It may seem like President Bush has all but stopped doing his job lately. But his White House is still working as hard as ever at blocking efforts to fight global warming.
Case in point — the Washington Post reported Wednesday:
Last week, the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs sent an e-mail to mayors reminding them that time was running out if they wanted to comment on the proposal the administration issued in July, which laid out how the government might curb greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. A 2007 Supreme Court decision required the Environmental Protection Agency to issue such a ruling, but the White House made it clear in its e-mail that it does not think that is a good idea.
The email, sent by Jeremy Broggi, the office’s associate director, clearly encourages the mayors to express opposition to limits on greenhouse gases. It says:
At the time, President Bush warned that this was the wrong way to regulate emissions. [House Energy and Commerce Committee] Chairman John D. Dingell called it ‘a glorious mess. And many of you contacted us to let us know how harmful this rule would be to the economies of the cities and counties you serve.
It then links to a blog post by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a staunch opponent of efforts to regulate emissions, arguing that caps on greenhouse gases “will operate as a de facto moratorium on major construction and infrastructure projects.” And it reminds recipients that the comment period for the rule-making closes November 28th.
“It appears there is no bottom to the administration’s pit of disdain for regulating greenhouse gases,” William Becker, of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, told the Post.
Hard to put it better than that.
