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Letter to the Editor: Leading the Race to the Bottom

To Walker and Trump all environmental regulations are “burdensome,” as if they were put in place just to be a hindrance to good Americans trying to make a living. In reality those regulations were passed because there was a need for them.

One of the few things that Trump admires about China is how they do not let “burdensome” regulations get in the way of their industry. In China 4,400 people die every day from the effects of air pollution; 1.6 million a year. In Beijing the air quality is so bad that sports activities have to be conducted under sealed domes with airlocks at the entrances. Children living in Beijing have never seen the sun because of the perpetual smog, and have to wear facemasks every time they go outside. Sixty thousand people die every year in China from the impacts of water pollution. This is the model that President Trump wants to emulate.

Prior to the passage of the Federal Clean Water Act in 1972 most of our rivers were rolling sewers. The Fox River in Green Bay was famous for its “alligators” which were floating masses of pulp waste that would rise to the surface due to gases produced during their decomposition. The Fox stunk so bad that city officials tried using fans to blow perfume across the river to cover the stench.

The most infamous of all was the Cuyahoga River in Ohio, which would periodically burst into flames because of all the oil floating on the surface. Lake Erie was polluted so badly that it was nicknamed the “Dead Sea.” None of these were extreme examples; any river flowing past a major city was used as a sewer.

Trump’s Secretary of the EPA, Scott Pruitt, insists that states can regulate pollution better than the federal government. This reasoning ignores the lessons of history. The problem of turning regulations over to the states is that it triggers a race to the bottom as states compete to attract industry. Industry will go to the states with the weakest regulations. We need a strong EPA enforcing federal environmental regulations if we are to maintain a level playing field between the states.

There was a time when Wisconsin took pride in being progressive on environmental protection. However under the Walker administration Wisconsin is one of the states that are eager to lead the race to the bottom. If we don’t want to live like the Chinese; wearing breathing masks every time we go outside, we need to throw this current batch of politicians out of office. Walker, Trump and their Republican cohorts are not looking out for the average citizen; they are serving multi-billionaires like the Koch brothers who can make even more billions if they are allowed to pollute with complete impunity from those “burdensome” regulations. Follow the money, wealthy individuals who benefit from an unfettered ability to pollute are financing the Republican takeover of government and they are getting a fantastic return on their investment.

Charles Frisk

Green Bay, Wis.

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