Established by Republican President Nixon in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was cutting edge from inception. Far from anti-business or green idealism, the agency was a calculated economic and public health decision that proved the catalyst for great technological innovation, job growth, improved health and prosperity since. True strength and progress don’t come from one side oppressing and silencing competing interests, but rather from finding balance between all stakeholders. This is as true today as ever. Those seeking to gut or nullify this important agency should be opposed, not lauded. See Why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reflects Patriotism:
“…the potential for job creation in green technologies is immense and is already much larger than generally recognized. Solar already accounts for the largest share of employment in the US power generation sector and the wind industry, which is heavily reliant on manufacturing, employs more than 100,000 Americans. The United States’ manufacturing renaissance that President Trump envisages can come on the heels of what Americans have already accomplished in environmental protection, pollution reduction, and clean energy transition.
The confirmation hearings for Scott Pruitt, the nominated administrator of the EPA, have raised serious concerns that the positive dividends of green investment might be ignored by the new administration. Mr. Pruitt has argued that his past lawsuits against the EPA were focused on letting States have more devolved control over pollution control. Yet, his reluctance to engage on the remarkably positive record of the EPA in spurring innovation should be a matter for concern to President Trump. Air and water pollution are inherently trans-boundary and state regulation of these sectors has its limits. Ultimately, having a clean environment should be a unifying element in our polity as Americans – protecting our land, water, and air should be a mark of truest patriotism.”
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