Friday, Aug. 9, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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Thank you for the informative July 17 editorial, “Nevada must keep guard up against careless environmental stewardship,”which laid out the problems with the Trump administration’s process when it comes to fossil fuel leasing on our public lands.
For one, leaving out key stakeholders who have homes near, and benefit from, these landscapes shows their indifference for our environment and well-being.
Leaving communities with polluted air, water and contamination that goes hand-in-hand with oil and gas drilling is unjust, and it’s all to benefit a few people at the top — not the Nevadans who would suffer these consequences.
The Trump administration’s ties to the fossil fuel industry are undeniable, but the harm from these polluter-first politics will leave irreversible impact locally and globally. Drilling on public lands accounts for a quarter of our country’s emissions, and it’s worsening our climate instability.
In Nevada, a place subject to intense heat, this reality could make the places we love too hot to visit and our homes unlivable. While it’s encouraging to see Nevada move forward on clean energy initiatives, it’s disturbing to watch the Trump administration stop this progress — especially when it’s not even including us in the conversation while making Nevada the target of its fossil fuel agenda.
