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Gov. Perry files suit to keep Toxic Texas air

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Three names to remember:

  1. Governor Rick Perry
  2. Attorney General Greg Abbott
  3. Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples

Today these three gambled with the health of Texans to pull a political stunt. They filed a lawsuit against challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 finding that greenhouse gases endanger human health.

I’m getting to this late so everything good has already been said.

EDF

“The lawsuit filed by Governor Perry is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to ignore the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. vs. Massachusetts. Their action evokes memories of a sad time in Texas history from the ’50s, when Texas politicians sought to nullify decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Not only is it legally unsound, it puts Texas on the side of the 1950s economy, against the clean energy economy of the future.”

Texas VOX (they will have a video up later)

This morning Governor Perry attempted to show Texas voters that he is bigger than both Texas and federal law by enacting a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency’s(EPA) endangerment finding for carbon dioxide, but instead just further highlighted his failure to protect Texans’ health and the safety and long term stability of our economy and climate.

Burnt Orange Report

Key Point: Perry simply wants to nationalize his election with lofty rhetoric that are short on facts so that everyone can ignore the decade of failure he has pushed down Texas. The question is: Will Texas voters (and the Texas press corps) let him get away with it?

  • As of two years ago, Texas was the top carbon polluter in the country. (Source: USA Today)
  • Bush’s EPA, in 2008, denied one of Perry’s waiver requests. This is not just an Obama issue. (Source: EPA)
  • The Environmental Protection Agency has shown good faith working with Texas on addressing the problem — going so far as to delay, by six months, a study on the state air permitting rules.
  • Perry denies global warming exists, and the presiding officer of of TCEQ he appointed denies it exists as well. (See below)

These three and their cronyism and corporatism are largely responsible for the reason Texas air is so unhealthy and the reason our regulatory agencies are dysfunctional and unresponsive.

Who can forget:

Global Warmng Denier Appointed State’s Top Environmental Official

Governor Rick Perry of Texas Pokes The Eye of the Federal EPA and Appoints a Climate Change Denier to be the State’s Top Environmental Official

They don’t want you to see the elephant in the room passing gas.

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.

Comments

  2. funmaxus says

    Here is an interesting Michigan case whereby an activist group filed litigation against the state permitting agency and in another case reparian rights for discharging chemicals after they were "air stripped" into a local stream.

    Kolke Creek pollution case back in court
    State's top court will consider groundwater case
    http://www.record-eagle.com/local/local_story_042075024.html

    Blue Gold World Water Wars
    Movie is in 7 segments each 10-12 minutes long…
    http://www.tagtele.com/videos/voir/37552

  3. funmaxus says

    STATEMENT FROM EPA REGARDING TEXAS PETITION
    "Todays action is not surprising. Texas officials have repeatedly expressed opposition to the EPA's common sense approach to begin reducing harmful greenhouse gases," said Dr. Al Armendariz, EPA Regional Administrator for Region 6. "Texas, which contributes up to 35 percent of the greenhouse gases emitted by industrial sources in the United States, should be leading the way in this effort. Instead, Texas officials are attempting to slow progress with unnecessary litigation. EPA is confident the endangerment finding, which was issued as a result of a 2007 Supreme Court decision, will withstand legal challenge."
    http://www.epa.gov/region6/

  5. Anonymous says

    I guess this is what Carillo describes as "extending an olive branch". So what is it Carillo, did Perry not tell you what was going on or did you lie to Dr. Al? It's got to be one or the other.

  6. vrajavala says

    The Supreme court decision was based on faulty science.where have you been? Dr.McCracken's "research paper" was the central paper that the supreme court relied on and he was part of "Climate-gate"