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Wednesday, June 14th, 2017

Even Republican Mayors Are Rejecting Trump’s Energy Policies

Author:     Jimmy Tobias
Source:     The Nation
Publication Date:     13 June 2017 | 12:04 PM
 Link: Even Republican Mayors Are Rejecting Trump’s Energy Policies
Stephan:   The difference between city and town mayors and members of Congress or those who are part of a Presidential administration, as the Trump zombies explicitly demonstrate, is that mayors actually have to do the work of government. Whilst most Republicans in congress claim to not believe in climate change, and the entire Trump administration claims it's a hoax, and they spend hours bloviating about that, in the process showing their moral turpitude and lack of character, mayors have to actually deal with flooded sewer systems, or water filled basements and houses. They have to govern. And Democrats and Republicans alike are being forced to deal with climate change as their cities and towns face its effects. This report tells the story.

On the eve of the Democratic National Convention, protesters march for action on climate change.
Credit: AP / Sipa USA

Greg Lemons is the staunchly Republican mayor of Abita Springs, a bite-size town in rural Louisiana that both draws its water and gets its name from the famous and pristine aquifer that flows beneath its soil. A chatty and cheerful fellow, Lemons like to think of himself as a pragmatic leader, the sort of person who strives to fix problems instead of fight about them. Nevertheless, in late 2014, he found himself in a legal brawl.

It was autumn of that year when he first heard that the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources had approved an exploratory drilling permit for a proposed fracking project just outside of town. The project, which had been approved despite the mayor’s protests, didn’t sit well with him. He feared it would degrade the community’s environment, disrupt its quality of life, and ruin its reputation.

“We are very sensitive about our water here,” says Lemons, adding that much of […]

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