Obama’s EPA adds Texas to new cross state emissions rule at the last minute
Unemployment is at 9.2% nationally, thanks in no small part to Obama’s failed policies, while Texas’ unemployment rate is more than a point lower than the national average. Texas has its own power grid, and was supposed to be left off the EPA’s new cross state emissions rule — but the Lone Star state got added anyway on Thursday. And Obama’s EPA administrator doesn’t care a bit about the people who are losing their jobs or will end up seeing their energy rates skyrocket because of this. She is just doing her boss’ bidding.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said those fears were exaggerated, particularly in Texas, where some already have moved to clean up their coal-fired plants.
Yes, Texas is already cleaning up its air on its own, and has been since the 1990s. So why the meddling? Politics.
“Texas has an ample range of cost-effective emission reduction options for complying with the requirements of this rule without threatening reliability or the continued operation of coal-burning units,” Jackson said.
CPS Energy last month announced it would shutter its two oldest and dirtiest coal plants by 2018, 13 years ahead of their planned retirement date, rather than spend upward of $550 million on new pollution-control equipment.
That’s going to cost jobs. This is politics disguised as science. Just take a look at the states the EPA decided to leave off the rule change.
The challenge from the new rule, known as the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, is that stricter limits take effect next year, giving power-plant owners little time to comply.
Texas was not included in the EPA’s draft rule related to sulfur dioxide cuts because EPA modeling had shown little downwind impact from Texas power plants on other states.
On Thursday, however, the EPA said Texas would be required to meet lower SO2 limits to avoid allowing the state to increase emissions.
Five states — Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, along with the District of Columbia — were dropped from the final EPA rule.
Three blue states and two swing states get left off, while Texas gets added even though the EPA’s own model shows little evidence that emissions from Texas impact other states at all. Nah, there’s no politics here.
Gov. Perry has issued a statement slamming the EPA’s decision, but it may be time to challenge Obama on these moves more directly.
I think It’s time for states to start withholding tax revenue from Fed gov and see who blinks first
That’s one of the problems with the 16th amendment though, isn’t it? Instead of the states funding the feds we get the feds funding the states.
No better reason to repeal 16 AND 17.
Congratulations, MMW, I thought I was the only american who realizes what the 17th amendment did and hopes it’s repealed with the 16th! I urge all Americans to read the 17th amendment and then read Article I of the constitution ans see how US Senators were selected from 1789-1913 and who they represented. The socialist movement passed the 16th and 17th amendments, which together allowed the federal government to grow in size and power.
Rewarding friends and punishing enemies. It is really strange whom Obama considers an enemy.
In a way Tx is the enemy. They’re creating jobs, which shows there’s another way other then socialism of social collapse, a la Democratic stronghold Detroit.
Obama’s admin is out of control, from the ATF scandal, to the war in Egypt, to this latest bs. The Democrats are nuts, they’re intentionally working towards the US’s downfall. Obama is the ‘World’s President’ not the US’s, so he doesn’t have our best interests in mind.
There should be jobs lost over this, in the EPA.
SOunds like a highly visible posse of party hacks with way too much time on their hands and way too much of the national treasure. Maybe a Republican COngress could address that surplus and make it a zero budget line the next time around.
No, actually, the EPA should be dismantled completely, along with the Depatments of Energy and Education, BATF, etc. They no longer serve any purpose other than political bullies for leftist ideology and they are huge holes in our government of which we pour trillions of dollars into with no legitimate outcome other than political corruption.
If Obama wanted to make Perry a presidential frontrunner, what would he do differently?
The scary thing is, he would probably say nice things about him, and about Texas. Obama is eleven eggs short of a dozen.
Great. I’m serviced by a coal plant in Texas, and my rates are already sky high due to summer.
Thanks Barack, you miserable prick.
Ditto….Here in SA it was another 100 degree day.
Add this to the Fast and Furious scandal and you see a pattern- if the data supporting Obama’s meddling doesn’t exist, invent the data.
Gee, interesting timing – wouldn’t be connected to the execution that Ozero meddled in, and failed to deter, would it? Talk about payback…
Barone nailed it early-on with his piece on the Chrysler ‘bankruptcy’ extortion of the bondholders and UAW cronyism when he coined the phrase ‘Gangster Government’. He still uses it as does Glenn and many others!
First thing I do when I’m elected President is shut down the EPA.
See the related story linked today at Instapundit about how sulfur emissions from coal burning plants is now thought by scientists to be responsible for reversing the effects of CO2-based warming over the past decade. If the idea of the EPA is to reduce CO2 by shuttering coal-burning plants and thus reduce atmospheric warming, then they have it all wrong. Take off the scrubbers and let those sulfur particulates loose! Since sulfur particulates hit a peak in the US in about 1980 and have been reduced by almost 80% since then, could it be that any warming in the US since 1980 is more due to lower sulfur emissions than anything else?? Making policy with large economic impact based on poorly understood atmospheric assumptions is absolute folly.
Secession comes that much closer, I cannot f–king wait. I voted with my feet, and am looking forward to repudiating citizenship in U$A in favor of the sovereign Republic of Texas..
Texas should first try the legal route, even though they are battling a lawless administration. If that fails they should simply ignore the EPA rule and if necessary use the Texas National Guard to back the feds off as needed.
I’m gonna take issue with one statement in the piece – namely, Louisiana is NOT a swing state. Democrats can’t get the time of day around here anymore; Obama’s drilling moratorium and his assault on fracking have seen to that.
Agreed. Mitch Landrieu may be able to garner enough New Orleans votes to save his sister Mary’s Senate seat, but statewide, we’re decidedly not swing and definitely not blue.
“Louisiana is NOT a swing state”
That’s your perception and my perception, and I think my Cajun mom’s perception … but does Team Obama believe it?
Note also that they’re going to have to win a number of states that currently look difficult to impossible to win in 2012. So this could be part of such an effort, doomed though it might be.
Yes, it’s time to hit Obama more directly.
Him and his whole crooked administration.
Everywhere.
All the time.
No breaks. Pound on them 24x7x365 and they’ll show their incompetence often enough; won’t take many more Plouffes to become laughingstocks.
Challenge directly how? Practically, specifically, what might you suggest (besides a lawsuit)?
Couldn’t federal officials start to be arrested and tried in State courts?
By Perry running for Barry’s job, taking it, and then shuttering the out-of-control EPA.
The only good solution is for Rick Perry to take the keys to the White House from Barack in 2013 and throw his stuff out onto the sidewalk.
Texas is a Red state that thumbs its nose at the Boy King. Most of the companies in California are leaving the state and moving to Texas due to the high taxes, the stifling environmental regulations, organized labor and high energy costs. So the anointed one and his cabal are seeking to even the playing field. This is an example of how they play ball in Chicago. We need to limit this poser a one term or he will destroy the economy, the military and our exceptional way of life.
The man-created global warming alarmists have announced that the reason for the undeniable cooling over the last 15 years is because China is burning so much Coal that it is making the planet cooler. Snark! The Chinese do not remove the sulphur from the exhaust. That sulphur creates clouds that cool the planet down. But the EPA forces us to remove the sulphur from our pollution so our coal burning makes the planet warmer.
So the EPA goes after Texas to reduce the sulphur because why? The EPA feels we need to counteract the Chinese and try to make the planet warmer anyway? There is no logic here. The warmists are at the top know they are lying and the followers of the religion all want to be considered ‘saints’ because they are ‘saving the planet’. Hilarious.
And they think you are stupid enough to keep falling for the nonsense.
Another example of Obama cronyism and partisanship distorting objective regulatory decisions, although in this case it is not rewarding his friends but punishing his enemies.
This endless coercion has to end. Texas should simply ignore the EPA. What’s Obama gonna do, roll tanks?
Okay, so they thereaten to withhold federal dollars. Then Texas should simply threaten to stop sending them to DC.
Seriously, if we all stopped sending money to DC, we’d starve it to death in a month and we could go back to being a free country. Maybe we’ll just get lucky and it will be hit by a meteorite or something.
In order to save this republic, we may have to dissolve it.
Im for all of that business is on strike anyway because they are not listening so withing holding funds is a good Idea too me leaving the Union is good I like it ….
Not really trying to hide it anymore, are they?
Imagine that Obama wins reelection in 2012. Now make sure that you get your ass to the polls on election day.
it may be time to dissolve this government, and institute another to our advantage. realistically, it won’t be peaceful.
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