Houston smog a key topic for Kerry's visit

[Judi Lynn]

April 22, 2004, 1:20AM

Houston smog a key topic for Kerry's visit
By JOHN WILLIAMS
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Political Writer


Houston's air will again waft into presidential politics today as Democratic candidate John Kerry comes to town for an Earth Day rally at which he'll discuss the city's air pollution.

Kerry has scheduled a public appearance at the University of Houston main campus to detail the differences between him and President Bush on environmental issues. Tonight, he is to attend a fund-raiser at the InterContinental Houston hotel to raise $1 million.

In recent days, Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, has been to Tampa, Fla., and New Orleans to outline plans to clean the air and water without financially crimping regions prone to pollution. It is part of an effort to paint Bush as weak on the environment.

"In three short years, this president has put the brakes on 30 years of environmental progress," Kerry said Monday in Tampa. "They're using the same tired, old argument that you can't have a clean environment if you want a strong economy. Well, they're wrong. You can have both."
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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2522220
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