EPA Slapped Down by US Appeals Court
Occasionally, Dubya's politicized federal agencies get their comeuppance. Such was the case Friday for the Environmental Protection Agency, which under Bush doesn't protect the environment but the polluters.
In a press release from Earthjustice via CommonDreams: "A federal appeals court ruled this morning that a rulemaking by the Environmental Protection Agency violates the Clean Air Act by evading mandatory cuts in toxic mercury pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants. The decision invalidates the agency's so-called "Clean Air Mercury Rule," which would have allowed dangerously high levels of mercury pollution to persist under a weak cap-and-trade program that would not have taken full effect until well beyond 2020.
"Fourteen states and dozens of Native American tribes, public health and environmental groups, and organizations representing registered nurses and physicians challenged the EPA's suite of rules in 2005....
"The EPA's actions declared unlawful today included first removing power plants from a regulatory list requiring the toughest Clean Air Act safeguards against toxic pollution. The agency then proposed to replace these standards with a much weaker mercury cap-and-trade program that failed to reduce mercury emissions from each power plant in the country, achieved weaker reductions at plants required to do something, and would have taken effect well beyond dates mandated in the Clean Air Act."
Unfortunately, it took two years until this ruling was handed down, while the the power plants of Bush's greedy corporate crony energy profiteers continued spewing toxic mercury, poisoning more people, especially highly vulnerable children.
" 'These two rules represented what was perhaps the biggest sellout to industry in the history of EPA,'said Waterkeeper Alliance Legal Director, Scott Edwards. 'It's a real tragedy that we've had to spend two years getting this industry-scripted scheme struck down while energy companies continue to poison our children with mercury.' "
This is another terrible consequence of the last eight Bush pollution years....the worst administration ever for us and for our children, and grandchildren's health and longevity. Again, the continuing tragedy of the Bushite GOP's profits always before people.
In a press release from Earthjustice via CommonDreams: "A federal appeals court ruled this morning that a rulemaking by the Environmental Protection Agency violates the Clean Air Act by evading mandatory cuts in toxic mercury pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants. The decision invalidates the agency's so-called "Clean Air Mercury Rule," which would have allowed dangerously high levels of mercury pollution to persist under a weak cap-and-trade program that would not have taken full effect until well beyond 2020.
"Fourteen states and dozens of Native American tribes, public health and environmental groups, and organizations representing registered nurses and physicians challenged the EPA's suite of rules in 2005....
"The EPA's actions declared unlawful today included first removing power plants from a regulatory list requiring the toughest Clean Air Act safeguards against toxic pollution. The agency then proposed to replace these standards with a much weaker mercury cap-and-trade program that failed to reduce mercury emissions from each power plant in the country, achieved weaker reductions at plants required to do something, and would have taken effect well beyond dates mandated in the Clean Air Act."
Unfortunately, it took two years until this ruling was handed down, while the the power plants of Bush's greedy corporate crony energy profiteers continued spewing toxic mercury, poisoning more people, especially highly vulnerable children.
" 'These two rules represented what was perhaps the biggest sellout to industry in the history of EPA,'said Waterkeeper Alliance Legal Director, Scott Edwards. 'It's a real tragedy that we've had to spend two years getting this industry-scripted scheme struck down while energy companies continue to poison our children with mercury.' "
This is another terrible consequence of the last eight Bush pollution years....the worst administration ever for us and for our children, and grandchildren's health and longevity. Again, the continuing tragedy of the Bushite GOP's profits always before people.
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