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The EPA's Shocking Power Grab (making federal decisions without the consent of Congress)
Forbes ^ | 5/18/10 | George Allen and Marlo Lewis

Posted on 05/20/2010 8:44:34 PM PDT by Libloather

The EPA's Shocking Power Grab
The agency is making federal decisions without the consent of Congress
George Allen and Marlo Lewis, 05.18.10, 04:16 PM EDT

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is carrying out one of the biggest power grabs in American history. The agency has positioned itself to regulate fuel economy, set climate policy for the nation and amend the Clean Air Act--powers never delegated to it by Congress. It has done this by declaring greenhouse gas emissions a danger to public health and welfare, in a proceeding known as the "endangerment finding."

On Tuesday the U.S. Senate will debate and vote on Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's resolution of disapproval to overturn the endangerment finding. The resolution is absolutely necessary to restore democratic accountability in climate policymaking.

If allowed to stand, the EPA's endangerment finding will trigger a regulatory cascade through multiple provisions of the Act. America could be burdened with a regulatory regime more costly than any climate bill Congress has rejected or declined to pass, yet without the people's representatives ever voting on it.

Consider how the endangerment finding will expand the EPA's power beyond any plausible congressional mandate.

To begin with, the finding compels the EPA to establish greenhouse gas emission standards for new motor vehicles. About 95% of all vehicular greenhouse gas emissions are carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from motor fuel combustion. Because there is no commercially proven technology to capture CO2 tailpipe emissions, the principal way to reduce the amount of CO2 emitted per mile is to reduce the amount of fuel consumed per mile. In other words, greenhouse gas emission standards for automobiles are basically fuel economy standards by another name.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cleanairact; co2; communism; congress; envirofascism; environazis; envirowackos; epa; epajackboots; fascism; federal; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; greenhousegas; libealfascism; liberalprogressivism; lping; power; tyranny
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To: maine-iac7

AMEN!! A COUP!! Why else have all those CZARS??


21 posted on 05/21/2010 3:58:55 AM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion,,,,,,the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience....)
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To: Libloather

This is bigger than the EPA, this is bigger than Obama!

Multiple, simultaneous attempts are being made right now to increase the power of federal agencies beyond those of Congress or the White House.


22 posted on 05/21/2010 4:03:01 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (Too many conservatives urge retreat when the war of politics doesn't go their way.)
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To: Libloather; steelyourfaith

Funny, I’ve been posting this stuff for a while now with little or no comments.

Opportunities to attend or send letters on the public comment periods for all these “rule changes.” This isn’t happening overnight folks, the pawns have been in place for well over a year to do these things. It is part of the reason they can be lax over the Cap N Tax bill, industry is getting slammed with it anyway....

EPA Sets Thresholds for Greenhouse Gas Permitting Requirements
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2515604/posts

Senators Kerry and Lieberman Introduce American Power Act
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2515605/posts

Canada, Mexico, and U.S. Collaborate to Further Reduce and Replace HFCs
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2511984/posts

Sale of Chicago Climate Exchange to ICE Reinforces Weak Carbon Market
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2511999/posts

Scientists Outline Strategy to Limit Global Warming
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2511974/posts

Legislative Hearing on Clean Energy Policies that Reduce U.S. Dependence on Oil from Lisa Jackson
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=2517978%2C1

Court Says Coal- and Oil-fired Power Plants Will Lose Bush-era Exemption
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2497426/posts

New Stringent Appliance Standards for Home Water Heaters and Other Heating Products
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2491125/posts

Many of the new “standards and rules” do not require anything to go through congress. Congress gave these agencies all this authority in many of the existing legislative acts.


23 posted on 05/21/2010 4:12:15 AM PDT by EBH (Our First Right...."it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,")
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To: Libloather

Given what the EPA has already done to the American People, this move will be a piece of cake to them.

The EPA needs to GO AWAY.


24 posted on 05/21/2010 4:27:30 AM PDT by Just Lori (To take our country back, we need to take our party back. NO MORE RINOS!!)
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To: Libloather
Ya gotta hand it to Barry's minions. They learned well from Heinrich Himmler.

Just like he took one little 'Protection Squadron' of about 100 men and turned it, the Schutzstaffel, into the biggest, far reaching departments of Nazi Germany -- the unelected bureaucrats at EPA are doing the same thing.

And just like the Germans pretty soon all the Obamabots will be saying the same thing as they did...

'If only Der Führer knew'

Well the joke's on them. As just like with 'uncle Adolph', Obama knows too.

The only problem is, the joke's on us too.

25 posted on 05/21/2010 4:28:32 AM PDT by Condor51 (SAT CONG!)
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To: Siena Dreaming
Everything is political with these creeps. Everything.

Right. That's because government is liberal's religion. You replace the "creator" with government and you destroy yourself. This is EXACTLY what liberals and evil are doing.

We conservatives better deal with it or the American life is gone!

26 posted on 05/21/2010 4:46:04 AM PDT by sirchtruth (Freedom is not free)
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To: Abathar; Abcdefg; Abram; Abundy; akatel; albertp; AlexandriaDuke; Alexander Rubin; Allerious; ...



Libertarian ping! Click here to get added or here to be removed or post a message here!
View past Libertarian pings here
27 posted on 05/21/2010 4:53:36 AM PDT by bamahead (Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
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To: Libloather

thanks - I’m not sure about this news being “shocking” - Congress has been ceding too much power to the federal branch for decades. Still, I hope this serves as an eye-opener.


28 posted on 05/21/2010 4:57:12 AM PDT by Puddleglum ("due to the record harvest, rationing will continue as usual")
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To: EBH; Libloather
"with little or no comment"

Let me comment.

Your first link in #23 accurately says that EPA will tailor, or set, the regulatory threshold at 75,000 and 100,000 tons, depending on existing or new facilities.

Previously, EPA said that they would tailor, or set, the threshold at 25,000 tons.

So why did they change it?

Because, as EPA said, "they are trying to stay out of the way of Congress". Stated another way, EPA is setting their their regulatory threshold to be less stringent than what Congress is proposing.

When the prevailing legislation was the House cap and trade legislation, EPA set their threshold at 25,000 tons so that it was less stringent than the legislation.

Then the House cap and trade legislation fell by the way side, and Kerry-Lieberman became the prevailing legislation and this was less stringent than the House bill, so EPA had to raise their reg threshold so it was less stringent than Kerry-Lieberman.

29 posted on 05/21/2010 5:24:29 AM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: Libloather
The EPA had better steer clear of my property. I do not take kindly to rule by executive fiats which abrogate the Bill of Rights.

If I catch any one of them hugging or shagging my trees, I will tie them to it.

30 posted on 05/21/2010 5:52:35 AM PDT by Candor7 (Obama .......yes.......is a fascist... ...He meets every diagnostic of history)
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To: Libloather

bookmarking


31 posted on 05/21/2010 5:53:59 AM PDT by Lorica
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To: Thud

Color me unsurprised.


32 posted on 05/21/2010 7:11:34 AM PDT by Dark Wing
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To: Libloather
This isn't just motor vehicles, folks.

Currently, Federal drilling leases are suspended in North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota pending EPA evaluation of drilling and production operations for greenhouse gas emissions.

This is the area the Bakken and Three Forks/Sanish formations are in.

Add declines in price with a new tax or the complete shutdown of federal leases and tax on private ones, and the 99% tarrif on Chinese oilfield tubular goods (drill pipe and casing) and drilling activity in the Bakken/Three Forks could stop, affecting the economies of not only those three states, but those of the states which are supplying the oil industry in the region.

The regional economy is one of the healthiest in the nation, with 4.5% unemployment statewide in North Dakota, and jobs available (at present, anyway).

33 posted on 05/21/2010 8:11:39 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: CommonJudge

Yes. That’s right, and so much more as well. The best for the future of our land is to defund as much of the Left’s mischief of over the years as we possibly can. Either defund it, or outright eliminate it as is possible.

It will not be done without true American Conservatism at the helm.


34 posted on 05/21/2010 9:30:48 AM PDT by rockinqsranch (The Left draws criminals as excrement draws flies. The Left IS a criminal organization.)
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To: Libloather

(Former)Senator Allen, why didn’t you make even one mention of climategate? Or is climategate just so much macaca to you?


35 posted on 05/21/2010 10:23:40 AM PDT by prairiebreeze (You never lose when you're playing with somebody else's money.)
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To: EBH

You missed the regulations dealing with lead painted homes, that the EPA now requires dealing with as if they will destroy the planet.


36 posted on 05/21/2010 12:55:33 PM PDT by runninglips (Don't support the Republican party, work to "fundamentally change" it...conservative would be nice)
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To: Man50D

“The EPA is unconstitutional and should be abolished since article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution does not specifically grant Congress the power to regulate energy or the environment.”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

But the environment crosses state lines see and and and it takes energy to cross state lines see, yeah that’s the ticket, interstate commerce. They can regulate mockingbirds because they fly across state lines.


37 posted on 05/21/2010 1:17:13 PM PDT by RipSawyer (Trying to reason with a leftist is like trying to catch sunshine in a fish net at midnight.)
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To: runninglips

Actually that is somewhere way back in my posting history...

Construction guys need to have been trained by specially trained trainers.....phhhht!

So now the OSHA lead trained personnel are not sufficient.


38 posted on 05/21/2010 3:37:10 PM PDT by EBH (Our First Right...."it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,")
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