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Subscribe to RSSDuring his inaugural address earlier this week, President Obama raised eyebrows by making a call for new action on climate change.
“We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations,” he said.
But given the tricky politics of climate change in Washington – Democrats were unable to pass cap-and-trade legislation when they controlled both the White House and Congress – environmental groups are urging the Obama administration to avoid Congress and pursue executive action.
“Congress has proved to be the place where good ideas go to die, and clearly the climate bill’s failure back in 2009 is an example of that,” said Melinda Pierce, legislative director for the Sierra Club.
Obama acknowledged the difficulty of getting climate legislation passed when he was asked about it during a Nov. 14 press conference. “I don't know what either Democrats or Republicans are prepared to do at this point,” he said.
But environmental activists say the president has already taken steps outside Congress, pointing to the work done on fuel efficiency standards that the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation adopted in 2012.
To build on that, green groups are urging the president to use the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act to put emission restrictions on existing power plants.
“He’s already tackled cars,” said Bob Keefe, senior press secretary for the National Resource Defense Council. “Now we need to go after this other big source of carbon pollution.”
This isn’t a new proposal – it’s been an option ever since the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the E.P.A. had an obligation, under the Clean Air Act, to regulate greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change unless it could find a scientific reason for not regulating them.
And while the EPA is already working on carbon restrictions for new power plants (final proposals for which are due in April 2013), environmental groups have used the milestone of President Obama’s second term to stage a new campaign urging him to make existing plants subject to emissions caps as well.
“That’s probably our number one issue right now,” Keefe said.
The NRDC held a press conference in December to refocus attention on existing power plants and was one of 70 environmental groups that signed a January 7th letter congratulating the president on his re-election and urging him to propose standards for existing plants.
“Use your executive authority,” they wrote, telling him that “most significantly, you can set standards that cut carbon pollution from America’s aging power plant fleet.”
According to the NRDC, imposing restrictions on existing plants would cut carbon pollution from existing plants by 26 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.
And the Sierra Club is also staging a push that coincides with the beginning of Obama’s second term. Earlier this month, it launched a 100-day campaign to raise awareness for what its branded his “Climate and Clean Energy Legacy,” which includes action on emissions standards on refineries and heavy-duty trucks, stopping the Keystone XL pipeline and limiting expansion of drilling and mining on public lands.
Action on any of these fronts would likely be met with serious resistance from the private sector.
The National Association of Manufacturers – one of the largest manufacturing trade groups in the U.S. – is already lobbying against the proposed EPA restrictions on new power plants. Those efforts would extend to regulations on existing plants, said Ross Eisenberg, NAM’S vice president of energy and resources policy.
“I have a feeling that this will be very, very high priority for us if it does happen,” he said, noting that it’s difficult for the group to forecast exactly what kind of caps the administration would seek to impose. “When you have regulations under the Clean Air Act that almost certainly will impact the economy, we’re going to have a problem with that.”
President Obama also will have several empty cabinet positions to fill that deal with the environment, including the EPA, the Department of Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Green groups are already working to get their favored candidates considered; an early favorite for Interior is Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), former chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
In a December letter to President Obama, a coalition of 238 environmental groups also appealed to the president’s sense of legacy, urging him to “seize this historic opportunity” to appoint a leader “who grasps both the urgency of this crisis and the practical paths towards real-world solutions.”
But while environmental groups are encouraging the president to pursue action through the myriad departments and cabinet offices that make up his administration, one thing is certain: going through Congress is no longer part of the conversation.
“Obviously it would be better to do it with the help of Congress, but he doesn’t have to,” Keene said.
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Even Nixon went through the congress to get his landmark environmental legislation passed.
This President will do the same, if he wants to create something as lasting as the Clean Water Act...
I am hopeful that the president would go through the proper channels (Congress) rather than using executive orders. It just seems to be more democratic when all elected persons weigh in on an issue.
Obviously we have seen many climate changes over the years on this planet. I agree that it would help the environment if we had better emission controls to help curb our carbon footprints. However, even though this may be a great proposal, unless every other country using mass production on the planet does the same, all we have done is helped corporations across the country feel a need to move their manufacturing bases to other less restrictive countries. This is NOT the time to give reason for any corporation to keep manufacturing elsewhere or to move more manufacturing jobs elsewhere. Our country is in desperate need of jobs and this will move against that end.
From the article,
"We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations," he said.
How about if you respond to the massive debt first, knowing that failure to do so would betray our children and future generations!!
Do something responsible for a change instead of playing politics with it!!
Seeking said,
" It will be one of many monumental contributions his presidency will have attirbuted to it."
Brown Noser!!
In regard to the Failibuster, I found comments by Sherrod Brown disturbing. He said he and other Dems hope the president will use Executive powers to do what they fail to do. He did not want to cast blame on his colleagues who would not vote to reform the filibuster.
Sherrod, we love you, but NO. Congress needs to stop taking so much time off and/or using the majority of their time to raise funds. Congress needs to do their jobs that the struggling taxpayers pay them to do.
It's bad enough that the President has not had a willing partner across the aisle, but to lack conviction from his own Party as well. Stop with the constant call for executive action on everything. If progressives have to start "primarying" Democrats from the Left, then let's get to it.
dangerfield - Wasn't around then, but was the Clean water act filibustered? Did that Congress past have the same amount of science challenged members. Good for Nixon for going through the proper channels. Unforutnately Obama will not be able to go through the channels, inspite of the CWA, the channels have been blocked by filibustering dams and polluted with toxic rhetoric.
With the lack of filibuster reform and the GOP electoral college revision proposals coming out I think I will need that drink you offered the other day.
Z
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/politics/photos/six-good-things-richard-nixon-did-for-the-environment/national
We have a lot of 'amateur scientists' that like to comment on the issue of 'Global Warming' (myself included), but let's take a look at the issue from a historical scientific/geologic perspective.
Below is a link to a scientific chart that shows both temperature and CO2 levels over the last 400,000 years, and if you look closely, you will see a remarkably close correlation between the level of atmospheric CO2 and average temperatures, so it appears that scientists who maintain that there is a close relationship between the level of CO2 in the atmosphere and average global temperatures are correct (Greenhouse Gas Theory).
But there is another interesting observation that should be made. If you look closely at the Chart, you will also notice that there seems to be a regular 'cycle' of extreme climactic conditions on a time scale of about 100,000 years for each cycle. During these cycles, we typically have a period of about 20,000 years during which temperature increases dramatically, reaches a 'peak', and then we have about a 20,000 period where the average temperature drops dramatically, followed by an 'Ice Age' that lasts about 60,000 years before a new 'cycle' begins.
We are apparently at the end of the current 20,000 year long increase in temperatures, and essentially at the 'peak' of temperatures where something consistently happens (I have a theory, but too lengthy for this Post) to cause a dramatic decline in temperatures. A few hundred years ago, we had the 'Little Ice Age' that lasted about 300 years, and tens of millions of people starved from poor crops and/or disease because of the cold climate. That period's devastating climate was 'very mild' compared with the effects of a REAL 'Ice Age', which could cover New York City under 5,000 feet of ice.
We are now extremely concerned about 'Global Warming', and politicians are considering spending $Trillions on halting or reversing the warming trend, so the question needs to be asked;
“What if our efforts to reduce 'Global Warming' actually speeds up the beginning of a new 'Ice Age' that will take another 100,000 years to get back to where we currently are?”
If our efforts actually CAUSE the start of a new Ice Age, it would most likely result in Billions of lives lost to starvation and disease. We should be cautious about taking precipitous actions that, while well intentioned, might have devastating consequences. I welcome comments.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ice+ages+charts&qpvt=ice+ages+charts&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=C1EE90F2F0D6C7B90186B717BE365116A3DA8EF3&selectedIndex=12
It's obvious that mankind could not have 'caused' all of the dramatic cyclical upticks in Carbon emissions over the last 400,000 years, so there is another 'mechanism' involved - of course, the question of Carbon emissions being the cause or effect needs more study, but I suspect that it is a 'feedback loop' effect, where warming temperatures release trapped Carbon into the atmosphere, which in turn warms even more, releasing more Carbon until a 'peak' is achieved, at which time something reverses the process at about the current average level of temperatures.
The historical evidence seems to indicate that we are approaching a peak of temperatures, and a new 100,000 year Ice Age is in our future (but it could start soon, or not for another 1000 years - hard to tell).
At any rate, we should be very cautious about precipitous actions that might actually CAUSE another Ice Age to begin.
Wouldn't it be ironic if our current emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is actually PREVENTING the onset of an Ice Age, and politicians want to reverse that process, causing temperatures to plummet?
dangerfield "Even Nixon went through the congress to get his landmark environmental legislation passed."
The problem with 'Executive Orders' is that they can be rescinded on the first day in office by a new President. We need real laws passed for planning continuity.
Also, 'Executive Orders' have severe limitations, especially if they conflict with existing laws.
I believe he'll work through congress and make a lasting contribution to helping the environment. It will be one of many monumental contributions his presidency will have attirbuted to it.
Speeking Insanity, Your tongue is turning black from licking his boots !
Besides, Obama NEVER works through Congress ... he prefers to ignore normal passage of legislation within our Congress and throw out ill-conceived Executive Orders.
Ignore Jim SeekingSanity. Our President has already made a large contribution but investing in public transportation, wind, solar and electric vehicles. These items themselves will help our environment If the GOP wants to have the U.S. become China, where you can see the thick smog looking down from space, I'm afraid they don't understand Americans. Both Democrats and Republicans like our clean air and clean water. We will work hard to keep them that way.
AnaBanana- Did jimlotsanumbers post something about or to me? I already have him on ignore. He's an angry little man and his mental state appears to deterioarte daily. Put him on ignore a long time ago but thank you!
Of course you have me on ignore, I pointed out way too many of your half-baked statements and erroneous tax advice last year ...... you just couldn't handle it ! Not surprising, you still have a nasty tongued directed at others and resort to personal attacks !
What's with conservatives always referring to body parts and fluids? It must speak to their lack of education or manners.
GM - or both! But, haven't we come to expect that? I really believe you're required to be vulgar, crude and classless to get into the Republican party! And, it shows!
Jim numbers proves at every post that he/she hasn't a clue. I can't help but wonder if he/she is a teen living in the parents basement.
Job1,
Or worse, "an adult" living in his parents basement.
Job1 - he claims to be an accountant but went ballistic when I showed him up on an accounting issue a while back. Now he's just totally gone over the cliff. It's truly embarrassing. I can't imagine a true CPA who has such an intense and uncontrollable temper. He truly used to look less rational evey day!
Hi Ana and Seeking,
Many folks such as Jim see that the majority of the Country moving away from their way of thinking. For what ever reason they are scared to death of the Progressive movement, and they are fighting to deny it.
However, no matter what, it's been long over due in coming, and their only defense is to bash/trash talk the President and we Progressives.
Geez ! Here we are ... back to this "climate change thingy", name changed from "GLOBAL WARMING" !
I guess it is good they changed the name, "Global Warming" might not sit to well with all those who are freezing their butts off right now ! LOL !!
While there ia ample evidence supporting this theory, there is also evidence going in the other direction which weakens their theory. Some evidence supporting the theory in the past has been "manipulated" leading to doubtful credibility. I read recently where the climate in the Soviet Union is one of the harshest winters ever. Still, why let something insignificant like "proof of causality" get in the way with a theory ... when our President will simply demand we give more money to other "poor" countries to help them fight the battle ! LOL !!!
Proof of "causality" is VERY, VERY DIFFICULT to achieve under rigorous scientific standards. Without PROOF, taking actions now is shortsighted, foolhardy and speculative at best ! Given that statement, I would fully expect Obama to push forward with legislation while important matters like $16.5 trillion in national debt and NO BUDGETS go without attention !
Thanks Jim. Put your head back in the sand now.
I wouldn't want to "crowd" your space chucky !
According to the latest Pew Poll the 3 top items that the American people want are: Economy, Jobs, and Reducing the deficit. Maybe the President and both houses of Congress should start listening to the PEOPLE and not the special interest groups but then it's all about money and party politics.
sfcret - I actually voted you up on this one!
This could be a set-back to the Republican-led War on the Environment.
That's a bull$hit statement ! The only "War" during the last 4 years has been Obama's war on the financial stability of our country.
In what ways? Our US economy is doing so much better. The stock market is up, 401 K are going up in value from the 2008 crash, unemployment is down, housing is improving, saved US auto industry, the debt that was created under W. Bush is going down some, and we as a Nation are again respected by the World. Then we see one war is over, Bin Laden is dead, Member of the military can be with the partners of their choice, Obama care will be in full force by 2014 and revenues will be going up.
President Obama has done a GREAT job as President in his first four years as President. In the second term we will see even better results.
Also, folks need to realize that President Obama is not the reason for our high debt. That is a total myth cooked up by the extreme right, who know nothing but hate, and want our Nation to fail.
Job--how sad these tealiban folks are so unhappy! Everything is a downer to them. I wouldn't want to live like that--imagine--no fun! :(
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
HAHA Suckers..
Obama will approve the XL pipeline by the end of Feb.. suck it envrio's
BUT BUT BUT
you got the election year pledge (and the subsequent solicit for campaign donations).. you worked for President O, you called your friends, perhaps even put on deodorant.. politicans NEVER LIE TO GET ELECTED.. oops he did it again..
hahaha.. keep dreaming,
RevengeofPodus - you voted for Romney? Talk about a sucker!!!!!!
yea I did.. i knew what i was voting for .. DID YOU..
make sure your posting when Obummer approves that environmental killing XL pipeline.. the justice department is recommending approval.. as is everyone else..
Obama's only commitment is to watching basketball .. he grew up in CHICAGO.. he vacations the MOST DEVELOPED ENVIRONMENT ON EARTH.. Hawaii.. every time he taks a vacation he takes TWO carbon dioxide spewing jets.. one for him one for Michelle.. he cant even carpool on air force one.. yea hes committed to the environment HAHA
at least im not delusional like you seekingsanity.. you obviously need to keep seeking sanity. because all evidence still points to the contrary ..
joshua w morris
Revenge - again, morons like you prove daily there is no sanity to be found in the Republican party - no matter how long anyone looks. Anyone who voted to flipping Mitt has to have a screw loose.
And, our President uses AF1 no more than any other President - and much less than George did. Now move along because you post would be laughable if it wasn't so childish!
Revenge, the standard attacking modus operandi of Speeking Insanity is to call you a name, make a general disparaging remark which she cannot substantiate, worship at the altar of Obama .... and then attempt to dismiss you when she knows she cannot win the argument ! LOL !!
Did I forget the mention the blatant lies that she wil throw out ? AF1 will be totally worn out by the time Obama is out of office !
It is sad that they seek executive action but it is understandable since the Congress critters don't seem to do any thing these days.
Sometimes Adler, doing nothing is better than doing something STUPID like passing Obamacare which our country cannot afford and which will strangle businesses across the country ... causing many of them to drop coverages and accept the "taxes/penalties" instead !
I would like to see the Congress "critters" in the Senate take action on a BUDGET for the first time since Obama has been in office ! Remember the "balanced approach" Obama campaigned upon ?
ya know, my taxes have gone up. I'm not complaining though. I'll pay more for better quality.
You will pay more and you will get weaker quality ... it is what you deserve for not realizing our government is very inefficient in spending taxpayer dollars and wastes way too much money on giveaways and freebies.
The XL pipeline was held up by REPUBLICAN Governor of Nebraska due to ENVIRONMENTAL concerns because the path was over a sensitive area. The designers have since rerouted the pipeline and Gov. Heinaman is ready to go foreward with it. Obama was waiting for Nebraska's approval and now can approve it. Environmental concerns have been addressed.
This guy Ryan is as dumb as a rock. We have to raise taxes to get out from under this load of debt. Will it sting, yes, but sacrifice is what this country needs and this party just can't see past their ivory doors. I will never vote Republican again as long as this group of idiots remain in power and I suggest other Republican voters get the message.
Government Incentives on Steroids
If the federal government really wants to spend money on ways that might actually have an impact on global warming, why not offer large cash prize incentives (i.e. $20+ million and up) to companies which create technological breakthroughs that lead to ways to reduce greenhouse gases. This idea actually has the advantage of rewarding those who create solutions rather than the system (i.e. tax credits) in place now that rewards those who might possibly someday -if were lucky- come up with a technological breakthrough in clean energy production.