What’s at stake in the shutdown of the government? Republicans are not just holding the faith and credit of the United States hostage because they want to delay or defund Obamacare. According to the New York Times, our government must also: Approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline; remove regulations on offshore oil and gas production; permit more energy exploration on federal lands including national parks; roll back regulations on coal ash; block new Environmental Protection Agency regulations on greenhouse gas emissions; and gut the funding for the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

There’s more on their list, but this portion of their demands reveals that the GOP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Big Energy. That’s why the fact of climate change cannot be acknowledged or current subsidies to Big Oil eliminated (the GOP wants control of future “tax reform,” too).

There is no future to worry about, America, no concerns for the environment; only profit now. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers characterizes her serving of these interests, as “fairness” to Americans. Let’s be clear about what that word entails.

Richard Law

Pullman