Yellowstone spill puts Republicans in tough spot

[jpak]

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/07/18/yellowstone-spill-puts-republicans-in-tough-spot/

Republicans eager to undo regulatory burdens they say are hindering economic growth have advanced a series of proposals designed to rein in the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies.

They have taken aim at the EPA’s power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, pollution from offshore drilling projects in the Arctic and ash from coal-fired power plants. And Republicans in control of the House just advanced a federal spending bill that would place other limits on the EPA and Interior Department’s power to regulate.

But the July 1 oil spill from an Exxon Mobil pipeline in Montana and a series of other pipeline accidents may be changing that dynamic. House Republicans are feeling new pressure to abandon their strategy, at least when it comes to federal oversight of pipeline safety.

At the same time, the Yellowstone River spill also is putting Republicans in a politically tricky position advancing a top priority: legislation that would force the Obama administration to soon decide whether it will approve the proposed Keystone XL pipeline to carry oil sands from Alberta, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries.

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[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I love seeing them squirm!

Reality just hit them smack square in the face...

Let's see how they resolve this.......IF they can.

[elleng]

2. LOVE IT. Vote Dem, Save YELLOWSTONE!!!

[asjr]

6. By all means! PBS reran an animal

segment about Yellowstone last night and I enjoyed it all over again.PBS needs saving also.

[elleng]

7. Absolutely; I don't leave 'home' without it,

+ when I get some more $, will send to them.

[david_vincent]

3. I'm so old, I can remember when

environmentalism was embraced by conservatives, since it is, bottom line, a conservative position, i.e. let's not destroy and waste our natural resources, let's steward them properly. Back in the day, lots of outdoorsmen identified themselves as environmentalists. Then the free-market fundamentalists came along and changed what "conservative" means... so that it means letting corporations do whatever the hell they want.

edited for clarity

[MrScorpio]

4. So, the Republicans are realizing that they actually have to govern?

This surprises the shit outta me.

[gratuitous]

5. Republicans know how to deal with inconvenient developments

Ignore them or just listen to industry voices about how beneficial crude oil is to riparian ecosystems. Anyone else can be dismissed as a loony enviro-whacko who wants us all to live in caves, eating berries and tree bark.