“Christopher Mims” - Oil-fattened Congress well on way to preventing EPA from regulating greenhouse gases
March 11, 2011 Congress is now moving to make it illegal for the government to regulate greenhouse gases, under any circumstances. Apparently killing off possibly the last chance the U.S. had to act on climate change in time to avoid its worst impacts wasn't enough to sate their appetite for destruction?
On Friday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce -- whose leaders are backed by ag, chemical, and fossil fuel industries -- voted to strip the EPA of its existing powers to regulate carbon dioxide, methane, and other agents of global warming. That sucks. What sucks worse: Their efforts might just survive a presidential veto and become law.
"I think the votes are there to uphold a presidential veto, if it comes to that," [Sen. Jeff] Bingaman [D-NM] said. "But I'm not certain."
This is what what we refer to at Grist as "kind of a big deal." It's as if Congress were trying to push through a bill in favor of WWIII. Because oops, they basically are!