As economics and education have remained at the forefront of this year's Pennsylvania governor's race, environmental issues have taken a back seat.
In the latest Keystone Poll, only 2 percent of Pennsylvania voters said that the environment was the biggest issue facing the state today, and a mere 1 percent said it was the most important issue facing them and their family.
According to Terry Madonna, head of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Millersville University, economic and educational concerns have garnered a lot of voter attention, due to the current economic downturn across the country and the poor performances of several of the state's schools.
"The bad economy creates demands for more jobs, and therefore more growth and development, which means less demand for conservation," Madonna said.
Joe Minott, executive director of the Clean Air Council, a nonprofit environmental organization, feels the environment has been neglected in this campaign.
"Unfortunately, the environment was under-discussed in this election," he wrote in an e-mail. "In general, major environmental issues are seen as controversial and tend to be avoided by the candidates."
According to Minott, Pennsylvania is currently facing some highly serious environmental issues. He says that many areas do not meet the current federal health standards for smog, acid rain is ravaging waterways, forests and buildings in the state and fishing waters have dangerously high levels of mercury.
However, according to Minott, the most pressing issues the candidates need to address are emissions from dirty power plants, alternative energy and funding for Growing Greener -- a state program to preserve farmland and open space, end stockpiling in state parks, clean up abandoned mines, restore watersheds and provide new and improved water and sewage systems.
Spokesmen for both Democrat Ed Rendell and Republican Mike Fisher argue that, though perhaps not at the forefront, the environment is a key issue of both campaigns.
"Economics and tax issues have been at the center because of voter concerns," Fisher spokesman Kent Gates said. However, "a good economy and education are partners to protecting the environment."
According to Gates, Fisher has a clear track record on environmental issues, including writing Pennsylvania's recycling law. As governor, Fisher would focus on watershed and green space initiatives, Gates said.
"The biggest environmental challenge is protecting our landfills from out-of-state trash and protecting open space, by rebuilding the interior of our cities," Gates said. "Fisher believes you can have both growth and conservation."
Rendell spokesman Dan Fee also said the environment is a campaign issue.
Rendell's top priority is land use and protecting the state's water supply.
"He will create a $1 billion bond to help remediate damaged lands and preserve open space and water supplies," Fee said.
While the Clean Air Council does not endorse any candidate, Minott said that "of the two main candidates, Ed Rendell has offered the most detail on what his positions are on the environment."
According to Minott, Rendell has come out in favor of major reductions to power plant emissions through a strong New Source Review program, and wants the state to use its purchasing power to promote non-polluting forms of energy.
On the other hand, Fisher, who is currently Pennsylvania's attorney general, did not join with other attorney generals from the northeast to push NSR enforcement and has not advanced any proposals to promote positive energy development, Minott said.
What both candidates have in common, however, is support of further investment in environmental programs.
While the environment has not played a significant role in this campaign, Madonna said, that does not mean that the voters don't care about the environment.
"When it comes to issues like clean air and water, cleaning up nuclear waste or modernizing water and sewer plants, you see enormous popular support," Madonna said. "When it comes to other things, like land conservation versus development, we then move into a far more controversial area."
But if the candidates don't address environmental issues, Madonna said, "it may create enormous problems for the future."
About the Series
Every Friday until the gubernatorial elections in November, The Daily Pennsylvanian will run an article analyzing the major issues on the minds of Pennsylvania voters and how the major candidates are addressing them.
As polls change, as the advertisements start to heat up, the DP will focus on the angle coming from each candidate's campaign and the perspective provided by political experts and non-partisan analysts, as well as how ordinary Pennsylvanians react to the messages of Ed Rendell and Mike Fisher.
And as the campaigns progress and Nov. 5 approaches, share your thoughts at the dailypennsylvanian.com
gubernatorial race forum.
