In a recent column titled,
“Party of Pollution”, Paul Krugman
writing in the October 20, 2011, NY Times remarks that current thought among
some Republicans wants environmental laws defanged for the ostensible purpose
of creating jobs.
Krugman, concludes that suspending or eliminating environmental laws will
simply make us sicker and poorer.
In a coincidental presentation to the Cottonwood City
Council, Andy Groseta, head of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association, took a
cue from some of the positions of Republican presidential candidates and
initiated an attack on the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) calling for a five-year moratorium on legal challenges under the Act. He
singled out federal environmental regulations as standing in the path of the
Arizona Cattle Growers Association plans to place thousands of cows in the federal forests.
Without cattle eating more
of the government grass, he says, calamitous fires will continue to ravage the Southwest
and future famine was imminent. He claimed, also, his plan opens up the
prospect of future jobs.
"We need a 'time out' from the environmental process to harvest more trees and get more cattle out there," he said.
He called the measure a "jobs creator bill."
Job creation, as a concept, has become the new enabler. Despite the temporary change created in the name
of jobs, longer lasting effects will affect the environment,
rivers and water resources in particular.
Without trees and grass rain impacts the
ground directly and in this hilly region of the Southwest run-off, or just
simple erosion, becomes a problem. Run-off loads rivers with silt as topsoil is
washed away.
Clear cutting was implicit. Selective cutting of trees to clean out
years of undergrowth and neglect was not mentioned.
In this desert environment trees such as Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine take decades to mature.
In this desert environment trees such as Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine take decades to mature.
A moratorium on EPA Regulations is, in effect, a
permanent solution in the desert.
In contrast, for example, trees in the Northwest
reach harvestable size in 15 years because of the abundant rainfall. Cottonwood ,
Clarkdale, and Jerome don’t get abundant rainfall.
Obviously, we all have a stake in this public
position and ranchers should not hold a special position that alters our water
resources because of queer, uneducated, special interests.
Our water resources are more important than Arizona Cattle Growers Association interests.
