Tag: clean water

Rep. Phillips and Dem House colleagues stand up for clean water

There’s a reason that Minnesota is called the Land of 10,000 Lakes: Our waterways form an unmistakable part of our Minnesotan identity. For generations, Minnesota’s waters and natural resources have provided us clean water to drink, unpolluted air to breathe, and beautiful landscapes that we enjoy with our families and friends. But now these resources are under attack in Washington.

Last week President Donald Trump tried to greenwash his record by claiming that he wants America to have “the cleanest water.” In reality, his administration has launched a relentless assault on Minnesota’s waters, outdoors and communities. Seeking to boost the profits of corporate polluters, Trump and his industry-friendly cronies have gutted crucial protections for our natural resources.

Thankfully, Minnesota and our elected representatives are not standing idly by. Just last month Reps. Dean Phillips, Angie Craig, Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar stood up against Trump’s reckless agenda by supporting strong funding for programs that strengthen our outdoors and communities. The budget passed by the House of Representatives protects our clean water, and seeks to ensure that communities across Minnesota can enjoy safe drinking water, vibrant lands and wildlife, and beautiful waterways in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

View the completeJuly 17 commentary by Deanna White on the MinnPost website here.

The radioactive history of Trump’s pick to advise him on environmental issues

The following article by Mark Hand was posted on the ThinkProgress website January 11, 2018:

Group urges Senate to reject “radioactive nominee.”

FLINT, MI – JANUARY 17: A sign on a the front of a building warns residents to filter their water January 17, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. U.S. President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency in Michigan, which will free up federal aid to help the city of Flint with lead contaminated drinking water. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder requested emergency and disaster declarations after activating the National Guard to help the American Red Cross distribute water to residents. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Donald Trump, as a presidential candidate, vowed to “to promote clean air and clean water.”

Since assuming the presidency almost a year ago, though, Trump has offered no indication that he plans to keep that promise. Whether it’s his rollback of regulations that protect air and water or his nomination of anti-environment candidates to high-level environmental positions in the government, the president appears determined to send the nation back to the days of highly polluted rivers and uncontrollable levels of smog.

Trump has nominated several radical figures to fill top slots in his government to carry out his anti-environment agenda. One of his most extreme nominees is Kathleen Hartnett White, whom Trump picked to fill a key White House post advising him on environmental policies. White is a researcher who has worked on the fringes of the scientific community after serving as chairwoman of the Texas Council on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) more than 10 years ago.

White failed in her attempt to get confirmed to the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) post in 2017; earlier this week, Trump renominatedher to the top environmental post. The CEQ coordinates federal environmental efforts, including overseeing the National Environmental Policy Act, and works closely with agencies and other White House offices on the development of environmental and energy policies and initiatives. Continue reading “The radioactive history of Trump’s pick to advise him on environmental issues”