Hamburg considers environmnental issues and policy the primary focus of his term in office. This was in part attributable to his personal interest but perhaps even more to the nature of the district he represented and the importance of the environment, to its aesthetic and economic health and well-being.
This focus, Hamburg acknowledges, placed him at odds with a substantial number of his constituents who did not favor his long-term approach to environmental restoration and economic development. Frank Riggs, with his "Jobs First" slogan, was able to attract many voters not strongly influenced by environmental concerns by portraying Hamburg as "an extremist". While Hamburg admits that he is in some ways to the left of a majority of his district, he believes his environmental stands were correct responses to immediate issues facing the district and were practical and sensible in content and scope.
Hamburg cited other factors that contributed to his defeat including low voter turn-out (65,000 fewer votes were cast in 1994 as compared to 1992) and the entry of Doug Bosco into the primary campaign. Hamburg believes a substantial part of the electorate "voted with their feet," refusing to go to the polls as a way of expressing their frustration with the growing negative tenor of politics. Bosco's challenge introduced a well-funded, divisive element into the race, splitting Democrats and leaving fertile ground for Riggs to exploit.
Responding to criticism that he was not sufficiently combative in dealing with Riggs' accusatory, confrontive style, Hamburg stated he was unwilling to modify his basic approach because of Riggs' manner and personality. Hamburg believes his campaign was conducted in an appropriate, ethical manner and has few regrets about it other than the outcome!
Hamburg noted that too many people have been indoctrinated with the notion that every problem has a technological fix, even the environment. They find it hard to believe that natural processes are being irreparably harmed by irresponsible use and abuse of resources. Hamburg strongly believes in an ethic of stewardship; that we have an obligation to leave the planet in better health than we found it. He mentioned that native people of this region tried always to extend their thinking to "The seventh generation." This is at odds with the corporate, capitalist ethic, which too often focuses on short-term profit and the vague promise of "progress" to solve environmental (or social) problems.
Hamburg emphasized that is was not his intent to "lock up" the region's resources and that most of his efforts involved restoration and sustainable economics. For example, his much debated but poorly understood Headwaters Forest Act actually permitted limited logging over 88% of the land in question. The purpose of the bill was to protect the last remnants of an irreplaceable resource - the ancient redwood forest and its ecosystem - while installing responsible management practices on the remainder of the land, some 39,000 acres.
Hamburg used the word "dismal" to describe the environmental record of the 103rd Congress. This was particularly distressing since that Congress convened with high hopes across a number of fronts. The environmental movement had strongly backed Bill Clinton and Al Gore and while Clinton did not have a strong reputation as an environmentalist, Gore certainly did. His book, Earth In The Balance, gave promise that a Clinton-Gore administration would emphasize environmental protection and restoration. In addition, both houses of Congress were controlled by Democrats.
In the final accounting, only a severely compromised California Desert Bill became law in the 103rd Congress. The Clean Water Act, Superfund reform, wetlands and endangered species legislation, the elevation of the EPA to Cabinet status, and finally, the Headwaters Forest Act fell to haggling and political expediency.
Hamburg believes there is no cause for optimism about the 104th Congress. The "Contract with America," even though it never once mentions the word "environment," is a blueprint for the undoing of 25 years of laws and regulations designed to conserve environmental resources and protect human health and safety. Among the potential casualties are efforts to preserve ancient forests, wetlands, clean water and clean air, the Endangered Species Act, and more. Hamburg believes that the environmental community is now forced to struggle against this dismantling, rather than working to strengthen statutes that badly need improvement.
The Republican assault on the environment, according to Hamburg, is built around extreme views of private property rights and home rule. They contend that federal regulations are a threat to private property and constitute a "taking" under the constitution. Hamburg believes this is a distortion of traditional property rights that if carried to its logical conclusion would allow rampant abuse of the environment. The Republicans are also decrying "unfunded federal mandates" as a violation of local control. They maintain, in effect, that state and local governments have no responsibility for the health and safety of their constituents. Finally, the Republicans want to require 23 new sets of cost analyses before any new regulation can be issued, drowning federal enforcement efforts in red ink.
Behind all the rhetoric, according to Hamburg, the real intention of the Republicans is to pander to segments of the electorate while allowing big business to abuse the environment with impunity.
Hamburg described the strong House support for the Headwaters Forest Act, which passed by 288-133. This was the only piece of House-originated environmental legislation to be approved in the 103rd Congress. It was killed in the Senate due to the weak support of Senator Feinstein and the Republican tactic of filibustering most legislation in the waning days of the session. Hamburg doubts that Riggs will introduce significant Headwaters legislation in the 104th Congress.
Another major initiative introduced by Hamburg was the Russian River Fisheries Restoration Act. This legislation, which successfully passed the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, was aimed at addressing the degradation of the river channel and the loss of one of the great historic steelhead fisheries. Hamburg also introduced a bill of national scope, the National Acquatic Ecosystem Restoration Act, to make it possible for grassroots organizations throughout the country to imitate the success of groups like Friends of the Garcia and the Mattole Restoration Council. Hamburg noted that fisheries on both coasts are crashing due to a multitude of problems, including the generally unhealthy state of river and stream systems. A recent National Science Foundation study found only 2% of the nation's aquatic ecosystems to be healthy.
Hamburg recently accepted a position with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs as field representative in South Africa. He and his wife Carrie left Ukiah in late February and will be based in Johannesburg for approximately one year. His focus will be to assist the newly-elected governing bodies in the nine provinces. South Africa is now struggling to implement a national reconstruction strategy put forth by the African National Congress, the party of President Nelson Mandela. Hamburg said he looks forward to working in a political environment in which there is support for strong governmental activity in the interest of economic and social justice.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1995