We won! – sort-of

Photo: Marlene Rak

A dear friend sent me a text on Saturday morning, elated about the news that 74 million people managed to fire someone who has been the hinge-pin of incalculable damage to our Republic, and to our planet. And sure, I was pleased to hear that after four years of horror, I could finally exhale. But I was, and still remain, in a mood.

She suggested that I “let it go for now and embrace the magic of this day!” to which I responded that I would try to be happy about having a less wicked person in the Whitehouse…

As I said, I was in a mood…

When I began these newsletters in 2007, I vowed not to stray too far from our banner issue of marine bioacoustics. But as the 45^th presidential term was set in motion, I found it important that I look under the policy hood a lot deeper and try to inform our community about what was happening, and what we could all do about it.

As the Administration came in, both barrels blazing, we crafted and circulated a sign-on letter advising the Senate to heed the Federalists papers (No. 76 and No. 10) and avoid a concentration of “factions,” (interest groups with an agenda) in the Executive Branch. Specifically, the Oilmen – who comprised some 75% of the incoming appointments to head up our regulatory agencies.

Some folks saw this coming, and as I understand it, the computers at NOAA were mirrored at Duke University, preserving some 40+ years of climate data records that would have otherwise been expunged by a climate-science-hostile administration.

The staff at Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was not so predictive, and for two years “Acting Director” Scott Pruitt closed off the executive floor of the EPA building while oil and chemical industry “executives” did their dark proctology on 40 years of environmental policy and practice. All being paid for by our tax dollars…

This has been the tactics of the fortunately-departing administration and their industry operatives. But significant damage has been done. It will take at least decade to repair the EPA. Some 100 key environmental regulations have been shredded. The National Environmental Policy Act – called the Magna Carta of environmental protection regulations has been emasculated.

OK, so as of January 20, 2021 we will supposedly be done with this insatiable evisceration by industry shills of all that we hold dear; hopefully setting the incoming administration on a path to reverse and repair the damage. But to stem the bleeding, the reversals and repairs will need to be executed with the equal zeal that has eviscerated all of our environmental guardrails. And this is why I remain in a mood.

While the incoming administration has tipped their hat to “climate change” and “transitioning off fossil fuel,” these appear to be limp-wristed equivocations. I find it telling that in his victory speech, Mr. “Reach Across the Aisle” spoke in terms of ‘healing the rift’ between the left and the right, but said nothing about reaching out to Progressives. Meanwhile Sen. Mitch McConnell has already made it clear that he will have nothing to do with anything he construes as a path to “The Green New Deal.”

While I was hoping to steer these newsletters back to topics in marine bioacoustics, with the incoming administration, it appears – at least for the time being, that I will continue to be looking under the hood and reporting on policy issues. This is why I am still in a mood…