Molly Gibbs is a freshman journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about politics and the environment for The Maneater.
Mark Alford is a Trump-backed Republican and favors the bottom line of the party over the planet, let alone Missouri’s environment. Boone County residents have spoken, or rather, voted, electing Alford to represent the state’s fourth district in the U.S. House of Representatives for a two-year term.
Alford says he will be “the loudest, strongest, most unwavering conservative voice” the fourth district has ever seen. So, while Alford settles into his role, we can expect him to act along party lines and vote in favor of anti-climate legislation put forth by leaders of the party.
According to Pew Research Center, Republicans as a group see climate change as a low-priority issue and many do not attribute it to human interference. Leaders of the party reinforce this by putting forth policy and voting accordingly. For instance, in August, comprehensive climate legislation in the form of the Inflation Reduction Act, was passed, however, not a single republican in Congress voted in favor of it.
In the 2022 midterm, Republicans won 221 House seats, now controlling the House, while Democrats have 213 seats. Alford, as a member of the House, will be part of the majority and be influential when casting votes and sitting on committees.
Republican House leaders are preparing an energy and environment package that will likely be one of the first things Alford votes on. The package includes plans to reinstate the Keystone XL Pipeline. If reinstated, the Keystone Pipeline will have a range of detrimental environmental impacts such as deforestation, contamination of groundwater and the production of toxic waste.
The proposed package would also give public lands to fossil fuel producers, streamline natural gas exports and generally aim to free up domestic fossil fuel production and critical mineral mining. Essentially, the Republican party wants to further invest in energy that worsens the effects of climate change, through emission of greenhouse gasses.
After winning his election on November 8, Alford expressed interest in working on the upcoming “Farm Bill.” The legislation has been passed every 5 years since its creation in the 1930s as a part of the New Deal. The bill outlines federal agriculture, nutrition, conservation and forestry policy. In the 2023 version, climate, is expected to be added to the list of policies included in the bill. If Alford gets a chance to influence the bill he hopes to decrease regulations placed on Missouri farmers, however he has not specified what his goal would be for the bill. However, due to the sweeping nature of the it, Alford will potentially set policy concerning the environment that has a lasting impact.
It is abundantly clear Alford only has the Republican Party and its agenda on his mind, leaving no room for Missouri’s environment. With congressman Alford, clean air, safe water, sustainable food, parks and public land, goals set by state environmental groups such as the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, will not be met. Alford will not fight for the best interests of the environment and thus of Missourians during his time in Washington.
To combat climate change, as an MU student, start with Sustain Mizzou, an organization run by students which focuses on protecting the environment on campus and in surrounding areas. Stay informed about the impacts of climate change through sites like climate.nasa.gov and statesatrisk.org. Voting can be a powerful tool, the League of Conservation Voters offers resources such as environmental scorecards and endorsements to help voters determine which candidates will defend the environment while in office. Until the next election, contact Alford’s office and demand climate action
Edited by Ezra Bitterman | ebitterman@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Kyla Pehr, Lauren Courtney, Mary Philip and Jacob Richey