Posted under Chesapeake Bay & Environment
Yesterday, I expressed my opposition to a resolution recently co-sponsored by Ron George, the incumbent Republican Delegate in District 30. The resolution states that climate change is a “conspiracy” and urged the Environmental Protection Agency to “immediately halt” all efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. I noted that, setting climate science aside, this action would have disastrous consequences for the Chesapeake Bay.
This morning, Ron George responded. You can read his full response here.
First, George claims that I “misrepresent” his views on climate change because “The term ‘climate change conspiracy’ did not come from us and does not refer to climate change itself but to falsehoods that have been uncovered.” He states he actually believes that “Climate Change is a true concern.”
The best way to respond is to simply quote from the resolution George co-sponsored. The stated purpose of the bill is to investigate the “climate change conspiracy.” More from the body of the resolution itself:
[T]here is a well–organized and ongoing effort to manipulate global temperature data and incorporate tricks to substantiate the theory of climate change.
The Earth’s climate is constantly changing, and recent warming indicates a return to more normal temperatures
Second, George claims that “The resolution asks the EPA to separate facts from fiction so we can deal with the science. That is all it does.” Actually, the bill urges the EPA to “immediately halt its carbon dioxide reduction policies and programs.”
This is the real problem for District 30 and Maryland as a whole, because of severe damage such action would cause to the Chesapeake Bay. Of course, the co-sponsors of this resolution did not take that into account. They simply copied the language verbatim from a contentious resolution in the Utah legislature.
Cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay is a huge challenge. To succeed, we need to set aside the kind of partisan ideology that is embodied in George’s resolution and work together toward our shared goals.
Comments Off
