It's official, the Republicans have declared victory on the climate bill in the pregame warm-ups. By threatening to filibuster the bill if it passed with a simple majority, Republicans gave the Democrats all the excuses that they needed to crawl back into their holes of whimpering defeat. By not forcing a vote in the Senate, the Democrats proved that their majority is useless, and that our government is ineffectual at thinking past the present moment with regards to climate change.
We seem to be stuck as a nation thinking in the present moment about instant gratification, and why not? Our country is in constant crisis mode; we have no money left, and all we can do is try to borrow from China to try to solve multiple domestic crises at once. In addition, we have fostered now for several successive generations that we can force the Earth to submit to our wills and that our current needs are more important than any future generations' and more important than even the dire warnings from our scientific community that built this modern world that we stand upon. The Beast is now so large that it is out of control.
Senator Harry Reid said today that he just didn't have the necessary votes for the bills passage. There will be no cap-and-trade, no Renewable Energy Standards, no energy efficiency standards... Nothing!
Instead he said he will try to bring up a bill that would attempt to force BP to pay for the damages caused GoM Spill (like that should even have to be a law), and increase natural gas usage that ultimately would increase groundwater pollution in the form of more hydrofracking chemicals being injected into the Earth in more locations.
Democrats will push for a more limited measure that would seek to increase liability costs that oil companies would pay following spills such as the one in the Gulf of Mexico. It also would create additional incentives for the development of natural gas vehicles and would provide rebates for products that reduce home energy use. Senate Democrats said they expected to find GOP support for the bill and pass it in the next two weeks. (Washington Post)
Reid hinted at a September showdown over another version of the climate bill, but if the Democrats will to fight for what they believe, in this case, gives any indication of how that fight will go, we ought not to expect much from that battle. The current bill that was dumped was a virtual wishlist for fossil fuel users and polluters, and still could not gain any Republican support or win over the few Democrats from coal-heavy States. Even in light of 76% of Americans saying that our government should act to curb climate pollution, no majority in the Senate can be found. Houston, we have a problem; we have a broken government that can only cater to special interests.
Democrats will put off consideration of broader legislation sought by Obama until September at the earliest and hope to pass legislation that would curb emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that scientists say contribute to rising global temperatures. (Reuters)
While Republicans coalesced around the 'The Party of No' slogan that has defined their stance in the first have of the Obama Presidency, President Obama needs to take his share of the blame for the failure of his administration to bring about energy reform and climate legislation. Many questioned his timing of bringing healthcare reform to the table in the wake of the House's success in passing their version of the climate bill; it didn't make any sense at the time why we would switch topics when we were so close to achieving one of the mainstay issues for a majority of the people that voted for Obama in the 2008 election. It makes even less sense now.
Obama never gave a substantial speech focused on the need for the U.S. to face up to the long-terms of climate change and truly take energy innovation seriously; never brought climate researchers to speak to his White House staff; never challenged conservatives like Inhofe who willfully lied on climate issues. It's true he took office in the teeth of the worst recession in modern memory, which by itself might have killed any ambitious legislation on climate, and has juggled countless crises, but this never seemed to be a priority for him, or his top political staff at the White House. After nominating the greenest Presidential cabinet ever, including Nobel Prize-winning Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Obama seemed to think his work was done. Characteristically, when Obama gave his first Oval Office speech last month, on the oil spill and energy, he didn't even mention a carbon cap. (Time)
To be fair, Obama has pushed some major initiatives through, but he has left Congress to argue the energy issue ad ifinitum, giving no moral support or leadership to his ground troops.
Obama's refusal to fight for meaningful climate legislation in Congress is all the more disappointing given the significant progress his administration has made on its own. Under Obama, the EPA had pushed forward with plans to regulate climate pollution under the Clean Air Act. The president's stimulus package included unprecedented investments in clean energy and green jobs, and on July 3rd the administration unveiled $2 billion in new spending to support solar power. The administration used its leverage over the bankrupt auto industry to secure a historic increase in fuel efficiency. And top Cabinet officials from Browner to Chu to Jackson, even Salazar, who greenlighted the nation's first offshore wind farm, have walked their talk on global warming. The president himself has made six major speeches on the need for climate legislation, and last December he flew to Copenhagen to help salvage international climate talks from a complete crash-and-burn. (Rolling Stone)
...but his failure to work with Congress in crafting meaningful climate legislation will be the gauge by which the success of his presidency will be judged.
In light of Congress' inaction on the climate issue it is now up to Lisa Jackson over at the EPA, our last line of defense in the fight against industrial polluters and those who seek to drive the Earth into the final throes of her death spiral.
Obama has pushed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take unilateral action if Congress fails to pass a bill. The EPA has begun issuing rules to cut emissions from cars and requiring power plants to have permits to emit carbon dioxide. (Reuters)
But, while Obama has supported the EPA to act to declare greenhouse gases, including CO2, as a danger to human health, there is no guarantee that the EPA will be allowed to act; one of the countless lawsuits in the wings of numerous courts could very well derail the EPA of their authority and leave us with nothing to show except more funding and exemptions for the fossil fuel industry.
The idea that now that Republicans have defeated the climate bill in Congress, they can concentrate on dismantling the EPA, is a poignant one. The only avenue left for action in regards to regulating pollution and setting up conditions for an international climate treaty is through the EPA.
However, given that EPA leadership changes from administration to administration, the unclear limits of its authority, and the feeling that Congress ought to make the rules on this important issue, most people see this as an unsatisfying answer. Congressional Republicans even tried to explicitly block the EPA’s power to regulate greenhouse emissions, which the 2007 Supreme Court case Massachusetts v. EPA upheld. That effort last month fell short, but members of Congress may try to revive the issue, fearing the EPA will act now that the legislative branch has failed to do so. (Discover Magazine)
Protecting the EPA's authority on regulating greenhouse gases should be the Obama Administration's number one priority. No current crisis compares to the one waiting in the wings if we fail to act now to control industrial pollution and begin our country's switch over to renewable energy and increase energy efficiency. If Republicans or States that rely heavily on fossil fuels for revenue don't want to compromise, then all that is left is for the EPA to begin mandating changes or shutting down violators of the new energy era rules.
Protecting the EPA is now job one for progressives: Murkowski already tried to block EPA on carbon. Rockefeller's going to try again shortly, and his bid is going to be even trickier to block than hers. The EPA's ability to act must be protected. It won't be as comprehensive, as economically efficient, or as socially cooperative as smart climate legislation would have been, but it will reduce carbon. And you know what? Senators from coal-heavy states have poorly served their constituents, so as far as I'm concerned, they deserve a big ol' EPA boot to the ass. They made this bed, they can sleep in it. (Grist)
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