Governor Scott Walker and his GOP legislature at work.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has identified more than 1,000 acres of state-owned land in Langlade County that could go on the auction block — a move that has angered trout anglers because the properties contain a cache of ecologically significant spring ponds with native brook trout populations.
House Republicans unveil latest attempt to block Obama's climate and clean water rules.
Along with prohibiting the EPA from implementing those regulations, the bill would reduce the EPA’s funding by $718 million, a 9 percent reduction from fiscal year 2015 levels. According to the Hill, the EPA has already had its funding decreased by 20 percent since Republicans took the House in 2011.
In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be cut by $8 million, and the Department of Interior would be forced to stop giving federal protection to endangered gray wolves in Midwestern states.
A proposal to seize and sell off America’s national forests and other public lands could make its way into the House GOP’s budget resolution when it is announced this week.
In a recent memo to the House Budget Committee, Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, proposed that America’s public lands be transferred to state control. He then requested $50 million of taxpayer money to be spent to enable transfers to “start immediately.” The memo states that public lands “create a burden for the surrounding states and communities,” and “the solution is to convey land without strings to state, local, and tribal governments.”
Politicians in nine other states are also developing and advancing similar legislative proposals, supported by expensive taxpayer-funded studies.
Annie Leonard, founder of The Story of Stuff Project, writes about the importance of voting, especially in the midterm elections where participation is disturbingly low.
Now that the election is over, our work continues. I support the front-line activists, the river keepers and tree sitters who work to save a single patch of land or stretch of water. Today in the United States, small groups of kayakers and fishermen work tirelessly to bring down dams; duck hunters toil to preserve wetlands. And it’s mothers who exert the most pressure to clean up local toxic landfills. Activism never dies. Keep up the good work.
In the run up to this Tuesday's election somwhere in the neighborhood of 2 billion dollars will have been spent by the presidential candidates staking out their positions on various issues. Of that 2 billion virtually nothing has been spent by the campaigns spelling out their man's position on environmental issues, a stunning omission given the threats to clean air, water and public lands. Due to campaign laws many organizations hands are tied when it comes to endorsing specific candidates. Others not bound by those same rules attempt to stake out some sort of middle ground when it comes to the environment and politics. They like to argue that both campaigns silence on environmental issues is somehow a statement on both candidates commitment to protecting the environment. Nothing could be further than the truth.
A brief examination of the stated policy positions of the candidates for President, and their respective party platforms, leaves no room for debate. If you care about protecting the environment you'll cast your vote for Barack Obama. You can debate the other various policy positions of each candidate but in the case of clean air, clean water and protecting public lands the choice is clear. Anyone who claims otherwise, or tries to portray it as some sort of non-partisan debate is either afraid to speak the truth or mis-informed.
While there are many other policy issues one must consider before casting his or her vote, when it comes to the environment the choice is clear. We need leaders committed to protecting the places we live, work, and play. Take these values into the voting booth this Tuesday.
Thursday, August 20, 2015 at 12:00AM 
