Environmental protection should trump party loyalties
January 10, 2020
Eagle Herald
Dear Editor,
Hail the hundreds of letter writers who have challenged the insanity of digging a gold mine on the shore of our Menominee River. This project would benefit the few temporarily and cause permanent damages to millions of living creatures: plants of the water and land, fish, denizens of forest and you and I. Will we really ignore the delicate balance of our mostly healthy sustainable ecology and turn our living space into a wasteland of acidic soil and water?
All writers have been clearly well-informed and unanimous on how the mine will horribly affect the environment. However, one ingredient of the topic has seemed to be overlooked. Politics. There is one party (Republican) that denies climate change and is dismantling the EPA (a Nixon, R, administration creation), at the national and state level.
There is a political party (Democratic) that fights to protect environmental degradation. Both of our counties’ borders will suffer the certainty of consequences; both counties voted Republican in the recent elections. Menominee, as of recent, Marinette, for decades. I realize many factors influence a Republican and Democrat vote but is there any issue that trumps species survival? If not for ourselves, but for posterity?
Floyd LeBouton
Menominee