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Although she was furious at Reagan's aides, who, she complained to associates, did not have the courage to ask her to quit, Burford remained steadfastly loyal to the President. "I love that guy," she said, "and I'd be proud to serve him any place." The affection was mutual. Notoriously reluctant to cut loose loyal aides in distress, Reagan continued to insist in his press conference on Friday that Burford was a martyr hounded to resign by environmental activists and a scandal-hungry press. He called her "a far bigger person than those who have been sniping at her with unfounded charges ... I wonder how they manage to look at themselves in the mirror in the morning." He lashed out at the Administration's environmental critics, sarcastically saying they would not be happy "until the White House looks like a bird's nest."
The White House also eased out of its other major EPA problem on Wednesday. Presidential Aide James Baker and Democratic Congressman John Dingell, who heads one of half a dozen congressional panels probing the EPA, negotiated what may be the last deal necessary on the subpoenaed documents. A capitulation on the Executive privilege issue, the agreement offers Congress free access to EPA files.
Reagan tapped John Hernandez, the EPA's deputy chief, as acting administrator and immediately began the search for a successor with extensive Government experience and bipartisan appeal. The selection may prove as important as Burford's resignation. "Her departure isn't the issue," says Democratic Congressman Mike Synar. "The management and honesty of the EPA are the issues." Democrats will have ample opportunity to score further political points. Hearings were scheduled to begin this week in Congress on tightening up the laws governing waste disposal. The scandal's repercussions are likely to affect other environmental legislation, spurring Congress to reauthorize a passel of environmental measures that have lapsed and strengthen clean-air-and-water laws this session. Says Republican Senator John Chafee, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee: "This Administration will not want to be portrayed as lukewarm on the environment any more. That is the positive fallout."
The negative fallout is that the controversy may reinforce an unflattering perception of Reagan as a stubborn, isolated
President controlled by his staff. Reagan aides acknowledge that the White House seriously underestimated the intensity of public feeling about the environment, especially the concern about poisonous-waste disposal. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released March 5 showed that a majority of Americans believe the President would rather protect polluters than clean up the environment, and found the public nearly as critical of Reagan as of Burford. Though his aides say Reagan's environmental policy will not shift direction with a change at the top of EPA, they hope to convince the public that the Administration is serious about cleaning up toxic wastes. In a way Burford's departure raises the stakes. "Anne was taking the heat for Ronald Reagan's environmental policy," said one senior aide. "Now the heat has been transferred to Ronald Reagan." —By Maureen Dowd. Reported by Jay Branegan and Douglas Brew/Washington