Industry Groups Urge Supreme Court To Ban EPA From Regulating CO2

[ProSense]

Industry Groups Urge Supreme Court To Ban EPA From Regulating CO2

By Ryan Koronowski

Conservative states, business groups, fossil fuel companies, and politicians who deny the science of climate change are petitioning the Supreme Court to reverse Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on greenhouse gases and to weaken the Clean Air Act. This would involve the Court either limiting or reversing its own 2007 decision, Massachusetts v. EPA, which found that the EPA is required to regulate carbon pollution as pollution.

Reuters reported that the Court’s decision of whether or not to take up the petitioners’ case will have a significant impact on future efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The appeals to the Supreme Court follow the DC Circuit Court of Appeals’ refusal to reconsider the matter. The Court is expected to decide whether to hear the petitions in October.

The nine petitions, filed over the last few months, seek review of EPA regulations. Petitioners include: states with fossil fuel-friendly governors like Texas, Alaska, and Virginia; industry groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute, and the National Association of Manufacturers; as well as fossil fuel companies like Peabody Energy (the world’s largest private-sector coal company). The petition led by Texas includes as fellow petitioners Gov.Rick Perry (R), Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R), and Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), who deny the reality of climate science.

Since the Court ruled that CO2 is a pollutant, the EPA found that it was a threat to public health through an endangerment finding:

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/05/16/2016631/epa-is-required-to-regulate-carbon-pollution-from-existing-power-plants/

While the corporate media pushes oil industry talking points.

How New York Times, NPR And Wall Street Journal Print Fossil Fuel Talking Points Without Full Disclosure

By Rebecca Leber

Major news outlets often mislead readers by failing to report the fossil fuel funding of the conservative think tanks they cite and quote, according to a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Journalists commonly cited eight groups with known oil, gas, and coal funding: The American Enterprise Institute, Americans for Prosperity, Cato Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Heartland Institute, Heritage Foundation, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, and Institute for Energy Research (and its arm American Energy Alliance).

In total, they were cited 357 times, but outlets identified their funding from the Koch brothers, American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil, or General Motors a mere one-third of the time:



Based on a Nexus search, UCS’s Elliott Negin found the rate of reporting varies widely across outlets: Politico and the Los Angeles Times, and the Associated Press disclosed funding over 40 percent of the time. The two largest papers in the country, USA Today and Wall Street Journal (owned by Rupert Murdoch), disclosed this information the least. And if Koch Industries succeeds in its bid for the Los Angeles Times, along with seven other major papers, it is possible the average will drop even more.

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/05/15/2016501/new-york-times-wall-street-journal-npr-neglect-fossil-fuel-funding-of-climate-denier-talking-points/

Isn't our corporate media special?

[liberal N proud]

1. Can't impede climate change

[DevonRex]

2. Why yes. Our corporate media IS special!

Whatever we do, we mustn't hold them accountable for one goddamned thing. Oh, no! They can just spew all the corporate garbage they want, unsourced, and destroy national security whenever they like and how DARE anyone question their motives - even when it's clearly intended to get a Republican asshole in the White House.

[ProSense]

3. Yup. n/t

[ProSense]

4. Kick! n/t

[raouldukelives]

5. Investors cheer! nt

[ProSense]

6. And this is happening while Republicans clog up the media with their

fraudulent and likely highly illegal activities.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022857236

They should be charged with sedition.