{"id":554,"date":"2019-04-15T15:02:13","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T21:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtnmamas.org\/?p=554"},"modified":"2020-05-08T15:17:43","modified_gmt":"2020-05-08T21:17:43","slug":"senator-cory-gardner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mtnmamas.org\/sp\/senator-cory-gardner\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator Cory Gardner needs to get schooled on the environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

This op-ed originally appeared in Colorado Politics on 04.10.2019.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching the recent nomination hearing of David Bernhardt for Interior Secretary, it was unsettling to hear how he suppressed internal findings about the impact of pesticides on wildlife, and then denied that multiple conflicts of interest he\u2019s incurred for decades as an oil and gas lobbyist would be a factor in his decision-making. More unsettling was our own Sen. Cory Gardner defending Bernhardt, painting his record of favoring of energy industry clients as \u201cvaluable experience.\u201d Such a failure to display the meaningful values in life reminded me of a favorite book, \u201cAll I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten\u201d. As a parent, I love the way it shows that what we learned when we were little remains a powerful guide for our adult years. Lately I have to wonder whether Senator Gardner was absent the days they taught those lessons in school. We\u2019ve seen so many examples of things that our junior Senator doesn\u2019t seem to understand.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Play fair<\/strong> \u2013 Most of his Colorado constituents would agree that he is hardly playing fair.  We, the Colorado public are not given the same access to him as the special interests are.  Senator Gardner has held almost no town halls where we could talk to him about the issues important to us or to ask him to explain his one-sided votes. That\u2019s not fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put things back where you found them<\/strong> \u2013 One of Senator Gardner\u2019s favorite special interests is Big Oil.  He is happy to let them drill, baby, drill, wherever they would like including our public lands.  Unfortunately, while the oil companies profit, public lands never fully recover. Wildlife is often gone for good.  These lands have not left been how they found them, and they are certainly no longer areas I would take my child to run and play in the outdoors.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Share everything<\/strong> \u2013 Many families choose to raise their kids in Colorado because of our outdoor lifestyle of which our shared public lands are a critical element.  It\u2019s where we hike, camp, fish, play sports and explore with our kids. Again, Gardner seems more interested in letting the oil and gas industry do as they please without safeguards in place to protect the rest of us from this industrial activity.  He has supported repeal of the Methane and Waste Prevention Rule meaning methane leaks can continue from oil and gas operations, threatening our kids\u2019 future. Who wants to take their children to play next to an industrial oil field full of gas leaks?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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