Paul On Mountaintop Removal: ?I Don’t Think Anyone’s Going To Be Missing A Hill Or Two Here And There?
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on June 14th, 2010 4:38 am by HL
Paul On Mountaintop Removal: ?I Don’t Think Anyone’s Going To Be Missing A Hill Or Two Here And There?
One of the themes of U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul’s (R-KY) campaign has been that businesses are burdened with overregulation, with Paul even decrying the anti-discrimination provisions imposed on private businesses in the Civil Rights Act. Now, Crooks and Liars has unearthed an interview Rand Paul gave in 2009 where the candidate aired these strident […]
One of the themes of U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul’s (R-KY) campaign has been that businesses are burdened with overregulation, with Paul even decrying the anti-discrimination provisions imposed on private businesses in the Civil Rights Act.
Now, Crooks and Liars has unearthed an interview Rand Paul gave in 2009 where the candidate aired these strident views with respect to mountaintop removal. When asked about the environmentally disastrous process, Paul told the interviewer that he thinks “whoever owns the property can do with the property as they wish, and if the coal company buys it from a private property owner and they want to do it, fine.” To justify his hands-off approach to environmental regulation, Paul then went on to explain that mountaintop removal isn’t that bad, anyway, saying, “I don’t think anybody’s going to be missing a hill or two here and there”:
INTERVIEWER: What about mountaintop removal?
PAUL: I think whoever owns the property can do with the property as they wish, and if the coal company buys it from a private property owner and they want to do it, fine. The other thing I think is that I think coal gets a bad name, because I think a lot of the land apparently is quite desirable once it’s been flattened out. As I came over here from Harlan, you’ve got quite a few hills. I don’t think anybody’s going to be missing a hill or two here and there.
Watch it:
To illustrate what Paul views as “a hill or two,” here’s a satellite-taken before-and-after image of a mountaintop removal site in Mud River, West Virginia:
As the Wonk Room’s Brad Johnson has pointed out, “Mountain-top mining has been more accurately described as the ‘rape of Appalachia,’ as rural communities are destroyed economically and environmentally for coal industry.”
At state convention, Texas GOP oust chairwoman and call for Arizona-style immigration law.
Despite his well-earned reputation for catering to the far right, Texas Gov. Rick Perry released a statement in April criticizing Arizona’s draconian new immigration law, saying that “it would not be the right direction for Texas.” But at the Texas Republican state convention yesterday, right-wing activists bucked “Perry by pushing for a crackdown on illegal […]
Despite his well-earned reputation for catering to the far right, Texas Gov. Rick Perry released a statement in April criticizing Arizona’s draconian new immigration law, saying that “it would not be the right direction for Texas.” But at the Texas Republican state convention yesterday, right-wing activists bucked “Perry by pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration similar to Arizona’s new law“:
The immigration proposal, a hard-line approach that Perry has said isn’t right for Texas, was one of several initiatives debated as delegates wrapped up the two-day convention. The Republican Party platform is a blueprint of the policies that GOP activists want elected officials to pursue.
Delegates voted to include a plank advocating for a state law that would bar illegal immigrants from “intentionally or knowingly” living in Texas. Similar to Arizona’s strict law that has sparked nationwide debate, the proposal would require local police to verify U.S. residency when making arrests.
Perry has said the Arizona law, if adopted in Texas, would unduly burden police.
The convention also saw delegates “ditch their firebrand leader, conservative activist Cathie Adams, in favor of Houston businessman Steve Munisteri.” Adams had recently “angered some GOP activists by declining to release financial information about the party.” Munisteri, who said he “shared many of Adams’ socially conservative views,” “focused his campaign on the party’s $500,000 debt” and said that “Republicans should be in better financial shape since they control both houses of the Legislature and all statewide offices.” Ironically, though the delegates pushed for an Arizona-style law, Munisteri “pledged to reach out to independents, disenchanted Republicans and minority groups, especially the burgeoning Hispanic community, to strengthen the party.”
