Undoing The Trump Legacy

Undoing The Trump Legacy

– By Ed Kociela –

I am not terribly concerned about the debt ceiling. The United States will do what the United States needs to do to keep good standing in the global financial community. It will be resolved after all the gnashing of teeth and histrionics subside and we will go back to normal.

I am not terribly concerned about upgrading the infrastructure. Yes, it is a mess. Yes we are in need of new bridges, roads, highways, ports and the like, but I guarantee you things will be taken care of, even if we have to cut through a layer of legislative pork to get to it. Once the drama queens get their licks in they will find a way to clean it all up until we break it again.

So, I’m not going to get ruffled as Moe, Larry, Curly, and the other stooges bumble their way in Congress as they arm wrestle today’s headline du jour.

I am relieved, however, to see that some common sense has emerged from that den of jackals as Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were restored by the president, who also restored protection of the biodiversity of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

All of that other stuff is pretty much nuts and bolts, issues that, in one form or another, will be taken care of after Congress stops poking itself in the eye. These restorations, however, indicate that at least somebody is willing to undo the environmental damage that the previous administration recklessly allowed when it cut back on these important pieces of our public lands.

The Trump administration had cut Bears Ears by 85 percent and chipped away at Grand Staircase-Escalante, reducing it to 50 percent of its original designation. The reasoning, of course, was the hunt for fossil fuels and development in areas known for their beauty, ecological, and spiritual importance.

Bears Ears, in particular, is of grave importance to the indigenous people of Utah, a place of sacred solemnity and cultural roots. So, instead of horizon-killing drilling rigs and development the lands, loaded with historical landmarks, petroglyphs, and cliff dwellings, will continue to be a place of reverence and ecological salvation where the habitat will now be protected. Imagine, if you will, what the response would be if there was an encroachment on the lands populated by rich white folks instead of indigenous people whose number places them in the minority.

Naturally, the dimly lit Utah representatives – from the Trumpian puppets in the state Legislature to the weak-sauce governor’s office to Utah’s Washington, D.C. delegation – responded with a truckload of lies, something that was not unexpected.

They said there was no local input in forming the decision.

Lie.

They said the local Tribes were not included in determining the value of preserving the Bears Ears area.

Lie.

They said their hands were tied at coming up with a “Utah solution.”

Lie.

They said the people of Utah were against the restoration.

Lie. Recent polls show 74 percent of all Utahns are in favor of restoring the monument.

We were very lucky that the energy market collapsed a bit. It delayed the Trump administration’s desire to open the area to mining and drilling, preserving the ecological essence of the area before the energy companies destroyed it. I mean, have you ever driven through an area after these guys have finished with it? Acres and acres of landscape poisoned by pumpers and debris are hardly conducive to the serenity of some of our most beautiful areas and hardly conducive to a good environment. The roads into such areas are permanent, the ruts divert the natural flow of water, the natural flora and fauna trampled by tankers and construction crews and the like whose permanent scars will never be healed. That’s not the kind of world I wish to leave to my grandchildren and their grandchildren.

And, removing this area from coal, gas, and oil exploration helped remind us that we must remain focused on alternative, renewable forms of energy. Seriously, if we learned one thing from all of this COVID-19 terror it’s that it doesn’t take a hell of a whole lot for the air to start improving. Because of COVID we have had vastly fewer vehicles on our roads spewing out considerably less pollutants. If we kicked the fossil fuel addiction, imagine how much good we could do in efforts to save our planet before we burn it out with poisonous emissions and spillage. Just look what happened to the Southern California coastline when an anchor was dragged across a pipeline. My old haunts in Surf City and the adjoining beach communities have been heavily damaged. These spills and “accidents” can happen anywhere at any time and I, for one, am not willing to give up a healthy Mother Earth just to feed a motor vehicle that converts that fuel into poisonous air.

So, hell to the yeah, I am more concerned with these mandates regarding our environment than the petty politics of a Congress that couldn’t find their asses if you shoved their hands into their back pockets.

It was an extreme measure of dedication to our planet for the president to understand these things – from the scientific to the spiritual to the cultural – and actually a brave thing to do considering the fallout from the Trumpian lemmings and the woefully ignorant who deny the facts of global warming and the environmental emergency we find ourselves mired in.

Look, it’s not like the human race has some place to go. We can’t evacuate the planet, there’s no place to go and no way to get there. Besides, we’d probably end up polluting that as well.

So, we had better do the very best we can to preserve this big, blue marble.

It’s the only home we have, so we had better take the best care of it that we can.

Otherwise, Mother Earth will extract her revenge and I guarantee, it certainly will not be a pretty sight.

Viewpoints and perspectives expressed throughout The Independent are those of the individual contributors. They do not necessarily reflect those held by the staff of The Independent or our advertising sponsors. Your comments, rebuttals, and contributions are welcome in accordance with our Terms of Service. Please be respectful and abide by our Community Rules. If you have privacy concerns you can view our Privacy Policy here. Thank you! 

Click here to submit an article, guest opinion piece, or a Letter to the Editor