That is the footer on a Strib op-ed which, surprisingly, is pro-mining and against the currently proposed House bill to ban sulfide mining in areas which might drain mining pollutants into the Boundary Waters watershed, or cause cross-border pollution. Ongaro ignores the policy setting power of Congress to ban, as well as to regulate.
Yes, a general regulatory framework exists, and has failed for decades, which suggests a clean, tight ban is best since it forecloses all weaseling, by weasels.
The bill's text clearly and simply bypasses all the shit mining advocates routinely throw against the wall hoping some of it will stick. Without equivocation, it says, "No." There is noting wrong with that. The major impediment to the bill is impossibility of passage as long as Trump can veto bills, It is nice, but a futile effort, for now.
The bill is well-intentioned and on point Sophistry, even sophisticated sophistry by the likes of Ongaro, misses the point. (Readers may judge for themselves how sophisticated Ongaro's argument is.)
One might say Ongaro misses the point intentionally.
However, giving him the benefit of the doubt, guess that he's dumb as a board rather than duplicitous.
