Environmentalists Accused Of 'Hijacking' The Faith Based Initiative

(CNSNews.com) - Conservatives who support private property rights are criticizing President Bush's faith-based initiative because it would extend federal grants to religious groups with environmental agendas. Green groups that purchase land to restrict development would also benefit from proposed tax breaks in the bill.

"This is ... a disgraceful hijacking by environmentalists," said Mike Hardiman, legislative director of the American Land Rights Association (ALRA) in an interview with CNSNews.com . "This faith-based bill is heading off rails before it even becomes law," he added. ALRA is a grassroots, property-rights advocacy group.

President Bush proposed his faith-based initiative to stop what he called "the unfair treatment of religious charities by the federal government." When the federal government gives contracts to private groups to provide social services, religious groups should have an equal chance to compete, he said in a speech in December.

On Wednesday, the full Senate is scheduled to vote on Bush's faith-based initiative, called the CARE Act. The bill not only faces strong opposition from liberals worried about "the separation of church and state," but now faces organized opposition from conservatives worried about government-funded land grabs under a religious umbrella.

Critics, including Hardiman, are concerned that environmental activist groups with a religious affiliation might get federal funding under the faith-based initiative. "Faith-based grant money to green groups - this is something that is out of control," Hardiman said.

"The White House did not intend to have this happen," Hardiman explained. "However, you have leftists in [Christie] Whitman's EPA openly saying, 'Of course we want green groups to qualify for this money for their special projects like global warming.'"

Last December, CNSNews.com reported on a meeting between EPA official Jerry Lawson and environmental and religious groups. Lawson said was seeking ideas about how religious groups might be able to promote green causes such as climate change and pollution control under the faith-based initiative.

"A couple of days ago, one of the higher-ups at EPA called me, and we talked about grants," Lawson said at the time. "This person said to me ... 'Look, if you hear of good ideas of faith-based groups that are environmental proposals, let me know.'"

President Bush has said his faith-based plan is intended to eliminate the barriers that prevent religious-affiliated groups from participating in federally-funded social services. However, the White House is standing by efforts to expand the initiative to include green causes.

David Kuo, deputy director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, told CNSNews.com in January that the EPA's efforts to include religious groups that advocate environmental causes is a "great" idea.

"We are seeking to expand the initiative across the government because we think the involvement of faith-based and community groups is important," Kuo said.

"If EPA or the Department of Veterans Affairs or any other organization wants to involve faith and community-based groups, that is great, and we are fully supportive of that," Kuo added.

'Tax Favoritism'

Land rights activists and at least one U.S. senator are upset about another provision in the current Senate bill that would give environmental land trust organizations a special tax break when buying property.

The faith-based bill, S. 476, has two sections (106 and 107) that call for a 25 percent tax cut on capital gains of land sales, but only if the land is sold to an environmental group or a government agency.

Wealthy environmental groups such as the Nature Conservancy, which purchases land to protect it from development, stand to benefit from such tax-break provisions, because property owners would be attracted by the tax break.

Hardiman believes the provision will come at the expense of private schools, churches, and other charities.

"The Nature Conservancy already has the huge comparative advantage of almost $3 billion in assets and $700 million in annual revenues, much of it from the taxpayers in the form of direct grant money. Why does it need further tax benefits?" Hardiman asked.

"This is tax favoritism for the huge powerful land trusts; and the biggest disgrace of all, in terms of the actual transactions, it will not even benefit the seller - it is just going to depress the price of the property," he added.

A spokesperson for the Nature Conservancy was not available for comment on the issue.

Senator Don Nickles (R-Okla.) agrees with the American Land Rights Association. He plans to offer an amendment to expand the tax breaks to include all charitable organizations, not just land trusts.

Gayle Osterberg, Nickles' press spokesperson, said the senator does not want environmental groups to get special treatment.

"That's why [the senator] is offering this amendment. He very much opposes using the tax code to favor one behavior over another or to favor one organization over another," Osterberg said.

"The Nickles amendment would extend the tax benefit to properties sold to any charitable organization," she added.

Nickles' office had no comment on the Bush administration's desire to expand the faith-based bill to include grants to religious groups promoting green causes.

"[The senator] has not really commented on that as it applies to the broader bill," Osterberg said.