Ed Martin Really Angry that Russ Carnahan Cares about the Environment

Ed Martin let loose an angry rant last week about the fact that Russ Carnahan introduced the Global Conservation Act to Congress, a bill that creates a Global Conservation Coordinator position in the White House and asks agencies to come up with a plan to:

– Protect millions of square miles of land and sea,
– Address illegal and unregulated fishing around the world,
– Safeguard the natural sources of fresh water to several major population centers around the world,
– Stop the worst wildlife trafficking operations, and
– Stabilize environmental destruction trends in areas vulnerable to conflict and instability.

Here's what Ed Martin had to say:

He’s voted for bailouts, he’s voted for a failed stimulus, and now he’s pushing some absurd scheme that may save a giraffe in the Serengeti, but it won’t bring the Dodge Ram back to Fenton. At least Russ Carnahan’s Hollywood buddy Don Cheadle may send a fat campaign check.

Ed Martin's short-sightedness on this issue is astonishing. The decision to "come up with a plan" is hardly a major financial investment. More importantly, destroying the planets' natural resources is bad for the global (and hence the U.S.) economy in the long-term, so small steps like this will inevitably pay for themselves.

In fact, Congressman Carnahan has been doing great work on the environment lately. In addition to introducing the Global Conservation Act with a high-profile press conference with Don Cheadle and Jane Goodall, Congressman Carnahan was at a panel discussion a couple weeks ago about the need for the United States to invest in a more sustainable transportation infrastructure. You can read about the event at the Next Stop St. Louis Blog. I'm glad that St. Louis is represented by a Congressman who recognizes the environment as an important priority rather than a climate change denier like Ed Martin who thinks that Glenn Beck's opinion on the environment is more valuable than scientific consensus.