Letter to the Editor Published in Lexington Herald-Leader

Vote to protect jobs, people - Letter To The Editor, Lexington Herald-Leader

I attended the Kentucky Manufacturers Conference as a member of the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition. I support Kentucky manufacturing jobs and wanted to learn more about the industry.
But instead of hearing about ways government and industry officials are working to bring safe, well-paying jobs to one of our nation’s poorest states, I got an earful of jubilation for cutting the regulations that safeguard our workers, communities and environment.
At one point, Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Charles Snavely, a former Arch Coal executive, listed all the environmental policies that President Donald Trump has rolled back, grinning the whole way through as if it’s so grand that more people will now get cancer, suffer and die for having to drink polluted water or breathe toxic air.
The person charged with protecting Kentucky’s environment, and consequently public health, applauded Trump for approving the leaking Dakota Access Pipeline, removing critical stream protections and scrapping the Clean Power Plan.
I’m sure Snavely is gleeful now we’ve withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement.
Corporations in Kentucky and across the country are getting away with murder because they have government officials in their pockets. It’s time to vote with our ballots and our wallets, and make ourselves heard.

Cameron Baller
Lexington, KY