Environment, Politics, Society, Uncategorized

Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Trump Plan To Put Pipeline Across Appalachian Trail

download-7Much of the discussion yesterday focused on the historic ruling in favor of workplace protections for LGBT workers.  Lost in the coverage was another case where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of another horrendous policy of the Trump Administration on the environment. I have been a long and vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s record on the environment and the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline us the latest rollback on Obama era protections.  The Court voted 7-2 decision in favor of the $5.1 billion pipeline project across one of our most cherished and most used natural areas: the Appalachian Trail.

My objections is more to the policy than the ruling.  Under President Barack Obama, the government asked regulators to pursue alternate routes for the pipeline that would not cross this pristine area.  That was one of the many environmental policies that Trump reversed.  The decision in favor of the agencies was predicted by many of us.

In December 2018, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled with the environmental groups and vacated the Forest Service permit. The pipeline company wants to put the pipeline underground but it presents a threat to this protected areas from spills and other impacts.  At issue is also a bright line rule that should bar development of this kind for private companies in federal parks.

I readily admit to being an ardent environmentalist and I have often shared photos from my many hikes on the Appalachian Trail (including the one above). It remains one of our greatest national treasures.  The decision of President Trump seems almost gratuitously threatening for our national parks and dismissive of the concerns for all those of value these areas.

It is appalling that Congress has not stepped into protect the storied AT.  Nevertheless, there remains challenges to be heard. Thus, if there is a Biden Administration, this policy could well be reversed again.  I hope that any new Administration would move quickly to restore the Obama policy.

 

 

 

39 thoughts on “Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Trump Plan To Put Pipeline Across Appalachian Trail”

  1. Back when I was younger Blowing a Tranny meant you had to have your car towed to a transmission mechanic.

    It appears the SCOTUS have something else in mind?

  2. The Appalachian Trail will be fine. But I opine that the law has been trampled upon by this legislating from the bench.

    Tch, tch.

  3. My objections is more to the policy than the ruling.

    We’ve had a lot of that over the last 3.5 years. Of course these objections were characterized as unconstitutional and cries for removing the President from office have been nonstop. In reality, policy objections are what political platforms are built on and the People decide how they want this country to be governed. This quote should be recognizable:

    Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won. So I think on that one, I trump you.

    This post is missing some key facts that are necessary for an objective opinion. But then again, when it comes to the environment, JT often only appeals to emotion.

  4. It is obvious that you have no expertise on construction or extracting natural resources. The methods used today are not the same methods of old. The efforts that are made toward safety and protecting the environment are very strong and enforced. There is a way to use these resources and protect the environment and the safety of the workers. You should not comment on subjects you have no knowledge of. I’ve been in construction for 43 years and I guarantee you todays standards and methods are very very good and monitored.

  5. Is that REALLY the ROUTE for the pipeline? I’m suspicious no map of the actual route was offered.

  6. Oh come on, Jon! I lived in Lynchburg and Madison Heights, Virginia and have hiked on the Appalachian Trail and driven the Blue Ridge Parkway numerous times. The “trail” is nothing but a footpath that runs a few yards off of the Parkway in many places. The proposed crossing is not in a national park per se although the Blue Ridge Parkway belongs to the NPS and is administered by it. The crossing area is near Wintergreen Resort, a commercial establishment. The area is hardly “pristine.” Those mountains have been penetrated numerous times, particularly by highways, including I-64, which crosses north of the area. The pipeline will be buried and hikers will hardly notice it once construction is complete.

  7. I do not understand with your legal objection to the court doing this. There are already roads, including interstate highways that cross the Appalachian trail, allowing a buried pipeline to also cross should obviously be allowed, with appropriate safeguards. Just like highways cross it in many locations, with no public or legal objection.

  9. Trump wins again. They never learn. Trump has a long record and experience in the courts as a Real Estate Developer and now President.

    But, I disagree with the pipe line and do not agree with it and the harm it could cause. Its dirty oil. As well as disagree with the methods the oil is extracted.

    I support Pres. Trump but disagree with his pipeline and oil fracking policies.

  10. The Appalachian Trail is 2200 miles long.
    That means if you want to go hiking…and avoid the pipeline…it won’t be difficult.

  11. What else crosses over the “trail”, whether on ground, below ground, or overhead like a set of word?
    Did Indians pass over the trail in their trail of years passage?

  12. The Trail will not be affected by the pipeline. Read the permit. More urban environmentalist nonsense to penalize the poor to preserve “their” view.

  13. I have hiked several sections of the AT ( when I was a bit younger ).20 to 25 years ago the trail intersected many non-wilderness experiences, so depending upon how it’s handled, the pipeline shouldn’t be a ‘ deal breaker ‘.

  14. How do you get a pipeline from the west to the east without crossing the Appalachian Trail? It runs all the way from Georgia to northern Maine.

    1. Aha! Great question!!

      Answer: you don’t f’ing do it.

      There. Easy peasy.

  15. Agreed, Professor. And hiking the AT is a worthy pursuit. Good on ya for taking it up.

    Yes, not hard to predict Trump administration policy in this regard…, if it’s got to do with fossil fuel combustion they’re all in and no park or previously protected ground is safe. If it has to do with sustainable energy production the attacks will be ongoing and withering. Straight out of the ALEC playbook.

    Let’s actively take action to get Trump out of the job he so clearly is not fit to continue with (or even to have in the first place).

    Insert irrational Trumper attacks below.

    1. Neither Trump OR Biden belong in the White House . . where does that leave us ?

      1. Rick Crampton – well, if Biden is elected, I expect they will use the 25th Amendment to replace him with the VP.

      2. No decent person really wants contact with the swamp. We are left with garbage men such as Trump or filthy rats such as Biden and Hillary who live in that swamp. Pick you poison, I will go with the garbage man.

    2. I get the impression that if you had been active when Henry Ford invented the Model T you would have been organizing marches against it. Sometimes progress to stay current with the world conflicts with ideological perfection, but then, that is life in a nutshell. Get over it.

  16. Obama was an idiot when it came to the environment. Please gods, not another Obama.

    1. And he was also not a naturally born citizen. Paulie knows that too.

      LAW AND ORDER!

      1. Vlad – that birth certificate he tried to push on the public was a fake. He might be a natural born citizen, however his book jacket says he is Kenyan.

        1. Mr. Schulte:

          Which book has the blurb that Obama was Kenyan? Could you post a link of an image? Is the context of the blurb that he has Kenyan roots, i.e. his father was born in Kenyan?

          1. Al O’Heem – the dust jacket for Dreams of my Father says Obama is Kenyan born.

            1. I am Not an Obama – nation supported , but without dispute his mother was American this HE is American as well

              1. solvermn – the question is: is he native born so he qualifies to become President?
                I agree that he is automatically an American citizen, but that does not qualify him for President.

                1. Actually, a person born overseas does not become a citizen until the birth is reported to a US consulate. Citizenship is retroactive to the date of birth BUT, if the birth is not reported and the child reaches the age of 18, they must apply for citizenship. That seems to have been the case with Ted Cruz, who came to the US as a child. Just when his birth was reported is unclear. He renounced his Canadian citizenship after he was elected to the Senate.

              2. Is there a way to edit or remove a comment after it is posted.?
                Example; Obama-nation supported should be ” supporter”
                and Thus he is American not “this”he is American

              1. Al O’Heem – it is the original dust cover, not the new and improved one when he ran for President and had to be native born. 😉

                  1. Mr. Mosby:

                    Thank you for posting the link.

                    The Snopes webpage indicates that it came from a promotional booklet published by Breitbart, not from the book written by Barack. Without seeing the entire promotional booklet and verifying the source as reliable/accurate, it is not appropriate to cite it as an admission against self interest or proof of Barack’s birthplace.

                  2. John Mosby – there is evidence that Obama’s friend and neighbor Bill Ayers wrote the book, including some of Bill’s memoirs in it. 😉 They have blamed the dust jacket on his publicist, however, the author approves everything, including the dust jacket.

                2. Mr. Schulte:

                  (If you are not being sarcastic), please post a link to an image of the dust cover you are referring to.

                3. I remember listening to PBS years ago when Obama first got into politics and hearing a black person talking about how he was born in Kenya. There is also an article online (if it hasn’t been removed) from an African newspaper referring to his Kenyan birth. These are my thoughts on the birth issue that I posted years ago – http://sammcgowan.com/obama-html/

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