Mutiny on the EPA Bounty, 10,000 Strong

(shared from T&P)

I’ve been so busy reading the latest about the Mass et al v. EPA case here (thank you, Charley) and elsewhere, I figured it was time to summarize, so here goes. First I have a review of a post I wrote back in September over at T&P “A Hot Case: Mass et al v. EPA” which offers links to legal briefs and all the background you need to move on to the chapter written today.  Basically stated, the states are suing the Bush Administration’s EPA to force them to regulate CO2 like all of the other pollutants. 

The Bush Administration speciously and ironically claims that it was not granted the authority under The Clean Air Act to do so, but the text of the Clean Air Act clearly indicates otherwise.  Arguments and opinions will not focus on the science but on the more arcane legal issue of whether or not the states (led by Mass) have “standing” to bring the suit.  Keeping Cape Cod above the water line, you’d think, would grant standing, but we’ll see.  Don’t get your hopes up yet as I’m guessing we’ll end up with a split court, but do check back in at T&P in a month or so for the next chapter which is likely to contain the numbers 5-4 in some order.

Just as I was about to stop obsessing over the Mass v. EPA case however, this traveled across my eyeballs (thnx to memfromsomerville):  EPA Scientists file mass petition for action on global warming

Washington, DC – In an unprecedented action, representatives for more than 10,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists are calling on Congress to take immediate action against global warming, according to a petition released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The petition also calls for an end to censorship of agency scientists and other specialists on topics of climate change and the effects of air pollution.

The petition stresses that time is running out to prevent cataclysmic environmental changes induced by human-caused pollution and urges Congress to undertake prompt actions:

“If we wait, we will be committing the next generation of Americans to approximately double the current global warming concentrations, with the associated adverse impacts on human health and the environment.”

I doubt this is accidental good timing, but it does illustrate a balsy move by over half the work force at a federal agency full of demoralized well-intended individuals. 

The time to act is NOW!  And it’s in our best economic, security and environmental interest.  And of course, we owe it to our children.  If the children’s movie Happy Feet hints at global warming then hooha–it only makes me want to dance! 

Please share widely!

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