Testifying before Congress, Watt was asked if he agreed that natural resources should be preserved for future generations. His response:
"I do not know how many future generations we can count of before the Lord returns." --James Watt, February 5, 1981
other quotes:
"We will mine more, drill more, cut more timber."
--Secretary of the Interior James Watt
"A left-wing cult dedicated to bringing down the type of government I believe in."
--James Watt describing environmentalists
"A tree's a tree. How many more do you need to look at?"
--Ronald Reagan
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The Ecotheology of James Watt by Susan Bratton
. . . In his article, "Ours Is the Earth,"13 and numerous articles since 1981, he made clear that he viewed earth as "merely a temporary way station on the road to eternal life...The earth was put here by the Lord for His people to subdue and to use for profitable purposes on their way to the hereafter."14 Christian ethicist, Susan Bratton, herself an evangelical, countered Watt’s article, pointing to the Bible’s proclamation, "The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains."15 Bratton concluded that "his philosophy of management stems largely from economic and political considerations"16 and that "his economic and political views also greatly influence his ecotheology."17 Watt’s beliefs and actions complicated the Christian apologetic response to outside critics because they seemed to validate White’s claim against Christians. Thus apologists have had to remind critics within Christendom that the earth and everything in it is the Lord’s and that the earth has other purposes than merely serving human needs.18
(13James Watt, "Ours Is the Earth," Saturday Evening Post (January/February 1982), 74-75)
http://www.equip.org/free/DE403.htm other information about Mr. Watt:
"While in the Reagan administration, Secretary of Interior Watt was
indicted on 41 felony charges for using his HUD connections to help
his clients seek federal funds for housing projects in Maryland, New
Jersey, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Watt
conceded that he had received $500,000 from clients who were granted
very favorable housing contracts after he intervened. He also was
given $100,000 for a project in Puerto Rico. Testifying before a
House committee Watt said, "That's what they offered, and it sounded
like a lot of money to me, and we settled on it." After over ten
years of investigation, Watt was sentenced to five years of probation and 500 hours of community service for withholding documents from a grand jury which investigated HUD in March 1996. "
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"However, it was not Watts' stance on environmental issues that compelled the Reagan administration to eventually force his resignation. It was the fallout from the following comment he made to a group of lobbyists regarding the makeup of his coal-leasing commission:
"We have every kind of mix you can have. I have a black, I have a woman, two Jews and a cripple." --James Watt, September 21, 1983