Obama's Environmental Legacy: Destroying Pristine Tongass Habitats

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.

Those of you who follow my work know I give President Obama credit on some issues, but find him an overall disappointment. One area in which I've been thinking (and blogging) that he's going great guns is on environmental protection. But now we're finding out he's caving in to moneyed pressures there as well.

Approving road-building in untouched parts of the Tongass National Forest will create a legacy for the Obama administration of destroyed pristine habitat, devastation of species and what little is left of true wilderness in America. It is, in a word, despicable.

I wonder how long it will take the majority of Americans to recognize that when money is waved in front of this man's face, he caves. His promise of change is meaningless. He's as beholden to special interests, lobbyists, and the $3,000 suit crowd as any of his predecessors.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's stated reason for approving the 6.9-mile road, which had been started but halted by environmental groups' legal challenges, is job creation. There are plenty of ways to create jobs in Alaska without destroying habitat.

• Check out our political cartoons.
• Become a political insider: Subscribe to U.S. News Weekly, our new digital magazine.
• On Facebook? Become a fan of the Thomas Jefferson Street blog.

Reader Comments Read all comments (10)

Add Your Thoughts

Comment Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email

Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image.

Incorrect please try again

Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear:

Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.