04/22/24 - 117 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/9bh4zbtr
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Op-Ed: My Fellow Conservatives Are Out Of Touch On The Environment - Fmr. Gov. Tom Ridge
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The following op-ed was published in The Atlantic magazine on April 22, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, by former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge-- Today marks a remarkable confluence of events. April 22 was supposed to be a day when more than a billion people around the globe would attend activities in celebration of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary. But instead of gathering, we are all apart. Because many of us are wearing masks, we cannot help but be cognizant of our breathing and the quality of the air we take into our lungs. Each breath has never seemed more precious. Yet, ironically, our air hasn’t been this clean in decades, with emissions from industry and transportation at a virtual standstill, captured in vivid detail by NASA satellites. I am a lifelong conservative. If you are surprised that someone like me is writing about Earth Day, that reaction only underscores a fundamental problem for the Republican Party. When did Republicans stop leading on environmental issues? Ours is the party of Teddy Roosevelt, who championed the protection of public lands; of Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service (and later the governor of Pennsylvania); and Richard Nixon, who created the Environmental Protection Agency. The Republican Party has largely abandoned environmental issues—to its great detriment politically. Majorities of Americans say the federal government is doing too little for key aspects of the environment, such as protecting water and air quality and reducing the effects of climate change. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center finds that Democrats mostly agree that the U.S. government should do more on climate. Republicans are divided by ideology, age, and gender; moderates, Millennials, and women within the party are far more likely than conservatives, older Republicans, and men to favor more federal action. More and more, the GOP as a whole seems out of touch on this crucial issue. While I do not believe that humans are the sole cause of climate change, we are certainly contributing to it greatly. The United States has a moral and political obligation to take action. How my conservative friends can conclude that rising global temperatures are anything but disruptive to nature is beyond belief. Those who argue that we ought to be relieved of our own responsibilities here in America because nations such as India and China are not doing enough to limit their air pollution are being disingenuous. Other countries’ behavior does not excuse us from doing whatever we can to reduce harmful emissions. As the Republican governor of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001, I strongly favored energy production in my state. I continue to support policies that embrace all sources of energy, including natural gas, which has lowered our dependence on coal. I also support nuclear power, the largest around-the-clock provider of carbon-free energy. Yet many of my conservative friends have been reluctant to join me in supporting renewable technologies such as wind and solar. These and other advancements not only address dangerous greenhouse-gas emissions, but also are helping improve our economy with new jobs. Although natural gas and coal are both abundant in Pennsylvania, renewables must be part of the mix. I should note here that the Ridge Policy Group, which I lead, lobbies on behalf of the Pennsylvania Conservative Energy Forum (PennCEF), an organization that seeks to build support on the right for wind and solar projects; our firm also has a nuclear-power company as a client. Any reasonable policy will require people across the political spectrum to recognize, first, that climate change is a serious problem and, second, that the United States, with its enormous appetite for energy, must harness all practical carbon-free sources. Convincing policy makers of both points at the same time is the key challenge, and not just in Pennsylvania. In a recent speech at a PennCEF event, I reminded the audience that the writer Rachel Carson, a Pennsylvania native, is largely attributed with jump-starting the modern environmental movement. The publication of her 1962 best-selling book, Silent Spring, was a watershed moment, raising awareness about the links between pollution and public health. The first-ever Earth Day started just eight years after her book was published. During my governorship, I looked to Rachel Carson’s legacy as inspiration for policies we put into place that balanced economic growth with environmental stewardship. My fellow conservatives have a hard time recognizing that the two need not be mutually exclusive. When I came into office in 1995, our state’s Department of Environmental Protection was a nightmare—a heavy-handed agency that crushed jobs through regulatory excess. My administration eliminated red tape so that businesses could get necessary permits, but they were held accountable with appropriate oversight. We also implemented the Land Recycling Program, which to this day remains a national model for cleaning up and reusing contaminated parcels, and we won passage of Growing Greener, a $650 million initiative that was Pennsylvania’s largest-ever investment in the environment. That package was proposed by a Republican governor and passed by a Republican-controlled legislature. You’d be hard-pressed to see that happen today. A wonderful adage says, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Earth Day, perhaps this year more than ever, reminds us that the air we breathe and the water we drink should never be taken for granted. And our political leaders—from both the left and the right—must take greater ownership on behalf of our children and their children. Republican Accomplishments During Ridge-Schweiker Administrations: Feature: Looking Back To Improve Pennsylvania’s Environment Going Forward Feature: 20 Years Of Growing Greener: A Celebration Of Leadership, Partnership, Accomplishment 1996 - Department Of Environmental Protection Mission Statement & Statement Of Values 1995-2002 - DEP Secretary James M. Seif: The Assignment Was Clear - Take The Kick Me! Sign Off DER 1995-2002 - DEP Secretary David E. Hess: Many New Hands Now Help Protect Penn’s Woods 1995-2002 - Environmental Accomplishments Of The Ridge & Schweiker Administrations What Today’s PA Republicans Are Doing: House Republicans Pass Bill Blocking Environmental Regulations; Likely Going To Governor Earth Day 50 PA Visit the Earth Day 50 PA website for more special events, Earth Day 1970 remembrances, environmental reading lists and more. Related Articles - Remembering Earth Day 1970: Earth Day 50 PA: Edwin Charles: The Earth Day Teach-In Must Continue Earth Day 50 PA: Marci Mowery: A Sense Of Place In This World Earth Day 50 PA: Richard Lewis: What I Did On The First Earth Day 50 Years Ago Earth Day 50 PA: Wayne Kober: Impact & Inspiration From First Earth Day Earth Day 50 PA: Earth Day At 50: Progression, Emergence, Park & Rec Involvement PA Environmental Council At 50: We Had To Do Something PA Environmental Council At 50: Taking The Lead PA Environmental Council At 50: A New Millennium PA Environmental Council At 50: Securing Our Environmental Rights Related Articles- Earth Day: Op-Ed: 50th Earth Day: Time To Consider Wiser Course - We Are All Of This Earth And Dependent On It - Bernie McGurl, Lackawanna River Conservation Association Op-Ed: Earth Day 1970 Changed My Life - Carol Collier, The Academy Of Natural Sciences Op-Ed: Earth Day 50: A Wakeup Call To The Scientific Community - Science Matters -Roland Wall, Director, Ruth Patrick Center For Environmental Research Op-Ed: Earth Day - 50 Years And Counting - Joanne Shafer, Centre County Recycling Coordinator Earth Day 2020 – Bringing Pennsylvanians Together Even Though We’re Apart DEP’s Blog: Earth Day 50 PA: DEP Staff Reflections DEP’s Blog: By Acting On Climate, We Help Make Every Day Earth Day - DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell DEP’s Blog: Peregrine Falcons Soar In PA As Earth Day Celebrates 50 Years DCNR Good Natured Blog: Looking Toward Earth Day 2070 - DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn DCNR Good Natured Blog: Earth Day At Home PA Parks & Forests Foundation Posts Special Earth Day 50 PA Newsletter PA Forestry Assn: Special Earth Day Edition Of Pennsylvania Forests Quarterly Shippensburg University Hosted Virtual Campus Climate Commitment Signing Event Pittsburgh Organizations Going 100% Renewable Energy On Earth Day's 50th Anniversary Western PA Conservancy: Honoring Earth Day By Preserving An Historic Farm In Westmoreland County [Posted: April 23, 2020] |
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4/27/2020 |
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