Remarks by President Trump on America’s Environmental Leadership | Eastern North Carolina Now

    MR. HROBAK: I really appreciate it, sir.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.

    MR. HROBAK: Hello. How are you all today? All right, we have made a big trip up here to make sure we're here. This is very important. This is my family's business, okay? I've owned the Bait 'N Tackle store since 2001 and been in Florida since 2006.

    I have my son Tanner over here with me. He means the world to me. He is my best friend and my son. He's actually a brain cancer survivor. You know, he beat it and now he's 21, and - (applause) - thank you. Thank you.

    I wanted to say - thank you. I wanted to say that, Mr. President, you're not only doing a tremendous job all the way around, but you jumping into this environment brings my heart to warmth, knowing that what you're doing is going - is the truth. It's going wonderfully.

    My business in 2018 was so horrible, we - I own two stores - we closed several days a week because of, you know, the algae and people being frightened, if they were afraid to touch the water and everything. I have a marine mechanic - I just wanted to say really quickly - has a bad infection in his arm from the marine algae and stuff.

    But basically, your completion of this Herbert Hoover Dike is going to make a tremendous difference because we can store more water in Lake Okeechobee; safely store it there so the residents that are around there are safe. We care and we're are concerned about them - us, on the coast. Believe me. And that the water does not go into the Caloosahatchee and to the St. Lucie estuary. It's full of contanimants [sic] - contaminants and fertilizers.

    And, Mr. President, you mentioned about the red tide. It is a natural occurrence. This fertilizer and all these contaminants is like a super power. And we have seen devastation on the west coast like none other before, in 2018.

    So, I mean, I'm just so grateful for all the work you're doing, sir, and everything. And the Everglades restoration. And also, I heard great news that the dike is going to be finished much sooner - '22 than - 2022 - than expected.

    So I personally want to thank you because this year they're not dumping; our businesses are doing better. My wife don't yell at me as much. (Laughter.) Well, that always happens.

    So, you know, she says to me, "You're going to be by the President talking." And I says, "Oh, I don't need no list or whatever. I've got a big mouth. I talk. I don't care. I'm proud." (Laughter.) I'm proud of who I am, and what I am.


    I'm a licensed charter boat captain, and I've done it since 25 - since I'm 25 years old. And I just want to say thank you for the opportunity to speak. Thank you for everything you are doing, sir. I speak for so many people. You are - you bring my heart to warmth for everything you're doing, and all the way around. (Applause.)

    And, sir, my nephew - thank you all. My nephew Kenny Hrobak is like my son. He is in South Korea, right now, in the Army. And he's doing things. And he is so proud of you, and those boys. They all just - I've never seen people that are so proud of our President. And I just - I'm amazed.

    I mean, we stayed up to watch you that day when you got elected. We were like, "He's got it! He's got it!" (Laughter.) So - I'm sorry, I'm telling the truth. (Applause.)

    Listen, my dad taught me - my dad taught me, "Don't tell no lies." And when you want me to shut up, I will. But I'm telling the truth. And dad always say - he looked a little like Donald Trump; he did a little bit. But you're much handsomer. (Laughter.) Thank you. Thank you very much, sir. (Applause.)

    I worked in the towers over there (inaudible). I really appreciate it. Thank you, sir. You have no idea how many people appreciate everything you've done. I mean it. Thank you so much.

    THE PRESIDENT: That's really nice . I appreciate it.

    MR. HROBAK: I appreciate it.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.

    MR. HROBAK: And I want to say one final thing. I've got a big mouth. (Laughter.) God bless America and God bless our President! Give him a hand. (Applause.) Trump 2020.

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Bruce. Wow. Well, that was unexpected. We appreciate it, Bruce. (Laughter.) That's better than any speechwriter I could get, right? (Laughter.) Who am I going to get like that? I appreciate it. Thank you.

    MR. HROBAK: (Inaudible.) (Off-mic.)

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Bruce.

    Earlier this year, I also signed the Save Our Seas Act to protect our oceans from waste and pollution.


    To improve water access worldwide, we're supporting the development of breakthrough technologies with the Department of Energy's Water Security Grand Challenge.

    My administration is strongly promoting bipartisan solutions for conservation. And we're really getting along very well with the Democrats on that one. We're getting things done.

    This year, I signed the largest public lands package in a decade, designating 1.3 million acres - that's a lot of land - of new wilderness and expanding recreational access.

    In December, I signed a historic executive order promoting much more active forest management to prevent catastrophic wildfires like those that recently devastated California and Oregon. (Applause.)

    I went to the fires in California and I said, "It's also management." It's a lot of things happening, but it's management. You can't have dirty floors. You can't have 20 years of leaves and fallen trees. After the first 17 months, they say the tree is like a piece of tinder. You have to be very careful. So you can't have that. That's why you have so many fires.

    And I will say this: Spoke with the Governor of California, spoke with many people, and the process of cleaning is now really taking precedent. It - a lot of people are looking at forest management. It's a word that people didn't understand last year. Now they're getting it. And you don't have to have any forest fires. It's interesting.

    I spoke to certain countries, and they said, "Sir, we're a forest nation." I never thought of a country - well-known countries: "We're a forest nation." I never heard of the term "forest nation." They live in forests and they don't have problems.

    One was telling me that his trees are much more susceptible to fire than what they have in California, but they don't have fires because they manage, they clean, they do what you have to do. There's not so much to burn. And we're going to start doing that. And it's called, remember, "management." It's called "forest management." So it's a very important term.

    When I went to California, they sort of scoffed at me for the first two weeks and maybe three weeks, and not so much - four weeks. (Laughter.) And after about five weeks they said, "You know, he's right. He's right."

    So I think you're going to see a lot of good things. It's a lot of area. It's a lot of land. But a lot of tremendous things are happening.

    We're joined today by Colleen Roberts, a County Commissioner from Jackson County, Oregon. Colleen, please come up and tell us a little bit about your approach on forest management and all of the community work you've done. It's been so successful. Please. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you very much.


    MS. ROBERTS: So, I want to thank our President Trump and your administration, sir, for this opportunity - this great opportunity to be here today and speak on this very important issue and in support of your executive order to reduce the hazardous fuel loads in our federal forests.

    Jackson County, the county I am from - southern Oregon - has - comprises about 50 percent of federal lands to be managed by our federal agencies. And previous administrations have allowed these lands to be mismanaged, and thus are burdened with the heavy fuel loads.

    Wildland fire policies also allowing management objectives to be attained through prescribed burning during our fire season is flawed. Our board has studied and successfully shared information with neighboring counties and NACo, the National Association of Counties, in an effort to achieve wildland fire policy changes.

    We've suffered through years of hazardous wildfire conditions, enduring toxic smoke events for the past two years that endured not just for a day but three and four months on end. And it has adversely affected the health of our residents and our economy.

    Fuels reduction, through the executive order that our President has put forth, and fire policies can work together for healthy forests and public lands that our citizens deserve.

    In all of this and more, you, President Trump, have become a friend and the biggest ally to the counties in this great country. And I'm here to say "thank you" and support you. Thank you so much. (Applause.)

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Colleen.

    And I also spoke with the governor of California about helping out with the earthquakes. And we'll be doing that. We'll - we're working very closely in California with the various representatives. And we're making a lot of progress. That was something - that was a long time - a lot of shock, lot of shake. And we are helping out. And so we're working with government.

    And all across the nation, our policies are ensuring that extreme agendas do not stand in the way of responsible use of public lands. We're getting Washington bureaucrats off of their backs, and we want to make sure that they go out and help our hunters, and our fishers, and farmers, and everyone. And they want to do it. They're going to do it and they want to do it - everybody that enjoys and really loves the great outdoors.

    In the proud tradition of conservation that the Republican Party inherits from Teddy Roosevelt, we will preserve this land for our magnificent people. That's what we're doing; we're preserving our land. We're making our land better and cleaner and safer.

    Now I'd like to invite Administrator Andrew Wheeler up. He's at the EPA. He's doing a fantastic job. And he's keeping America clean, and we appreciate it very much. Andrew, please come up. (Applause.)