The Trump Administration has vowed to dismantle many of the environmental protections that we fought hard to win. In fact on the same day as Rex Tillerson was confirmed as Secretary of State, the House of Commons voted to overturn a rule that requires require publicly traded oil, gas, and mining companies to disclose any payments that they made to foreign governments, including taxes and royalties.
The SEC expedited this rulemaking because of a lawsuit that was brought before the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts by Oxfam America. Global Witness did much of the research that informed the decision to expedite the rule-making. As information and data are suppressed, we need to support non-governmental organizations like these. Send me others who are doing similiar research. In Canada, Mining Watch has been one of the important leaders demanding transparency from Canadian companies in extractive industries. I would love to publicize work being done by other organizations as well, so send me names. In the interim, do donate to these organizations to support the important work they are doing.
Trump's Administration has taken aim at the environment, and the problem is environmental degredation knows no national boundaries. People around the world are literally dying as they fight corrupt companies. People are suffering from the impacts of illegal dumping and environmental pollution. We are all implicated and we must continue to demand transparency. This fight for transparency cannot be over because this rule was overturned. It has just begun.
As you march at the People's Climate March remember that we need to build research and corporate accountability from the ground up. Do what you can.
