Zinke wants to ship fossil fuels from military sites on the West Coast to sidestep state opposition

In an interview with the Associated Press, U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke proposed using West Coast military installations or other federally owned properties to export U.S. fossil fuels to Asia—circumventing state opposition. States such as Washington, California, and Oregon have expressly fought private-sector efforts to build new coal ports, citing concerns over air and water pollution, changing market conditions, and the risks of climate change. But the Trump administration is again demonstrating its willingness to override both market forces and local opposition to prop up the fossil fuel industry. Over the summer, the administration floated the idea of a federal bailout of coal and nuclear power plants, claiming (false) national security concerns. Meanwhile, a growing chorus of scientists warn that the imminent national security threat is the one this administration refuses to acknowledge: climate change.