ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT:  Lance is Not Recyclable

Creating hell on earth seems to be the goal of the current Republican Administration.  Putting the EPA under Scott Pruitt is akin to putting a tobacco company executive in the role of Surgeon General.  Amongst other iniquities, he has eliminated more than 30 environmental protection rules. AND he signed on for a 31% reduction in the EPA budget, generously scaled back to a mere $528 million cut by Congress.

Of course, his boss believes that climate change is a “Chinese hoax,” and removed the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement.  This in the midst of one the three hottest years on record, during which the US suffered an unprecedented mix of extreme weather events.  The President has actively supported the expansion of coal, opened the Alaska Refuge to oil and gas exploration, and allowed a return to widespread offshore drilling for oil and gas. That oil and gas needs to get from Point A to Point B, so the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines got the go-ahead.  Now Mr. Trump has taken a deliberate swipe at the renewable energy industry by introducing tariffs on imported solar panels.  The solar industry provided 373,087 jobs in 2016, compared to 160,119 coal jobs; the Solar Energy Industries Association estimates the tariffs will eliminate some 23,000 jobs this year.  Compare that to the 1,200 jobs Trump has generated in the coal industry.

And our Congressman?   Lance is no friend of clean energy.  He has voted to cut funding for clean energy research; encouraged the use of dirty fossil fuels; and voted to repeal standards requiring energy companies to limit waste and pollution. Lance voted multiple times for the unpopular Keystone Pipeline.  But he can also be a NIMBY-– he is “concerned” about the PennEast Natural Gas Pipeline Project (which affects his home county); and he has lined up with the rest of our legislators to oppose offshore drilling in our State.  He’s that annoying neighbor who tosses the trash over the fence.  If you don’t want Hell on Earth in NJ for your grandchildren, this is one example where recycling won’t work.  Toss him out.

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