Huffington Post has reported that Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fort Walton Beach) has drafted a bill to “completely abolish†the Environmental Protection Agency.
The email on Tuesday morning was sent to lawmakers who might co-sponsor the legislation, according to the website.
Citing the cost of compliance for small businesses, Gaetz wrote, “It is time to take back our legislative power from the EPA and abolish it permanently.â€
Huffington Post said that Gaetz’s chief of staff, Dan McFaul, did not respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Gaetz will be my guest on “Pensacola Speaks” on Wednesday afternoon. We will discuss this.
Read Huffington Post.
I would just love to hear him explain, in detail, the sources and facts on which he bases these opinions.
Without the EPA you may be able to entice more businesses to the Panhandle area since they will no longer be required to follow regulations which allow this area to be the nature sanctuaries and tourist draw that it is. This area is already having infrastructure issues in the Crestview vicinity. With a greater influx of people moving in to follow new businesses, aging and inadequate infrastructures will begin to fail. The safety and health of the population will suffer as will the environment, which will turn this area from a travel destination to islands of poverty and ruin. Why not improve upon what is already here…most of our schools are aged, over crowded, and not suitable for our increasingly technical and STEM society. Why not invest in the youth of this area. This area contains one of the higher performing districts in the state, but how does it compare nationally and how do the other districts within the Panhandle compare? What about the disparity within the district itself–why do some schools have more resources and others barely enough to get by? With more educational equity the population will have more opportunities to pursue. The product of this area would be students who are able to succeed in either venue; technical or skilled labor fields as well as university pursuits. This area could be the future of this state.
Gaetz is sucking up to Rick Scott for his own personal gain and future career goals. He cares naught for Floridians.
Would you please ask him how the states are supposed to fund the new regulatory burdens that he would see shifted to that level? Take the current EPA budget and divide it between all the states? New taxes on God knows what, to help offset the regulatory costs? The proposal is moronic and asinine much like his interaction with his constituents who do not share his views.
The paper mill just blew black liquor all over Cantonment and Perdido Bay is still trying to recover from the mill’s discharges, so I guess there is no reason for having the EPA.
Matt, if you are reading this, it’s called sarcasm.
How someone can represent the Florida Panhandle, who’s livelihood is dependent upon its pristine environment, and want to abolish environmental protection is beyond me. He must have a mannequin in his office that wears an “I’m With Stupid” tee shirt so he can pose with it for selfies. We need to replace this guy in 2018!
It’s doubtful that this extreme proposal will succeed, but the people must respond nevertheless. Locally, EPA has a world class research lab on Pensacola Beach (totally separate from their regulatory functions), has created regulations that helped to clean-up Pensacola Bay from the putrid mess it was in the early 1970s (before EPA), and as we speak has officials helping on scene with the cleanup at International Paper. We need EPA to protect our health and that of our air and water!
Rick: I do hope you will not be Mister Nice talking head, but ask him some hard question,,then again, he might not call again..then you can call Papa Gaetz to order his mindless, brainless spoil brat to continue to call you. I do hope one of the more qualify Republicans will run against baby Gaets in 2018
He also wants the US to withdraw from the United Nations. He’s daffy.