Two Powerful Blows Against Air Pollution Controls

The NYTimes reports from Washington on two separate actions on Friday that, between them, have halted Bush administration clean-air initiatives in their tracks. The current administration is no favorite of environmental groups, but these groups sided with the administration in a court case brought by the utility companies. On Friday an appeals court threw out the EPA's Clean Air Interstate Rule, established in 2005. The court ruled that the EPA had exceeded its authority when it established that rule, which set new requirements for major pollutants. According to the article, even the utilities were appalled to see the rule completely gutted; their objections had been narrower. Here is a podcast with the reporter (MP3) giving some background on the ruling. The second major blow to clean-air efforts came later in the day on Friday. Quoting: "...the EPA chief rejected any obligation to regulate heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide under existing law, saying that to do so would involve an 'unprecedented expansion' of the agency's authority that would have 'a profound effect on virtually every sector of the economy,' touching 'every household in the land.'... In effect, Mr. Johnson was simultaneously publishing the policy analysis of his scientific and legal experts and repudiating its conclusions."

Comments

Re:Strange logic

[FlyingSquidStudios]

They're a band-aid group that exists to make us feel like we're actually doing something to help the environment as we continue to pump the biosphere full of toxic crap. E.P.A. = Easily Pacified Americans

Uh, where's the warming dude?

[tjstork]

Satellite global temps

The planetary temperatures are either flat or cooling down. Since its been two weeks since the last sunspot, can anyone say "Little Ice Age"?

Defective by Design

[Doc Ruby]

So Bush and his Republican Congress created environmental controls that didn't do the job, and were illegal anyway. So eventually the power industry would get them thrown out, and leave us with nothing.

Which is kinda like Bush overall. While in power he did little but stand in the way, and now all we can do is flush him down the toilet. Meanwhile, years are lost in which polluters get to squeeze some bucks out of our environment in exchange for damaging our health.

And Bush gets to breathe free in Crawford, Texas.

Re:What we know about global warming (for sure)

[Technician]

Aren't we at solar minimum right now?

Yes, and a cooling down has started. Didn't you notice last winter?

Next Question.