… ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2000, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067/5 "2000-12-19T16:34:51Z")
/\*\* Warning – contains implicit political views. Read with caution! \*\*/ [views are solely personal view of poster, yadda, yadda] I Don’t know about the others, and haven’t followed David Struhs too closely in Florida, but a little familiar with his previous job heading the Massachusetts DEP (which – not that you want to know – in the state is actually subordinate to the state secretary of the environment, who is subordinate to the governor). Struhs will clearly be more sympathetic to big and small business than Browner, and he definitely will be doing what he has to to make the Bushes happy, but will also generally try and do an honest job of environmental protection (your opinion and his of what the right thing to do could differ slightly of course). I wouldn’t expect any Reagan-era attempted destruction of the agency from Struhs. The bottom line is, he’s not too bad on the trees \<–\> toxic waste scale. If Rachel Carson was old growth forest, and Gorsuch (Reagan’s EPA Administrator) was a toxic waste dump, Struhs is like a park with a little too much fertilizer and pesticides - somewhere in the middle, could be worse. Of course, the views of his boss, and the majority leaders in Congress are another matter (but this isn’t supposed to be a Great Debate, so I’ll be good and shut up now.) ---
**Author:** ![jcgmoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@jcgmoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcgmoi)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067/6 "2000-12-20T00:59:17Z")
Thanks for your take, Quercus (love that nick). That’s exactly the type of evaluation I hoped for. I read today that former Governor Whitman of NJ is ‘now considered the front-runner’ for EPA head, so I’ll add her name to the list. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067/7 "2000-12-20T03:45:42Z")
May I ask, by the way, what’s so bad about a toxic-waste burner? High-temperature incineration is the only safe, environmentally friendly way to dispose of many wastes. Perhaps you meant a toxic-waste dumper? ---
**Author:** ![jcgmoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@jcgmoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jcgmoi)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-hugger-or-toxic-waste-burner/46067/8 "2000-12-20T19:35:40Z")
chronos said : > [@](#): > > Perhaps you meant a toxic-waste dumper? Yep. Either that or an under-regulated toxic-waste burner.