Reckless: The Political Assault on the American Environment [Paperback]

Bob Deans (Author), Robert Redford (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2012 | ISBN-10: 1442217979 | ISBN-13: 978-1442217973

Republicans regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010 at a time of unprecedented global challenge and change. Instead of devoting the next year to embracing opportunity amid turmoil, though, the lawmakers waged the worst legislative assault in history against the commonsense safeguards we all depend on to protect our environment and health. In a single calendar year, the Republican-led House voted nearly 200 times to weaken, block, or delay needed measures that defend our air, water, wildlife, and lands. This book tells the story of that misguided campaign, how it put our nation at risk, and where we need to go from here, for the sake of Americans everywhere, for the sake of our children's future.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Deans (associate director, communications, Natural Resource Defense Council; The River Where America Began: A Journey Along the James) crafts a blistering critique of the testimony, actions, and environmental voting records of the majority House party in a single year of the 112th U.S. Congress. He demonstrates that 40 years of thoughtful environmental regulations based upon sound scientific research and evidence do not negatively impact employment or economic conditions but instead stimulate the economy and make the United States more competitive. Deans also establishes clear links between contributions from industry lobbying groups and the voting records of legislators receiving these funds. He effectively demonstrates that in a single calendar year the Republican majority voted over 190 times to weaken, delay, or block reasonable environmental protections that have been supported by every President since Richard Nixon, including Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Verdict With a wealth of statistics and testimony from the U.S. House floor, this brief but compelling narrative will interest anyone working or studying in the areas of public affairs and policy, environmental policy, or environmental studies in this election year.
(Library Journal )

Following 2007's The River Where America Began: A Journey Along the James, Deans focuses his historian's lens on the degradation of environmental protection measures following the Republicans assuming control of the House of Representatives in 2010. Taking note of contemporary shifts in the GOP--spurred on by Tea Party candidates and corporate campaign contributions--he contrasts the recent environmental assault from the Right with the significant environmental regulations supported by past conservative presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln. Focusing on threats to land, air, and water, Deans' research exposes the influence of lobbyists and campaign supporters on voting outcomes. He cites multiple instances when public health and environmental protections lost out to corporate interests, as in West Virginia, where coal mining pollutes Appalachian creeks, or in the Chesapeake Bay, where run-off disturbs fisheries. The strength in Deans' work emerges when he debunks the false claim that a healthy economy is hampered by environmental regulation; in fact, he argues cogently that such regulations promote growth and increase competitiveness. Deans...succeeds in "stand[ing] up to the influence of money in politics" and in issuing a fact-filled call for bipartisan support of environmental protection initiatives.
(Publishers Weekly )

From the foreword: When we remember where we came from, Republicans and Democrats alike, we will find our way back to our environmentalist roots. We will reopen the door to the progressive solutions we need to address the challenges and embrace the opportunities of a changing world. We’ll keep faith with our political forebears. And we’ll keep the promise we’ve made to our children.

(Robert Redford, actor and director; trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council )

From the preface: [The] bedrock protections we all rely upon have come under a withering partisan assault, as some have sought to turn environmental protections into an issue to divide us, red and blue. . . . We need to restore the bipartisan spirit that has enabled us to accomplish so much. We need to rebuild the environmental majority that has served us so well for so long.This book lays the groundwork for that vital mission and makes clear why we must succeed. The stakes are too high for anything less.
(Sherwood Boehlert, director, NRDC Action Fund; senior fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center )

About the Author

Bob Deans is the author of the 2007 book The River Where American Began: A Journey Along the James. He coauthored the 2009 book Clean Energy Common Sense: An American Call to Action on Global Climate Change, and the 2010 book In Deep Water: The Anatomy of a Disaster, the Fate of the Gulf, and Ending our Oil Addition. A Native of Richmond, Virginia, Deans spent twenty-five years as correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other Cox newspapers before joining the Natural Resources Defense Council and the NRDC Action Fund in 2009. He is a former president of the White House Correspondents Association and lives in Bethesda Maryland with his wife and their three children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (April 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442217979
• ISBN-13: 978-1442217973
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.4 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #748,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, fact-filled, hard-hitting April 20, 2012

By Stefania

Format:Paperback

This book is a real eye-opener for anyone who thinks there's general agreement among politicians that polluted air and water are bad for our health, for our children, and ultimately for our economy. As veteran Washington author Bob Deans makes clear in this brief but hard-hitting book, the Republican party in the House has abandoned the long-standing bipartisan consensus that toxic waste, poisonous chemicals, and unchecked emissions are bad for the environment. Instead, the party has launched a major assault on the EPA and the laws that are supposed to protect us from cancer, birth defects, asthma, and the other ills caused by dirty air and water. Brimming with up-to-the-minute facts and figures and interviews with Congressional players and pollution victims, Deans' excellent book argues that this shift by the GOP away from its traditional support of common-sense pollution control measures is being driven by the populist Tea Party movement, which is being manipulated--sometimes unwittingly, sometimes not--by rich and powerful corporate polluters. Deans ably documents the millions of dollars that Big Pollution is pouring into the campaign coffers of its friends on Capitol Hill. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick primer on the destructive politics of pollution in today's Washington.

Stefania, Washington, DC

1.0 out of 5 stars wanted to give the environmentalist a chance April 19, 2013

By Nelson Cauthen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was a polemic with minimal facts that could be checked out. If you are convinced the environment is dying, then this is the book for you. Not for me. Try as I did, I could not read this book.

3.0 out of 5 stars The most important message in the book is found on page 92 February 4, 2013

By Christopher P. Obert

Format:Paperback

This book's subtitle is "The Political Assault on the American Environment" and talks about the attack on, and easing of, the EPA policies that protect the environment. You would think that the book would make the reader very angry. And it did make me very angry! But not for the reason you would think. While I agree that the protection of the environment is one of the most important roles of government; I feel that the main goal of the book may be political not environmental! I have no doubt that the Republican Party is currently attacking environmental policy; but I find that the Democrats are equally to blame for the problems, economic and environmental, facing our country today. It seems to me to be hypocritical and downright dishonest to use the environment to score political points. I do not know if the author (who I have met and who seems to be a nice and sincere guy), while writing this book, did this on purpose or by accident. I am hoping the latter. I strongly agree with the author that the environment has to be protected and that this has to be part of the accepted business landscape but I feel that this will never happen while both political parties care more about political power rather than doing what is right (and good) for the country. I believe that the most important message in the book (found on page 92) is spoken by Lawrence Lessig, who states "Our Congress is politically bankrupt... our government doesn't track the will of the people... power rests elsewhere". Hopefully "power" will be restored to We the People, who believe in sound environmental and political policy, soon!