VP Gore protecting wrong "Texas Eagle"

Harte-Hanks Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Vice President Al Gore's credentials as an environmentalist suffered no damage in his recent response to a Dallas couple worried about rail service to the West Coast.

But his reputation for efficiency might have dimmed.

Joe and Dolores Delgado wrote Gore late last summer complaining about reports that Amtrak might cancel its Texas Eagle connection that links Dallas with Chicago and the West Coast.

"The train has been our mainstay for visiting family in Chicago and now that we're grandparents, for visiting our grandchildren on each coast," said the letter, quoted Friday in a brief item by The Washington Post.

The Post described Gore as "especially sympathetic" in his reply letter dated Sept. 25. "Thank you for your letter regarding the protection of the Texas eagle. I appreciate hearing from you," the letter started.

He advised the Delgados that he shared their "view that the urgent problem of species extinction and the conservation of biological diversity should be addressed. The first step in saving any plant or animal from extinction is to become aware of and respect the fragile ecosystem that make up our environment."

"I look forward to working with you for the future of our planet," added the vice president.

The Post editorialized that Gore might have stumbled on a creative method to boost the government-run railroad. "Declare Amtrak an endangered species," the newspaper said.

A spokeswoman for Gore's office said Friday she could not explain the mixup with the Delgado's letter.

But the newspaper pointed out that the letter was written during the Democratic National Convention in August, a busy time for the White House.