In a country that purports to be so ambitious and cutting-edge, America is sorely behind the ecological curve. Now, eleven pro-green groups and seventeen states have sued the E.P.A. over its stalling.
Democrats accused the agency of dragging its feet in anticipation of Bush’s departure from office in January of 2009, so that GW could slip out of office unscathed by green geeks and their eco-causes. (How could this truck-driving Texan face his oily constituents if he were to get mixed up in issues like emissions control?)
One year ago, E.P.A. administrator Stephen Johnson was charged with the responsibility of formulating a plan for regulating greenhouse emissions. Johnson has been too busy, it seems, shirking his duties to the people and their planet—and keeping cars on the road.
Under pressure, Johnson has procured a sudden solution. He told the press to expect new emissions standards “later this spring” on "the specific effects of climate change and potential regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from stationary and mobile sources."
Reuters reports:
The Bush administration, which has resisted regulating carbon dioxide emissions, this spring will propose rules that could affect everything from vehicles to power plants and oil refineries, the top U.S. environmental official told Congress on Thursday.
…Johnson’s letter to congressional leaders was a response to a landmark 2007 ruling by the Supreme Court that the EPA must reconsider its 2003 refusal to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions from new cars and trucks under the Clean Air Act.
Johnson’s letter sets in motion a long process of seeking comments from industry and the public, with at least two chances to change course before final rules are issued.
So, after twiddling his thumbs for over a year, Johnson suddenly has a slapdash solution to a potentially apocalyptic problem? If his track record is any indication, America’s in trouble.
David Hawkins, a climate change expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told Reuters, "The name of the game here is to run out the clock, basically. All of this stuff will come in a big pile and it will be on the next administration’s desk."
Photos via flickr by geognerd & The Ardvaark.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
First, thanks for the plug.
Second, there is a car free culture here in LA, but you have to know where to look for it. There are literally tens of thousands of cyclists on the road everyday and Metro (LACMTA) is experiencing record ridership. We got a ways to go to be where we should be, but it’s not as bleak as you might think from just visiting.
So next time you’re coming out here, drop me a line and we’ll find do a ride together and I can show you what I’m talking about.
In fact, metroriderla.org is a great website/blog for people who want to live or are already living a transit oriented lifestyle in Los Angeles.
LA has the second highest transit ridership in the country…..LA is in fact a transit town by ridership standards and that should be the #1 criteria. But how do you see that when looking at a bus or train brimming with a bunch of black and brown people you can’t come to the realization that these people are actually……well, “people”.
Please check stats at the APTA to see for yourself and you will see that % wise LA falls in the middle bracket of transit ridership in the US. The 50% of NYC is unmatched by anyone in the US until you hit SF at 29%, Chicago, Philly, Boston all around 20 % and then LA’s quickly growing transit at 16%. Cities like Dallas, San Diego, San Antonio, Houston, Phoenix, Atlanta all rank below or very well below 10%. These figures are based on the metro areas MSA stats. You should research before you speak. LA’s supposedly lack of transit ridership is steeped in racist and classist thought.