GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush yesterday proposed $2.3 billion in new spending and tax credits over five years to promote conservation, including full funding of $900 million a year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and a capital gains tax cut for people who sell property to conservation groups. In his second campaign speech focused on environmental issues, delivered in a scenic spot on the shores of Lake Tahoe in Nevada, Bush also said the feds need to do more to protect the rights of private property owners. He accused the Clinton-Gore administration of orchestrating federal land grabs without getting input from locals, and he specifically criticized President Clinton’s designations of national monuments.
