Unlike Gore, however, Bush would allow exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, because he believes that oil and gas extraction could be done in an environmentally sound way. Bush has yet to articulate a comprehensive transportation plan. A major theme of the Bush campaign is that he will pay much more attention to the views of local communities and leaders in advancing environmental protection. For example, he would designate 50 percent of the Land and Water Conservation Fund for use by state and local initiatives. Both candidates want to encourage the use of brownfields, land that is not being used because it contains potentially harmful residues from past industrial activities.
Potential developers worry about their liability under current environmental law.
This is particularly a problem in older urban areas, where land is relatively scarce. Both candidates would provide financial assistance to those who want to develop these properties, and Bush would also introduce more flexible cleanup standards. Both candidates recognize that technology is important to economic growth, so both want to be seen as allies of progress. Both emphasize that innovation is driven by the private sector, that government should spend more on research that provides a foundation for that innovation, and that free trade is an essential complement. Both candidates support the permanent extension of the research and experimentation tax credit to encourage industry to invest more in research.