Who Controls Trump's Environmental Policy? – The New York Times
Posted on July 9, 2020 | Leave a comment
Among 20 of the most powerful people in government environment jobs, most have ties to the fossil fuel industry or have fought against the regulations they now are supposed to enforce.
By Lisa Friedman and Claire O'Neill
A small number of people at a few federal agencies have vast power over the protection of American air and water.
Under the Trump administration, the people appointed to those positions overwhelmingly used to work in the fossil fuel, chemical and agriculture industries. During their time in government they have been responsible for loosening or undoing nearly 100 environmental protections from pollution and pesticides, as well as weakening preservations of natural resources and efforts to curb planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
Of 20 key officials across several agencies, 15 came from careers in the oil, gas, coal, chemical or agriculture industries, while another three hail from state governments that have spent years resisting environmental regulations. At least four have direct ties to organizations led by Charles G. and the late David H. Koch, who have spent millions of dollars to defeat climate change and clean energy measures.
Gretchen Goldman, research director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, noted that many Republican administrations had brought in people from regulated industries. "There's nothing inherently wrong with hiring people from the private sector. But we need to make sure they are making decisions in the public interest," she said.
The Trump administration has said it is focused on ending government overreach, and agency officials said it should be no surprise the administration has tapped people who have dealt first-hand with regulations and share President Trump's deregulatory goals. Administration press officers added that top agency officials had spent years in public service as well as in the private sector; that all agency officials undergo ethics training; and that those who have worked for industry had signed recusal statements.
"Senior administration officials, an overwhelming majority of whom the Senate has given their advice and consent to, understand that economic growth and environmental protection do not need to conflict," Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, said in a statement.
Former Ivorian Prime Minister Guillaume Soro jailed 20 years for corruption
*An Ivorian court on Tuesday sentenced former Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, who has been living in exile since December 2019, to 20 years in prison for corruption.* This ruling is likely to end Soro's political ambition with seven months to go before the presidential election, for which he has assured to remain a candidate. He was found guilty of "embezzlement of public funds" and "money laundering" when he bought his Abidjan residence in 2007, when he was prime minister of a government of na…
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Ivory Coast's Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly dies
Ivory Coast is facing new political uncertainty after the sudden death of its prime minister. Amadou Gon Coulibaly collapsed during a cabinet meeting, just three months before he was supposed to run for president.
Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque reports
Ivorian Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly dies at 61
West-African country "Ivory Coast is mourning", President Alassan Ouattara said as he announced the death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, who was also the favourite to succeed him in October's presidential election. He died after falling ill during a cabinet meeting. He had returned from France to receive treatment. "This is a big shock, because everybody thought he was out of the woods", FRANCE 24's Marc Perelman says. "Everything is now up in the air concerning the elections", he adds.
Ivorian PM Coulibaly's death puts presidential elections 'in the air'
Belgian Princess Condemns Her Family's Brutal Colonial History in Congo & Calls For Reparations
Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. have sparked a reckoning about racism and colonialism across the world, including in Belgium, where a growing movement is demanding the country address systemic racism and make amends for its violent colonial legacy. King Philippe issued an unprecedented statement "expressing regret" for Belgium's brutal colonial rule in Congo under Leopold II, who ran the country as his personal fiefdom and under whose command millions of Congolese were enslaved and killed. "It's an erased history," says Belgo-Congolese journalist and activist Gia Abrassart. We also speak with Princess Esméralda, a member of the Belgian royal family and great-grandniece of Leopold II, who says the country has taken an important first step, but adds that "we have to go much farther."
Belgo-Congolese journalist: It's time to reckon with "the real colonial past of Belgium"
After decades of denial, Belgium is having an overdue reckoning with its brutal colonial history. King Philippe recently issued an unprecedented statement "expressing regret" for Belgium's brutal colonial rule in Congo under Leopold II, who ran the country as his personal fiefdom and under whose command millions of Congolese were enslaved and killed. "It's an erased history," says Belgo-Congolese journalist and activist Gia Abrassart. She says colonial abuses are directly linked to the mass movement today fighting against racism in countries around the world.
Top U.S. health officials say states should pause reopening efforts
The rising number of coronavirus infections in the U.S. proves the pandemic is far from abating. New cases are setting single-day records in several states and declining in only two. While the nation's top medical officials say states should pause reopening in order to control virus spread, the Trump administration insists schools should resume as normal this fall. Yamiche Alcindor reports
UN chief urges efforts to tackle health effects of COVID-19 pandemic in LAC
New China TV
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on July 9, 2020 calls for efforts to tackle the health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
13 Reasons to #BoycottBigMeat
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