Current Events #4.4

1. What are five of the 13-points on the "Affordability Agenda?"
Five points on the Affordability Agenda include "increasing city housing supply, adopting the CodeNext rewrite of city land ordinances, creating a permitting process to build affordable housing more quickly, supporting workforce training, and improving economic incentive policies."

2. How many bugs are available at the UT Insects Unlocked facility?
There are more than two million bugs available at the UT Insects Unlocked facility. 

3. Who are the new UT regents?
The new UT regents are Kevin Eltife, Rad Weaver, and Janiece Longoria.

4. What are four things you could eliminate from your life to "de-clutter?"
Four things I could eliminate from my life to "de-clutter" are dry pens, old event tickets, gift paraphernalia, and empty shoe boxes.

5. Which of the items presented in the story "Sweet Stuff" page D1 would you want to get (make sure to click to the jump page).
The "Sweet Stuff" item I would want to get is the bag of Happily Ever After gummy frogs.

6. Long Response
The Army Corps of Engineers was involved in the Dakota Access Pipeline decision because they "[manage] the Missouri River and its system of hydroelectric dams." Trump signed an executive order that told the Corps to reconsider former Asst. Army Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy's decline "to issue permission for the crossing, saying a broader environmental study was warranted given the Standing Rock Sioux's opposition" to the pipeline crossing under Lake Oahe. The Standing Rock Souix are fighting the pipeline because the pipeline would impede on their land. It could potentially pollute their drinking water and cause environmental destruction as well as the pipeline's violations of the Clean Water Act and National Historic Preservation Act. The United States government is just continuing their tradition of disrespecting Native American land and culture by trying to proceed with this harmful project.(!!!!) The tribe has "urged emergency actions via social media" and will continue to organize protests at federal building and sites of the pipeline. The pipeline has been estimated to be a 3.8 billion dollar project. I personally do not support the pipeline primarily for environmental and humanitarian reasons. Economically, the pipeline makes sense. But I still don't support it. I think that alternative ideas should be put into action.