Crippling the EPA threatens the health of all
Manhattan: The Trump administration’s proposal to cut the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s budget, perhaps by as much as 65%, is short-sighted and dangerous. EPA staff play a vital role in overseeing the quality of our air and water, both of which are essential to the long-term health of all Americans.
During my 40-plus-year career as an environmental educator, I worked alongside the EPA’s Region 2 staff on various projects and know that they are dedicated, knowledgeable and extremely hard-working. For example, the Region 2 office, which covers New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight American Indian nations, has a key oversight role in working with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection to maintain the city’s water supply system, which delivers the best drinking water in the country to more than 9 million residents of the city and Westchester County.
The EPA performs similar functions in 10 regions around the nation. The agency protects us from toxic cancer-causing chemicals that pollute our air, water and land. The Environmental Justice Office within the EPA shields our most vulnerable communities from pollution.
As a former member of the Conservative Climate Caucus in the House of Representatives, the EPA’s new administrator, Lee Zeldin, should be working with all interested constituencies to merge legitimate conservative solutions with existing guidelines to preserve our land, air and water rather than cutting staff to dysfunctional levels, slashing health regulations that have protected Americans for generations, or removing the EPA’s finding that climate change endangers human health and welfare from the agency’s website. Michael Zamm
Wind-ing down
Brooklyn: The editorial “Taking the wind from our sails” (March 16) says it all. Wind developers must not have bribed President Trump with campaign contributions like the oil and gas companies did in this pay-to-play administration. Trump can’t really care about birds or the beauty of views from our coastline, two issues he ranted that wind would kill. Bird protections are disappearing like the dodo under Lee Zeldin’s EPA, and the specter of increased oil and gas development means more toxic spills, poisoned communities and methane-leaking pipelines. Fortunately, New York already has one small wind farm in operation, and two large ones fully permitted and under construction, so Trump hasn’t shot us entirely out of the water. His pulling the plug on fully homegrown offshore wind energy sets America back as the rest of the world leaps ahead in wind technology. Ella Ryan
Response disaster
Freeport, L.I.: News coverage of the recent megastorm that killed 40 and caused millions in damage across five Southern states had a deafening silence: Who is helping its victims? Any natural disaster of this size used to bring descriptions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency already being on the ground helping survivors get food, clothing and shelter, communities repair infrastructure and residents rebuild homes and businesses. The federal government not stepping up to help five states that helped elect the administration that pulled the plug on FEMA is a clear sign that we are all on our own dealing with the next hurricane or plague. Good luck, folks. Bob Sterner
Puppet prez
Scarsdale, N.Y.: After all of Trump’s cozying up to Vladimir Putin and Russia, I wonder if Trump could be the real Manchurian candidate. Harvey Wielstein
Judicial breach
Terre Haute, Ind.: The time has arrived for the Supreme Court to do its job by controlling these rogue Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden federal district court judges. A Washington, D.C. Obama judge retains no jurisdictional authority to involve himself in a Texas-based deportation case and controversy by mandating to the executive branch how to conduct air flight operations, whether within or beyond U.S. airspace, let alone ordering the reversal of a flight’s course to El Salvador while in international airspace. Get with it, justices — exercise your authority over the federal court system and finally constrain these moronic district court judges with their idiotic national restraining orders and injunctions! Grow a spine! Earl Beal
Lawless
Staten Island: The Trump regime is out of control and in contempt of court. It hates democracy, the Constitution and America. This judge has got to get these criminals under control. This judge and every other judge must stand firm about their orders being carried out and not ignored or the rule of law will die in this administration. Welcome to fascism! Michael Rosenkrantz
Unconstrained executive
Ashburn, Va.: Well, the majority of Americans voted for Trump and we’re now entering a new era in the United States: the Trump Era — an era without judges. Representing Trump, his border czar announced that illegal deportations will continue, according to The Hill: “Border czar Tom Homan said he doesn’t care what the judges think… ‘I’m proud to be a part of this administration. We’re not stopping,’ he said Monday on ‘Fox & Friends.’ ‘I don’t care what the judges think. I don’t care.’ ” So, the judicial branch and its judges are now irrelevant. Evidently, so are the courts. And, as Trump has previously stated, so is the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson warned us: “The government you elect is the government you deserve.” Maybe we should have listened. Mike Barrett
Shameful support
Pearl River, N.Y.: As I watched on TV in disbelief, Hamas supporters stormed Trump Tower on Fifth Ave. There were numerous Jews in this demonstration supporting detained ex-Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil, who is a Hamas supporter. Shame, shame, shame on you Jewish people supporting this guy! You’re a disgrace to your heritage and religion. Shame on you all. Robert Brennan
First they came for him
Lynbrook, L.I.: A student activist and peaceful protester, Mahmoud Khalil, was arrested and detained with the threat of deportation. He has not been charged with a crime, has no criminal record and holds/held a green card. The Columbia Graduate School of Journalism has advised its students to stop covering sensitive issues like Gaza and Ukraine, asserting that “nobody can protect you… these are dangerous times.” Our present regime is being urged by other authoritarian governments to target judges who rule against the administration. This is a real threat against constitutional government. My fellow Americans, our freedoms are being eroded. We should be very concerned. This is a dangerous administration. Marguerite Westbrook
Halt the hike
Brooklyn: After reading “New York’s Con Edison crisis is far from over” (op-ed, March 7), I believe that our honorable governor should increase pressure on the state Public Service Commission to totally reject the increases Con Edison and National Grid (a foreign company) are asking for. It’s time to stop the rascal action of hungry piranhas looking to inflate the volume of their pockets without taking into consideration the negative effects of their proposal.
Francisco J. Castillo
Housing first
Manhattan: To Voicer Carrie Tassa: Your response about the Elizabeth Street Garden was so incredibly out of touch and honestly infuriating. My godmother was one of the people who began community gardens in New York City. But she would have torn them up root by root with her own hands to make way for the homeless — and did. You sound so out of touch with reality and simply mindless to what it means to be homeless. But let’s all let Carrie have her pretty flowers while veterans and the mentally ill die on the streets. Get a clue, lady. People before pretty. T.S. Fallani
Get well soon
Brooklyn: I heard that Lonnie Quinn is taking a brief respite from being a weatherman on CBS Channel 2 and on the “CBS Evening News.” The days will be a little darker until Lonnie returns. It’s because of a head injury he received in an accident. My family and I wish a healthy recovery for Lonnie. I’ll never forget the few times we met him in person. He was like a friend. The whole CBS staff will miss him also. The way they spoke of him shows that he’s not only a consummate professional but a true gentleman. The weather will be a little cloudy until he brings back the sunshine with his smile. Sharon Cesario
