Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Friday demanded that a deal for an infrastructure program include measures to combat climate change, throwing down the gauntlet on road and bridge projects that was one of the only areas of potential agreement between Capitol Hill Democrats and President Trump.

By tying infrastructure to climate change, which Mr. Trump has called a hoax, Mr. Schumer erased any doubts that the new Congress will grind to a halt on the president’s agenda. “Any infrastructure package considered in 2019 must include policies and funding to transition to a clean energy economy and mitigate the risks that the United States is already facing due to climate change,” Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, wrote in a letter to the president. “Climate change is real, caused by humans, and its impacts are already being felt in communities across the country.”

I think that is an excellent suggestion, because whenever we hear about addressing climate change we hear that we need to get away from fossil fuels and petroleum -based products.

If we get away from using crude oil, gasoline and other petroleum-based products that would save the taxpayers a lot of money.

We would stop building all concrete roads and bridges along with asphalt roads. We also would not but any road graders or other machines powered with fossil fuels. We could have people grade dirt roads with hand tools.

We would stop building all government buildings and schools, because as far as I can tell that takes a lot of machines that run on fossil fuels and where the products used to build the buildings are produced with fossil fuels.

We would stop building all airports because as far as I can tell the planes can’t be produced without fossil fuels and can’t certainly can’t fly without fossil fuels.

We also can cancel all wind and solar projects because we can’t mine the materials, produce the windmills and solar panels and can’t transport and install them without fossil fuels.

We can go back to wooden wheels and life before sewage and water treatment plants. Let’s get rid of central air and heat and go back to burning wood. That would certainly help asthma and allergy sufferers. Life would be grand.

So yes, Senator Schumer, let’s go back to life before fossil fuels where the Earth was so pristine. Let’s leave the natural resources in the ground where they don’t cause damage except for seeping out. Life would be wonderful and we could all die a lot younger.

Maybe Schumer and other enlightened Democrats, including journalists, could give a list of all infrastructure projects which could be produced without petroleum- based projects. My guess is the list is very short.

Photo credit: U.S. Senate