The US is in crisis and the Bush administration is scrambling to exploit the few remaining natural resources that aren’t locked down. While Congress is so concerned about anti-terrorist strategy and spending billions to fight an undefined enemy, why is there still talk of drilling for oil in Alaska? The country is thirsty for the instant gratification of war. All efforts for preservation of natural resources and developing renewable energy sources are going in the toilet.
Now, more than ever, environmentalists need to keep monitoring national policies.
Congress has already authorized huge increases in military funding. This means consequent decreases in funding for federal EPA, toxic waste clean-up and the few remaining federal agencies that were supposed to be monitoring or cleaning up our environment.
Factories will try to increase production while decreasing costs by not treating their raw sewage. Instead they will recklessly dump toxic waste directly into our environment. They will justify these actions as “crucial for the National Defense”.
This issue has not been addressed by the media. We can’t be distracted and let those in power undermine what few enviormental laws we have left.
While it is crucial to organize for peace and anti-raciscm, we cannot look away from the continuous threat of environmental degradation that existed before September 11. That threat is even more critical now.