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President Donald Trump is trying to take America back in time by unwinding the last century of scientific, technological, and economic advancement.
In a new blog post titled "Party Like It's 1899," Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby describes how the Trump administration is attempting to undo over 100 years of progress by reviving outdated and discredited Gilded Age policies that prioritize logging, drilling, and mining on national public lands at the expense of outdoor recreation access and wildlife habitat protection.
The American coal industry, for example, has been declining since at least 1997, but the Trump administration is trying to throw it a lifeline. Even coal companies aren't enthusiastic—many have already invested in plans to move on by selling or repurposing their coal plants.
The administration is also trying to slash protections for national monuments, a move that is extremely unpopular among the public. Most recently, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum suggested that presidents have abused the Antiquities Act since its inception in 1906.
“While the Trump administration may be able to temporarily delay progress by releasing a barrage of memos and fact sheets, in the end, these attempted roadblocks will be overwhelmed by the combined forces of economics, public opinion, and the unstoppable passage of time,” Hamby writes.
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Protection of public lands is a bipartisan issue that has brought together Democrats and Republicans for many decades, and we need to make sure we’re keeping the integrity of that.”
