SARGENTON
Staff Writer
It has been more than a week since Donald Trump was sworn in as president, and he has already signed several executive orders that have worried citizens across the nation.
One issue that is concerning Saint Rose students is Trump’s plan to cut a billion dollars from the Environmental Protection Agency budget. It’s estimated that 15,000 EPA workers will be receiving a pink slip due to planned budget cuts.
“Trump himself has shown that he is against science repeatedly, and that’s very worrying to me when we’re coming up to a point where global warming is going to be the number one problem facing, not just America, but the planet,”said Blake Vaisey, Saint Rose environmental club public relations officer and vice president of the political science club. Trump has stated in the past that he thought climate change was a hoax created by the Chinese, later claiming he was making a joke.
Vaisey believes Trump is intelligent and knows what he is doing, but is playing the villain on purpose to appeal to his voters. In a businessman mindset, Trump is more worried about how the country is doing at the moment, rather than what it will be in the future. Vaisey is worried that if Trump is running the country as a business, he will ignore important issues that will soon have a great impact on America.
The administration ordered a social media freeze on the EPA Twitter account until all the policies were reviewed, and grants that allow college students to conduct research about potential harms to the environment have been frozen as well. Trump ordered the EPA to delete all climate change information off its website and further that any studies conducted by the EPA must undergo review by someone in his administration prior to the public release of data.
“I understand the reason why Trump wants to get rid of the EPA, because he wants to make room for oil companies and the non-renewable energy groups,” said Nicholas Negron, a Saint Rose student.
Negron believes that Trump should trust the scientists who conduct the research because it is their area of expertise, and they have been studying climate change for years. The scientists present the facts and data to prove that climate change is happening, and that something must be done to keep it in check.
As the media blackout continues, some members of the EPA have joined the fight against the Trump administration and created an alternate twitter account, @altEPA.
“This agency (et al) operates most effectively with transparency. A gag order does not foster communication,” the account tweeted on Jan. 25 to promise the public that it will continue doing its job to keep people informed.
The blackout has some people questioning whether or not this is an act of limiting freedom of speech, which is protected by the First Amendment.
“I’m pretty sure this violates our First Amendment rights. I also think it’s foolish to silence scientists who are verified to know what they’re talking about. Denying climate change has already had a detrimental effect on our planet. We need to face the fact that we are hurting the planet and that we need to change before it is too late,” said Shanell Hanna, a Saint Rose senior.
It’s important to understand the changes occurring in the environment and to be aware of our surroundings, since they are always changing, according to Raymond Collins, a Saint Rose earth science professor and meteorologist. Collins explained how in some realms this may be a restriction of freedom of speech; however, one must consider the circumstances which the person is in.
“Freedom of speech is when I know something and I should be able to talk about it,” said Collins.
In response to the stance of Trump’s administration concerning climate change, scientists and environmentalists are planning a March for Science on April 29 in Washington, D.C. and around the nation to protest recent decisions made by the current administration.
“It’s dangerous to try to silence different arms of the government,” said Negron.
