All In One Boat

From Congressman Edward J. Markey’s Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming:

Executive summary

I. President Bush’s Deputy Chief of Staff Joel Kaplan and numerous heads of cabinet agencies and White House offices endorsed EPA’s finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public welfare, and EPA’s proposal that both vehicle and stationary source greenhouse gas emissions should be regulated under the clean air act.

II. There was widespread agreement within the Bush administration that greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles endanger public welfare and should be regulated.

III. EPA additionally concluded that greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources such as power plants and refineries should also be regulated using clean air act authority.

IV. The oil industry argued against regulatory action, and had the support of the office of Vice President Cheney.

V. Doing the oil industry’s bidding, the Bush administration reversed course.

[...others, including oil industry representatives from ExxonMobil, the American Petroleum Institute, and the National Petrochemicals and Refiners Association...argued that regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would tarnish the President’s anti-regulatory legacy and therefore should be best left to the next President.]

The Report (pdf)

Committee Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said in a news release: “This is the dysfunctions and motivations of the Bush administration laid bare. The fact that they can, with near unanimity, completely switch positions on global warming to please the oil industry is shocking, and yet disappointingly predictable.”

Gerstenzang: LA Times

Look, I understand why in disarmament talks, countries don’t want to do it unilaterally: if we disarm and you do not we are at greater risk. I do not understand why Bush takes this position — which Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Environment Minister, characterized as neanderthal — on reducing CO2. In this case, the risk is the opposite: if we move unilaterally to reduce CO2 we reduce everybody’s risk, ours included. True, those not participating may get an industrial leg-up but it will be a leg-up on a crumbling foundation. Their advances will not keep up with the retreat of the ground beneath their feet.

This is not the way Bush sees it, and so the headlines making the rounds that this G-8 summit may be more harmonious than previous ones are just silly. He is bringing in the worst report card on the environment that can be imagined. He has not abandoned his position that the US will do nothing unless everyone does it. The only harmony that may ensue is the quiet placidity of waiting until his successor can make an appearance next year, the quiet drip drip dripping of the Greenland glaciers turning to sea water…. So harmony be damned!

Moving ahead decisively, and even recklessly, to reduce CO2 emissions in the US, or any large-economy country, will, in the first place, help us and in the second place provide the moral, technological and economic high ground to push, shame and threaten others into joining the battle. George Washington and the New England volunteers did not wait for everyone’s agreement to take on the British: they just did it, recklessly and in many ways, ineptly. But the time was right, others joined, education took place in the experience, and life began anew. The patriot armies this time may be Global Patriots and the enemy, again, a certain George.

Thanks to the World Wildlife Fund for the Report Card (pdf)

“Unlike pollutants covered by other waivers, greenhouse gas emissions harm the environment in California and elsewhere, regardless of where the emissions occur,” he said. “Therefore, this challenge is not exclusive or unique to California.”

Therefore, California may do nothing… Thus sayeth EPA chief, Stephen Johnson, in one more demonstration of the cynical use of states rights practiced by the GOP. Ten people in the room are now or soon will be bitten by the mosquitoes in the room. Mr. Johnson says, no one can scratch until all scratch. No one can swat until all swat.

Friday, he sat before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and benefited from some direct speech.

“Your agency’s decision to deny California a waiver just defies logic to me,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

“I have never seen such disregard and disrespect by an agency head for Congress and for the committees with the responsibility for oversight of his agency,” Boxer said.

“…shameful, outrageous and irresponsible.” Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, said the ruling infringes on states’ rights and undercuts state efforts to fight climate change.

Coile - SF Chronicle

As inflammatory as the EPA denial of action by California and many other states, was the cover-up and withholding of documents prepared by EPA staff. Johnson’s decision did not follow the recommendations. He did not want to share this with his interrogators. After citing Attorney-Client privilege EPA lawyers partially relented last week and allowed Senate committee staff to review and take notes of the documents, but not make any copies –while watched by EPA staff.

One more point of interest, which neither the SF Chronicle nor the NY Times make mention of but the LA Times highlights —

Shortly before Stephen L. Johnson was sworn in by President Bush as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, he gave the president a towel symbolizing a New Testament passage in which Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. The towel, given to graduates of Johnson’s alma mater, a small evangelical college, symbolizes a life of Christian service.

Like the president, Johnson is a deeply religious man who says he relies on his faith in his work. Johnson prayed and spoke gratefully of early-morning prayer sessions held in his government office in a promotional video filmed there for an offshoot of a worldwide Christian ministry.

What is the remedy for Johnson’s action? The hearing itself can only hear, and holler. As a result of the hearing, however, Senators Boxer and Feinstein and 14 other senators introduced legislation that would override the EPA ruling. Will this be joined hby House action and survive a Bush veto? Hard to know, but at least the fight is joined.