A Rhonda Hamilton Policy Position Statement on Natural Resources and Conservation:

The preservation of our natural resources and the quality of our natural environment has greatly been ignored during the past decade, in my opinion. 

We are vitally concerned about the future well-being of our citizens and fully realize that positive action programs must be undertaken, in a cooperative effort between the federal government, and the states, to assure adequate outdoor recreational facilities, and to assure necessary health safeguards for generations to come. To these ends I make the following pledge to all Washingtonians:

1.  We will promote an aggressive campaign at all levels of government to combat the serious air and water pollution problem.
2.  Full support will be given to the establishment of adequate water quality standards to protect the present high quality waters, to abate pollution, and to improve the status of waters not now considered of high quality.
3.  We will work in close cooperation with private industry, and governmental agencies toward engineering designs to abate the mounting air pollution problems.
4.  We will actively support research to control pests through biological means, and chemical means which are more selective, and less persistent than those now used.
5.  Legislation, and an active program are necessary to protect our endangered wildlife species. This problem is of serious concern, and will receive our immediate attention, and action.
6.  We will work for protection of our waterfowl wetlands, and nesting areas.
7.  Our estuarine areas must be protected as vital to the production of fish, shellfish, furbearers, waterfowl, and other aquatic creatures.
8.  All federal assistance programs to the states in the areas of game, fish, and outdoor recreation will be streamlined to gain the maximum benefit from each dollar invested.
9.  Our increasing population demands improved, and additional outdoor recreational areas. To this end we will support active programs at all levels of government for the development of existing parks, and proper outdoor recreational programs. Public lands must be utilized for multiple uses to benefit all Washingtonians.
10.  The preservation of our forest, and timber resources is of utmost concern to the nation and our Administration. We pledge federal cooperation with efforts of state and local governments, and with private industry for a sound, economically regulated basis to avoid depletion of this vital natural resource. Government, and industry will be encouraged to participate in planned reforestation programs, and programs for protection of our forests from the ravages of fire, and other destructive causes.

America is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, with beautiful scenery, and bountiful waters. This land of ours should not be marred, and its resources wasted. We recognize that progress invites construction, and industrial development, and we recognize its necessity, but we must assure that the intangible values of our parks, forests, and estuarine areas will be protected, promoted, and developed.  We must assure that Washington, D.C., and America shall retain its scenic beauty for centuries to come.

We will place particular emphasis on the problems of air, and water pollution and will initiate joint cooperative programs with private industry to attack, and to solve these problems as their correction is in the interest of all segments of our national life, our citizens, the government, and the nation’s industry.