EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is sticking to her guns on the Clean Air Act.  I hope she is as tough as she is portrayed to be.  So far, the Jackson EPA has disappointed me a bit, even granting a permit for mountaintop removal in one case.  West Virginia’s Governor is suing the EPA over denial of other MTR permits, and that’s an attitude shared by politicians in coal states, which brought Jackson to this point:

“. . . at an event last month celebrating the Clean Air Act’s 40th anniversary, Jackson swung hard at industry groups, offending some officials in the room and potentially adding fuel to claims the Obama administration is anti-business.

In an interview this week with POLITICO, Jackson showed no indication of backing down.

“It’s definitely anti-lobbyist rhetoric,” Jackson said. “It’s definitely meant to reflect the fact that, when I go around the country, people want clean air. They are as passionate about clean air and clean water as any of a number of issues; they want protection for their families and their children.” . . . . Jackson said EPA is taking a “series of modest steps” in writing climate-themed rules under the Clean Air Act, despite bipartisan efforts in Congress to block them and about 90 different lawsuits in federal court.

Read more at Politico. Of course people want Clean Air and Clean Water though! They want clean air and water to magically exist,  despite the constant burning of huge amounts of fossil fuels. It’s absurd, but as you probably know, America has a culture where everything, even the environment itself, is politically-charged.  We get the message from politicians that values are important.  What more important value is there than to protect our environment so we can all survive?

And West Virginia

Also interesting, Jackson is traveling to China this month to talk about a variety of environmental issues.

“Jackson will travel to China from October 9 through October 14. This is the administrator’s first official visit to China, where she will highlight and build on a wide range of joint efforts aimed at addressing current and emerging environmental challenges, from sustainability to greenhouse gas pollution.

During the trip, Administrator Jackson will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with her counterpart from China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, open the Regional Air Quality Meeting in Beijing; visit the world’s largest electronic waste site; and host a town hall meeting with students at Sun Yat-sen University.

For 30 years, the United States and China have engaged in a wide range of cooperative activities aimed at increasing energy efficiency; reducing emissions of pollutants, toxics, and greenhouse gases; limiting threats to public health caused by pollution; and creating a foundation for long-term environmental sustainability. EPA and MEP have been at the forefront of environmental collaboration and are looking to build on past successes to jointly address environmental challenges.

More information about EPA’s work with China.

More information about EPA’s International Priorities

“A window has slammed shut in Washington, [...]