House gop Eyes Plan To Gut EPA, Clean Air Act

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_02/027807.php

HOUSE GOP EYES PLAN TO GUT EPA, CLEAN AIR ACT.... This afternoon, Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee will host an event focused on job-creating proposals.

Around the same time, House Republicans will unveil their latest legislative priority, which, you guessed it, isn't related to reducing unemployment.

In a sharp challenge to the Obama administration, House Republican leaders intend to unveil legislation to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases, officials said. They expect to advance the bill quickly. <...>

Officials said the House bill, which was to be offered Wednesday, would nullify all of the steps the EPA has taken to date on the issue, including a finding that greenhouse gases endanger public health.

In addition, it seeks to strip the agency of its authority to use the law in any future attempts to crack down on the emissions from factories, utilities and other stationary sources.

This is nothing short of pathetic. Putting aside the lengths Republicans will go to in order to avoid working on creating jobs, they have to know this bill would be vetoed by President Obama, as it should.

It's also striking to realize that, literally just a few years ago, it was fairly common for GOP leaders to acknowledge the reality of global warming and endorse efforts to combat the climate crisis. Now, the party is practically united in its belief that the entirety of climate science is a communist plot; the EPA and the Clean Air Act deserve to be gutted; and the problem deserves no response whatsoever. It's not as if Republicans prefer an alternative approach -- their policy is "do nothing" and let polluters do whatever they want.

These Republican efforts are as misguided as they are dangerous. Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air Act, and told the agency to enforce regulations. The Supreme Court concluded in 2007 that the EPA has the authority to act to regulate greenhouse gases. Now, Republicans are intent on making sure EPA can't exercise its own powers, all because the right doesn't understand global warming.

This is just crazy.

—Steve Benen

[Ilsa]

1. One person in our local business office has a son working for the EPA. The boss

In the office believes the GOP and Teaparty argument that the science behind greenhouse gases is bogus and the pollution numbers are made up. I wish we could vent that pollution straight to their office and let them breathe it for awhile.

An observation: it seems to me like a universal comment, even by republicans, about Chinese industrialization is that they don't mind making their own people sick with unregulated pollution levels. Yet they refuse to see that American companies would do the same thing here if Democrats would give up on regulating them.

As for "job creation" the GOP believes that deregulating everything will create jobs. Such crap.

[GoCubsGo]

3. That's what really galls me.

They're too busy bashing Al Gore to recognize that childhood asthma levels are at an all time high. Never mind the CO2 levels, what about the more visible shit that's being pumped into the air we're breathing? Maybe the EPA and other scientists need to point that out. The air is filthy, and that's something people can actually SEE for themselves. Cleaning it up will also resolve the CO2 issues, whether or not the wingnuts want to believe that problem exists. Pointing out the visible pollution would neuter them on their lies.

[Ilsa]

5. And some of the biggest supporters of the GOP live in areas

surrounded by polluting refineries which make their kids sick. But they refuse to believe the refineries are at fault, even when alerts go out instructing people to turn off their AC and shut the vents. The stupid and/or denial is mind boggling.

[Kdillard]

2. Hopefully they will not be successful.

[Blue_Tires]

4. even the GOP and their corporate pimps have to know

they've got to breathe the same air as the rest of us...

[Ilsa]

6. They think they live far enough away to avoid the pollution, but "To hell with everyone else." nt