House Republican targets second environmental group for its work overseas

[turbinetree]

Center for Biological Diversity accuses Rep. Rob Bishop of using "amateurish McCarthy tactics."

MARK HAND JUN 21, 2018, 2:09 PM

A top congressional Republican is ratcheting up his campaign against prominent U.S. environmental organizations, an effort critics are likening to a return of McCarthyism. So far, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) has singled out two environmental groups well-known for their effective advocacy and legal work to protect the environment.

Bishop, a strong supporter of the fossil fuels industry and long-time opponent of public lands, sent a letter to the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) on Wednesday seeking documents about the group’s environmental work on the island of Okinawa in Japan. In the letter, the congressman suggested the group’s efforts are being used to impose additional costs on U.S. military activities in Japan. The U.S. military has a large presence on the island.

In response, CBD accused Bishop of abusing his position.

“Rob Bishop is the one working against American interests, first by trashing our national monuments and now its democratic principles at the behest of the fossil fuel industry,” Kierán Suckling, CBD’s executive director, said in a statement. “He’s abusing his position, tarnishing the House of Representatives and making a fool of himself with these amateurish McCarthy tactics.”

The letter comes two weeks after Bishop sent a similar letter to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), demanding information about its work in China. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on oversight and investigations, co-signed the two letters.

https://thinkprogress.org/house-republican-targets-second-environmental-group-for-its-work-overseas-15a37e505261/

[underpants]

1. and long-time opponent of public lands

Nice dig there thinkprogress

Host countries of our military tend to be very strict on environmental issues. When I was in Germany our whole convoy had to stop while German officials assessed the damage done when someone cut a corner aaaaand then there was the time some goats wondered onto our range...yes we buried the goats to hide them from the German range crew.