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Letter: What will it take for us to say, “Enough already”?

(Evan Vucci | The Associated Press) President Donald Trump, with acting Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, left, speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington. The chairman of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee is calling on the Interior Department to halt work on oil and gas development permits and leases in Alaska and elsewhere during the partial government shutdown. A letter from U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., to Bernhardt objects to the Interior Department allowing work to be done on upcoming offshore lease sales, seismic permits and a five-year offshore oil and gas leasing plan.

Our president has decided that the federal agencies that can approve oil drilling in the Arctic and Pacific Northwest are essential during this government shutdown.

So, as experts worldwide warn us that our options to meaningfully address climate change are closing, POTUS wants to open up more areas to drilling for fossil fuels. Federal employees working for the EPA, National Park Service, Food and Drug Administration, agencies designed to safeguard our air, water, land and food, are not essential.

As Catherine Rampell points out in her opinion, “Whatever happened to Republicans’ principles?”

How transparent does the lack of compassion for people, animals, and the planet have to be before U.S. citizens stand up and say, “Enough already”?!

Monica Hilding, Salt Lake City

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