Texas Jackbooted Thugs Sues Evil Gestapo EPA Freedumb Jeezus Don't Mess With Texas Blahblahblah

[hatrack]

"Federal overreach." That's the catchword, the call to arms of our state's highest officials, as they wage war against federal regulations. Nowhere does that rallying cry ring louder than in the long-standing battle being fought by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality against the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Perry has called the federal agency a prime example of "the regulatory world that's killing America," and Abbott, who brags that he has sued President Barack Obama 28 times, has brought at least 17 of those suits against the EPA, whose regulatory authority is repeatedly challenged by the state's environmental authority.

The latest skirmish took place last Monday, when the U.S. Supreme Court heard from Texas, leading 11 other states, plus industry groups, in arguing that the EPA has overreached, yet again, by requiring permits for the release of greenhouse gases from refineries, factories and power plants ("Texas takes climate fight to higher court," Page A1, Feb. 24). Fifteen states, satisfied that the EPA process is working well, along with other groups, are supporting the agency.

The challengers claim that regulating emissions from "stationary sources," such as power plants, opens the door to "preposterous consequences," by regulating millions of sources nationwide. (The EPA already regulates vehicle emissions.) To which the agency responded Monday that it planned to limit those standards to the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, about 15,000 of them, such as coal-fired plants.

EDIT

http://www.chron.com/opinion/editorials/article/Hot-air-about-the-EPA-5271112.php

[rustbeltvoice]

1. what is it with texas?

It is not this particular bit of news, but the sum total of mind boggling antagonistic stupidity that doesn't end.

part fascist utopia, part third world dictatorship, part looney bin

If it is possible for a state to have self awareness as if it were a person in polite society it would have shame it could not bear. But it has no shame.

"Don't mess with Texas" ?? As if anyone from the real world could make it worse.

[hatrack]

2. As in "Dont mess with Texas! That's OUR job! And we're damned good at it!!"

[kristopher]

3. Supreme Court divided on whether EPA has overreached on greenhouse gas rules (during arguments)

Supreme Court divided on whether EPA has overreached on greenhouse gas rules
By Robert Barnes, Published: February 24

The Supreme Court was divided Monday over whether the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency had gone too far in trying to regulate power plant and factory emissions of gases blamed for global warming.

Liberal justices seemed ready to defer to the agency’s interpretation about how to protect the environment from greenhouse gases under a contested portion of the Clean Air Act. Conservative justices were skeptical of how the agency had to essentially rewrite some of the law’s requirements to avoid “absurd” results.

But the justices also wondered whether it would make much difference in the long run. All sides agreed that the EPA has the power to regulate greenhouse gases, but they differed on how the agency should go about it. Even if the government lost, some justices said, it would make only a small difference in the number of facilities that could be regulated.

“It’s a question of whether they do exactly the same thing under one provision or another provision,,” said Justice Stephen G. Breyer.

The back-and-forth suggested the possibility of a narrow ruling ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-divided-on-whether-epa-has-overreached-on-greenhouse-gas-rules/2014/02/24/78852f6c-9d93-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html