Andrea Chalupa reports from St. Paul: Don't expect John McCain to change his mind about drilling for more oil in Alaska. And don't discount those Republicans who have a soft spot for the environment to not voice their disagreements with the party leadership.

That's the vantage point of a man with one of the most storied names in politics—Roosevelt. Or more specifically, since we're with Republicans, Theodore Roosevelt. The great-great grandson of the 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt IV, spoke Thursday about his passion for the environment (something his famous relative is known for) and the Republican ticket.

When the catchphrase of this year's G.O.P. convention seems to be "drill, baby, drill," what is a Republican environmentalist to do?

"I can understand why as the Governor of Alaska she would be in favor of drilling," he said to a crowd of about 70 people at a reception sponsored by the Republicans for Environmental Protection. "As vice president of the whole nation, she has a much larger constituency she has to listen to," he said about Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate.

Roosevelt says that he's consulted McCain on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), talking to him four to five times over a period of six to eight months. Finally a phone call came where McCain told him, "Ted, I'm with you, but you can't tell a God-damned person until I release it."

Roosevelt is pretty confident that McCain will stick to his guns on ANWR, and not bow to his running mate's pro-drilling views. "He does not want to use drilling as a substitute to a sane and well thought out energy policy."

At a convention where people shout out "coal" and "nuclear" as Palin talked on stage about energy, Roosevelt is a minority voice in the wilderness. The term "energy independence" bothers him, as he realizes that no country can run without oil and the U.S.'s reserves pale in comparison to the Middle East. He does advocate for a rapid development of alternative sources, that includes solar, wind, and hybrids for transportation. He says his geothermal well for his home in Martha's Vineyard is the reason why his energy bill there is only $3.50 a month.

Roosevelt's day job is as a managing director of the troubled Lehman Brothers, where he's head of the bank's council on climate change

He carries on his family's green legacy by heading Lehman's Global Council on Climate Change, launched last year. Even before this role he helped finance, through Lehman Brothers, create one of the first off-shore windfarms off the coast of Cape Cod, designed to provide 75 percent of electricity for that county.

So what does he think of having a vice-presidential candidate who tried to block the addition of the polar bear to the endangered species list?

"These animals are clearly experiencing a change of the conditions in which they normally live. It's no question in my mind the Department of the Interior did the right thing of putting these animals on the endangered species list."

As for Palin, Roosevelt says she can champion drilling all she wants but once she reaches the national stage as Vice President, she will have to tow McCain's line.

Andrea Chalupa

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