Fang-Face writes “There is a piece reprinted at AlterNet.org, originally published at TruthOut.org, titled
A Step Shy of Book-Burning
. It is about the closure of the EPA library, and the author, Kelpie Wilson, basically accuses the Bush administration of attempting to implement a new Dark Age. Given that:
The EPA’s precipitous move to close the libraries was based on a $2 million cut in Bush’s proposed $8 billion EPA budget for 2007. EPA bureaucrats did not wait to see if Congress might restore the funds or shift budget priorities in order to save the libraries; it acted immediately to box up documents for deep storage, and shut the doors.
. . . I can certainly see her point; although I do think the title is a touch over the top myself.”
Bush and the EPA
I am a science librarian in a science research library. I was aware of this months ago as were many of you when it was reported the Bush was planning to close ‘all’ of the EPA libraries. The EPA is a reporting agency that deals directly with industries and the ‘corporate world’. How can anyone believe that this is the result of budget cuts. Budget cuts are indeed the tool used to close more regulatory agencies. This is where our administration is headed and it does have the support of many Americans. Just recently the Bush administration announced that it wants tp devide up the Amazon region among corporations. The way they will do this, or head in that direction, will be to develop legal recourse to the environmental agencie laws that have already been established in this region. This will give corporations, logging and the oil industry ways of fighting for land by challenging environmental laws.
Re:Bush and the EPA
I give up how will Bush divide the Amazon? Do you mean the bookstore? Last time I looked Brazil Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Colombia, and Peru all had part of the Amazon within their borders. Did we invade them?
Re:Bush and the EPA
Sorry, let me be more specific. I am talking about the region in South America, the Amazon River, its tributaries and the whole area that the basin encompasses. its riverine forests, floodplains and the surrounding rainforests. I didn’t mean ‘dividing’ up quite literally, at least not by ownership definitions.
By easing or eliminating environmental laws or developing methods by which industries can more effectively overrule environmental laws, Bush is planning to give loggers, the oil industry and other resource grabbers more leaway in this region. This is disasterous.
The Bush administration has sought to cut the EPA’s enforcement division by almost 1/5. This is its lowest level ever. Fines assessed for environmental violations went down by nearly two-thirds in his administrations first two years. Criminal prosections against the worst polluters are down by almost one-third.
Re:Bush and the EPA
I still don’t understand how Bush can do any of what you describe. The Amazon is not in the US? Did they make Bush king of the world while was sleeping (what a delightful thought).
Re:Bush and the EPA
The Amazon is not, indeed, part of the US but our corporations and logging operations are. The environmental laws are not what is being changed. Bush wants to develop legal ways that US industries can by pass or challenge them. This can be done legally but would allow further use of resources by US conserns and operations down in the Amazon. That means more jungle cut down and more rainforest destroyed. While Bush may not be King of the World, as you say you wish, our needs and greed are making us rulers of the world in very many ways. Some of those ways are not very good!