Government is not effective behind closed doors

Responding to the May 21 passage of environmental legislation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee: In my opinion this kind of bill is long overdue. While I’m pleased that important environmental issues are finally being debated in the House, I am disappointed at the manner in which this debate has been conducted.

According to reports, the final version of this bill was crafted in a series of closed-door discussions between authors of the bill and powerful lobbyists from Boeing, Shell and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, among others. This process resulted in many concessions given to corporate interests, such as 85 percent of pollution credits being given away for free, larger subsidies for coal power than renewable energy and weaker target reductions for emissions.

As a person who has been involved with environmental activism in the past, I often feel that there is little hope for concerned citizens to make a difference. How can the voice of everyday Americans such as I reach the ears of our “representatives” in Congress when they are being whispered in by corporate lobbyists?

Americans care about the world’s environmental future. I demand that our government hear us now, if it’s not already too late.

Michael Moynihan
Bloomington resident