Re: “Trump cancels landmark Columbia River agreement with tribes, WA, OR” (June 12, Climate Lab):
President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel the Snake River agreement that the Biden administration brokered with several Native tribes, the governors of Washington and Oregon, and the environmental community is an egregious insult to our shared endeavors.
The heart of this agreement was a commitment by all parties to develop alternatives to the agricultural, recreational, transportation and energy uses of the Snake River and to restore the river to its natural state. Implementing these alternatives would rescue several iconic, imperiled wildlife species of the Pacific Northwest, including numerous salmon runs and the southern resident orcas of the Salish Sea.
Canceling this agreement does not just devastate the Snake River. It represents a loss of faith in the Earth itself and in humanity’s willingness to share our planet with other species. Continuing to desecrate our land, water and air, and trample wildlife betrays our claim to be Earth’s most intelligent inhabitant and propels the entire planet toward irreversible ecological ruin.
In “Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World,” Barry Lopez writes: “We must invent … another kind of civilization, one more cognizant of limits, less greedy, more compassionate, less bigoted, more inclusive, less exploitative.” If not now, when?
Michael W. Shurgot, Seattle
