American Notes

ACID RAIN Calling for a $5 Billion Remedy

The report was a joint U.S.-Canadian effort, but its barely diguised aim was to persuade Ronald Reagan that acid rain is a serious problem that requires immediate action, not merely more research. Reagan's repeated refusal to take any steps to curb sulfur-dioxide emissions from U.S. coal-burning factories has been a persistent source of friction between the two nations. The President and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney agreed last winter that Drew Lewis, former U.S. Transportation Secretary, and William Davis, former premier of Ontario, should suggest a course of action before the next U.S.-Canada summit, scheduled for March. Presented last week, their report urges that the U.S. spend $5 billion over five years to devise ways to burn coal more cleanly.

"We can't keep studying this thing to death," Lewis said after reporting to the President. But Budget Director Jim Miller asked the obvious question: "Where do we get the money?" The proposal calls for half the funds to come from the Government and half from the polluting industries. Reagan, who has argued privately that acid rain is a natural rather than a man-made phenomenon, promised only to give the report careful consideration. AUTO SAFETY More States Buckle Up

In 1984 the U.S. Department of Transportation ruled that air bags, or some form of passive restraint system, would be required safety equipment on all new cars sold in the U.S. by 1990. But in a concession to the U.S. auto industry, which strongly opposes air bags as too expensive, Washington kept the door open for conventional seat belts. If two-thirds of the U.S. population were covered by buckle-up laws by April 1989, said Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole, the air-bag rule could be dropped.

Last week Ohio brought the two-thirds count a little closer when it became the 17th state to pass a seat-belt bill. On New Year's Day, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Mexico and California had all snapped in, bringing to 13 the number of states now requiring motorists to buckle up or pay fines of as much as $50. By mid-1987, when Louisiana, Indiana and Oklahoma will have joined the list, nearly 58% of the U.S. will be covered. Experts question the long-term effectiveness of such laws, however, pointing out that compliance wanes rapidly. While 69% of New York motorists buckled up a year ago, after the state passed the nation's first seat-belt law, only 46% were doing so by September. THE PRESIDENT An Unexpected Endorsement

In the 1980 election, just 11% of the nation's black voters cast their ballots for Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter. In 1984 Reagan received a mere 9% of the black vote against Walter Mondale. Yet last week a New York Times/CBS News Poll showed that a startling 56% of the blacks interviewed approved of the way the President was handling his job. Overall, the poll gave Reagan the highest approval of his presidency, 68%.

Although the mid-December survey did not ask respondents what they liked about the President's performance, Clarence Thomas, the black chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, had a ready explanation for the surge in black support. "The economy is good, unemployment is down, people are getting jobs," he said. "Blacks are doing better along with everyone else." N.A.A.C.P. Executive Director Benjamin Hooks, on the other hand, points out that the poll did not test black views of Reagan policies that most affect blacks. They may approve of the President's "interesting style" and the fact that "he's handsome and speaks well," Hooks said, "but there is nothing to indicate that blacks have become Mr. Reagan's fans." CONSERVATIVES The New Right's Loss Leader

When conservatives were the underdogs of American politics, Richard Viguerie was riding high. Over a 20-year period, the Virginia advertising executive had painstakingly collected the names and addresses of some 20 million people who had donated to conservative causes, ranging from antiabortionists to foes of gun control. Cranking his huge list into computer banks, he devised the most effective direct-mail fund-raising techniques ever applied to politics. In 1984 he sent out 102 million letters soliciting money for his candidates and programs.

But as conservatism has reached new heights, Viguerie, paradoxically, is falling. Many of his oft-hit mail targets no longer feel the need to give yet again. He has also overexpanded in business: a $1.1 million loan for a pizza palace in Virginia was recently declared in default. Nine suits have been filed against him or his company, some seeking payment for equipment he has purchased, others demanding repayment of loans. Viguerie says he has settled seven of the suits, is making economies, and that "in six months, we'll be in a stronger position than ever." His mailing list, he notes, remains "in a class by itself" and has great financial value. LOUISIANA The Governor Goes for Broke

In his trial last fall on federal racketeering and fraud charges, Louisiana's crap-shooting Governor Edwin Edwards freely admitted flying to Nevada to spend nights at the gaming tables. Accused of having reaped some $2 million from illegal hospital deals, Edwards got off because of a hung jury. The U.S. Attorney, however, has announced that he will seek to retry the gambling Governor. Last week, Edwards tossed the dice again. He boldly proposed making Louisiana the third state (after Nevada and New Jersey) to legalize casinos, claiming that gambling would enrich the state by $350 million a year.

The odds are against the Governor. Church and business leaders assailed the casino idea. "We've got to change the state's image, and this is not the way to do it," said Ed Steimel, a Louisiana business leader. Edwards' own Economic Development Commission urged him to cut spending and reform taxes instead. But Edwards called a legislative session next month to consider both gambling proposals. Lest critics contend he is motivated by personal convenience, the Governor offered "a sacrifice": a pledge not to gamble in Louisiana.