Remembering Jimmy Carter’s green legacy
Jimmy Carter may be the most under-appreciated president in U.S. history. His domestic achievements to enhance and protect public health, welfare and the environment alone place him in the pantheon of great American presidents:
• Strengthened the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution from automobiles and power plants.
• Enacted more stringent control of water pollution through amendments to the Clean Water Act.
• Passed the first Superfund law to regulate hazardous and toxic chemicals.
• Created the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which protected more than 100 million acres of public lands, more than doubled the size of the national park system, and rivals the Wilderness Act as the most significant conservation achievement in history.
The next time you read about his so-called “failed” presidency, remember what few have accomplished in such a short time.
Ronald Rudolph, Golden
Incentives needed for growing food, not feed
Large, multinational agricultural companies have a stronghold on Congress and America’s food system. As a result, the federal government has created programs that incentivize farmers to grow grains for animal feed to support large factory farms, as opposed to growing fruits and vegetables to feed their neighbors.
We need a Farm Bill that will shift government subsidies from feed grains for industrial livestock production towards vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other nutritious food — allowing farmers to grow food profitably for their communities. Congress must also make more financial and technical resources available to farmers transitioning away from industrial agriculture and toward regenerative models.
I urge my legislators, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Diana DeGette, to pass a Farm Bill that addresses these concerns and moves us toward a more sustainable, humane, and nourishing agricultural system.
M. Abbott Howington, Evergreen
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