Mullin writes that MacArthur and Trump are ‘’undermining our national parks.”
On Dec. 5, President Donald Trump reduced the size of two national monuments in Utah by 85 percent, or about two million acres. The action taken against Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante also puts dozens of other monuments at risk. American land conservation could give way to oil and gas extraction, mining and logging.
Congressman, Tom MacArthur (R — NJ) is ready to help the president achieve this goal. In 2015, MacArthur introduced H.R. 2295, a bill “to identify and designate suitable federal lands for construction, operation and maintenance of natural gas transmission facilities.”
After that is accomplished, the bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish “National Energy Security Corridors” to give natural gas pipeline rights-of-way through all federally owned lands, including lands in the National Park System.” This is a master plan for widespread environmental desecration.
In a final stroke of genius, Congressman MacArthur added very precise language to his bill so that all the environmental degradation and destruction of the national parks and monuments would never be “subject to environmental impact evaluation.”
Brilliantly conceived, Tom! What a legacy for your children and ours!
Despite all the bill’s horror, I wonder if there is one brave Republican in the 3rd Congressional District willing to stand-up and tell MacArthur he’s dead wrong. We’ll see.
James Mullin
