ENVIRONMENT

Well, finally he's gone. Pruitt, I mean, of course, He could not continue to survive his multitude of self-generated scandals. His letter of resignation was the give-away: he served--slavishly--the boss on whom he lavished obsequious praise, not the American people. Not surprising, perhaps, is the fact that this same boss is no better than his servant; he, too, makes a mockery of stewardship of the environment; he, too, puts the interests of the fossil fuel industry above those of a threatened natural environment; he, too, profits in unseemly ways from the office with which the voters of this country have misguidedly entrusted him. Can we hope that he, too, will fall under the weight of so many self-generated scandals?

Enough of that. I have been reading Harley Rouda's positions on the environment, both in his website statements on issues and his expansion on those statements in op end pieces; and I have read enough to know that they offer a vast improvement on those of his November opponent. There are, as I see it, three areas of concern that he addresses:

1) The local. Rouda is aware of the need to protect our vulnerable coastline from pollution and the risky business of offshore oil drilling. This scorching weekend is also a reminder of the dual effects of climate change on our California ecology: drought--which will severely impact our agricultural economy--and wildfire.

2) The national. Rouda recognizes that is past time to address our dependency on fossil fuels, and will bring another voice of sanity to the US Congress on this issue. California, with its technical savvy, is ideally placed in relation to the rest of the country to provide leadership in the development of solar and wind energy, and of alternative, green devices that require less energy and do less damage to the fragile global environment--not only automobiles but refrigerators, air conditioning in homes and offices, airplanes and countless other sources of pollution. Our state can and must play a leadership role in federal efforts to counter pollution and provide for practical alternatives.

3) International. The unilateral Trump withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is not only a moral disgrace, it's just one more aspect of our retreat from world leadership. This is but one of the global issues that we need to address. "America First" is precisely the opposite of what is needed when it comes to leaving a clean planet for future generations to enjoy. Now the fifth largest economy in the world, California needs to assert its priorities in the federal system and ensure the full measure of its contribution.

These are complex issues, of course. They need to be addressed forthrightly and without prevarication. Our current representative has offered no leadership, but rather has cowered behind the party line of prioritizing moneyed interests over what is best for California, this country, and the world. It's time for fresh vision and a commitment to the common good. Let's find the party unity we need to get rid of a congressman who has had so many years to show his worth, and instead elect one who shares our vision and understands our needs.