On the topic of exempting…

On the topic of exempting 413 lands from environmental assessments, this is a short-sighted policy that will result in disastrous outcomes for the environment. The area where the highway is intended to be built is environmentally sensitive land. Once paved over, that land is lost as a carbon sink, a natural habitat for native flora and fauna, and as a floodplain/natural flood control measure—forever. The proposal that this highway should be exempted from any environmental assessment to expedite development suggests the government doesn’t care whatsoever about the environment and, again, is not serious about eliminating gridlock: as mentioned above, the concept of induced demand means that on completion, it will create more gridlock and spew more harmful greenhouses gas emissions into the atmosphere. Here, again, I must emphasize that if the government is serious about reducing gridlock, the only way forward is to invest in and build a massive public transit infrastructure, and augment municipal streets with alternative means of mobility, such as bike lanes.