New York Times: Obama Pulls Back Proposal to Tighten Clean Air Rules

[Mira]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/science/earth/03air.html?_r=1&emc=na


Breaking: NYTimes

Obama Pulls Back Proposal to Tighten Clean Air Rules
By JOHN M. BRODER

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is abandoning its plan to immediately tighten air quality rules nationwide to cut reduce emissions of smog-causing chemicals after an intense lobbying campaign by industry, which said the new rule would cost billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs, officials said Friday.
The Environmental Protection Agency, following the recommendation of its scientific advisers, had proposed lowering the so-called ozone standard from that set by the Bush administration to a new stricter standard that would have thrown hundreds of American counties out of compliance with the Clean Air Act. It would have required a major effort by state and local officials, as well as new emissions controls by industries and agriculture across the country.

The more lenient Bush administration standard from 2006 will remain in place until a scheduled reconsideration of acceptable pollution limits in 2013, officials indicated Friday.
In a letter to Lisa P. Jackson, the E.P.A. administration, the head of the White House office of regulatory affairs, Cass Sunstein, said that the president was rejecting her proposal to tighten the standard.
“He has made it clear he does not support finalizing the rule at this time,” Mr. Sunstein said.
He said that changing the rule now would create uncertainty for business and local government. He also said there was no compelling reason to rewrite the ozone standard in advance of the scheduled reconsideration in 2013, a key demand of business interests.
Mr. Sunstein told Ms. Jackson that since the rule is due for reconsideration in 2013, an earlier review would promote confusion and uncertainty.


read the rest at the link above

[TwilightGardener]

1. I can understand the reasoning behind this--states and counties are broke as it is.

[Harmony Blue]

DB.

[Harmony Blue]

2. That is a RW excuse

that has been used since the Clear Air Act.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Right now, IN THESE TIMES, I can understand the reasoning behind this.

The standards are going to be changed in two years anyway.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. Specifically undertaken....

...at the request of Democratic senators, to wit, Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, from West Virginia, and Mark Begich, from Alaska, and Clair McCaskill from Missouri, and Max Baucus from Montana, and Carl Levin - yep, reliable, liberal Carl Levin -- of Michigan, who have been lobbying for this for over a year.

[Robb]

4. Yeah, but it's a punt.

He's shaving off a lot of good policy in a pretty transparent attempt to make it look like he's giving big business what they want. He knows it, his advisors know it.

I mean, it's good horse-trading to put something out there then take it back to get something else -- you get net zero, the opposition gives something up -- but it's not going to play like that while the other side controls the media. :(

[TwilightGardener]

7. Some state and local governments don't want this either, so it's not just business.

In a stable economy, this proposal should happen. We are not in that. We don't even have enough money for disaster relief.

[uponit7771]

6. "...officials said...", I'll wait to the official QUOTES etc which 9-10 have been oppositive of what

..M$M reports