Excerpts from: EPA left to pick up climate change where Congress dropped the debate By David A. Fahrenthold and Juliet Eilperin
The Obama administration told Congress to find a way to regulate greenhouse gases — or else.
Last month, Congress refused: Democratic leaders in the Senate declined to take up climate legislation before their August break, which means it looks effectively dead for this session.
Now the White House is stuck with “or else.”
The Environmental Protection Agency will soon begin regulating greenhouse gases factory by factory, power plant by power plant. That could be unwieldy, expensive and unpopular — even President Obama has said it’s not his preferred solution.
But for now, it’s his only option.
The next few months could bring a climax to the long-running debate over how to combat climate change, with the EPA trying to implement its rules and industry groups and opponents in Congress seeking to block it with lawsuits or legislation.
The administration will cite a mandate from the Supreme Court, which ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases could be regulated like other air pollutants. But opponents will say it has chosen an approach that stretches the law and could impose serious economic costs.
The result of their fight could be the first limits on greenhouse gases from American smokestacks — or a significant defeat for the White House and environmental groups.
The administration “wanted to be able to hold out the threat of clean-air regulation [by the EPA], as a way to . . . try to get people to the table,” said Jeffrey R. Holmstead, an EPA official under the Bush administration, who now works for the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani. “They’re now faced with the kind of unenviable task of trying to make it work.”
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lol at Pamela Gray.
When you look at western worlds it is really weird how they are all following the same agenda
I look at the politicians in power and know we are in for a rough ride in Australia.
Total incompetents governing at the moment.The opposition is better able to manage the economy because of the previous opposition,but all the people waiting in the wings scare me.Not a financial clue between them all.
Here in Tasmania we have a woman aged about 30 running our health system.Same for education.Never run a business in their life.Been in politics since they turned 20.
We are a small country so our brightest and best are snapped up by the private sector leaving the dregs to enter politics.
America should be different,but the president looks like dregs to me.
In my opinion Jackson is not a patch on Palin,but Palin is not a patch on Condolezza Rice.Some Presidents are smart in their choices,some are stupid,and go for dregs.
They’re closing them. About 18 months ago I was involved in a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) trail clean up project where our off-road club cleaned up a popular backcountry trail close to Las Vegas, Nevada (where I live). When we were finished the BLM official thanked us and informed us that the road was being closed to meet dust regulations. He firmly warned us that we would be fined if caught on the trail in the future.
Since then, most dirt roads have been closed and we now have the “dust police” who watch for people driving on them. The shame is authorities have made little effort or expense to visually mark the closed roads, block their access, or publicize their closing. Many people don’t know that driving on a dirt road is subject to stiff fines. I’ve talked to several individuals who learned the expensive way.
Our desert Southwest public lands are quickly becoming inaccessible. Thanks Harry Reid!
Noelene says: at 10:22 pm
“…When you look at western worlds it is really weird how they are all following the same agenda…Total incompetents governing at the moment…”
Consider yourself lucky that you don’t live in Britain. Chris Huhne, our Energy Secretary, wants 468 more wind farms built. Britain will require 7,500 turbines in its coastal waters by 2020 to meet European Union energy targets. He also opposes nuclear, won’t allow any more coal, oil, or natural gas power plants to be built, and reckons we all should be driving Tesla electric cars, though naturally doesn’t drive one himself.
There are currently 253 wind farms in operation in the UK with a further 12 operating offshore. The 2,909 turbines on these farms have the capacity to generate 4,580 mega watts of electricity, enough to power more than 2.5 million homes, although in reality due to the unpredictable nature of wind and inefficiencies in the generation process, the amount of power produced is a lot less. A further 27 onshore and 5 offshore wind farms are currently under construction while another 468 wind farms are planned.
At least £30bn of capital investment in offshore wind farms is needed over the coming decade if the UK is to produce the 30% of electricity from renewable sources needed to comply with European regulations, according to a report from consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers. The number dwarfs current levels of investment, which run at around £8bn a year for all the utilities and National Grid combined. Given that the average offshore wind farm takes more than three years to construct, the £3bn annual investment requirement creates a capex exposure of £10bn by 2015.
…And who do you think is going to pay for all this?
Like I say, consider yourself lucky you don’t have idiots such as this running your show.
James Sexton: August 4, 2010 at 12:40 pm
…the courts have already stated the EPA could treat GHG’s as pollutants.
http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/06pdf/05-1120.pdf
So we’re stuck until either congress or the president changes. But likely, it’ll have to be both to force a change at the EPA.
Not necessarily. If the Supremes can be shown that the EPA reps deliberately withheld information or — even worse — deliberately lied to further their case, and made fools of the Nine in the process, it’s Game On…
About that dust – what’s wrong with it when it’s somewhere in the country? Dust is quite natural. I would understand people objecting to dusty roads near their dwellings, but a road somewhere in the open, used not too often…
Gail,
Talk about over regulations…
The farmers in my area have PULLED all the apple trees.
The Ontario government told the farmers that ANYONE in the fields MUST wear hardhats and safety boots and be covered for workmans compensation. All regulations from the construction industry to training and liciences (quite a few) on equipment are to be enforced.
Wearing harnesses and being tied off as well to a tree when using a ladder.
Controlling dust?! I hope the EPA doesn’t look under my furniture.
What frustrates me here is that the effort to debunk the junk pseudoscience of the climate alarmists is not being challenged effectively enough to throw a wrench into the plans of the EPA and the Obama administration. It needs to be challenged with a more effective national campaign, preferably on television. The alarmist science has not been scientifically proven beyond the shadow of a doubt (far from it), yet it is being treated as fact for political purposes and it shouldn’t be. Until the seed of doubt is effectively placed into the minds of the right people (and enough people), all of the political and legal efforts to block CO2 regulation will have doubtful success. I can see all those U.S. jobs going to India and China already.
Sorry about the wording in my previous post. I meant to say that the junk pseudoscience of the climate alarmists is not being challenged effectively enough to throw a wrench into the plans of the EPA and Obama Administration.
@ur momisugly Sean Peake says:
August 5, 2010 at 5:25 am
Controlling dust?! I hope the EPA doesn’t look under my furniture.
Just give it some time. Regulators get paid to regulate, remember. It doesn’t matter what gets regulated, and the possibilities are infinite.
Henry Hancock @ur momisugly 11:01–are those trails now closed to horses too?
Here is my northern Virginia county they adopted a “historic roads district” that is literally the network of dirt roads and a buffer zone on each side.
They will never be widened, improved, or God-forbid paved, because they are “historically dirt”, even though they are state roads and often even commuter routes for the folks who move to a new home on well and spetic 60 miles from their job, and then rail about other people “sprawling”.
Funny, the “historic roads district” is smack dab in the heart of the foxhunting area.
Cars do mess up the ability of groups of people on horseback to freely chase animals where they please!
Gail Combs says:
August 4, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Jim G says:
August 4, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Rockyroad;
Don’t blame me, I voted for the American. (I saw it on a bumper sticker.)
___________________________________________________________________
“I love it! I too voted for an American and not one of the two Manchurian Candidates we were supposed to vote for.”
Unfortunately, voting for 3rd party conservatives ensures left wing wins. The lefties rarely split their vote. And, by the way, JFK was much more conservative (with the exception of unions and labor) than most present day Republicans. Consider his positions on taxes and defense. Very much Reaganesque.
—
At 8:52 AM on 5 August, Jim G had written:
“Unfortunately, voting for 3rd party conservatives ensures left wing wins.”
This leaves Americans with only the Republicans as an alternative to the National Socialist wing of our big, permanently incumbent, institutional Boot On Your Neck Party.
Oh, yeah. They’re a national party, and they’re explicitly socialist, right? What the hell gives anyone to think that Thomas Jefferson – co-founder of the Democratic-Republican Party in 1792 – would have anything to do with the “Democratic Party” thugs and thieves of today?
Might as well push for a bit of truth in advertising. “National Socialist” does it about right, doesn’t it?
Hey, with their Big Labor connection, it might be even more appropriate to call them:
The National Socialist American Workers’ Party.
Hm. Yeah, that’s about right. Evocative, ain’t it?
—
Rich Matarese says:
“The National Socialist American Workers’ Party.
Hm. Yeah, that’s about right. Evocative, ain’t it?”
Even the Chinese are really more fascists today than communists. Big business and government, hand in hand. Just like us in many respects. Once you get rid of the constitution through judicial fiat, that’s what you get. We are just a lot less severe,…. so far.
To the best of my knowledge, horses and hikers are still permitted on dirt roads. There are a few backcountry byways in the area that are still open but the closing of all other dirt roads is forcing off-road enthusiasts to overuse these historic roads. As a result, there is now much clamor for the BLM to enforce group restrictions and/or permitting and also restrict the type of vehicles that can be on the roads. As the EPA tightens regulation of dust, I can only imagine how much more stupid things will turn.
Nevada is mostly all desert. We have frequent wind/dust storms, primarily in the spring but they can occur at any time of the year. Huge dust devils towering hundreds of feet are a common site in the summer. What is the EPA going to do about that? If people don’t like dust, they shouldn’t live in the desert.
Out here the only thing available to chase is rattlesnakes. I understand that chasing them with horses doesn’t work so well.
Sarah Palin is openly despised by most of our “elites” in government, academia, and the press. She seems like a true conservative and is about as far removed from the DC beltway as you can get. There are pictures on the internet of Sarah actually working with her hands on their fishing boat, and I love the one of her next to a freshly shot caribou. Mrs. Palin is married to a very macho, working-class guy, and she got her degree from a college in Idaho of all places. She made her name in Alaska cleaning up (Republican) corruption, and she must seem like the anti-Christ to our Washington elites. They will do their best to destroy her when she runs for President. You go, girl.
What I don’t understand (and I am not a scientist) is how a gas that I exhale (me and everybody else) can be regulated. Has the Supreme Court lost its collective mind?
Hank Hancock says:
August 4, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Henry chance says:
August 4, 2010 at 1:08 pm
The EPA is hyperventilating on dust. If they rule against dust on dirt roads, we are stuck with paving all of them with asphalt or closing them….
Since then, most dirt roads have been closed and we now have the “dust police” who watch for people driving on them. The shame is authorities have made little effort or expense to visually mark the closed roads, block their access, or publicize their closing. Many people don’t know that driving on a dirt road is subject to stiff fines. I’ve talked to several individuals who learned the expensive way.
Our desert Southwest public lands are quickly becoming inaccessible. Thanks Harry Reid!
____________________________________________________________________
It is part of the “wildlands Project” – “Rewilding the USA”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7974995.stm
The goal is to kick Americans off most of the land in the USA. “They” (the UN) tried to do it in one huge law but it was stopped at the 11th hour. So now it is being done piece meal. It is called The Wildlands Project and UN Convention on Biological Diversity Plan to Restore Biodiversity in the United States.
Wildlands Project map: (we get to live in the tiny green areas only) http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/images/wildlands_map.jpg
Information about the whole project: http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/articles2/wildlands_project_and_un_convent.htm
sdollarfan says:
August 5, 2010 at 6:22 am
Sorry about the wording in my previous post. I meant to say that the junk pseudoscience of the climate alarmists is not being challenged effectively enough to throw a wrench into the plans of the EPA and Obama Administration.
______________________________________________________-
The politicians all know it is a hoax but they as well as the scientists involved are well paid to betray the rest of mankind. The mass media is controlled by five corporations who also are well aware of the hoax.
If the mass media would not report the real story of the e-coli poisoning that killed a woman, then forget any true reporting of the CAGW hoax. John told me himself he was interviewed for three days by a well known New York magazine and the story was pulled by the magazine’s owner as it was to go to press.
There are some very powerful people working behind the scenes and they call the shots not us.
Read up on the crash of 1929 and who was behind it:
http://mises.org/daily/3866
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/reserve.htm
A PRIMER ON MONEY: by US House Committee on Banking and Currency
Rockyroad;
Don’t blame me, I voted for the American. (I saw it on a bumper sticker.)
___________________________________________________________________
Gail Combs says:
“I love it! I too voted for an American and not one of the two Manchurian Candidates we were supposed to vote for.”
____________________________________________
Jim G says:
Unfortunately, voting for 3rd party conservatives ensures left wing wins. The lefties rarely split their vote. And, by the way, JFK was much more conservative (with the exception of unions and labor) than most present day Republicans. Consider his positions on taxes and defense. Very much Reaganesque.
_______________________________________
Sigh, I am afraid you are correct, I should have voted Republican but I do not think he would have been much better.
And Yes I liked JFK too. I wish we had someone of his statue to vote for. I am really getting sick of picking candidates by determining who I most want to vote AGAINST. Unfortunately money buys the candidates so we only think we have a real choice.
At this point I am only hoping they kill the USA slowly enough that I get to die in the United States of America and not in the “The United Soviet Socialist States of the World”
People like me who were once life long voting democrats, now willing to go on the stump for ANYONE running against a democrat. And get this, I am still a liberal. But I don’t suffer educated fools. It has come to this. I believe that stupid conservatives can govern better than educated democrats. Which brings me to the most insane thing I thought I would NEVER say! Bush Jr was a better pres than Obama will ever be. Now excuse me while I go throw up.
____________________________________________________
Pamela. You have spoken with great wisdom and humiliation especially when you say — stupid conservatives can govern better than educated democrats.
Obama only spoke well during the election. He said absolutely nothing.
His actions since the election are those of a person who owes no allegiance to the American people as far as I can judge from here.
Doug
Dear WWS
I much appreciate your reference to the State of Texas response to the EPA Tailoring Rule. Thank you from bringing it to our attention.
Its come to my attention that the EPA is also attempting to remove the State’s sovereignty to manage thier own permitting process by bypassing state SIPs (State Implementation Plans) under the newly published “Transport Rule”. Most troubling is that the EPA is trying to implement the “Transport Rule” as a mandated FIP (Federal Implementation Plans) without providing the States the opportunity to develop their own SIPs. (Note: the “Transport Rule” covers existing pollutants [NOx, SO2, ozone, and 2.5 particulate]. The “Transport Rule” is intended to replace CAIR rules vacated by the DC Circuit Court).
This is a radical departure from the consensual State/Federal partnership mandated by consitutional law and, in my view, violates both Federal and State constitutonal clauses and as well established judical intrepreation of federal enviornmental law at both the State and Federal levels.
In effect the EPA is nationalizing the federal rule making process. This despite federal Clean Air Act law that directs the EPA implement it rules only after the State’s and Congress are provided a reasonable opportunity to respond to proposed rules; and only after the States are provided resonable opportunity to develop State rules/laws that conform to federal requirements.
After reviewing of the Texas argument, I intend to incorporate many of the State of Texa’s argument into my organization’s response to the “Transport Rule”.
Kforestcat
Pamela Gray –
You’re finally “growing up!” Fear of the Democrat is the beginning of wisdom. Lol!
Rich Matarese: “Might as well push for a bit of truth in advertising. “National Socialist” does it about right, doesn’t it?”
The other day, a post of mine was snipped because it referred to another poster’s use of a certain word which purportedly has connotations of Holocaust […].
Above we have a poster who likens some people to Nazis.
Why is it unacceptable to refer to one’s opponents as […], but OK to refer to them as Nazis?
—
At 1:17 AM on 6 August, Brendan H complains:
“The other day, a post of mine was snipped because it referred to another poster’s use of a certain word which purportedly has connotations of Holocaust […].
“Above we have a poster who likens some people to Nazis.
“Why is it unacceptable to refer to one’s opponents as […], but OK to refer to them as Nazis?”
As I’d observed in that quoted post, the Blue wing of the Boot On Your Neck Party is national in scope and socialist in purpose. What’s more, they’re deeply involved in advancing the agenda of organized labor, an invidious force dedicated to the practice of pillaging end consumers of goods and services by forcing them to pay the costs of both higher labor compensation and reduced productivity through the “closed shop” system in which work rules are commonly imposed to restrict technological advancements and support “featherbedding” practices destructive of efficiency.
Thus we might also call them “The National Socialist American Workers’ Party.”
If this marks the former Democratic Party as identical in key regards to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (which flourished in Germany from 1919 to 1945), one must simply grasp the fact and work with it.
After all, one outbreak of cholera tends to be much like another, does it not?
The concept of “Liberal” fascism is well-supported by historical fact, and the ominous parallels have been remarked cogently and repeatedly over the decades.
By the bye, the efforts to invoke Godwin’s law as a foreclosure of discussion is duplicitous, vile, and will not be brooked. What Godwin had observed, in fact, was that the probability of drawing comparison to the egregious brutality and disregard of individual rights instantiated in the rule of the NSDAP approaches unity.
Human nature being what it is, and the trend of modern authoritarians to use the socialist masquerade as a means of exerting political power under the excuse that they want to “spread the wealth around”, we must look upon all socialists – whether they call themselves populists, Marxists, progressives, communists, fascists, falangists, compassionate conservatives, whatever – to be equally prone to the obliteration of property rights, including the individual’s human right to a property in his own person.
The “spread the wealth around” impulse is based upon the unavoidable assumption that the wealth of the individual human being is entirely at the command of people like Barry Soetoro – a former “community organizer” who has never run a business, has never met a payroll, and appears never to have so much as worked an honest job in is carefully shadowed and comparatively worthless life.
Somebody who has won a popularity contest – against a broken-down Republican Party hack – has, for example, overseen the issue of fiat currency such that in about a year’s time we have seen the “money” supply (M3) double.
Not even the fiction of restraint under the rule of law survives in this time of Barry’s political ascendancy.
This is certainly not capitalist (free market), is it? Can this action – and the rest of the malevolent accomplishments of the administration and the Congress dominated by Barry’s faction – be described as anything other than socialist?
And is Barry’s political movement not a nationwide phenomenon, with branches in all of the several states?
National Socialist.
—