Today, House Republicans will introduce legislation they plan to rush through that will ban the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases under the clean air act.
The officials said the bill would nullify all of the steps the EPA has taken to date on the issue, including a threshold finding that greenhouse gases constitute a danger to the public health and welfare.
In addition, it seeks to strip the agency of its authority to use the law in any future attempts to crack down on the emissions from factories, utilities and other stationary sources. LINK
I warned you about the Republican attack on the EPA. Newt Gingrich, the darling of the GOP, wants to completely abolish the EPA.
Of course, the Big Gas Mafia is behind it all and the GOP is only doing what they were paid to do by their masters. The Gas Mafia can not dare to allow the GOP to quantify how much methane they are allowing to escape into our air. That would cause the “bridge” to collapse and ruin their scheme.
Ramon Alvarez tells us on his blog that “Chesapeake Energy and three natural gas industry trade associations filed legal challenges to EPA’s new rule that requires assessment and public disclosure of the industry’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
Ramon notes the irony (click over for links and the full release):
I find it ironic that the industry that touts itself as the “low-carbon” fossil fuel is fighting efforts to require disclosure of its global warming pollution.
The Billionaire Koch Brothers, serial polluters and despisers of clean air, had a GOP planning session recently to figure out more ways to wreck havoc on democracy and trick the poor Tea Partiers into helping them become ever more wealthy by not paying for their polluting ways.
About 200 key figures in business, energy, the media and law were expected to assemble at a five-star hotel at the invitation of the Koch brothers for the latest of their twice-yearly discussion groups on how to forward their libertarian causes. The talks began at 1pm with sessions that focused on how to fight the Obama administration, which the Kochs see as a threat to the free market and unfettered wealth.
Greenpeace sent them a welcome message:
The Koch brothers run the second largest privately-owned company in the US, Koch Industries, which has stakes in oil and other energy industries, paper and pulp and chemicals, among other concerns. They are accused by detractors of increasingly using both their combined wealth – put at $35bn (£22bn) – and the wealth of their friends and fellow billionaires brought together at their gatherings, to distort the democratic process through huge campaign donations.
Think Progress has a list of the attendees. I know you will be shocked to see how many of the names have “natural gas” by them and that they are listed along side such highly esteemed figures as Glenn Beck.
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.
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How much do you pay at the pump? Why? How much more will you pay at the grocery store? Why? How high will the price of oil go if the Middle East is in chaos?
How much will it cost to heat your home? How many jobs will be lost or not created due to higher energy costs?
Do we have renewable energy to meet the demands of a growing population?
What energy do we have in abundance? Natural gas that is cheaper that we can produce ourselves making our country secure from any threats in the Middle East.
If you love your country and love your neighbor you would not demonize by using fear tactics against our natural resources.
Socialism and over regulation will not bring our economy back to higher employment. Without jobs, people will trully suffer.
Look at the big picture. Love your country.
OMG, do you not realize all of the above was planted in your brain by the industry so you will enable them?
If I have a solar panel and a windmill and I use energy carefully, it won't cost me anything to heat my home.
I wonder how many jobs will be created by new, renewable energy sources–somebody to design and invent, somebody to manufacture, somebody to install, somebody to maintain. This could all happen really fast if the fossil fuel industry would quit lobbying against it. Who killed the electric car?
What we have in abundance that no one can control is SUN and in many areas WIND.
All that patriotic bullshit doesn't work on me. I know who runs this country and it's not you or me.
Let's see…we've been having rolling blackouts because privatization and capitalism has created a system where our infrastructure is crumbling. Rolling blackouts ARE SOCIALISM. Ha!
The big picture is an energy future without fossil fuels.
Why are we shipping all this "natural gas" out of America, if we needed it here so we could prevent "rolling black-out?"
I'm with you Sharon! I don't buy into the old tired patriotic arguement when it comes to natural gas drilling.
anonymous 8:21,
Do you live near Natural Gas Extraction and Production?
Do you have a Gas Processing Plant in your back yard?
Are you, or your loved ones sick because of Gas Production?
Are any of your neighbors sick because of Gas Production?
Is your water contaminated because of Gas Production?
If you answered 'no' to the first question then, speak no more.
I answer yes to all of the above questions.
You should ask the 44 people who have documented water contamination in 7 counties in the Barnett Shale what they think about your rah, rah speech.
I think, you should make your ASSumptions based on ALL the facts.
Not just what 'you feel'.
Hey Anonymous 10:02,
Can you email me with that list of 44? I am working on something and that list would be helpful. Click About me for my email.
Thanks.
Rolling black-out!! The great big 'ole energy friendly state of Texas—and they can't even keep the lights on!!!
Haha, listening to KRLD's propaganda about if we had more natural gas there'd be no rolling blackouts… in reality all of the shitty, unrealiable pipelines couldnt maintain enough pressure to send the gas to power plants. Also now that the EPA is finding out whats really in American's Safe Drinking Water it's time to gut them like a fish… Each week they find something more absurd contaminating our water, this week rocket fuel, a couple of weeks ago hexavalent chromium, next month rat poison…
Texas, the energy capitol of the world can't provide enough energy because rabid capitalism and privatization seeking to maximize profit has allowed our infrastructure to crumble. They had to resort to rolling blackouts which is–GASP–Socialism! Dart riders were stranded for as long as an hour with no heat but–PRAISE GOD–the Super Bowl district was exempt.
You completely ignored the crisis in the Middle East and the impact on our energy source. You failed to answer any of the questions but responded like all other left wing political activists.
Sorry, Sharon, you are not an envirnonmentalist but you have an agenda. Truth has no agenda.
If you chose not to love your country, think about the poor who will not be able to afford higher energy cost when the price of oil goes to $200 a barrel.
Guess you just like our money going to Muslims.
11:57 I have family who have active natural gas production only a short distance from their homes. They are not sick but are better off than before drilling. I would say the majority of people living next to gas drilling are doing just fine.
I have family that has worked in the industry for years and they have good jobs and are not sick.
That is the story in our county.
Sharon, I think you meant anonymous 11:57 am,not 10:02 am.
11:57 had the 44.
Good Luck on your project!
Sharon, I am forever grateful for all your work. I would like for the
gas companies and people who say to
"Love Your Neighbor" to Love Your
neighbor who has been harmed and the neighbor who helps those people. I live close to a well that blew out and sprayed gas and frac water for 16 hours. Closer yet are 2 more sites on each side of me that have permits for 27 wells in one area and 9 in another.
I have gotten pneumonia and copd from the road dirt and deisel alone,not to mention thyroid and
nervous system issues. Quality of
life is another story…and there
are more wells yet to come.I am saddened by the lack of compassion
and concern for money over lives but delighted by the ones that know the truth and speak it.
Sharon, I am forever grateful for all your work. I would like for the
gas companies and people who say to
"Love Your Neighbor" to Love Your
neighbor who has been harmed and the neighbor who helps those people. I live close to a well that blew out and sprayed gas and frac water for 16 hours. Closer yet are 2 more sites on each side of me that have permits for 27 wells in one area and 9 in another.
I have gotten pneumonia and copd from the road dirt and deisel alone,not to mention thyroid and
nervous system issues. Quality of
life is another story…and there
are more wells yet to come.I am saddened by the lack of compassion
and concern for money over lives but delighted by the ones that know the truth and speak it.