Walden forum sparks debate

The key point of disagreement among some of the 25 area residents in attendance focused on global warming and whether Republicans were taking the potential threat from manmade greenhouse gases seriously.

Bruce Schwartz of The Dalles and others questioned why President Donald Trump and the GOP-led Congress had not made battling climate change a top priority. He said many Republicans seem to reject scientific data produced by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and other federal agencies.

“What is this attack on science and why is there such an extraordinary denial of good science?” asked Schwartz.

Walden said carbon emissions had been reduced when the nation reduced coal-fired energy plants in favor of natural gas.

In addition, he said new technology and innovation had increased fuel efficiency and lowered emissions.

He said better management of federal lands that reduced the potential for catastrophic wildfires, like the Eagle Creek Fire at the west end of the Gorge that had burned more than 48,000 acres this summer, was also a key way to reduce pollution.

In 2017, Walden said the U.S. Forest Service had spent a record $2 billion fighting 64 fires that ravaged 10 states in the West.

‘I’m not focused on debating ‘left’ or ‘right,’ but what will make a difference,” he said. “If we get the market forces working, I think we’ll get the change we want much more quickly than burdensome regulations. We’re just trying to find the right balance.”

Kathy McCullough of Sherman County said she supported the path the president was taking to pare back job-killing regulations.

“A lot of us are watching this administration and are hopeful because they are trying to run this (country) like a business,” she said. “I am absolutely thrilled to see some of these changes go into effect. I think the pendulum is swinging back and it needs to.”

McCullough said Trump had been right to pull out of the Paris Accord on climate change after taking office in January.

Trump described the agreement, which President Barack Obama signed onto in 2016, as a “massive redistribution of U.S. wealth to other countries.”

He quoted a National Economic Research Associates report that compliance with the terms of the agreement could have cost America as many as 2.7 million lost jobs by 2025.

According to Trump, the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions allowed China to build hundreds of additional coal plants, while the U.S. would be mandated to shut down this industry. India would also be allowed to double its coal production by 2020 and Europe could continue construction of plants.

“I cannot in good conscience support a deal that punishes the U.S. — which it does — the world’s leader in environmental protection, while imposing no meaningful obligations on the world’s leading polluters,” said Trump after announcing withdrawal from the agreement.

Obama said the Paris Accord ensured that America would do its part to protect the planet for future generations.

NOAA reported the last three years as the hottest since record keeping began more than 130 years ago. Scientists from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) have reported that the planet is warming at a pace not experienced within the past 1,000 years.

“No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change,” said Obama in 2015.

He said the two greatest polluters in the world, the U.S. and China, were “putting their money where their mouth is” by agreeing to work on reductions of greenhouse gases.

“This is not a fight that any one country, no matter how powerful, can take alone,” said Obama, praising the nearly 200 nations that had come together to build a framework for a low-carbon future.

He said the agreement would protect “the one planet we’ve got.”

Obama contributed $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to the Green Climate Fund operated through the United Nations before leaving office.

“The Paris Accord was not good for us,” said McCullough.

“It was good for the world,” replied Karen Murray, who had travelled from The Dalles for the Oct. 16 meeting.

She said the Trump administration was rolling back 52 rules in the Environmental Protection Agency that protected natural resources.

“I’m worried we’re not taking care of the Earth,” she told Walden. “It seems like we need to go back to science.”

“Science has a lot of theories, like evolution, that are not proven,” said McCullough.

“It’s pretty much proven,” disagreed Murray.

Trump and many political conservatives contend that too many federal decisions to protect water, air and land have been made since the 1970s to pursue a political agenda not supported by sound science.

NOAA has drawn fire from the president and members of Congress for allegedly altering data to support its global warming stance by leaving out temperature measurements from the coldest places on Earth and relying on land-based instruments that are vulnerable to discrepancies.

Trump has argued that it is important to have reliable data on the issue when the U.S. is spending more than $22 billion per year to combat global warming, more than is spent on border security.

Betsy Casper of Sherman County told Walden that “RINOS” (Republicans in Name Only) in Congress weren’t getting the things done that Americans had put them in office to do.

“Nobody should be surprised by Donald Trump,” she said of the president pushing against GOP opposition to fulfill campaign promises, such as repeal and replacement of Obamacare.

“I like that he’s working for the people,” she said.

Walden said largely ignored by the news media was that the House was getting a lot of work done. He said more than 360 bills had been approved by the House in 2017 and sent to the Senate, where all but 80 had stalled or been “killed.”

“In terms of the House, it’s a pretty productive and proactive time,” he said.

Other topics discussed during the 60-minute session included nuclear waste storage, the advancement of self-driving car technology, renewable energy power production, tax reform and renegotiation of the farm bill.