Environmentalism isn’t dead, but its role as an important force in American politics and public policy has faded to the point at which it’s hard to find a pulse.

Steven Hayward of the American Enterprise Institute and Pacific Research Institute made that case during a presentation today to the John Locke Foundation’s Shaftesbury Society. In the video clip below, Hayward explains why he no longer refers to the environmental movement as a “cheap date” for the Democratic Party.

2:45 p.m. update: Click play below to watch the full 54:00 presentation.

You’ll find other John Locke Foundation video presentations here.