Trouble ahead, trouble behind

Environmentalists See Trouble Ahead

We all knew that Bush's re-election would probably be a nightmare for the environment, but now it's a certainty. They are pushing ahead to erase the laws prohibiting companies from logging and making roads on public lands, pushing for drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge, gutting the clean air act and going forth with their so called "healthy forests" initiative. They're planning on pushing it through because of the "mandate" they got from the election. Since when did the narrowest margin of victory since 1915 result in a mandate? Yes more people voted for Bush than any other President, but more people also voted against him than any other President. What does that prove? There are more people and more of them voted, that's it.


As for Bush's "healthy forests" initiative, which will allow timber companies to log big trees as long as they take the little ones and brush that typically start fires, it's completely out of touch with the natural ecosystem of the region. According to most ecosystem management texts, the problem is fire suppression in those regions. In other words, we need to stop letting people build in the middle of the Forest and let mother nature do her job.

Conversely, many fire-dependent ecosystems have been fire-starved through policies of fire suppression. One serious result has been the unnatural buildup of dense stands of flammable trees and thick carpets of dead wood and leaves that has led to unnaturally intense fires like those in Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon in 2002. - The nature Conservancy

As for making roads and mining natural gas on public lands....well, they're already doing it. There's a great story on this at Mother Jones, an absolute must read - A Managed Disaster.

And the list goes on....

Trouble ahead, Lady in red,
Take my advice you'd be better off dead.
Switchman's sleeping, train hundred and two is
On the wrong track and headed for you.
-Grateful Dead

posted by Sarai @ 2:55 PM