Anti-government Republicans, lobbyists for Big Coal, Big Oil and others attack the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to keep our air safe and our water clean for everyone . . . . despite these attacks, the EPA’s Endangerment Finding Appears Safe for Now.\u00a0\u00a0 It is the EPA’s job to keep us safe from pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, just like it’s the government’s job to keep us “safe from terrorism”.\u00a0 Burning coal and forcing other pollution on us is terrorism.\u00a0 Unregulated greenhouse gas emissions are weapons of mass destruction. It’s the government’s job to keep these things from killing us.<\/p>\n
Article below is from Solve Climate.<\/p>\n
“Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson faced questions today from senators about her agency\u2019s fiscal year 2011 budget request. Although representing only a small portion of the $10 billion total request, the ongoing battles regarding the EPA\u2019s aim to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases from some sources took center stage.<\/p>\n
The agency seems to be under attack from all angles when it comes to greenhouse gas regulation \u2014 House members seeking to overturn its authority to regulate greenhouse gases, senators calling for delays on regulation, states and industry groups attempting to sue. These maneuvers are drawing national attention and dividing Democrats in Congress. However, the chances of permanently preventing the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases appear slim.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been three years since the Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that EPA has a legal responsibility under the Clean Air Act to determine whether greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare,\u201d Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) said at the hearing.<\/p>\n
She noted that some of her colleagues on Capitol Hill are now trying to subvert the authority of that court finding. \u201cI think this is the wrong approach,\u201d she said. \u201cLegislation overturning the endangerment finding countermands the Supreme Court\u2019s landmark decision.\u201d As directed by that court decision, the EPA found last year that greenhouse gases do endanger public health, making them eligible for regulation under the Clean Air Act.<\/p>\n
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined the hearing late and repeated many of the same assertions she has made in recent months that greenhouse gas regulation would be better done by Congress than by an appointed agency.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Along with a number of co-sponsors, she introduced a resolution in January that invokes the Congressional Review Act in an attempt to block the EPA\u2019s authority. Murkowski has the support of numerous oil and gas groups, as well as agricultural groups who fear the economic impact of EPA regulation.<\/p>\n
Two House Democrats made a parallel move last week, with Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) sponsoring an identical resolution along with Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.).<\/p>\n
Read more here When will these people learn?\u00a0 This is the only planet we’ve got. If they are hiding evidence of another habitable planet for the human race to migrate to, once this one is trashed, I’d like to see it.\u00a0 We should demand this “secret” info.\u00a0 of another earth-like [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anti-government Republicans, lobbyists for Big Coal, Big Oil and others attack the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to keep our air safe and our water clean for everyone . . . . despite these attacks, the EPA’s Endangerment Finding Appears Safe … Continue reading