President Bush's reaction to the energy crisis he's flogging makes clear that power shortages are not his real concern. The Refuge may not boost the U.S. energy supply very much, but drilling in it could substantially augment the profits of a lucky oil company. Bush's affection for oil companies extends beyond the fact that his administration is dripping with former oil execs. Not only is that the standard adopted by the World Health Organization and the European Union, but the National Academy of Sciences has concluded that water with the current arsenic limit could easily cause cancer. The Academy advocated that the limit be reduced right away.
Mining companies oppose the stricter standard.
And two other mining company executives gave large sums for the Bush bash. Buck will surely approve of the administration's announcement today. Bush will suspend Clinton administration rules that would have made environmental standards stricter, and made it harder for companies mining public lands to duck responsibility for violating anti-pollution laws. And that's not all. Last week, the president reversed his campaign pledge to require the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.