EPA Follies

By Kevin Drum

(Political Animal)  EPA FOLLIES....Last year the Supreme Court ruled, contrary to the Bush administration's wishes, that greenhouse gases were a pollutant that came under the jurisdiction of the EPA. So the EPA's scientists took a look, and they concluded that, yes, greenhouse gases contributed to global warming and ought to be regulated under the Clean Air Act. The White House, of course, was not happy about this, so on Thursday EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson deep-sixed the scientific findings and opened up a "lengthy public comment period" to give corporate contributors the public a chance to weigh in on this. Reaction was swift:

"This is a transparent delaying tactic and a major reversal of EPA's position," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills). "The Bush administration is recklessly abandoning its responsibility to address the global warming crisis."

"It's outrageous," said Sierra Club attorney David Bookbinder, one of the lead attorneys on the case, who said he would ask the Supreme Court next week to order the EPA to act within 60 days.

I say: chill. And don't ask the Supreme Court to do anything. Not only will they refuse, but it would be a blunder anyway. After all, do we really want the Bush/Cheney administration crafting greenhouse gas regulations?

I didn't think so. Better to let 'em stall, and then next year let a Democratic president, Democratic Congress, and Democratic EPA administrator create regulations that are actually useful and properly targeted. Even on the off chance that John McCain suckers the press into installing him as president, he's better on this issue than Bush and his Stepford aides.

So let's go ahead and use the next 300 days to get our ducks in a row. We can do a lot more next January than we can by fighting rear-guard battles now.