Friday, July 14, 2017

TR is Fit to be Tied

They really shoulda known - as soon as Ryan Zinke showed up for his first day as Secretary of the Interior wearing a cowboy hat, riding a horse, the hunters & fishermen who believed he had their back should have gotten a sinking feel that he'd be all hat, no cattle.


He started out well, making the right moves so they could let out a sigh of relief that after eight years, someone had their backs.  But then he settled into his office.  The hat stayed as his trademark touch, but the staunch conservationist seems to have gotten lost somewhere around DuPont Circle.  Seems that the man who was touted by hunters as “someone who understands the importance of public lands” understands their value even more.  Turns out that the public lands just aren’t paying for themselves, so we gotta focus more on production than on protection & preservation.  (Those later two are soooo wimpy Obama!)

Turns out that Zinke is a BF of the fossil fuel industry.  His idea of a road trip is checking out which of 27 currently protected areas need to be recategorized in order to help the president meet his “energy dominance” goal.  Out went the moratorium on new coal leases taken on public lands – too panty waisted.  Ditto a hydraulic fracking rule designed to protect public health.  Bye by a rule limiting how my methane can be released from operations on federal land.  He’s expanded offshore fossil fuel production.  As for habitat restoration - - soooo the last administration!  And the Chesapeake & there waterways - they are all wet, so need to be less drain on public monies.

Although his hunting & fishing buddies are not thrilled with his moves, they haven’t lost hope that this Zinke is an aberration & this Teddy Roosevelt side will show itself real soon.  They keep waiting & TR keeps spinning in his grave.



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