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EPA and the environmental movement
Q: How would you characterize EPA relations with the environmental movement?
MR. TRAIN: Just about as difficult as industry! (laughing) When I first joined EPA I decided to have regular meetings with the heads of the principal environmental organizations. They were held about once a month. The leaders of these organizations came to the first meeting, but by the second meeting they had passed on this responsibility to the young staffers in their Washington offices. Pretty soon, it seemed all I did was call these meetings and have these young Turks tell me what a jerk I was and what a poor job I was doing; how I was crucifying the environment and selling out to industry, and so forth. It finally seemed to me a totally unproductive exchange, and I didn't call any more meetings. I never said we weren't going to have any more sessions; I just never called any more. Life was too short, and I had only a certain reservoir of energy and blood. I thought there were more important battles to fight than those with the environmental community.
Having said that, when push came to shove, my relationship with the environmental community was pretty good. But almost every issue that was hot then is still hot today. The Administrator of EPA cannot very often make a decision that is going to completely please the environmental community. These decisions usually run down the middle, and flak tends to come from all sides. It's the nature of the operation.