Green Options » California waiver

The Real Color Problem of President Obama

Susan Kraemer — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:40:37 +0000

Oh, they call him a communist. They call him a Red. But the actual problem is that President Obama is too Green. Barack Obama is our first truly Green President.

This is the real reason the fossil industries whose profits are threatened by renewable energy go after him - and stir up emotional opposition groups to threaten him with outlandish attacks. Because he has already implemented or funded an extraordinary string of renewable energy initiatives.

He will likely be remembered as an FDR figure; the president who powered the nation with solar and wind.

Obama’s EPA Pick Lisa Jackson Supports California Emission Standards

Jerry James Stone — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:18:58 +0000

President-elect Barack Obama’s EPA choice — Lisa P. Jackson — will lead the agency by the virtues of science and law, rather than political agendas. Uh, finally!

If that alone wasn’t enough to make me want to have her babies, she’s been quoted for calling Bush’s EPA the “Emissions Permissions Agency!” Uh, marry me now! Seriously.

Bush Gets Schooled by the Senate On Environmental Policy

Jerry James Stone — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:21:29 +0000

The Senate met today to review Bush’s environmental record. It was sparked by the EPA’s denial of a California waiver to regulate automotive greenhouse gases.

The committee entitled, “Bush Administration Environmental Record at Department of Interior and Environmental Protection Agency,” met today. Senator Barbara Boxer called the hearing to explore how the administration has held up with respect to environmental integrity. A driving force behind the committee was the denial of California’s petition to curb greenhouse emissions by allowing the state to regulate vehicular fuel efficiency. The hearing was also looking into a proposal to loosen rules protecting endangered species. You can watch a full video of the hearing here.

Boxer, who is chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, wasn’t too happy when two high-level officials at the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Interior failed to show up for the hearing.

“They’re cowardly and they have been a danger to the people of this country,” Boxer said.

Below is just a taste of what Bush and Co have been up to since taking office.

A History of Bush’s Environmental Record

Proposed drilling of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - October 2000, this was a campaign trail proposition!
Blocks safeguards on arsenic in drinking water, sulfur in diesel, and releases of raw sewage - January 2001, Inauguration Day
Bush repudiates the Kyoto Protocol - March, 2001
178 Countries agree to Kyoto, Bush does not - June 2001
Bush kills more of Clinton’s safeguards on drinking water - July 2001
Bush cuts funds for renewables - February 2002
Introduces “Clear Skies” initiative which allows for more air pollution - February 2002
Bush denies EPA findings on Global Warming - June 2002
Proposes removing wetland protections - January 2003
EPA silences effects of global warming in environmental report - June 2003
Creates “Healthy Forrest” initiative which allows more logging - December 2003
Bush delays mercury reduction for 18 years - January 2004
NASA scientists censored by Administration on global warming effects - October 2004
Promises more funding for renewables in State of the Union, breaks the promise five days later - February 2005
Bush supports House bill allowing more smog - October 2005
Wants to lower the price of gas at the expense of air quality - April 2006
Cuts funds for wind and geothermal energy - February 2007
Bush blocks G8 plans to reduce global warming pollution - June 2007
Bush opposes incentives for renewables - February 2008
Bush censors reports on climate change, again - April 2008

Oh, and that image was specifically chosen for the “Dance of the Dwarfs” title. Made me think of our little “Decider.”

Image source: umjanedoan on Flickr

The EPA Decides It Can Mess With Texas

Jerry James Stone — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:26:33 +0000

The EPA dealt Texas a hard blow on Thursday. It turned down the state’s request for a reduction to our Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). A decision that some environmentalists are sticking in the plus column for biofuels. I can’t say I agree.

It’s not that I’m not on the biofuel bandwagon. I am. Just don’t run the bandwagon on ethanol. Or any other bio solution currently available. Yes they all sound very promising. But we need a strong smart solution, not a promise.

I do think it’s great that biofuels are finally getting real public attention. Especially from the EPA. The agency has so many blemishes on it’s policy record it warrants the Proactive Solution. But a hasty push towards a biofuel solution is as bad as doing nothing at all. And that’s what the RFS is, hasty.

Yes, much has been said about the sustainability of a corn-based solution. And there is that whole food for fuel argument, and the questionable sustainability of the ubiquitous crop. All of which are good arguments. But for me, it’s a matter of how were just shifting the burden from petroleum to corn: that’s not a solution in my book.

And it’s precisely that burden which is being felt in the Lone Star state: their livestock industry is taking a major hit. Why? Because our Renewable Fuel Standard is about quantity, not quality. The current 2008 standard demands 7.76 percent, which is about 9 billion gallons, of renewable fuel. With a definition of a renewable fuel only being “the opposite of fossil fuel,” moving forward to the 2022 standard of 36 billion gallons could be catastrophic.

This is why we cannot afford an EPA Chief who is so myopic. Under Stephen Johnson’s leadership the agency denied California the power necessary to meet these somewhat ambigous goals. A decision that has the EPA scrambling to try to save face while the Democrats are standing at the castle doors with their pitchforks and torches in tow. It’s like a scene out of Frankenstein. But unlike Frankenstien, the EPA is far from green.

Group Sues EPA for Inaction on Coal Permit
EPA Chief on Hot Seat Over California Emissions Denial
Biofuels Will Not Solve Global Warming: IPCC’s Report Sparks Protest

Image source: Nik Agarwal at The Air