Clearing the Air : How the People of Virginia Improved the State's Air and Water Despite the EPA

"Clearing the Air" documents Dunlop's tenure as Secretary of Natural Resources for the state of Virginia. For four years, Becky Norton Dunlop worked to improve air and water quality in her state and others while battling Carol Browner, Vice President Albert Gore, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Dunlop not only succeeded in making the environment better, she won praise from business leaders, workers, and families. In so doing, she led the way for a revolt by more than a dozen states against the EPA's command-and-control hegemony. EPA's Environmental Scientist, Hugh Wise, in a forward to the book commends Dunlop's, "common sense and considerable political acumen to the task of bringing Virginia cost-effectively into compliance with federal environmental regulations." Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Richard Armey (R), who has also reviewed the book commented, "Becky Dunlop showed in Virginia that you can be pro-market and pro-environment at the same time. In fact, the two go together. This book is a must read for conservatives—and for all real friends of the environment." In this important new report from the front lines, Dunlop tells how the people of Virginia fought back and reclaimed their own ecological destiny. In the process, they led the way for other states to resist ineffective programs such as the California car (which EPA itself later renounced) and centralized auto testing (a nightmare of 6-hour waits and multiple visits to the shop in every state where it's been tried.) "This is a great state government book," says AdTI President Ken Brown. "It offers a positive alternative—and shows how new approaches can bring about environmental improvement."