Obama Administration Chooses Political Gain Over Emissions Reduction

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson met with Congressional leaders yesterday and essentially backed down from any significant oversight of carbon emissions for the foreseeable future.  Coal and oil lobbyists from around the country could be heard dancing in the streets. 

According to a report by the New York Times, Lisa Jackson made clear that "no stationary sources will face greenhouse gas regulations this year and that small sources will not be subject to permitting requirements any sooner than 2016. EPA is also considering "substantially" raising the thresholds in its proposed "tailoring" rule to exempt more facilities from requirements that they minimize their greenhouse gas emissions".

This is just another example of the Obama adminstration talking out of both sides of their mouths.  You cannot go before the world like he did at the climate change summit in Copenhagen and cojole polluting countries to make sacrifices for the good of the world and then come home and make the easy decisions to save your political hide.

After initially gaining some bi-partisan support in Congress the clean energy bill has gotten lost in the pile of agenda items by this administration, a pile that is overwhelmed by health care maneuvering and deal making. This decision by the President and the EPA Administrator has just raised the stakes on climate action through Congressional legislation.  If legislation fails there will be no doubt who will be to blame for the failure to reduce emissions in this country.  More importantly all that rhetoric coming from the President during his campaign and at Copenhagen will be viewed as a farce.