Republicans will attempt to gut the EPA immediately

[cali]

upon taking control of the Senate.

It’s almost as if we were looking at elected leaders from different countries. On the one hand, there’s President Obama, taking ambitious steps to address the climate crisis, and on the other hand, there are congressional Republicans, taking steps to gut the Environmental Protection Agency.

Asked the other day about his goals for the next Congress, incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said his top priority is “to try to do whatever I can to get the EPA reined in.”

As Coral Davenport reported this week, GOP leaders are united behind a vision intended to undermine the public’s environmental safeguards.

At this point, Republicans do not have the votes to repeal the E.P.A. regulations, which will have far more impact on curbing carbon emissions than stopping the [Keystone] pipeline, but they say they will use their new powers to delay, defund and otherwise undermine them. Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma, a prominent skeptic of climate change and the presumed new chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is expected to open investigations into the E.P.A., call for cuts in its funding and delay the regulations as long as possible. […]

Mr. McConnell signaled last week that he, too, wanted to cut the E.P.A.’s budget to keep it from enforcing environmental regulations. Republicans might also include provisions that would repeal the E.P.A. regulations in crucial spending bills – a tactic that could force a standoff between Mr. Obama and Mr. McConnell over funding the government.

<snip>

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/republicans-put-the-epa-their-crosshairs

[djean111]

1. And how many Dems will vote right along with them......the GOP does not surprise me.

The DINO's will kill more than the EPA - they are killing the Democratic Party.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. I know that they're not happy about the EPA in general

But what has got them so worked up about it now?

[pinboy3niner]

3. Regulatory action heating up on climate change

Greenhouse gas and carbon pollution rules are a couple of big ones.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. It's something they can use to get the ignoramuses in their base

all riled up. Too much government regulation and all that. They don't care about leaving a decent environment because they're all going to be raptured anyway.

[LiberalArkie]

10. Bingo. I had several "friends" back when I was an evangelical that used to say make all

you can and enjoy it before the rapture.

[djean111]

5. The Tea Party (Kochs) hate any and ALL regulations. HATESSSS them.

I have even been told why test for arsenic, arsenic is a naturally occurring substance.
The Kochs love to dump manufacturing wastes right into rivers and streams (which is one of the few really great uses of drones, for me, BTW. to check this shit out when access to facilities is barred) - the Kochs don't want to bother paying off local officials or whatever, people like that just want free rein to dump and pollute whatever they want. And Congress wants to get elected and reelected. Match made in Hell.

[Drahthaardogs]

17. Just for the record

I test for this stuff all over the country. Arsenic naturally occurs above EPA limits in a lot of places in this country, especially the south and the west. It makes it very difficult to deal with a site. There is not much you can do about it if the natural geology contains a lot of arsenic.

[djean111]

18. The person who gaily said that we should not even TEST for arsenic really just thought any and all

hazardous waste should be dumped, regardless. She owned a dry cleaning business and was highly pissed off because she wanted to expand her building and local regulations would not let her be close to a river.
I have noticed that some RWers like to twist "science" to suit themselves.

If you find high levels of arsenic, are the people who would be drinking that water be told about it?

[Renew Deal]

6. Republicans see Chinese pollution as an acheivement to be envied

Polluted air and water is a republican goal.

[Martin Eden]

7. We want lung disease! We want cancer! We want birth defects!

The People have spoken, and Republican senators are merely carrying out the will of the voting public.

[still_one]

8. Obama will use the veto

[cali]

11. there are many tactic that the repubs can use that will circumvent a potential veto

[HockeyMom]

9. Coal stoves in NYC apartment buildings

Oh, yeah, I remember those as a very young child. There was a black film over everthing in the apartment. I could not walk barefoot inside or my feet would be completely black. Mom was constantly trying to clean. She was very, very happy when we got steam heat and radiators.

[Omaha Steve]

12. Everybody that votes for it should get fracking waste on their front lawn

Eco terrorists are looking better and better all the time.

[florida08]

13. Keystone is priority

[sorefeet]

14. I live in a coal heated house

right now. 15 years of feeding this behemoth steel furnace in the basement. It cost me 53 dollars a ton and it cost me 50 bucks in gas to go get it. Which usually last a month. PLUS the work of unloading the coal, stoke the furnace every evening, clean out the clinkers every evening, THEN after you accumulate enough ashes they go outside, a five gallon bucket at a time. FILTHY, DIRTY, DUSTY, SMELLY. When you go outside the snow is covered in black soot. My breathing is always compromised in the winter because of the coal. I put a wood stove in this year and the coal is for the night. HRDC is assessing me for a new furnace but they are slow. I don't mind because it is 3 below and they are busy I'm sure. It is toasty in here right now. Montana has the big push to MINE BABY MINE or anything to fuck up the air. Coal is poison I hate it. AND I made lots of money working on the coal fired power plant, but I bet I would have made just as much if it were fields of solar equipment or windmills if they were to take the place of coal energy. We need a transition.

[Dustlawyer]

15. The best example of just one group, the petrochemical industry, owning our Representatives!

It doesn't matter what we the people want, that it harms us, or that it is ruining the environment for future generations, these politicians ONLY represent their Donors!
We need to get off of our asses and fight for Publicly Funded Elections and an end to campaign donations! These companies lose control if they can't donate.
This kind of thing happens with our medicines, healthcare, our very right to seek redress in the courts, we are second class citizens in our own country, taking a back seat to corporations everytime!
Electing more Democrats will NOT fix the problem, they own them too! It's a modern day "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." They have replaced our Representatives with theirs and it's still the same person!
Bernie Sanders is the only one talking about this and he will not even run without massive support since he won't get the big donors. Please don't wait too long, start fighting now by spreading the word. We can do this and it will solve most of our problems!

[ladjf]

16. The Republicans are proud of their ignorance. nt