This morning, I met up with NRDC's executive director, Peter Lehner, and headed to WAMU, Washington D.C.'s NPR affiliate. We had the thrill of joining the Diane Rehm Show, DC's legendary radio news program, for a discussion on the Bush environmental legacy.

After enduring about 15 minutes of listening to James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, spin a tale about the "unbounding results" of Bush's environmental record, the program settled into a lively panel discussion.

The other panelists were Bill Kovacs of the US Chamber of Commerce and Margaret Kriz of the National Journal. Bill was in the unenviable position of having to defend the Bush legacy. While he claimed that the Bush administration had made headway on climate change, water protection and energy efficiency, Peter and Margaret repeatedly pointed out that Bush's contributions fell far short by any objective measure.

Having just returned from a tour of mountain top mining in Kentucky, Peter was armed with his firsthand impressions of the Bush legacy. His descriptions of mountain tops being leveled and waterways filled with rocks and waste painted a clear picture of the "results" of the last eight years of Bush's policies, which have clearly favored industry and undermined the health of people and the planet.

One particularly poignant moment came toward the end when a woman called in and described going out at night with a flashlight and seeing silt in the air in her hometown near a power plant in North Carolina. She also talked about her husband who had lost a lung -- a stark reminder of the real life impact of the Bush record.

This human story, which sadly could be repeated in communities across the country, speaks to the unintended consequence of the Bush legacy -- the growth of the grassroots environmental movement and the millions of people who have joined the call to undo eight years of environmental neglect.

Next week, America will welcome a new President, who can take immediate steps to restore scientific integrity to federal agencies, fight against corporate interests, and, most urgently, make up ground on our climate crisis. 

You can listen to the entire show here.

UPDATE: You can also listen to an abbreviated version of the show here: