“Scorched-earth” means destroying everything that might be useful to an adversary. The history of war contains many examples, from William Tecumseh Sherman’s March to the Sea during the American Civil War to the Russian Army’s strategy during Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia.
Destroying the food and water supply of the civilian population is specifically prohibited by the Geneva Convention. Although the US has never ratified the protocols of this 1977 document, the US did sign the document indicating a willingness to work toward ratification. Have Trump and Trump’s Chumps created a scorched-earth campaign against the environment? It appears that they have. Trump, through executive orders, and the Congress, through resolutions and Congressional Review of regulations, seem bent on destroying not only the climate, but also the air and water of the United States of America. Both the House and Senate have approved a resolution that eliminates the Stream Protection Rule. That rule was designed to prevent coal-mining debris from being dumped into nearby streams. It required coal companies to set aside money to restore the environment after they had extracted coal. The Stream Protection Rule was critical to protecting fragile ecosystems and to limiting the amount of toxic heavy metals in water supplies. Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels. Trump’s campaign for clean coal is a lie. There is no such thing as clean coal. Yet this action was a victory for the coal companies. It was a huge loss for the American People and a huge loss for the environment. The House has voted to overturn a rule that was designed to restrict burning off (“flaring”) methane gas (CH4) during drilling operations on public lands. The Senate is scheduled to do so next week. When this rule is killed, drillers will be allowed to burn off methane from oil drilling and production. Methane combines with oxygen in the air (O2) creating carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O), both of which are greenhouse gasses. Flaring also wastes millions of dollars of methane (which is the main component of natural gas) that could be used for fuel. Using present technology, at least 40% of the methane which is currently flared, could be captured and used. Natural gas is the cleanest of all fossil fuels. The death of the Methane Gas Emission Rule was a victory for the petroleum industry and the Koch Brothers. It was a huge loss for the American people and a huge loss for the environment. What will the Congressional Sheep do next? Overturn the truck fuel-economy rule? When will Trump and his camorra target the Bill of Rights? [Actually, they already have. More on that in future blogs.] References: Geneva Convention: Google the term, start with Wikipedia, follow links there and then check http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/586 and its links. Resolutions and Actions Taken to Destroy the Environment: http://time.com/4659832/congress-overturns-methane-gas-emission-rule/ http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/2/1/14459630/congressional-review-act-obama-regs http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-methane-idUSKBN15I27E Destruction of Citizen-Owned Natural Resources: https://thinkprogress.org/methane-leak-rule-cra-7948c6254e7a#.3k25gqblg https://wilderness.org/press-release/house-vote-repeal-needed-methane-rule-win-oil-and-gas-ceos-loss-american-people http://www.daily-times.com/story/news/local/new-mexico/2017/02/01/governor-calls-methane-rule-repealed/97359204/ CO2 Produced by Burning Fossil Fuels https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=73&t=11 |
AuthorRegistered Curmudgeon, scientist, skeptic, humanist, and writer. Archives
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