executive-order | GarryRogers Nature Conservation

GR: Of course, Trump and his band of nature trolls will ignore the experts. Nevertheless, the thoughts of each one are worth reporting. And remember, global warming is one of the reasons that the doomsday clock is at two and a half minutes to midnight.

“President Donald Trump’s March 28 Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth is but the latest in a series of rollbacks intended to dismantle the Obama administration’s climate change policies. Although Trump never uttered the words “climate change” during the signing ceremony, his order will have profound effects on programs and environmental protections intended to rein in global warming—primarily by reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

“Among other things, Trump’s order lifts a moratorium on coal leasing on federal lands, removes restrictions on fracking on federal and tribal lands, directs the Environmental Protection Agency to rewrite the Clean Power Plan regulations designed to limit emissions from power plants, and eliminates the requirement that climate change be considered in federal environmental reviews and decision making. The White House claims that these moves will bring back jobs in coal mining and foster energy independence.

“The order does not entirely obliterate Obama’s climate legacy. The Clean Power Plan is not yet in effect, and will have to go through a lengthy rule-making process that will likely include legal challenges. Vehicle fuel-efficiency standards are still standing, although the White House says a rollback is coming soon. State mandates for renewable energy, along with other efforts aimed at reducing emissions, will continue. And the White House is thus far silent on whether the president intends to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

“Some critics say the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks are even worse than they expected, and that it will be impossible for the United States to achieve its Paris pledges without the programs and protections that are being cut. Others see a silver lining for the Paris Agreement: Maybe the failure of US leadership will clear the way for other nations to work toward a more ambitious shift away from fossil fuels.

“We asked leading experts on climate change to weigh in on what the Trump rollbacks mean for climate change, and for the Paris Agreement in particular. Here are their thoughts.Invited

“Expert Commentary” — Dawn Stover (Continue: Experts respond to Trump’s climate blitzkrieg | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Arizona Game & Fish Commissioners Meet Tomorrow (Feb. 6)

From comments included in the announcement, it seems to me that the Commissioners are more concerned with retaining the option to develop the land and not preserve it for wildlife. They opposed creating the monument in 2012. Attend the meeting in Wickenburg, AZ or TUNE IN to hear Utah Republican Fred Ferguson’s presentation to the Commission.

From the AZ Game & Fish Announcement:

“Tomorrow (Feb. 6), the commission will hear a presentation on an innovative, collaborative approach to public land use planning in Utah. Fred Ferguson, the chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), will provide an overview of the collaborative efforts that stakeholders from the development, conservation, outdoor recreation, and sportsmen’s communities have undertaken to develop the Daggett County lands proposal agreement, as part of the broader Utah Public Lands Initiative.

The commission meeting will be held on Friday, Feb. 6, beginning at 8 a.m., at the Wickenburg Town Hall Council Chambers, 155 N. Tegner St. in Wickenburg, Ariz. The public is invited to attend. The complete agenda is posted at www.azgfd.gov/inside_azgfd/meeting_agenda.shtml.

The meeting will also be streamed to the different Game and Fish offices, and will be available via webcast at www.azgfd.gov/commissioncam.