Federal elections happen every two years in this country. Presidential elections every four years. And four years just isn’t long enough to dismantle all the environmental laws we’ve got in this country.

Diamond is pointing to the way U.S. electoral timing and institutional “friction” can slow radical policy reversals. By noting the two-year cycle for federal elections (House) and the four-year presidential term, he suggests that environmental protections—built up through statutes, regulations, and court precedents—are not easily undone within a single administration. The remark implies a guarded optimism: democratic turnover, bureaucratic procedure, and legal entrenchment can function as safeguards against rapid dismantling of environmental law. At the same time, the quote carries an implicit warning that sustained political control over longer periods, or strategic erosion through appointments and incremental rule changes, could still weaken protections.