(Washington, D.C., December 21, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today praised President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order Promoting Active Management of America’s Forests, Rangelands, and other Federal Lands to Improve Conditions and Reduce Wildfire Risks.
Perdue issued the following statement:
“As we’ve seen in Paradise Valley, California, wildfire can have devastating lasting effects on our people and our towns. More than 70,000 communities and 46 million homes are at risk of catastrophic wildfires. Today, based upon the feedback he received from Federal, State, County, and Tribal leaders, the President outlines a shared vision to make our communities safe. This executive order empowers states and federal land managers to more effectively clear the excessive fuels threatening their homes and businesses. Along with the authorities passed in the 2018 Omnibus and Farm Bills, Congress can further help this effort by passing legislation that gives the USDA Forest Service and Department of the Interior the ability to expedite these sorely needed forest treatments before another Paradise Valley-like fire occurs.”
Road to Ruin: Trump’s Middle East Retreat
By Mel Gurtov
557 words
The flight of the generals is now complete with the resignation of General James Mattis—the last of the four generals to depart, and the last to give up the naïve belief he could bring sanity and order to the White House. Mattis refused Trump’s request to endorse the Syria withdrawal. His resignation letter shows, however, that more than Syria prompted it: “My views on treating allies with respect and also being cleareyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held,” he wrote.
Some outcomes of the force withdrawals are fairly predictable. Turkey will be free to attack US Kurdish allies. Bashar al-Assad will have further opportunity to brutally impose his will over resistance forces, with Iran’s and Russia’s help and without fear of US counteraction. Israel and Saudi Arabia may now have license to intervene in Syria or further squeeze Iran, widening the zone of contest. US partners farther afield will have further evidence that Trump cannot be trusted to act rationally—in fact, cannot be trusted, period.
Trump will crow that he has kept his promise, saved a bundle of money, and brought the boys home in keeping with “America First.” (“We’re rebuilding other countries while weakening our own,” he said in the first major foreign-policy speech of his 2016 campaign.) But his rationale may not go over well with Republicans in Congress who are already smarting over Trump’s kowtowing to the Saudis in the Khashoggi affair and now are saying he has made a major error (Rubio) and acted dishonorably (Graham). Trump has overplayed his hand, not so much because of the withdrawal of US forces as because he has once again revealed how ego, arrogance, and impulsiveness drive his decision making. There was no process behind his decision, no consulting with his top national security advisers or anyone else, no weighing of consequences, no exit strategy.
Trump’s withdrawal decisions put Democrats in a difficult position. Progressives might well applaud the idea of force withdrawal from losing efforts even while criticizing the lack of a strategic rationale for doing so. Their problem is offering a credible alternative to inevitable accusations that they favor “cut and run.” Establishment Democrats are more likely to condemn the withdrawals outright, arguing that they are a gift to the Russians and an affront to allies, including Israel. Their problem is backing endless war—Obama’s dilemma. Both groups will have to decide how to handle the Mattis resignation. After all, he was no dove; to the contrary, as his letter indicated, he wanted the administration to focus on getting tough with China and Russia, the chief US adversaries, while sustaining war-making in Syria and Afghanistan. Hardly a position that liberals or progressives should stand behind.
There are no winners, here or abroad, in Trump’s decision. But there are important losers: innocent lives and prospects for peace. However remote a political settlement in Syria and Afghanistan might have been before, it is even more remote now. With the US largely out of the picture, incentives for adversaries—Syria and Russia in Syria, the Taliban in Afghanistan—to negotiate war-ending or at least violence-reduction agreements are now gone. Civil war is likely to gain intensity. Civilian casualties and refugee numbers will rise substantially. A new regional war is possible. The defeat of peace should be the focus of critics’ concern.
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Mel Gurtov, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University.
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UTAH’S NATIONAL PARKS TO REMAIN OPEN DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
SALT LAKE CITY -- The State of Utah is once again stepping in to minimize disruption to travelers visiting Utah’s national parks during a federal government shutdown. When and if the federal government shuts down, the state will provide support to keep frontline visitor services open through the holidays at Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks.
“We take great pride in our hospitality and want visitors who come to Utah’s Mighty Five national parks during the Christmas holiday to have a safe, clean and enjoyable experience,” said Governor Gary R. Herbert. “Many travelers have planned their visit for months in advance and have traveled from all over the world to be here. We want them to return home with memories of magnificent vistas and welcoming people, not locked doors.”
Per updated federal guidelines for government shutdowns, national parks and other public lands remain open to visitors, though National Park Service cautions visitors that all park activities are suspended “except for those that are essential to respond to emergencies involving the safety of human life or the protection of property.”
Under the leadership of Gov. Herbert, the Utah Office of Tourism and the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation, the state of Utah has opted to go beyond maintaining basic access by working with the national parks to underwrite the costs of staffing visitor centers and maintaining custodial services at Arches, Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks.
“Our marketing inspires people about Utah’s amazing red rock destinations. We want to ensure that their experience matches or exceeds their expectations.” said Vicki Varela, managing director, Utah Office of Tourism.
“This is the third time this year we have experienced a shutdown. While the federal government faces another impasse, the State of Utah and Utah’s Federal Land Managers are committed to safe, high-quality access for all visitors to America’s public lands.” said Tom Adams, Director of Utah’s Office of Outdoor Recreation.
The Utah Office of Tourism is providing visitors with updated park information and ramping up customer service on its website, visitutah.com. Visitor questions will be answered via live chat.
All of Utah’s 14 ski resorts, including those operating on US Forest Service lands will remain open with no disruptions due to the shutdown and all of Utah’s 44 state parks are fully staffed and open for visitation.
“Small businesses form the backbone of Utah’s tourism economy and they suffered significant losses during the 16-day federal government shutdown of 2013,” said Varela. “Maintaining high quality services in our most-visited parks during this busy travel holiday, will help keep these business whole through the winter.”
Economists estimate the 2013 shutdown cost Utah’s tourism economy $30 million despite Utah being the first state to open their national parks during the shutdown.
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About the Utah Office of Tourism
The Utah Office of Tourism and the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation are part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The Office of Tourism promotes out-of-state visitation to Utah through integrated communications, marketing and travel trade initiatives. Tourism in Utah is a $9.15 billion industry, last year generating $1.34 billion in state and local tax revenue. The Utah tourism industry employs an estimated 147,800 Utahns.
About the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation
The mission of the Office of Outdoor Recreation is to ensure all Utahns can live an active and healthy lifestyle through outdoor recreation. Outdoor recreation in Utah contributes more than $12.3 billion to the economy, employing more than 138,000 people and generates $3.9 billion in wages and salaries.
Media are welcome to use these photos to accompany news stories. For media inquiries, please contact Emily Moench, Public Relations Manager for the Utah Office of Tourism, at (385) 234-1551 or EMoench@utah.gov.
