I don't understand the man. Why would an alleged conservative oppose a state making its own laws on a matter it is entitled to make laws about?
On 9/25/07, Larry Lyons <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Does it seem that the shrubbery is starting to get a bit desperate on global > warming? > > from today's Washington Post: > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/24/AR2007092401563.html > > U.S. Trying to Block Calif. on Emissions > > By Juliet Eilperin > Washington Post Staff Writer > Tuesday, September 25, 2007; A03 > > The Bush administration has conducted a concerted, behind-the-scenes lobbying > campaign to try to generate opposition to California's request to regulate > greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, according to documents > obtained by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. > > California, along with 11 other states, is hoping to enact rules that would > cut global warming pollution from new motor vehicles by nearly 30 percent by > 2016. To do so, California needs a waiver from the Environmental Protection > Agency, a request that has been pending for nearly two years. California Gov. > Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has threatened to sue if EPA does not rule on the > waiver by Oct. 22. > > A flurry of e-mails among Transportation Department (DOT) officials and > between its staffers and the White House, released yesterday, highlights > efforts that administration officials have made to stir up public opposition > to the waiver. Rather than attacking California's request outright, Bush > officials quietly reached out to two dozen congressional offices and a > handful of governors to try to undermine it. > > One May 22 e-mail written by Jeff Shane, undersecretary of transportation for > policy, outlined how Transportation Secretary Mary Peters orchestrated the > campaign. Peters "asked that we develop some ideas asap about facilitating a > pushback from governors (esp. D's) and others opposed to piecemeal regulation > of emissions, as per CA's waiver petition," Shane wrote. "She has heard that > such objections could have an important effect on the way Congress looks at > the issue." > > The next day, Shane sent Tyler Duvall, assistant secretary for transportation > policy, an e-mail asking: "Are we making any headway in identifying > sympathetic governors? [Peters] asked me about them again this morning. . . . > She's going to want to address it this afternoon." > > Some DOT officials expressed discomfort with the campaign. When one > government affairs aide in Peters's office who had been making calls to > lawmakers questioned whether the department was being too aggressive, an > assistant secretary responded, "I think we need to be a bit careful on this." > The agency's chief of staff wrote the next day, "The last e-mail isn't a good > conversation for email." > > In a letter yesterday to James L. Connaughton, chairman of the White House > Council on Environmental Quality, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) asked him > to "repudiate these efforts." > > "If Secretary Peters has concerns about whether California's application > meets the legal standards set forth in the Clean Air Act, she should submit > comments to EPA making her case," wrote Waxman, chairman of the oversight > panel, which negotiated for three months to have the documents released. > "Instead of taking this action, however, she apparently sought and received > White House approval to use taxpayer funds to mount a lobbying campaign > designed to inject political considerations into the decision." > > Connaughton's spokeswoman, Kristen Hellmer, defended Peters, saying "the > issue comes in the context" of President Bush's call to cut gasoline use by > 20 percent by using alternative fuels and increasing fuel efficiency for cars > and trucks. > > "The EPA administrator will be making an independent and objective decision > based on the merits of California's petition and the record of public input > before the agency," Hellmer said. "Outreach by federal officials to state > government counterparts and members of Congress on issues of major national > policy is an appropriate and routine component of policy development." > > DOT released a statement yesterday saying its staff's efforts were "legal, > appropriate and consistent with our long-held position on this issue." > > But Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear questioned why Bush officials would > go to such lengths to mobilize opposition. > > "The Clean Air Act gives California the right to set its own emissions > standards. Regardless of pressure, the EPA has a responsibility to allow > California, and all the states that are behind us on the issue, to exercise > our right," McLear said. > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Enterprise web applications, build robust, secure scalable apps today - Try it now ColdFusion Today ColdFusion 8 beta - Build next generation apps Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:243133 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
