At the end of eight years of environmental decisions that consistently have been anticonservation and pro-exploitation, the Reagan administration couldn`t resist one last opportunity to worsen its environmental reputation.
In spite of the recommendation of the National Park Service, the request of Gov. Thompson and the General Assembly, and the support of thousands of Illinois citizens and 50 environmental groups, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel refused to grant federal protection to the Middle Fork of the Vermillion River.
In rejecting Thompson`s application for National Scenic River status for one of the last pristine rivers in Illinois, Hodel bowed to the wishes of a small but vocal group that wants to see the river dammed to form a reservoir. I wait with great anticipation to see if this decision will be overturned by the Bush administration, or if our degraded environment is in for ”four more years.”
