Reckless, shortsighted governance continues

http://insideclimatenews.org/n...mp-social-cost-carbon

The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to cut funding from key climate protection rules and rejected an attempt to save regional offices of the Environmental Protection Agency from being closed.

But lawmakers voted against an amendment to cut $1.9 billion from the EPA's budget, which would have dealt a devastating blow to the beleaguered agency.

Offered by Rep. Ralph Norman, a Republican from South Carolina, the amendment's cuts would have come close to the 31 percent reduction sought by President Donald Trump. The House bill does cut more than $530 million from the agency's $8 billion budget, slashing it to less than the agency was spending in 2006.

Further proof that profit is preferable to a healthy planet. China's environment is killing their people, yet those in charge of this country are pushing for Chinese like deregulation.

With any luck, America will wise up before too much damage is done.

-------------------------
I was right.

Ah, a bit of good news to start my Friday. That's always welcomed. Too bad that they didn't vote for the bigger cuts. But I shan't quibble. It's a good start.

Now, it would be less than gracious of me not to thank you progs for handing the election to us so as to allow such marvelous things to be achieved. Without  prog stupidity, I seriously doubt it could have happened.

 

-------------------------
I :heart; Q

Predictable

Finally, we can hide the true cost of pollution and pass it on to the next generation, who cannot hold it against us.

-------------------------

"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

The head of the EPA is a guy who wants to get rid of the EPA.


http://www.google.com/search?q...0.0.0....0.BkswOupj6Bo

"Competency"

Complete lack of stewardship, this government is betraying future Americans.

-------------------------
Capitalism is based on the ridiculous notion that you can enjoy limitless growth in a closed, finite system.

In biology, such behavior of cells is called "cancer".

The air is plenty clean. The EPA was a success and, thereffore, we no longewr need to pay these loafers to sit around on their asses harrassing the good people of this country over nothing.

-------------------------
I :heart; Q

 

The government has always betrayed future Americans.   

The system has always been " pay to pollute  "  no matter the party affiliation of the administration.   If you think otherwise you are only fooling yourself.    I  challenge you to find anyone that works in an environmental regulatory position to say otherwise and be 100% truthful.   I see it everyday.    This applies to Federal, State, and local levels of jurisdiction.   

 

 

Does this mean that more progs will die in the streets? Boy between repealing Clown Care and cutting the EPA's budget, we will makes some real strides here.

-------------------------
I :heart; Q

Our air is still a lot cleaner today than it was in 1970 and that isn't by voluntary action. Less particulates, less SOx, NOx, less Mercury....

Air in Shenandoah NP is a lot cleaner now than when I worked there in the late 1990s.

Pay to pollute is real. You mentioned the toothless NCDEQ in another thread. VADEQ and FLDEP are the same. PA's authority has really looked the other way with water quality protections with respect to fracking....

The solution to that is not gutting the regulatory bodies. The solution is fixing. Pruitt and company aren't interested in fixing things. They are just there to take the "Pay" out of the equation.

In a lot of cases EPA forces state bodies that aren't enforcing rules to comply (sadly it often takes a lawsuit to get that much done). Pruitt and company know that they can control the state bodies because they often already do and getting the feds out of the way is part of their plan.

-------------------------
...

Tpap's smear: The air is plenty clean so there is no more need is like telling your girlfriend that her birth control was so successful that she no longer needs to use it.

-------------------------

"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

No, the two are nothing alike. You need to work on your analogies. No one is changing the laws concerning air pollution. We're just cutting a rogue agency that has been harrassing citizens down to size.

-------------------------
I :heart; Q

Yes, they are changing the laws on air pollution by eliminating the enforcement. No more officers, no more people to take complaints and no staff to investigate. You can pretend that companies have entered into an enlightened age where they abide by the rules that they fought tooth and nail every day until Trump got elected.

-------------------------

"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.

Hahaha

-------------------------
I troll 2L.com to be a better person in real life

 

No, gutting is not the solution,  but I do not believe they will ever get the pay to play out of the equation.    The biggest beneficial change (in my opinion) would to have the people at the EPA, DEP, DEQ, etc to use some common sense when making decisions and also do it in a timely fashion.   Hiring people that have actual field experience in their regulatory discipline vs someone who has 3 degrees but never had a bead of sweat on their brow would also be adventageous.   I have respect for someone with a Phd, but trust and listen to someone that has 30yrs of actual hands/ field exp  more.    

Also there is a lot of overlap and way too much redundancy in most agencies.   Example- I have a study now that is being reviewed by a Fed agency that must go through 5 levels of review within the same agency.   I can see 2, maaaybe 3 but if it takes 5 levels and 180 days to review and approve,  then hire some competent people and quit wasting my tax dollars.    Its funny, not haha, that  if in a deadline crunch,  you can write them a large check to support one of their "in need" projects and bam, review/ approval kicks into overdrive.   

 

That's pretty cynical. I don't think there's anything that's 100% free of corruption, but to castrate the agency charged with protecting our environment is despicable.
Maybe that's how you do business and see the world. I'd like to think we can do better.

-------------------------
Capitalism is based on the ridiculous notion that you can enjoy limitless growth in a closed, finite system.

In biology, such behavior of cells is called "cancer".

Industry lobbyists and folks with law degrees are clearly far superior to scientists for all EPA jobs.

Pruitt isn't just stream-lining the regulatory process for the good of more efficient review. Pruitt and company are removing authority and lowering standards. 

 

 

-------------------------
...

http://www.npr.org/sections/th...ooded-superfund-sites

Tpap had some theory that the EPA did nothing and should be prevented from ever doing anything. But this^^^^^

-------------------------

"One of the reasons why propaganda tries to get you to hate government is because it's the one existing institution in which people can participate to some extent and constrain tyrannical unaccountable power." Noam Chomsky.