1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

The president's declaration of a national energy emergency is deeply misguided. Our nation faces real crises in the form of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change, not an energy shortage. With U.S. oil production at record highs, this executive order serves only to worsen these dire environmental threats by undermining vital protections for endangered species and their habitats. The order allows federal agencies to bypass legally-required consultations that ensure their actions do not jeopardize vulnerable species like polar bears, lesser prairie chickens, and whooping cranes. It further empowers an obscure committee to rubber-stamp projects that drive species extinct, a horrific prospect for our imperiled natural heritage. This reckless measure disregards the will of the vast majority of Americans who value environmental safeguards and species conservation. We must prioritize preserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change over short-term energy interests. Our forests, wetlands, and wild landscapes provide invaluable ecological services; destroying them for fossil fuel extraction is severely detrimental. I urge reconsideration of this destructive policy that places corporate profits over protecting our planet's priceless natural wonders from extinction.