Asbestos Issue Could Singe Montana Sen. Burns

By Emily Pierce
Congressional Quarterly
Wednesday, February 2, 2000

Just as his campaign for a third Senate term is getting under way, Montana Republican Conrad Burns is caught in a dust-up over his support for a bill that opponents say could restrict damage awards to asbestos victims.

Burns is one of 27 Senate cosponsors – 22 Republicans and five Democrats – of S. 758, a bill by Missouri Republican John Ashcroft that would establish an administrative claims procedure for individuals who believe their health has been adversely affected by exposure to asbestos.

But opponents of the bill say it would unfairly limit the amount of money people could collect from companies because of asbestos-related injuries.

And Burns has been getting grief over the issue from the Montana press – and from Democratic Senate candidate Brian Schweitzer, a political newcomer who is running an aggressive long-shot campaign.

Burns, a 64-year-old former farm broadcaster with a folksy style, entered the 2000 campaign in solid political shape. An upset winner in 1988 over veteran Democratic Sen. John Melcher, Burns won his first re-election bid in 1994 with 62 percent of the vote.

While Schweitzer has raised about $420,000 – a fairly sizable treasury for an underdog candidate – Burns started this year with about $1.2 million in the bank. Congressional Quarterly currently ranks the race as "Republican favored."

Still, Montana State University political scientist Craig Wilson, a leading observer of the state's politics, said the asbestos flap will likely haunt Burns throughout the 2000 campaign.

Burns has continued to support the legislation despite complaints by residents of Libby, Mont., that they would not be adequately compensated for the illnesses they developed from working with vermiculite in a local mine. Vermiculite, like asbestos, has been used in insulation products.

Montanans for Common Sense Mining Laws, a Helena-based environmentalist group, began airing ads in January that described Libby residents dying from asbestos-related illnesses and accused Burns of letting the mining company "off the hook."

Burns's spokesman Matt Raymond said the ads are "politically motivated." Raymond noted that the state's lone U.S. House member, Republican Rick Hill, also supports the bill but is not being targeted by the group, and he implied that this is because Hill has announced that he is not running for re-election this year.

Burns has received some outside help in the form of ads, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, that contend the asbestos bill would guard against frivolous lawsuits. But Wilson said that message does not seem to have as much resonance as the heart-wrenching ads featuring the people of Libby.

Schweitzer, a rancher and scientist, has seized on the issue, calling on Burns to return nearly $13,500 in campaign contributions from members of the Coalition for Asbestos Resolution, which is pushing for the federal legislation.

"This is just a classic example of Burns representing corporate contributors ... rather than ordinary Montanans," said Schweitzer campaign manager David McAlpin.

But asbestos is not the only health-related issue: Schweitzer has made the high cost of prescription drugs a main focus of his campaign and attracted media attention for organizing three trips for senior citizens – two to Canada and one to Mexico – to buy medicines at a lower cost. All participants had legal prescriptions written by doctors, according to McAlpin.

Wilson said the asbestos and prescription drug issues have given Schweitzer a lot of free publicity. "With a minimum of resources, Schweitzer has maximized his opportunities so far," he said.

[Update: 2000 election results for Montana candidates]

[Related story: Sen. Burns clashes with Libby asbestos victims]

[Three reports on Sen. Burns' close relationship with convicted felon Jack Abramoff: [1],  [2],  [3-editorial]]


© 2000 Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
By permission. Original article is found here