Friday, July 15, 2011

Republicans cite jobs in attacking federal environmental regulations

Republicans in the House of Representatives are waging an all-out war to block federal regulations that protect the environment. They loaded up a pending 2012 spending bill with terms that would eliminate a broad array of environmental protections, everything from stopping new plants and animals from being placed on the endangered species list to ending federal limits on water pollution in Florida. The terms also include a rollback of pollution regulations for mountaintop mining and a red light on federal plans to prevent new uranium mining claims near the Grand Canyon. Another Republican-sponsored bill that's before Congress would weaken the nation's 1972 Clean Water Act, taking away the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to step in when it finds state water-pollution rules too loose. The sweeping anti-environmental regulation agenda has support among Senate Republicans and the GOP's presidential hopefuls. Its backers say it's necessary for the sake of jobs and economic growth. The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., has said the EPA is "riding roughshod" over business. He told EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson that it's time to rein in her agency...more

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hope the GOP will keep in mind as they pursue their gutting of environmental protections - THERE ARE NO JOBS ON A DEAD PLANET!

Brett said...

Another made-to-order alarmist article. The GOP always comes up short of the charges leveled at them by these sort of articles.

Since man is an animal like any other, he must find a balancing point on environmental impact and his own survival. While there are no jobs on a dead planet, idealistic statements about clean air and water are of limited value if you are no longer able to put food on the table. There has to be an answer in there somewhere.

The world as we know it will not be reduced to a smoldering rubble if the EPA is not permitted to regulate a farmer's stock tanks, or if folks can purchase a greater variety of light bulbs. A little realism and a healthy debate will not hurt anyone.