Via Climate Nexus:
EPA Faces a Freeze & Friendly Fire: The EPA has been ordered to freeze all its grants and contracts, including programs for climate research, environmental justice, and pollution prevention, according to internal communications leaked anonymously to several outlets Monday evening. It’s unclear if the freeze is permanent, and EPA staff are under orders to not discuss the move outside the agency, the sources told press. News of the freeze and gag order comes a day after Axios leaked details of the transition team’s “agency action” plan for EPA, which accuses EPA of “us[ing] regulatory policy to steer the science” and recommends that the agency stop funding science and overhaul its internal science advisory process “to eliminate conflicts of interest and inherent bias.” Axios also quoted a Republican lobbyist who flags “dozens” of EPA-related executive orders coming down the pike in the next month. Sources: (Grant freeze: Huffington Post, ProPublica, Washington Post $, The Hill. Agency action plan: Axios, The Hill. EOs: Axios. Commentary: Vox, Brad Plumer analysis, Buzzfeed, Dino Grandoni analysis)
CDC, Fearing Trump, Pulls Climate Summit: The Centers for Disease Control has “quietly” cancelled an upcoming summit on public health and climate change, Climatewire reported Monday. The summit, originally scheduled to occur next month in Atlanta, had a focus on the current science between climate and health and the “translation of science to practice” in dealing with the issue. While CDC officials told summit participants they were “exploring options” for rescheduling, former CDC staff and experts stipulate that it’s likely the agency nixed the summit to avoid political reprisal from the Trump administration. (Climatewire, Washington Post $, WSJ $, AP, CNN, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, The Hill, The Verge, AJC)
Trump Eyes DAPL As Water Protectors Regroup: In his first official press conference as White House press secretary, Sean Spicer strongly implied that the Trump administration will push through both the Dakota Access and Keystone pipelines as part of its “America First” energy plan. When asked about executive order plans for both pipelines, Spicer deferred on providing specifics, but added that the pipelines are “areas that we can increase jobs, increase economic grown, and tap into America’s energy supply.” Spicer’s comments come a few days after the Standing Rock Sioux tribal council, anticipating messy spring floods, passed a resolution ordering protesters to vacate the Cannon Ball site by January 30. In the leadup to last week’s inauguration, dozens of protesters were arrested as the movement regroups around strategies to face the new administration and extend demonstrations beyond North Dakota. (Trump: The Hill, Grist, Fusion, @rebleber. Council resolution: InsideClimate News, CBC, Bismarck Tribune. Protests/what’s next: WSJ $, CNN, High Country News, Independent)
EPA Administrator to-be Scott Pruiit’s confirmation hearings will be a full blown popcorn and beer worthy event. The Dims will be in full, foamy-mouthed, stupid mode as they attempt their pontification about a non-problem.
This is good news…Trump might turn out to be the best President America has ever had. Bravo.
+1776
EPA braces for a Trump thumping
Trump’s version of Shock and Awe.
The best way for Trump to follow this up is to announce he is investing in ‘proper’ climate research, with proper oversight that is fully scrutinised, and without prejudice. And then pick the right people to lead those activities.
That way the all the people who claim he is a climate change denier, will not have a leg to stand on. Instead they will be scrambling for funding. But this time, they won’t be in control….
Right. He should hire Bjorn Lomborg to lead this effort. BL advocates nuclear, natural gas, and investments in breakthrough clean energy research, by which I suspect he means low-cost fusion devices.
This is good news to farmers and ranchers who put up with the EPA
gestapo who would fine them for building a cow pond…
Also – “Drill baby, drill.-let them eat sand.”
Regardless of what one thinks of the Keystone pipeline (I would fully support it if there weren’t eminent domain abuses involved), it’s funny to see Trump push the importation of Canadian oil as part of an “America First” energy program.
Actually, no. Building Keystone means that the Canadian crude will continue to be refined in the U.S. Not building it would mean that it would be shipped overseas before or after processing.
Actually it will help moive Bakken oil too-as i have understood it , like Dakota
pipeline it intereferes with Warren Buffett playing with his BNSF trainset..
“Not building it would mean that it would be shipped overseas before or after processing.”
No, you are incorrect. Keystone terminates in a free trade zone, so any oil that is processed there must be sent overseas. Keystone will do nothing to help reduce US dependence on oil from outside North America.
I did not say the processed oil was going to be consumed in the U.S., only that it was going to be processed there, and that is what I understood from what I have read so far – that the crude was going to refineries at the Gulf coast. Without Keystone, it is either going to be refined instead in Canada or overseas.
Keystone will terminate ultimately in Oklahoma. From there the oil goes to Gulf Coast refineries.
Some of it may go to export markets.
Probably going to terminate close to the Port of Catoosa near Tulsa. (Oklahoma has a seaport, believe it or not. Has had it for almost 40 years. See: http://tulsaport.com/navigation-system/).
Now all we need is for all the capped productive oil wells in the state to be reopened. A little drilling, a little fracking, and the Sooner State becomes the oil pan of the country again (complete with handle).
The farmers of America can farm again.
Pah… the keystone pipeline is nothing-
“America has built the equivalent of 10 Keystone pipelines since 2010 …
business.financialpost.com/…/america-has-built-the-equivalent-of-10-key…
3 Nov 2015 – By last year, the U.S. had built 12,000 miles of pipe since 2010. … compared to the 875 miles TransCanada wants to lay in the states of Montana, South … legal challenges and a rejection in 2012 by President Barack Obama. … While the northern leg of Keystone XL remains under review, the Lower 48s …”
Fire the administrators at EPA in charge of the Gold King mine work and cover up afterwards. Then settle the lawsuit from the Navajos and tour their lands and farms. Also test that idiot Colo. governor for toxic metals that he drank in defending EPA and Obama cover up efforts.
That would be John Hickenlooper. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/mine-disaster/colorado-governor-john-hickenlooper-drinks-animas-river-water-story-behind-photo
After being told to keep the move confidential, it is immediately leaked. This could be a scene from the movie Brazil without much effort…
Asking for confidentiality is just the way to guarantee the leak, except no press release is needed.
Pres. Trump is going to battle an extremely hostile bureaucracy and press from now to the end of his term. It will be relentless. I hope he’s up for it. I suggest that instead of being thin-skinned and defensive about such things, he turns it into a joke when he can, or name and shame, otherwise.
@ur momisugly Mickey Reno, I fear you are right, I was part of government at one time and you would not believe the insidious methods people used to upset the apple cart, and frankly it does not take much!
It is truly a sad situation and the past 8 years have seen the government infested with people that actively hate Conservative people, the religious section etc. and they will do anything to screw things up. Hey with the UI and welfare system in place they aren’t even worried about getting fired.
It is almost like the families of suicide bombers that get paid thousands of dollars after a bombing blows up one of their family members! It is going to be a struggle, add in a hostile press and you get the picture, your advice is sound btw!
If I were Russ Girling I wouldn’t withdraw TransCanada’s lawsuit against US Government just yet.
This is all ok though, because China is on the case now, having taken on the climate leadership role. This means they will be “leading by example”. This means we should limit our coal plant-building to whatever they do. Fair is fair.
I join with the rest is urging Trump to actually do a proper study of the AGW theory. If it’s proven, we’ll all believe in it – no problem. But it MUST be properly studied…
MAGA Trump – from across the pond.
It’s like Christmas morning every day. The icing on the cake is how devasting this is for the other side – the one that was gleefuly poised to destroying America, and along with it, truth and science. Their grief is our joy.
Warren Buffett won’t be pleased. His railroad stock benefitted greatly by all the oil tanker car traffic! Costs at least twice as much as pipleline delivery! And more accidents/spills!
Could Pruitt in his quest for more scientific discussion re. climate change stipulate that any papers used as evidence must be complete with all data and procedures used to arrive at their conclusions? Peer review rules are crap and having more scrutiny of the papers might eliminate many of them. Or, having an open web based review of them before their conclusions are considered. That would be great reading!
I used to say “Let the purges begin” with a great deal of irony and humor in applying the obvious communist term against the obviously socialist-minded global warming and eco-activist political hordes.
Now I say it with all sincerity in the context of effecting a greater societal justice: “Let the purges begin.”
Let’s clean up the fake science and the fake environmental BS. Lets stop wasting billions in valuable govt and private resources and redirect it all to actually clean water and actually clean the air, all while strengthening the economy and creating lots of good-paying long-term full-time jobs that will make everyones lifestyles better, safer, healthier and more comfortable.
TerryC I’m with you so far. How much tax money can be saved thus? And how many jobs are not created thus? The Donald has no easy job.
More emphatic evidence that the AGW gravy train is ending!
“And did we tell you the name of the game, boy?
We call it ‘riding the gravy train’!”
That grinding noise you hear is NOT the ice packs breaking up…. It is the collective gnashing of teeth by the hordes of NGOs, professors, grad students, and ‘professional climate activists’ that now must find honest and really productive work in the produce-or-get-fired private sector! Welcome to Reality, Y’All!
“Last stop! Everybody off! This train is going ‘Out Of Service’!”
J Mac: “that now must find honest and really productive work in the produce-or-get-fired private sector!”
They might and they might not. I believe they’ll do a tremendous amount of damage before they let it go. Especially those currently in government that will be laid off..
I am not a Trump fan, not hardly, for many many very good reasons. But in terms of silver linings to his cloud of incompetence and buffoonery and sociopathic narcisissm (such as his idiotic going to mattresses to argue that his inauguration crowds were larger than our lying eyes clearly tell us), at least he is having nothing of the late, non-lamented Obama Administration’s foolishness on global warming hysteria.
Being a fervent supporter of a strong national defense, I am waiting for the executive order of Obama’s that directed DOD to adopt climate change as a key strategic consideration in defending our nation to be thrown on the ash heap of bad history. Along with these initial actions already taken to restore sanity to our environmental policies.
Mattis said he would take all factors into consideration.
So, if a Climate Change ‘event’ occurs, I’m sure he will factor it into DoDs plans.
Hey Duane – about those ‘lying eyes’ of yours – just you understand how these pictures are painted for you – the press announced numbers in the early morning hours before the crowds showed up, Obama as sitting president deliberately slow-walked everyone through. THEN pictures of full crowds on Obama’s inauguration are cropped next to pre-assembly crowds at Trump’s. THEN, when Trump calls BS (because, as he has said, he fires back at these attempts to establish a narrative, so it does not become entrenched – which is the Progressive media’s standard operating procedure), they actually have the nerve to ask his press secretary if he was going to lie to them every day.
This was a direct, coordinated attempt by the press to throw salt on Trump’s tail – a direct screw job (one in an almost constant litany of similarly deliberate transgressions) and he quite rightly called them on it.
This is far from the only example of the press manufacturing reality, and it’s the kind of thing that has replaced actual coverage of the news – a predetermined narrative with facts, pictures, adjusted, edited, inversed to fit the story.
In a word, ‘propaganda’.
Your mistaken joel.
The forked tongue troll clod appears unable to handle truth.
Perhaps he is the devil in disguise, including a “this is your brain on drugs” mind melt.
“Your mistaken joel.”
No, you are, as usual.
Here is the crowd during the inauguration.
Zoom in to see how far back it extends.
http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/01/politics/trump-inauguration-gigapixel/
Apparently, contract and grant freezes are standard fare on POTUS changes.
All the agencies who have confirmed Cabinet Secretaries are unaffected.
Trump Eyes DAPL As Water Protectors Regroup: In his first official press conference as White House press secretary, Sean Spicer strongly implied that the Trump administration will push through both the Dakota Access and Keystone pipelines as part of its “America First” energy plan.
__________________________________________
Extends in Google maps to
google maps, “Standing Rock Reservation to Houston Texas”
– for oil in the US.
__________________________________________
– next with desalinted water for interior Australia
google maps, “Durham, Australia to Sydney, Australia”
So who is paying the Standing Rock Sioux for the nonsense they’re pitching?
A surprising CDC announcement; CDC cancelled or postponed a climate related meeting because they thought Trump would not like it.
Bad administrators, unfailing fail to implement orders successfully.
Good administrators, wait for orders.
The best administrators not only wait for orders, they organize teams to be ready with plans for expected order; but not one person makes any changes until notified.
The worst administrators; run for the exits flushing evidence along the way.
Maybe Trump should designate an investigator to drop in on CDC and look over some accounts, management plans and staffing.
We already know that Obama gave the CDC orders to develop graphs that support Obama and activist contentions; that are in direct violation of law and budget allocations.
There appears to be “panic in the streets” around Clifton Road in Atlanta!
Looks like the de-growth/de-industrial movement in the USA has finally stopped. I sure hope so.
BUT,
Not too excited about 35% tariffs though – counter-productive at best, leads to depression at worst.
Not good for costs to consumers (ie. Walmart).
I disagree about counter-productive. Hurts economy in the short-term, yes, but strengthens economy in the long-term. Domestic production picks up the slack after a while. More entrepreneurs, more small businesses, more employment opportunities, less welfare dependents, less government expense on welfare. The benefits just pile on over time.
We seem to be the only country in the world completely refusing to take care of our domestic economy, for the sake of an ideal that just about everybody else pays mere lip service too. We need fair trade more than we need free trade.
“We need fair trade more than we need free trade.” +1 and the move for “wealth redistribution” needs to be be called out for what it is…. Socialism and nothing more.