It remains one of the most serious environmental problems facing America, Baron says. People are exposed to it every day. In a job being created for him, Baron will forge his own schedule, addressing not only air pollution, but water pollution and issues of public land use. He expects to encounter some of the same challenges he faced in Arizona, including the resistance of business and industrial concerns to complying with new laws and regulations. Business people like certainty.
Environmental elements add uncertainty.
But most business people eventually come around, he has discovered, to such innovations as emission standards. In the early 1970s, he notes, auto manufacturers fought attempts to make vehicles run cleaner. Now they boast of their compliance. Working in the nation's capital doesn't mean Baron will be jumping into the national political fray. He doesn't know if he'll rub shoulders with the likes of Babbitt or Vice President Al Gore, touted as a major supporter of environmental issues.