In less than a month, President Obama has tackled several items on a list of Six Easy Things that Earthjustice President Trip Van Noppen set forth for the new administration last November.
1) Move towards reducing CO2 emissions under the Clean Air Act
One of the most significant actions came this week when the EPA said it would reconsider the infamous "Johnson memo" issued just before Obama took office by Bush's EPA chief Stephen Johnson. The memo directed EPA staff to ignore regulation of CO2 even though the U.S. Supreme Court said EPA had the authority. Obama EPA chief Lisa Jackson said she is reconsidering that memo and will seek public comment.
Bottom Line: The EPA appears headed towards regulating CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants.
Previously, the Obama EPA announced that it will also reconsider its denial -- under Bush -- of California's request to set greenhouse gas emissions standards for motor vehicles. EPA plans to hold a public hearing on the issue in March.
Bottom Line: States eventually will be allowed to set their own emission standards.
2) Set energy efficiency standards to decrease energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
On February 2 the Obama administration issued a memorandum urging the Energy Department to promptly finalize energy efficiency standards for home and commercial appliances, a move targeting delays that have long plagued the program. The presidential memo seeks to ensure that DOE meets deadlines from past litigation and energy bills.
3) Call a time out on oil and gas exploration of the Arctic
Interior Secretary Salazar has called for a review of the proposed Bush administration's 2010 to 2015 five-year Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas drilling plan. The proposed plan would open up more acreage in the Arctic and have more lease sales in Bristol Bay. Salazar's announcement does not affect the oil and gas development projects Earthjustice is currently litigating but is a welcome signal the Obama administration may break with the direction of the Bush administration.
4) Restore the Endangered Species Act by reversing Bush proposals that weaken it
Representative Nick Rahall, a Democrat from West Virginia, announced plans to invoke the Congressional Review Act to overturn the bad Bush ESA rule.
We still are waiting to see how the Obama administration plans to deal with the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, adopted in 2001 to protect 58 million acres of our wildest remaining national forest lands. This forest protection rule is tied up in several different courts and we've called on the Obama administration to vigorously defend it.
We also are waiting to see what steps the new administration will take in restoring protections for America's rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands -- protections greatly diminished during the Bush/Cheney years. A significant step would be support of the Clean Water Restoration Act, a bill introduced in Congress to strengthen the Act after a series of troubling Supreme Court and EPA rulings.
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I think we need to start a special account to murder globol warming. We need to protect the artic and the polor bears. I support clean energy tech. that will create green jobs as well.
There have always existed technologies that would allow for an unpolluted Earth, except there have been those who have chosen to surpress them for their own self-wantings. There is presently a non-profit group of joined scientists who are determined to change this with integrity, and are interested in advancing these technologies which are clean and produce NO pollution, and are more cost effective than even solar, wind, and others being considered. Please join to support them; read about them here: http://www.theorionproject.org/en/ It is very hopeful!!
John
a good answer to your question can be found in a recent article by Dr. Hansen of NASA. Here is a link to the article. He has written on the issue in the past so you may also be interested in some of his other papers.
http://www.columbia.edu/%7Ejeh1/mailings/2009/20090203_CoalRiverMountain.pdf
Endangered species of animals have always attracted people with both good and evil with nameriniyami. The government should take care of their safety, if not the government who will?
May Mr. Obama get some insights by learning basic environmental information. Here a good starting point: http://www.biology-questions-and-answers.com/environmental-issues.html
I am so glad to see the Bush regime end. I am also very happy to see the new Obama regime begin.
Our new President has a lot of positive goals in mind for us and has made much progress in such a short length of time.
President Obama, also opposite of Bush, listens to the voice of the people, encourages us to speak out, and has been open and up front with what they are doing.
President Obama has the better good for our environment in mind, and there is much needed done.
Environmental issues have finally been made a priority. With the Bush administration there was only hopelessness and despair; with the Obama administration there is hope.
I really liked what Andrea (Hungary) was saying, and it gave me pause to wonder why we have not heard of any talk of this in our country ( ??? ). Or, maybe, as usual, the " they " are just not sharing it with anyone at present. Makes no sense if China has already put it into play.I will continue to question all - and still maintain a POSITIVE attitude. Margie
In the name of the "rest of the World": Thank You, Obama! We hope, that we can work together. Please consider the invention of the hungarian-american scientist, Mr. György Oláh, who developed a complex system to convert from fossil to methane-economy. (He won the Nobel-prize for it in 2005.) In China, they are building already 100 factories to subtract greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and to produce methane as fuel. Andrea, Hungary
Why just power plants? How about pulp and paper mills....they emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide!
What happen to the future? I don't think americans can take much more of the BS that is being thrown at us by our politicains !!!!
@john,
btw, this is not an expert opinion, which could likely tell you more about the viability of having any kind of clean fossil energy at all. but what i'm saying is true: that many scientists conclude that oil and natural gas deposits are diminishing, while coal seems to be much more abundant.
@john,
if what the scientists say about peak oil is true, then the reliable source of fossil energy (and co2 emissions by extension) for the future is coal.
reducing co2 emissions of all the sources you name is important, but finding a way to produce clean coal energy may prove to be much more relevant.
i think it's a matter of priority, which should ideally be trumped by the priority to use clean, renewable energy, of course.
Thank you President Obama for all you have done to reverse the devestating effects the Bush administration has had on our country. Specifically, I have a heavy burden in my heart for wolves. I plead you to put wolves back on the protection and endangered species act. Thank you also for putting in laws to protect our ecosystem and to help greatly with climate change. YES WE CAN!!!!! YES WE CAN once again protect the endangered polar bears. STOP THE DRILLING where Gov. Sarah Paling in killing off the wolves and polar bears with her "drill baby drill". She is one governer who needs to be stopped!!!! YES WE CAN with your support. Thank you in advance!
Excelente articulo, os felicito
Excelente articulo, os felicito
Thank you, thank you, thank you. We are heading in the right direction. And we can do much more than reverse Bush's policies. We can improve the economy with green jobs, educate our citizens so that we can make wise decisions, provide good healthcare for all our citizens, and reclaim our government of, by and for the people. True self-interest has nothing to do with greed. If we can learn to share the planet, we can save the planet. If we cannot work together, then we shall certainly die together. We don't have many chances left, but we do have chances, if we each do our part.
Thank God the 'Insanity of the Bush REGIME years may some day be behind us all'. Killing every human, animal, and sea creature for PROFIT as they have done since 2000, well, IS TOTAL MADNESS! They stole TRILLIONS (every single mad man who supported Bush/Cheney took their TRILLIONS and RAN. Now, we are left with DEPRESSION, NO JOBS, COMPANIES CLOSING, $50 Billion Scheme's uncovered DAILY, Troop deaths and SUICIDES daily, Uranium Toxicity will be next (Like AGENT ORANGE the killers of the Bush Regime will say, 'What, Uranium, what is that??? As they swim in their Pools and count their MONEY!!!). Every living thing on earth is now close to death. We killed ourselves for PROFIT they'll say decades from now when life from another planet visits this 'Dead Planet' and does studies! James, Veteran
Remarkable in such a short period of time, but there is a lot more yet to do.
I have been wondering and asking everyone I can why ONLY coal CO2 emmisions seem to be mentioned and lead to the term "dirty coal". Last I checked oil and natural gas also emit CO2. While I understand that coal may burn with more non-carbon pollution (sulfur and nitrogen oxides, particulates, etc), can anyone tell me how much CO2 PER BTU is emitted from coal compared with oil and natural gas? It seems to me that is the real question.
I am a fervent environmentalist, but in the face of increasing demand/population, why are only new coal plants demonized and not other new power plants which also emit CO2?
Hoping for an expert scientific answer,
John
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