The caves keep coming. The Obama adminstration is delaying new rules governing smog and toxic emissions from industrial boilers, and keeping the Bush standards for now. Big Oil loves it, but wants even more.
The Obama administration is retreating on long-delayed environmental regulations — new rules governing smog and toxic emissions from industrial boilers — as it adjusts to a changed political dynamic in Washington with a more muscular Republican opposition.
The move to delay the rules, announced this week by the Environmental Protection Agency, will leave in place policies set by President George W. Bush. President Obama ran for office promising tougher standards, and the new rules were set to take effect over the next several weeks.
snip
But in a striking turnabout, the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute — which have been anything but friendly to Mr. Obama — are praising his administration.
NY Times: E.P.A. Delays Tougher Rules on Emissions
Big Oil's lobby loves it, but wants more. No surprise there. How long until the next cave?
"API welcomes EPA’s request for more time to reconsider its proposed rules for boilers and incinerators. They appear to have recognized that their current proposal was unworkable and would have harmed American businesses and cost jobs. Consistent with our previous comments, we believe the re-proposed and final rule should reflect that work practices are the only appropriate controls for all gas-fired units.
"We hope EPA will reconsider other costly and unworkable proposals as well, such as the ozone NAAQS and greenhouse gas regulations. EPA’s mission can and should be met through scientifically sound, cost-effective measures that allow for continued economic growth and job creation."
API praises EPA Boiler MACT decision, calls for EPA to reconsider other unworkable proposals
Give us more, says Big Oil.
Environmentalists condemned the action and fear more sell outs down the line:
"Obama has already signaled that in his quest for re-election he’s more than willing to turn against his base in order to make a compromise with his adversaries," Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, an advocacy group, said in an e-mail, responding to the rules delay.
Mr. O’Donnell said the administration was clearly "running scared" from the incoming Congress and said he suspected that it was willing to moderate its stand on a variety of environmental regulations, including pending greenhouse gas rules aimed at reducing the pollutants that contribute to global warming.
NY Times: E.P.A. Delays Tougher Rules on Emissions
Another day, another cave to Big Business and the Republicans.
Just Say No to the selling out of our environment!
Perhaps Al Gore will speak out against this. We should. I am.