Nothing to date has worked. Not overwhelming coastal opposition from the public, members of Congress, Governors, state legislators and businesses has deterred President Trump from his plans to explore and drill for oil in the Atlantic.
Finally, the state of Nevada has possibly found the silver bullet that can apparently change the President’s mind on energy policy.
This past Thursday Trump sent out the following tweet:
Nevada, I hear you on Yucca Mountain and my Administration will RESPECT you! Congress and previous Administrations have long failed to find lasting solutions – my Administration is committed to exploring innovative approaches – I’m confident we can get it done!
As president, Trump has been a supporter of moving forward on a nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain, something that has been consistently opposed by Nevada citizens and leaders.
Back in 2016 when he was campaigning and understood local opposition to the project, candidate Trump evaded taking a position twice in a CNN interview just one month from the November election saying:
I will tell you I’m going to take a look at it because so many people here are talking about it. I’ll take a look at it, and the next time you interview me, I’ll have an answer.
That response wasn’t good enough for Nevada voters and the state went to Hillary Clinton who had told local media that “Yucca should be off the table.”
With his loss in Nevada, Trump’s first two budget proposals each asked for $120 million to proceed with the licensing process for the Yucca project, something President Obama had stopped.
But then came the 2018 midterm elections and Trump returned to the campaign trail holding an October 2018 rally in Elko, Neda, to help fellow Republicans. Hoping that Nevada would forget his efforts to move the Yucca project forward, he told a local TV reporter:
I think you should do things where people want them to happen, so I would be very inclined to be against it. We will be looking at it very seriously over the next few weeks, and I agree with the people of Nevada.
Then when the midterm elections were over, President Trump forgot that he agreed with the people of Nevada.
In his 2019 budget proposal, the President asked for $116 million to restart the Yucca project’s licensing.
Now with the 2020 elections in site and hoping to put Nevada in his win column this time, Trump is back assuring Nevada that he is on their side once again.
“Nevada, I hear you on Yucca Mountain and my Administration will RESPECT you!”
So where is the Presidential tweet telling voters on the East Coast that he respects us on the issue of offshore oil drilling?
Apparently, Trump believes that trying to convince Atlantic Coast voters that he agrees and respects us isn’t necessary.
That is because he doesn’t see any different outcomes this November in any of our states. So, there is no need to try to convince us that he is open to changing his mind on offshore drilling.
That’s good because we wouldn’t believe him.
I suspect that Nevada voters have also figured out Trump’s deceptive campaign rhetoric and won’t believe him either.