One of the easiest ways to get rid of bad policies is ignored by the new Administration-
Passing new laws is hard, and it is controversial. Issuing executive orders is less so, but still difficult. Settling suits against laws and regulations you don’t really support anyway is below the radar screen.
It hard for conservationists to understand.
Environmentalists baffled by Obama’s strategy. By Jim Tankersley. LA Times.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Once again; change we can’t believe in
I am among those baffled as well, and not alone in the community, I think. I don’t know who is in charge of the legal decisions at Justice with regards to these decisions; as I remember, the guy who is in charge comes from an industry biased Superfund background, but I suspect these are marching orders from Emanuel who is thinking about the 2010 election cycle, and ticking too many people off, so he thinks he can buy the environmentalists off with promises of regulatory change in the future. Sound familiar? Maybe we need to sit the 2010 elections out..and tell the Dems why. I am tired of the old saw “we are better than the Republicans” response. It isn’t good enough for me anymore.
JimT
Unfortunately is is true that they are better than the Republicans. Republicans seem to be developing a wing of the party with lots of guns and little touch with reality.
It would be nice if a viable 3rd party brought the other 2 down to earth (and the people)
I too have been very, I’ll use the word disappointed. I remember last year when friends were saying, “it doesn’t matter who you vote for”, and I was saying, “Yes it does!!” Now I’m not so sure. We just had eight years of so many of the issues I care about being totally trashed. That needs to be counteracted. The last thing we need is eight years of wishy washy. Why is it that Republicans never have any problem pushing their agenda and pushing it hard, yet Democrats always seem to be worried about the next election? Don’t want to make anybody mad. Can’t afford to lose the independants. Well, ya know what? You can’t afford to lose your base either!!
Well this is a ruling it would be nice to see Obama and his cronies come down on the other side of and try to get legislative remedy. This is a very bad precedent. The last link is the ruling itself which makes for chilling reading.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10577143
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/mining/story/840031.html
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/08slipopinion.html
Ralph,
I realize there is a significant difference between the Repubs and Dems on the environment in most cases. Believe me, the idea of a McCain victory and the Interior Dept. continuing its path of destroying the West’s resources with extractive industry help kept me up at night.
But, if you are right..and I think you are in most ways…isn’t that all the more reason for the Dems to not worry about alienating the nutcases on the right? All the data shows Republicans losing numbers and credibility, and yet the Dems keep on acting as if they are the badasses in town, so to speak.
Bottom line? Obama isn’t not a green president, and the West and its problems are not high on his priority list, and while there are lots of reasons why things like coal bed methane, the sage grouse, bison, wolves and water wouldn’t be on his top 10 list, I didn’t see this continuation of Bush era policies coming, especially the legal stances and some of the regulatory decisions made by Interior and EPA.
There has been some chatter amongst some political folks who are environmentally oriented to find some way to get to the First Family and get them out here…maybe a vacation for them to Yellowstone, Glacier, etc..Maybe reaching them through the family ethic would get him out here to see what is going on. And get him up in Lighthawk while he is here so he just doesn’t see the good stuff, but the damage as well…
I want the Western Dems to grow some…you know…~S~