There are plenty of people here who are willing to put economic development over environmental quality. Lester does blame Bush for setting a pro-business tone that he says gets in the way of making much progress on the environment. It would be fair to say that he has not pushed for the government agencies to use all the power they have at their disposal to change things quickly. Eskew said environmentalists are distorting the governor's record. He points to different statistics that show environmental quality is improving in Texas, such as how it has reduced toxic pollution and increased funding for the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.
Agriculture is another key environmental issue.
Most farmers consider themselves protectors of the land on which their livelihoods depend, said Kevin Jeffries, who grows corn and soybeans on 1,400 acres in Oldham County and is a state Farm Bureau board member. He said he's undecided so far, but acknowledges that many farmers he knows think Gore may be hostile toward agriculture. When we get these mandates from the federal government, we can't pass some of the costs along. We are at the mercy of the market. For example, farmers worry about the federal government's recent move toward regulating waste from the largest animal feed lots, including Western Kentucky's giant poultry operations, and other environmental initiatives, such as clamping down on more pesticides.