EPA’ s Lisa Jackson panders to Copenhagen on opening day. Planned for months of course, with public comment ignored. It is now the people -vs- the EPA, coming to a courtroom near you.
From the EPA press release:
EPA: Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and the Environment
Science overwhelmingly shows greenhouse gas concentrations at unprecedented levels due to human activity
WASHINGTON – After a thorough examination of the scientific evidence and careful consideration of public comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people. EPA also finds that GHG emissions from on-road vehicles contribute to that threat.
GHGs are the primary driver of climate change, which can lead to hotter, longer heat waves that threaten the health of the sick, poor or elderly; increases in ground-level ozone pollution linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses; as well as other threats to the health and welfare of Americans.
“These long-overdue findings cement 2009’s place in history as the year when the United States Government began addressing the challenge of greenhouse-gas pollution and seizing the opportunity of clean-energy reform,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Business leaders, security experts, government officials, concerned citizens and the United States Supreme Court have called for enduring, pragmatic solutions to reduce the greenhouse gas pollution that is causing climate change. This continues our work towards clean energy reform that will cut GHGs and reduce the dependence on foreign oil that threatens our national security and our economy.”
EPA’s final findings respond to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision that GHGs fit within the Clean Air Act definition of air pollutants. The findings do not in and of themselves impose any emission reduction requirements but rather allow EPA to finalize the GHG standards proposed earlier this year for new light-duty vehicles as part of the joint rulemaking with the Department of Transportation.
On-road vehicles contribute more than 23 percent of total U.S. GHG emissions. EPA’s proposed GHG standards for light-duty vehicles, a subset of on-road vehicles, would reduce GHG emissions by nearly 950 million metric tons and conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of model year 2012-2016 vehicles.
EPA’s endangerment finding covers emissions of six key greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride – that have been the subject of scrutiny and intense analysis for decades by scientists in the United States and around the world.
Scientific consensus shows that as a result of human activities, GHG concentrations in the atmosphere are at record high levels and data shows that the Earth has been warming over the past 100 years, with the steepest increase in warming in recent decades. The evidence of human-induced climate change goes beyond observed increases in average surface temperatures; it includes melting ice in the Arctic, melting glaciers around the world, increasing ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, acidification of the oceans due to excess carbon dioxide, changing precipitation patterns, and changing patterns of ecosystems and wildlife.
President Obama and Administrator Jackson have publicly stated that they support a legislative solution to the problem of climate change and Congress’ efforts to pass comprehensive climate legislation. However, climate change is threatening public health and welfare, and it is critical that EPA fulfill its obligation to respond to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that determined that greenhouse gases fit within the Clean Air Act definition of air pollutants.
EPA issued the proposed findings in April 2009 and held a 60-day public comment period. The agency received more than 380,000 comments, which were carefully reviewed and considered during the development of the final findings.
Information on EPA’s findings: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html
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Andy_ (18:08:27) :
Beyond the three branches of American government is the real power in America: “We the people…”
If the American people don’t want this ruling by the EPA it will eventually be scrapped. The Executive will find how much power it really has if it continues to turn a deaf ear to the people of the United States.
God forbid that we burn anything to keep us warm. When air is stagnet in Pendleton, folks are not allowed to burn wood in their stoves if their primary heat source is something else. Meaning that they must pay round the clock to keep the electricity up or the oil furnance going instead of mitigate the increasing expense by burning wood. Eventually this is going to come to blows.
Check out these record breaking temps. If the EPA stays its current course and the Earth continues to cool, people will die because of lack of money to pay for heat.
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENDLETON OR
1125 AM PST MON DEC 7 2009
…NEW DAILY RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES FOR DECEMBER 7TH…
NOTE: STATIONS MARKED WITH * INDICATE THAT THE STATION REPORTS ONCE
PER DAY. FOR CONSISTENCY…THESE VALUES ARE CONSIDERED TO HAVE
OCCURRED ON THE DAY THE OBSERVATION WAS TAKEN BUT MAY HAVE ACTUALLY
OCCURRED (ESPECIALLY FOR MAX TEMPERATURE) ON THE PREVIOUS DAY.
STATION PREVIOUS NEW RECORDS
RECORD/YEAR RECORD BEGAN
*COVE, OR -1 / 1972 -3 1917
*JOSEPH, OR 0 / 1927 -5 1893
*MADRAS 2N, OR 8 / 1978 8 (TIED) 1952
*MORO, OR 3 / 1972 3 (TIED) 1928
*MITCHELL, OR 20 / 2005 -6 1949
*PENDLETON(CITY), OR 14 / 1928 8 1890
*UNION ES, OR 1 / 1978 1 (TIED) 1928
*GOLDENDALE, WA 10 / 1922 9 1931
paullm said:
“The EPA position is a great opportunity waiting to be taken. Preparations must be made to sue the EPA as soon as they take any action as then they will be forced to PROVE any factually scientific basis for negative anthropogenic GHGs impact in court.”
I totally agree. Though I am no lawyer, it seems to me that the federal court room is the last place the so called “greens” want their cherished “science” to be examined. The hurdles of present day Daubert motions are too high for defending the predictions of current climate models or their claims of imminent tipping points and catastrophe. I say bring it on.
This day will live in infamy, hypocrisy, derision, and fraud. It truly is a day we will long remember, especially when it comes time to vote and pay (USA) our nominally “voluntary” taxes.
The Australians and Canadians may save the day by not following puny Britain and gutless America in this lemming-rush to green suicide. And suicide it is, despite the protestations of those who wish to “save the planet.” To save the planet, we must reduce the 6,000,000,000 humans down to a “sustainable” 100,000,000. Suicide is the quickest, easiest, and fairest method to accomplish this.
I suggest that the first to go should be everyone employed in the EPA.
I smell a revolution.
Do not count on my support.
Don’t get me wrong, I voted for the war hero and I think this Obama item is the worst disaster to barrel down the pike since Andrew Jackson split the treasury with his smelly pals and defied the Supreme Court by force of arms. But like it or lump it, our fellow ‘murr’cans, in their dubious wisdom, landed us in this sad mess over two successive election cycles. That’s the way we do things here.
And the only way to get us out of this fine mess we are in is the same way we got into it — by yanking our cranks next November.
“We may be forced to street action that is not in keeping with our basic political views simply because we have no option.”
As I recall, we were born of street action.
As we continue our ultimate slide to the next ice age (climate) with our inevitable ups and downs in temps (weather) – at some point the enviro-wacko’s will instantly flip and blame man made CO2 for the cooling. They’ll adjust their models to show negative temp feedback as CO2 increases to account for the cooling.
And thus, even an Ice Age will not change the political freedom grab.
(My models have predicted this political change so it must be true)
Bret Baier Climategate on CO2 Regulation 12-06-09
Hello All, I’ve created a poll on my site here, to get an idea of what people think of this (though I’m pretty sure I know based on the comments, lol)
Wes T. (18:05:16) wrote:
“You guys have no idea. I work for a state environmental agency, in the Air side of things, and the EPA and Ms. Jackson are going whole hog and trying to kill industrial development (well… they want mythical ‘green’ jobs).”
I’m not a scientist, and I have been lurking here (not to mention there, and everywhere!) and am beyond appalled that what we don’t know). Like others here, I have put up my own blog as a way of pulling my thoughts together.
IMHO, the world is being steamrolled into accepting “The foggy solution to the climate question”
http://hro001.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/the-foggy-solution-to-the-climate-question/
Shocking! EPA after CO2 while millions of Americans are forced to drink polluted water! Something is serious wrong here…..!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08water.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Years ago the EPA required all of our automobiles have catalytic converters that clean up exhaust gases so they spew out good water vapor and carbon dioxide. Now they say that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a danger and poisonous. Are they f…. crazy or are we for putting up with their crap and regulations. With each day it gets closer to the time for the pitchforks and torches to come out and march on Washington.
Is it not supremely ironic that, on the same day the Jokenhagen love-in kicks off, uber-green (and hypocrite) -Richard Branson kicks off his rich-tourists-in-space ‘CO2 footprint’ enlargening scheme.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8400353.stm
Days since last “official” sunspot: 15
From the Space Weather Prediction Center
Updated 2009 Dec 07 2201 UTC
Joint USAF/NOAA Report of Solar and Geophysical Activity
SDF Number 341 Issued at 2200Z on 07 Dec 2009
Analysis of Solar Active Regions and Activity from 06/2100Z to 07/2100Z: Solar activity was very low. No flares occurred during the past 24 hours. The solar disk was void of sunspots.
Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to be very low.
Geophysical Activity Summary 06/2100Z to 07/2100Z: The geomagnetic field was quiet.
Geophysical Activity Forecast: The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet for the next three days (08-10 December).
http://www.solarcycle24.com/
Aren’t there measurements which show the portion of CO2 in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel burning to be at under 5%?
And what will we ever do about that 95% greenhouse gas, water vapor. Maybe we could come up with a nice cover for the oceans. Heck during the ice age scare of the 70s the alarmists wanted to cover the poles with carbon black from old ground up tires. Boy that would have been terrible, given the AGW fraud of today. We would have done just the exact opposite of what we should have done … And then the weather changes.
I find it curious that every organisation uses the same wording within their press releases. Isn’t this what’s called a social meme?
I promise not to laugh if all the USians promise not to lecture me ever again about how their constitution prevents hijacking by special interests.
We have been hijacked by special interests many times throughout our history (even the revolution was vested in special interests).
Special interests do not particularly frighten me — until they start masquerading as public interest.
And, for better or for worse, freedom includes the freedom to be idiots, and includes the obligation to abide by the idiocy of our elected representatives and their appointed pum-pums.
Maybe we will need CO2 detectors in our homes for when we breadth too much. I should also install a CO2 filter on my taps since it is also dissolved in the water. Can we buy CO2-free beer? On the New Year we will have to drink flat Champagne to celebrate… Happy New World Order Year!
So the EPA declaration today serves two objectives,
1 Saving face for Obama when he comes to Copenhagen
2. Put pressure on the Senate to make progress on the Climate Bill of which Infofe states they have only 25 of the sixty votes.
Well I think they have to keep their heads cool, leave the Bill for what it is and fight the science on the EPA endangerment finding.
But never, never ever give in to the Bill.
CRU and NASA GISS and the entire clique of cheats will go flat on their face and in Court we will win.
Push the scam, let everybody know, call EPA, call the Senators, call the White House.
Pamela Gray (18:45:20) :
“God forbid that we burn anything to keep us warm. When air is stagnet in Pendleton, folks are not allowed to burn wood in their stoves if their primary heat source is something else. ”
That -3 in Cove was a shocker.They are a good 3000msl – it’s a bit higher than the Airport,which sits on the Valley floor for the Grande Ronde Valley at 2716 msl.
What I am seeing is Meacham,Point Prominence,all are high altitude,4200 and 6600
ft respectively, and are below zero now.Cove city hall is already-3 and going down.
When it is cold up high,we are in big trouble.I want it to snow to protect plants,
but when it does….
This was a shot over the bow of the American electorate, Dec 7th was selected on purpose,they could’ve waited…
I believe that too many people here are heartless, absolutely heartless.
For years, I too have dismissed AGW, not just on the science, but also on the illogicality of the arguments presented by believers, and by the fact that those who claimed to know that the world was doomed unless we return to a less industrial life showed by their own actions that they could not really believe what they said.
Now, however, I see that the Copenhagen consensus claims that AGW gives small children nightmares, and I saw a Fijian woman in Copenhagen, on several news broadcasts, work herself into tearful hysterics.
I’m convinced.
Repent, heretics, and be modern: stop thinking and be emotional!
This is the way organized crime runs a protection racket. There is hold a lit Molotov cocktail held over the congress and the rest of the country while telling them to pass onerous legislation or they’ll be forced to do something stupid. Any guesses on how many points this will drive down the adminstration’s approval rating by the end of the week?
All these years I thought it was the 2nd-hand smoke that was being exhaled that was the dangerous part.
Pamela Gray (18:04:59) : Sad to say, but both the Republicans and Democrats are to blame for this one. I am intent of belonging to a 3rd party without religious affiliation and that is dedicated to personal freedoms and responsibility. Neither party will get my vote “just because” ever again.
Perhaps form a “Science Party:” One that is devoted to the Scientific Method and the pursuit of truth.
From those truths outflow proper policy.
We have it all screwed up and the other way around.
We have gone from…
Dick Cheney of Haliburton…to
Al Gore of… http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/6491195/Al-Gore-could-become-worlds-first-carbon-billionaire.html
Essentially from the mother-flippin’ frying pan into the blankety blank FIRE.
And essentially, this is the SAME LIPSTICK …. DIFFERENT PIG!!
Down with them all!!!
Grrrrrrr.
Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA
It might be time to flood the EPA with FOI requests and if there is a God, a good whistleblower will get those files out in the open soon… I heard there is a good site in Russia where those can be posted.