Earth Day Pioneer Calls It A Day Of Mourning This Year Thanks To Trump

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CS 04/21/2017 07:59 pm ET
Earth Day Pioneer Calls It A ‘Day Of Mourning’ This Year Thanks To Trump
Former Republican congressman Pete McCloskey sees no reason for joy.
By Michael McLaughlin


SAN FRANCISCO — Saturday is Earth Day and things haven’t looked this bad for the environment in a long time, according to a former Republican congressman who helped launch the holiday.

Pete McCloskey, who co-chaired the original Earth Day celebration in 1970, said there’s little to celebrate this year as President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress set out to slash budgets for environmental agencies and undermine laws that protect water, air and wildlife.

“This will be a black day. This will be a day of mourning for what is about to happen to environmental regulations,” said McCloskey, who represented parts of the San Francisco Bay Area in Congress from 1967 to 1983. “In 1970, it was joyous as millions of people turned out against air pollution, water pollution.”

The first Earth Day is credited with galvanizing public support behind sweeping changes to how the government managed natural resources. Months later, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency. The Clean Air Act was also passed in 1970, while the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972. McCloskey co-authored the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

These hard-fought gains are in jeopardy, McCloskey told HuffPost. The White House’s budget proposal aims to reduce the EPA’s spending by 25 percent, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s budget would shrivel by 17 percent.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/earth-day-pete-mccloskey-trump_us_58fa3580e4b00fa7de13cdda