Sorry Sustainable Trails Coalition. Not only do I say “no” but “fuck no”

Senator Dean Heller

On September 13th there was a Facebook announcement from the Sustainable Trails Coalition that columnist Kurt “The Angry Singlespeeder” Gensheimer had written an open letter to Nevada Senator Dean Heller.

For those of that are not familiar with Senator Heller, Dean Heller is Senator that has direct ties with oil, and mining companies.

Dean Heller has a terrible environmental record and has voted no on:
•    Cash for Clunkers
•    Environmental education grants for outdoor experiences
•    Rural Heritage Conservation Extension Act of 2009
•    Animal welfare safety

 Like S.3205 - Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act sponsor, Utah Senator Mike Lee Senator Dean Heller is also a self proclaimed Tea Party Republican.

Senator Dean Heller also voted with Senators John McCain, Mike Lee, Orrin Hatch and Mitch McConnell, “to give lands sacred to Native Americans to a foreign company that owns a uranium mine with Iran”. 

In what parallel universe does this make sense? 

I cannot see a scenario where Senators Lee, Hatch, and Heller shake off their relationships with oil, mining and timber companies, have a late life epiphany and become a friend of the wilderness?

Help me out here.

Heller has also spoken about wanting to sell off public lands, a decision antithetical to the preservation of wilderness areas.

Lastly Senator Heller and Senator Harry Reid have both introduced a bill to “to Create Mining Jobs and Designate an Important Wilderness Area in Lyon County”.

Sorry Sustainable Trails Coalition. Not only do I say “no” but “fuck no”.

Senator Lee, and Hatch are both turds in the environmental punch bowl, that's for sure. With the their relationships with Senators MCain, McConnell and Reid you are now having a side of turd sandwich.

I told the guys at the Sustainable Trails Coalition that I would would look at the bill and I have read it many times and the bill itself is very straight forward and is a total of 124 words. I also said that I may be willing to support the bill if they got broad bipartisan support but the only Senators that are willing to support the bill are either senators that have deplorable environmental records, Tea Party members or Senators with direct ties to timber, mining and oil companies.

There is a part of me that truly wants to see mountain bikes as part of the wilderness again but not at the expense of sacrificing the wilderness itself.