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Spring
2002
Senator
Dick Durbin:
Bringing Home the Green
As
the senior U.S. senator from Illinois and the first to serve
on the Appropriations Committee in more than 25 years, Dick
Durbin has been enormously helpful to Chicago Wilderness.
First elected to the Senate in 1996, Durbin filled the seat
left vacant by the retirement of Senator Paul Simon. Previously
he had represented the 20th District in downstate Illinois
in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1982. Durbin,
56, and his wife, Loretta, have three children and one grandchild.
Early
this year, Chicago WILDERNESS Editor Debra Shore
interviewed Senator Durbin. He discussed his favorite places
in Illinois, his view of the prospects for federal support
of conservation initiatives, and his role model, Senator
Paul Douglas. Here are excerpts from their discussion.
Q:
What happened when you introduced support for Chicago Wilderness
in the Senate Appropriations Committee?
A:
One of my colleagues said, "Senator Durbin of Illinois requests
$700,000 for Chicago Wilderness," and Senator Ted Stevens
interrupted and said, ‘Wait a minute! Could you repeat
that? I never heard those two words together in my life!’
I turned to my staffer and said, ‘I hope you brought
plenty of material because the press will be all over me’
and fortunately we had all the material to explain what
Chicago Wilderness is and about the resources that need
to be protected and restored here. There were no stories
in the press about this. We showed them it was worthwhile.
Q:
What started you on the road to being a champion of conservation?
A:
My education really started with Senator Paul Douglas. I
worked for him as a college student and I’ll never
forget what he said: "As a young man, I wanted to save the
world. As a Senator, I wanted to save America. By the end
of my career, all I wanted to save was the Indiana Dunes."
Senator
Douglas had a real impact on me because this was a real
political battle. He was fighting to preserve a stretch
of the lakeshore, and lined up against him were the entire
Indiana delegation and the steel companies. It was a titanic
political struggle and it meant the world to him. And you
know, it was worth the fight, even though he had to give
in a little. He, more than anyone, has had an impact on
my view of the local scene.
Q:
What in your view is the appropriate role of the federal
government in conservation?
A:
The federal government can play a variety of roles in supporting
conservation. But the value of an effort like Chicago Wilderness
is that it comes from the grassroots. People living near
natural areas evaluate what needs to be protected and preserved.
We rely on local counsel, and the federal government can
provide resources.
Q:
What do you see as the threats to quality of life and a
healthy economic and environmental future in this region?
A:
The biggest threat to the region is uncoordinated development.
When villages and townships and counties strike out on their
own without examining the impact of their growth on others,
it creates a patchwork quilt. The problems counties face
have generally evolved without much forethought. Tom Hynes
[former Cook County Assessor] said to me years ago that
it really took people of vision to appreciate the need for
forest preserves.
Today
we know how valuable they are, not just for ecological reasons,
but for recreation. Each unit of government really needs
to think about whether they’re showing vision.
Q:
What is the source of your inspiration?
A:
I grew up downstate near the Mississippi River and I have
a fondness for that great river. We visited the parks and
forests. In this area I have visited a lot of parks and
preserves. Even as our population grows and our economy
prospers, we need to protect our natural heritage because
it is vital to the quality of life.
Many
parts of our state have had an impact on me: The Galena
Territory; Calhoun County, where the Illinois and Mississippi
Rivers meet (the Great River Road stretches down to Alton);
and the Shawnee National Forest. I’ve spent a lot of
time by Lake Michigan. We should never take that for granted.
It’s one natural treasure. I’ve worked with the
mayor on rebuilding the shoreline of the lake.
Mayor
Daley is full of surprises. Who would ever guess that this
child of Bridgeport would be sensitive to so many things
that contribute to the quality of life in this city? My
wife is an avid gardener and she marvels at what the city
has done with greenery. My hat’s off to the mayor.
Q:
What do you do yourself to get out and enjoy nature?
A:
My grandson lives in the Washington D.C. area. Each year
we take our family to the Potomac River for vacation. That’s
our chance to get outside and do things as a family for
a week.
Q:
What are the prospects for federal support of local conservation
initiatives?
A:
I don’t see in the president’s appointees to the
cabinet or the budget requests any real commitment here.
It is less likely we will have the resources we need. I’m
concerned about what this may mean for our ability to do
the job and protect resources.
The
government has barely held its ground in the last 20 years
in environmental protection and conservation. I have seen
countless examples, particularly in the West, where over-exploitation
of natural resources has become the norm, not the exception.
It’s become a partisan issue, and that concerns me.
I don’t believe there’s an adequate appreciation
of the value of these resources to the nation. I’m
a sponsor of the Utah Wilderness Bill, which is opposed
by both senators from Utah, and, I believe, their entire
congressional delegation. That portion of America has little
economic potential if its natural resources are lost, and
vast potential if recreation and tourism are encouraged.
But they don’t seem to see that.
Q:
What would you wish to be your ‘green legacy’?
A:
I hope we can establish standards of sensible development,
whether in transportation or housing, that capture the vision
of the forest preserves and parks. That’s one thing
I would like to do.
We
can do better than we have. Government doesn’t have
to be heavy-handed. It can be a "guiding hand" that talks
about standards and values and that preserves important
things.
We
often overlook in our own backyard natural treasures that
should be protected and preserved.
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