Tag Archives: Eco Politics

Trump Nominates Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State Environmental Groups Declare War (Updated)

The news that Rex Tillerson (Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil) will be nominated for Secretary of State, prompted an outcry from a broad spectrum of groups including environmental, renewable energy advocates and even some leading republican lawmakers leery of the many conflicts of interest such a move would create.

Rex Tillerson is the head of one of the worst companies on planet earth. Is Exxon Mobil that bad? Exxon knew about Global warming and the impact it would have as far back as 1977, in fact their models from way back then are proving to be quite accurate. Yet Exxon Mobil has spent decades denying the science of climate change while manufacturing and profiting from the very root of the problem. Click here for details. Nominating such a person for Secretary of State would top off one of the most devastating weeks for those of us who want a clean healthy planet for our children to inherit.

Optimism had been building that a Trump administration would not be as harsh on the environment as initially feared after Trump indicated in interviews, he would have an open mind about climate change and followed up that amenable tone with high profile meetings with two climate change activists; Al Gore and Lenardo DiCaprio. Leonardo DiCaprio has become quite outspoken about the dangers of global climate change and has recently both starred in and produced the National Geographic documentary , “Before the Flood”.

Feelings of good will turned to disbelief and rage after Trump nominated Scott Pruitt as head of the EPA, the same Scott Pruitt who had sued the EPA in a bid to undue key legislative elements of President Obama’s protections to rein in pollution from Coal fired power plants.

The position of Secretary of State is one of the most powerful and includes such responsibilities as ; Advising the President on matters relating to U.S. foreign policy including the appointment of diplomatic representatives to other nations and on the acceptance or dismissal of representatives from other nations. Participates in high-level negotiations with other countries, either bilaterally or as part of an international conference or organization or appoints representatives to do so including negotiation of international treaties and other agreements. (Source-Wikipedia)

Such a position demands a representative who is wholly consumed with the highest interests of the people and government of the United States WITHOUT bias toward any single industry. Rex Tillerson cannot be entrusted to represent the interests of the people of the United States when he has been so embedded in big oil for so long. Should his nomination make it through, he will encounter a conflict of interest and logistical nightmare after retiring from Exxon Mobil regarding the handling of Exxon Mobil stock according to Fortune.

President elect Trump cannot pull the wool over the eyes of environmental groups by merely whispering lullabies of environmental open mindedness while nominating people who are clearly going to gut any and all policies that were designed to protect the environment while fostering the growth of renewable energy.  President elect Trump should understand, very clearly that his actions (not his words) and the consequences of those actions will be judged by future generations. (photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 -Unported)