The Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) is a federal agency that was introduced under Republican President Richard Nixon. But now it is a major target of the Republicans. Little strange huh? I would say so, but it is their way of sticking to their anti-government rhetoric they have been spewing, especially under the Obama Administration. The E.P.A. put in place new regulations of greenhouse gases at the beginning of the year. But with a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, new chairs and members have taken over important environmental committees. This will be a worry for the E.P.A., especially after the committee released its agenda.
They believe the E.P.A. is regulating “too much too fast without fully analyzing the feasibility and economic and job impacts of the new rules.”
The House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) has said he wants to block or delay the agency's efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, but with no specific plans yet.
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy subcommittee, sounds as if he will be understanding. He said, "I would lean myself toward just taking the regulatory authority away from them. But we haven't had the hearings, and I would like to hear all the information about it first."
That's nice to hear. He sounds so reasonable. Except that according to their agenda again, they believe it critical that the Obama administration stop imposing its new global warming regulatory regime, which will undermine economic growth and U.S. competitiveness for no significant benefit.
Great. So they believe there's a global warming regime. And of course it's out to ruin the economy and take down the U.S.! (Makes me wonder why Europe and China are striving for these goals then...)
Either way according to the agenda, in the face of $4 gasoline, calls for increased supply will be stronger than ever. The committee claims it will respond by promoting affordable, abundant and secure sources of energy by preventing the administration’s regulatory overreach and expanding access in an environmentally responsible way.
An environmentally responsible way? Doesn't sound it when the document also says they are against imposing a renewable energy standard (not the best, but at least a step toward long-term use of cleaner energy), they are against E.P.A. regulation of waste coming from coal-fired power plants, (a 5 year old would point out why this isn't environmentally responsible), and critical of the Interior Department's attempts at increasing regulation on a natural gas drilling technique coined hydraulic fracturing (a very anti-environmental practice witnessed by family and friends of mine in my state of P.A.).
Important to note though is that Obama can veto anything that comes to his desk regarding the blocking of E.P.A.'s power to regulate. So any legislation produced may be another symbolic gesture by the Republicans, similar to the health care repeal this week, but Whitfield said the effort would elevate the issue to the 2012 presidential election. I'd actually be excited to hear a debate on this issue during the election, but this isn't the way to do it.
Bottom line: The E.P.A. will be under attack by Republicans, but Obama has their back. Still, any realistically environmental legislation coming out of this committee will be signaling a distress signal. S.O.S.
No comments:
Post a Comment