Truly baffled am I, dudes & dudettes.
Are we East Germany or the USA?
Please explain: E.P.A. Scales Back Emissions Rules for Industry
Thank you, NYT reporter John Broder, for this nugget:
“The power plant rules are currently being scrubbed by the White House...”
For the life o’ me, I cannot fathom the story line here, White House.
What are you achieving by a blanket dumbing-down (spun as a “more reasonable,” job-sensitive small business maneuver) of smokestack regs. This is 2011 fer chrissakes, not 1971.
The jobs we are supposedly saving are connected to 187,000 small producers of air pollution:
They will be allowed to achieve the cuts using readily available control technology at what the E.P.A. said was a reasonable cost. The agency said the earlier version, which would have required boiler operators to apply “maximum achievable control technology,” set too high a bar.
But - but - but - President Obama, in the State of the Union address, said that America must Innovate! Lead the World! I agree, sir! And how is slashing our anti-pollution regs leading anything?
Rahm Emmanuel, hizzoner-elect, you are welcome to comment, sir!
Whoa, WHOA - waittaminnut - perhaps I am over-wrought:
The American Petroleum Institute, the biggest U.S. lobbying group for the oil and gas industry and a critic of the rules proposed last year, said it welcomed the EPA’s efforts to change the regulations.
Phew. I was worried there for a minute. Never mind about East Germany and all... go back to your homes, folks, show's over.