Those listening to the Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck radio shows recently in selected markets were probably surprised to hear the voice of Ronald Reagan on the air talking about environmental stewardship and his environmental accomplishments.
It is a part of history that largely has been forgotten because Reagan's legacy has been heavily politicized by both the right and the left.
Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP) is airing its What Would Reagan Do? ad campaign on talk radio to set the record straight and to encourage conservatives to take climate stewardship seriously.
So, what would Reagan do about climate change if he were president today? His handling of the ozone depletion issue two decades ago is revealing.
When faced with warnings from climate scientists about pollution depleting the upper atmosphere's protective ozone layer, President Reagan pushed through a strong international treaty to phase out ozone depleting chemicals. That treaty, the Montreal Protocol, has proved to be one of the most successful environmental treaties in history.
Bring up those facts with liberals and their response is a grudging, "yes, but" acknowledgement that betrays an unwillingness to give Reagan any credit for environmental stewardship.
Bring up those facts with talk radio showmen who are the self-appointed arbiters of all things conservative, and the response is a studied avoidance of the facts, betraying discomfort with the Gipper championing a strong environmental policy.
In both cases, Reagan's legacy as a steward of the atmosphere confounds competing narratives in today's polarized, hyper-partisan political climate.
For partisans on the left, the narrative is that conservatives are pillagers and only liberals can be entrusted with care of the environment.
For partisans on the right, the competing narrative is that environmental problems are a crock and environmental protection is a byword for overbearing government.
Reagan's achievement and his ideas about stewardship put the lie to both story lines.
Reagan understood, unlike many ideologues at both ends of the spectrum, that conservation is a conservative value, and that good stewardship transcends partisanship.
As governor of California, Reagan instituted tough motor vehicle emissions standards, stopped a highway across the Sierra Nevada, and blocked dams on wild rivers.
As president, in addition to the Montreal Protocol, Reagan signed dozens of wilderness bills and other legislation that strengthened the Clean Water Act, hazardous waste cleanup programs, and drinking water protections.
There's more to learn about Reagan's environmental accomplishments and attitudes at www.climateconservative.org, the web site for REP's What Would Reagan Do? ad campaign, which makes a case for why climate stewardship fits with traditional conservatism.
No one can say for sure how Reagan would address global climate change if he were president today, but given his track record, it's a good bet that he would take the issue seriously.
In 1984, Reagan said: "If we've learned any lessons during the past few decades, perhaps the most important is that preservation of our environment is not a partisan challenge; it's common sense."
