Washington ? Advocates for everything from clean air to wildlife protection said Tuesday the environment remained a major political vulnerability for the Bush administration and a ready tool for Democrats to exploit in next year’s presidential election.

In a high-profile effort to shore up its environmental image and record, the administration moved recently to slash emissions from off-road diesel engines by 95 percent, and negotiated a lawsuit settlement in which Dominion Virginia Power Co. agreed to spend $1.2 billion to reduce pollution at eight power plants and pay a $5.3 million federal fine.

In an Earth Day news conference that frequently resembled a political rally Tuesday, nearly a dozen environmental advocacy groups acknowledged these accomplishments but nevertheless blistered President Bush for a list of alleged transgressions, including pulling out of a global warming treaty, relaxing air and water pollution standards and plotting regulatory rollbacks with industry allies and big political contributors.

“Today we’re counting the number of days until elections,” said Deb Callahan, president of the League of Conservation Voters. “Americans have watched the Bush administration dismantle environmental laws that have improved the health and security of families for decades. And Americans are not happy.”

But translating supposed environmental discontent into ballot box success may prove difficult. The annual Gallup/Earth Day Poll found that while the percentage of Americans holding a negative view of the environment’s condition jumped from 38 percent in 2002 to 47 percent this year, a declining percentage of voters favor protection of the environment over economic growth — 47 percent as opposed to 54 percent last year.

GOP consultants said the goal was to minimize Democrats’ advantage with a few high-visibility initiatives while doing nothing to encourage turnout by voters concerned primarily with the environment, few of whom could be expected to support Bush.

Bush did not attend an Earth Day event but issued a statement saying government “has an important role to play in protecting our environment.” He said he was using “new and innovative policies” to protect land, air and water.

The White House, meanwhile, orchestrated Earth Day activities that included administration officials participating in 75 events nationwide. The administration last week opened a Web site, EarthDay.gov, that allows visitors to search for environmental volunteer opportunities with 7,000 groups and governments through USA Freedom Corps, Bush’s public-service network.

Even if Bush chooses not to slug it out with Democrats on the environmental front, he can point to accomplishments that began when he reaffirmed designations of National Monuments made by predecessor Bill Clinton and continued last year when General Electric was ordered to clean up pollutants in the upper Hudson River.