GOP presidential contender John McCain said yesterday that he plans to increase the visibility of environmental issues in his campaign and make a major policy address on the environment within the next few weeks. McCain: “I believe the environment may be the sleeper issue of the campaign. There’s great concern throughout this country and there’s great dissatisfaction that Congress and the president aren’t doing enough.” Meanwhile, Vice Pres. Al Gore spoke out yesterday against the influence of “big polluters” on the presidential race, criticizing Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) for accepting large campaign contributions from polluting industries. Enviros are blaming the Bush administration for a seven-year low in the number of fines collected from polluters in Texas during fiscal 1999.
