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EPA is taking a break

To the editor:

Many of us are taking breaks from our routine in the wake of this pandemic. We can take a break from large gatherings. We can take a break from wearing pants everyday. But we cannot take a break from treating our environment with respect.

The current governmental administration has decided that the EPA will not be enforcing any rules during the quarantine. Industrial polluters are using this opportunity to rid themselves of any toxic waste that they have accumulated over the years. There cannot be a break for the laws and regulations that protect the citizens of the United States. This is the environmental purge.

I have been proud of how we, as a nation, responded to this pandemic. We’ve taken it seriously as a threat. Public places have closed; people are practicing social distancing. As a result, we have “flattened the curve” and saved countless lives. This is a response that has happily surprised me. Why am I surprised? We live in a society where lawmakers too often make decisions on the basis of money, as opposed to the greater good. Additionally, these decisions are too often short-sighted.

But with this pandemic, we are allowing the economy to take a hit, to provide for the health of our people. This makes me hopeful that we will impose carbon dioxide production restrictions, even though oil provides cheaper large-scale energy than any renewable source. The economic and personal health effects of climate change and water pollution are not as apparent as a virus, but they are backed up by data and case studies. However, all that I’m asking is for us to the bare minimum right now: restrict the industrial polluters to the conservative laws that are currently imposed on them.

Jonah Cooper

New Ulm

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