George W. Bush gets his first look at Tahoe

Framed by the boulders and tall pines of Sand Harbor in front of the brilliant blue of Lake Tahoe, George W. Bush told supporters Thursday he wants to build conservation partnerships that will "preserve places like this and protect them."

Bush spoke before a crowd of about 150 that paid $1,000 apiece to meet and hear the man the Republicans hope will be the next president of the United States.

"It's quite a setting," he said, noting this was his first trip to Tahoe. "Particularly for a boy who was raised in the desert in Midland, Texas."

He said conservation is a national goal but not one that can be dictated from Washington, D.C.

"The federal government can and should cooperate in the efforts to preserve the clarity, the beauty of Lake Tahoe," he said.

But he said his vision is "in stark contrast to the philosophy that Washington knows best."

"The federal government and the states, local communities and private landowners must respect and work with one another to preserve our natural heritage to provide flexibility, decentralization and positive incentives to involve more Americans in the responsibility of conservation," he said.

But Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Bush is avoiding the main issue for Nevadans, which is nuclear waste.

"To come to Nevada on a trip and talk about the environment and not talk about nuclear waste is absurd," said Reid. "If George W. Bush is elected, within six months Nevada will have nuclear waste."

Bush said he plans to "fully fund" the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He said half of that would go to state and local conservation efforts.

Bush also promised a 50 percent capital gains tax incentive to landowners willing to sell their land for conservation purposes and a landowner incentive program to help private property owners protect rare species.

And Bush said he wants to eliminate the estate tax so that families aren't forced to sell off lands by a death in the family.

"He comes to Lake Tahoe, makes an environmental speech and his classic is he wants to repeal the estate tax," said Reid. "The reason he says that at Lake Tahoe is he knows the people forking over the money are more concerned with keeping that money than keeping the lake blue."

Parts of his speech drew support even from environmentalists like the League to Save Lake Tahoe, whose director Rochelle Nason said she was pleased he wants to add $400 million a year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and support partnerships with local officials and private individuals.

"But we have some concern that federal lands are a local issue," she said. "They are not. Federal lands belong to all of America."

Bush declined to elaborate on his nuclear dump statement that he would rely on science, not politics, in deciding whether Yucca Mountain should be built.

Gov. Kenny Guinn said he believes that is sufficient because to him it means Bush will keep the Environmental Protection Agency in charge of deciding whether Yucca Mountain would be safe as a nuclear dump site.

"If they keep it in EPA, we don't think it'll ever be done," said Guinn.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., joined Guinn in saying Bush would have vetoed the most recent bill to force nuclear waste on Nevada just as President Clinton did.

On gaming, Guinn and Gibbons both said they haven't discussed proposed federal legislation that would ban betting on college sports in Nevada casinos. They repeated Bush's statements that he won't interfere with legal gambling in Nevada.

Reid pointed out that Bush "denigrated casino gambling" in a speech at Bob Jones University. He said he finds it strange casinos are willing to contribute to someone who will harm their business in Nevada.

Bush came to Sand Harbor for one fund-raiser and then went to the Glenbrook home of Southern Wine and Spirits owner Larry Ruvo for more exclusive fundraiser where contributors were expected to ante up significantly more for his ear and some of his time.

Reid said the GOP is "so jealous of the record of Bill Clinton that they are willing to overlook a person who would be terrible for Nevada, willing to overlook his stands on nuclear waste, overlook his stands on gambling."