From Nathan Dombeck

Janesville

To the Editor:

Another day, another disappointing executive order. These EOs have by and large been blatant and undisguised power grabs, a way to flex the Executive branch of government’s muscles; whether the other two semi-functioning branches of government choose to debate their validity and merit seems to depend on which way the wind is blowing.

The latest and ‘greatest’ executive order was signed 3/2/25, and was a blatant giveaway to the timber industry; like most of these EOs, there is typically a business slant, whereby major lobbyists or Trump donors get their form of kickback. This executive order empowered the Department of the Interior to prioritize timber development and harvesting in specific language, by attempting to invoke the guise of ‘forest management’ after wildfires. It also directs the Fish and Wildlife Service to streamline permitting for forestry projects by essentially ignoring threatened or endangered species.

There is no end to the greed of the Trump administration, and no amount of linguistic gymnastics that can cover up their ultimate aims: sacrificing the well-being of our land, sky, and water at the altar of money. Whether the American people and our elected officials wake up in time to stop this destruction and the years of suffering it will buy us remains to be seen.