In case you didn't get the news, on Tuesday the Doña Ana County Commissioners voted 4-1 to protect the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. Read about it HERE. Apparently there were three overflow rooms. The crowd was overwhelmingly for the Monument.
Of course, the real decision will be made by Trump's Interior Department led by Mr. Ryan Zinke. (A teacher friend of mine says that her students refer to him as "Stinky Zinke".) The Interior Department is accepting comments now until July 10th. Visit SWEC's page to see where to submit your comments and tips for good comments. Act quickly, the 10th is a week from this coming Monday.
You may want to go a step further and support a Sierra Club fund to fight the Trump administration's all out attack on the environment. The Club writes: "We must stand together like we never have before. We are already mobilizing and launching an emergency campaign to stop Trump's efforts to derail everything we've achieved in the last eight years." Make a donation HERE.
It turns out that Trump did not pick McMorris Rodgers for Interior. Instead he turned to Ryan Zinke of Montana, a conservationist who has often voted with Democrats on conservation issues. That's the good news, we hope.
Bad news? Trump has picked former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to head the Energy Department. Perry is tied at the hip with Big Oil. He is a Director of the Board of Energy Transfer Partners, the company that wants to plow up sacred native land in North Dakota, Texas and build pipelines through the Big Bend and San Elizario, Texas. However, the Daily Beast points out that the Energy Department should really be called the Department of Nuclear Weapons. Let's hope that Perry won't have an "oops" moment while in his new office.
Nevertheless, look for strong support by Perry in the Trump cabinet for the pipelines. Also remember that this is the time to be active not whiny.
So, how can you help fight the Dakota Access Pipeline even if you can't go to North Dakota? Here are 10 Ways, including supporting the protesters' GoFundMe account.
