This case(Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, 05-1120) centers on whether the Shrub's boyz over at the EPA are actually doing anything about protecting the environment..as well they should. Its called earning their paycheck in my simple little mind. The case stems from a lawsuit regarding the "sins of omission" perpetuated by the bastards currently running the EPA. Seems the EPA wants voluntary efforts to combat the greenhouse effect on our atmosphere. Besides my grand state of Cali, the following states AND there cities have joined the appeal to the Supremes: are Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Three cities — New York, Baltimore and Washington..plus a couple of conservation groups. Said an attorney, David Bookbinder, representing the Sierra Club, and I quote from this article over at SFGate regarding this case: "The decision means the court will address whether the administration's decision to rely on voluntary measures to combat climate change are legal under federal clean air laws. "This is the whole ball of wax. This will determine whether the Environmental Protection Agency is to regulate greenhouse gases from cars and whether EPA can regulate carbon dioxide from power plants," said David Bookbinder, an attorney for the Sierra Club."
You can not legislate commonsense has always been my belief. But, I also believe we have to legislate cleaning up and protecting the environment, and that includes car emissions and power plants. I believe the EPA is there as a protector of our environment and therefore a neccesity exists to force the vehicle manufactuters and the Oil companies to adhere to a standard which will demonstrate our efforts to control and ultimately reduce greenhouse gasses and thereby insure we as a country are doing the best we can to keep this planet alive for our children and their children.
The arguments being put forth in this case, which the Supremes just accepted are the following,per the above-linked article:
The Sierra Club argues that the Environmental Protection Agency is obligated to limit carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles under the federal Clean Air Act because as the primary "greenhouse" gas causing a warming of the earth, carbon dioxide is a pollutant.
The administration maintains that carbon dioxide — unlike other chemicals that must be controlled to assure healthy air — is not a pollutant under the federal clean air law, and that even if it were the EPA has discretion over whether to regulate it.
Ok..carbon dioxide is not a pollutant? Where the hell did these guys go to school? And then,to look even more fucktarded..that wonderful last part of their statement..IF it is a pollutant they,meaning the asshats at the EPA, have discretion over whether to regulate it..WTF? They can pick and choose which horrible ozone killing pollutants to regulate? This isn't a smorgasboard dudes..if it fucks up the environment, its bad and it needs to be addressed. If its not addressed..it will kill us you dickwads.
Those lovely corporate bastards in the oil industy weighed in on this case...its a goodie:
"Fundamentally, we don't think carbon dioxide is a pollutant, and so we don't think these attempts (to require reductions) are a good idea," said John Felmy, chief economist of the American Petroleum Institute, a trade group representing oil and gas producers."
I don't think having a large bowl of ice cream every night will make me fat..but in essence, it does when combined with other fat-inducing foods I consume over the course of my day. If I don't want to get fat, I can't have that friggin bowl of ice cream each night..it pisses me the hell off..but its not rocket science folks..And neither is limiting the amount of carbon dioxide spewed from our vehicles..it doesn't take Albert Einstein to tell us that we need to lower the level of these gases being released into the atmosphere. The car manufacturers won't do it on their own, they have shown us that they will not do anything unless they are told to. The Oil Companies don't give a rat's ass as long as they keep selling us gas and oil..its about the money for them..not the protection of the environment.
And who does the EPA and the Shrub look to protect...you guessed it..Big Oil and Big Business..
screw the environment..the rapture is coming right? Who needs clean air? The LAT has a writeup here also.
Tags: environment, EPA, pollution, Supreme Court, global warming
+the pic..I have no friggin clue where I got it..if someone claims it,I will be more than happy to provide credit where credit is due..
