Donald Trump is an interesting choice to have part of the ocean named after him. Photos: Unsplash//altered
Readers beware. You’re about to enter a No Spin Zone. Better yet if you were about to enter the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Florida Congressman Greg Steube would prefer you start calling it the “Donald John Trump Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States.” That’s according to legislation the Republican lawmaker is introducing that would rename the zone — the various stretches of ocean surrounding the United States and its coasts — after the former President and current GOP Presidential nominee.
It’s impossible to overstate the irony of naming the ocean after a man whose stated position on climate change is that it’s “a great hoax” and rolled back more than 100 environmental rules during his time in office, including many that weakened the conservation and protection of the ocean itself.
Of course, the EEZ is established for the United States interests in “exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing natural resources” of the ocean surrounding its borders. In the spirit of Trump’s “America First” platform, many of his policies targeting this zone were designed for using those resources in ways that best benefit corporate balance sheets. The rollback of rules governing our oceans allowed for greater freedom to do this. And if that’s a political priority of yours then Steube’s suggestion makes perfect sense.
“Floridians know the great value of our coastal natural resources and how important it is to have a president who cares about the strength and resilience of our oceans. During his time in office, President Trump took several commendable actions for our oceans as part of his work to make America strong, secure, and economically prosperous,” Rep. Steube said. “I’m honored to introduce legislation that will rename our coastal waters after President Trump and serve as a reminder of his many contributions to our nation for generations to come.”
His argument for the proposal outlined four Trump ocean-related policies or actions. The first two were designed to streamline permitting for the use of ocean resources. Next, Steude outlined a bill supporting the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration as well as his Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, a bipartisan act addressing plastic pollution.
By contrast, the non-partisan research organization Brookings Institution counted 74 actions that the Trump administration had taken in the same four-year term “to weaken environmental protection.”
“The president and his administration exercise substantial influence on the environment through regulation and executive authority,” the Institution wrote in August 2020. “President Donald Trump took office promising a business-friendly, deregulatory agenda. Shortly after taking office, he issued an executive order that for every new regulation put in place, two had to be eliminated.”
In his defense, he did declare June National Ocean Month.
