Bush Will Defend the Environment, Governor Predicts

Predicting that President-elect George Bush will be a strong defender of the environment, California Gov. George Deukmejian said Wednesday that the new Administration will vigorously enforce federal clean air laws but take a case-by-case approach to oil drilling in coastal waters off California and other states.

“I say this because of things he (Bush) said during the campaign . . . and also from private conversations,” said Deukmejian, who was in Washington for meetings with some of Bush’s top advisers, including James A. Baker III, Craig Fuller and Robert Teeter.

During a press conference, the governor also disclosed that Bush’s transition team has invited him to furnish the names of Californians who he believes should get top posts in the Administration and added that he will be making such recommendations in the coming weeks.

While the governor conceded that the Bush Administration is less likely to have as many Californians in top posts as the Reagan Administration, he said the state hopes several residents will receive key posts in the areas of trade, commerce, the environment and health and human services.

Deukmejian, who visited the leaders of Bush’s transition team along with the governors of Wyoming and New Mexico, also said that he discussed the importance of federal initiatives to strengthen the Mexican economy, create more jobs south of the border and open Latin American markets to more California products.

Although the governor discussed a long list of state concerns with Bush’s advisers, he said that environmental issues such as clean air and offshore oil drilling were not mentioned.

Still, he expressed confidence that the Bush Administration would make enforcement of air pollution laws one of its top priorities, saying: “I would expect that they would go forward with a very vigorous program to implement the law.”

Bush’s attitude on the issue is particularly important because a bitterly divided Congress adjourned last month without taking action on a bill to reauthorize the Clean Air Act. During the debate, environmentalists charged that the Reagan Administration had not played a strong enough role in bringing about a compromise solution.

As for offshore oil drilling, Deukmejian stressed that the President-elect will keep an open mind on the long-running California controversy, but “is not one of those individuals who says absolutely no to offshore oil drilling. . . . He’s made that very clear.”

The Administration is likely to take another look at plans to drill for oil off California, as well as Massachusetts and the Florida Keys, the governor predicted. If a decision is made to proceed with drilling, oil companies will have to meet tough conditions to ensure that beaches and the ocean are not threatened, he added.

Offshore oil drilling has been a potent issue in California for many years. The Reagan Administration has drawn fire from environmentalists because of its plans to open up much of the state’s coast to drilling, including major leases of oil tracts south of Los Angeles and in Northern California.

During the campaign, Bush urged the Administration to postpone its sale of the oil tracts in Northern California until the next President has a chance to evaluate the issue. Shortly afterward, Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel said the sale would be delayed.

It is due to come up again this year, however, and the vice president generated further controversy on the issue when he said in a Texas campaign appearance that he supports offshore oil drilling, calling it a major difference between him and his opponent, Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis.

On Wednesday, Deukmejian said Bush had not been inconsistent in his California and Texas statements. The vice president “will support this only if it can be done safely,” he added.