"We don't have to protect the environment, the Second Coming is at hand."

Who said it?
If you look up the phrase on the Internet, it is typically credited to former Secretary of the Interior James Watt, who served in the Reagan administration.
The source of the quotation--apart from the claim that Watt said it--isn't ordinarily given, but where a source is suggested it is usually claimed to occur in the May 24, 1981 version of the Washington Post. The Post article is available for purchase through the Post's website for $3.95, but don't bother spending the cash. I've purchased the article, and the quotation isn't there.

I found two suggested sources for the quotation other than the Post.

The second was suggested by fellow eblogger Hellena Handbasket, who claims the quotation was a paraphrase of Watt authored by Austin Miles in "Setting the Captives Free." The index, available for viewing through Amazon.com, indicates a James Watt mention on page 229. I've commented on Hellena's post (love that blog name, BTW), so perhaps the account can be confirmed/disconfirmed soon.

The third suggested source I've already mentioned in an earlier post on this topic. It was claimed that Watt uttered the infamous phrase on national television. I find the claim doubtful because I cannot corroborate it in any fashion, because the writer is apparently not from the US (and therefore less likely familiar with US politics), and because the writer stated that Watt served in the Reagan administration from 1991 through 1993 (actually the G. H. W. Bush and W. J. Clinton administrations; the decade is off by 10 years).

Sith blogroller Kele reasonably suggests that Watt could have stated the quotation in question. There are many things that I could have said but didn't, on the other hand, as I'm sure is true for most of us.

Until I see it properly sourced, I will not believe it of Watt. If the quotation is used to attack Christianity or the Reagan administration (or whomever), it should be properly sourced.

Look for a post on the content of the Post article, by the way.