Trump saved golf course from rising sea; why not Wash. towns?
Donald Trump has described climate change as "a hoax," but petitioned to build a wall to protect one of "the greatest golf courses in the world" in Ireland from rising sea levels. Now, before Trump slashes spending on coastal programs, as part of cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., wants him to visit Taholah on the Quinault Indian Reservation.
"Tribal elders would tell him the ocean was once a football field away," Kilmer said in a House floor speech. "Now the waters are their front porch and it creeps closer to their homes every year.
"They would like a brand new sea wall, too. But unfortunately they aren't billionaires. They need a partner to help protect their livelihoods."
Kilmer zeroed in on a draft administration budget proposal that zeroes out federal dollars for NOAA's Coastal Zone Management Program.
"That's ZERO dollars for an initiative that provides critical resources to communities facing the same threat from rising sea levels as (Trump's) golf courses," the three-term congressman said. "You know if it sounds like I'm outraged about this because I find this to be so outrageous."
Kilmer represents the Olympic Peninsula, a region of the state impacted by rising sea levels and ocean acidification, and where tsunami warnings are a major local issue.
Ocean Shores, Westport and Neah Bay also need protection federal partners in dealing with rising sea levels, Kilmer argued.
"Before releasing his budget, I hope the president remembers that it's not just his golf course that is at risk. We're talking about people's homes. About lives. People deserve better than this."
Kilmer is in a position to make this fight. He sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which determines the specifics of federal spending. So does Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, the Republican who represents Washington's southwest coast. Herrera Beutler has yet to be heard on the potential gutting of NOAA programs.
By: Joel Connelly
Source: SeattlePI