DeepSummary
President Trump signed two presidential proclamations to modify the national monument designations of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante on the recommendation of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Sally Jewell, the former Interior Secretary under President Obama, sat down with the podcast to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to roll back regulations and conservation safeguards.
Jewell expressed frustration with the Trump administration's retreat from science and lack of a proactive strategy beyond undoing the work of the previous administration. She pointed out the economic risks of introducing uncertainty for industries like oil and gas that had reached compromises on land use. She also highlighted the importance of landscape-level planning and science in making informed decisions about public lands.
Jewell emphasized the talent and commitment of government researchers and public servants during her tenure. She was proud of engaging the next generation and expanding renewable energy on public lands while protecting critical habitats. She believes thoughtful regulations balance economic and environmental interests and warned that rolling them back undermines businesses' certainty.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The Trump administration is rolling back Obama-era regulations and policies related to public lands and conservation, ignoring science and lacking a coherent strategy.
- Thoughtful regulations balance economic and environmental interests through compromise, providing business certainty, while hasty rollbacks create uncertainty detrimental to industries.
- Using science and landscape-level planning is crucial for informed land use decisions that balance development with conservation needs.
- Engaging the next generation and expanding renewable energy on public lands were key accomplishments under the Obama administration's Interior Department.
- Jewell highlighted the dedication of government researchers, public servants, and those upholding commitments to indigenous tribes during her tenure.
- Regulations cannot simply be undone without following proper processes, despite the Trump administration's eagerness for deregulation.
- Specific policies like fracking regulations and federal coal leasing royalties were areas of concern under the new Interior Secretary.
- Public backlash may result from the perceived undermining of environmental protections and public interests in service of industry influence.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Thoughtful regulations that have been done right, and we did a number of them, take into account a lot of different points of view, and they strike the balance between the importance of economic success and a clear path to an economic future and appropriate environmental protections or protections for people, resources and so on.“ by Sally Jewell
- “If it took us 30 years to undo what Secretary Watt did, how much time is it going to take to undo things that are not thoughtfully being done right now? And I just hope that the companies are smart enough to recognize that this is not a good business investment for them.“ by Sally Jewell
- “We now understand that it's critical habitat for over 300 species of animal that are important for all kinds of reasons to all kinds of people. Now we know because of the science, the areas that are important to set aside for conservation and the areas that are less important.“ by Sally Jewell
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1/9/18