7 Gleaming Jewels Of Anti-Environmental Policy Bullshit In The Big Spending Bill
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Fuck The Sage Grouse
The problem? Energy companies have long argued that giving these birds stricter protections could hinder oil and gas drilling in places like Colorado and Utah (not to mention the development of wind turbines and renewable energy). At a recent auction in Nevada, many firms were reluctant to bid for oil and gas leases on public lands for fear that stricter sage grouse protections might make it difficult to drill. Republicans like Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) have called on the Department of Interior to slow down its work until all sides can find a compromise.
Congress's new spending bill essentially bars the Interior Department from finalizing or proposing Endangered Species Act listings for four species of sage grouse until at least next September. Instead, it sets aside $15 million for sage-grouse habitat protection on public lands. Conservation groups are furious, arguing that this isn't enough to protect the bird, which is seen as a keystone species in certain Western habitats.
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Financing For Foreign Coal Plants? You BET!
Supporters of coal, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), have long criticized Obama's decision. And the new spending bill will block both the Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation from using federal funds to enforce these restrictions on coal financing. It's unclear what difference this new policy will make in the short term. The Export-Import Bank doesn't currently have any plans to finance coal plants — though it's possible that could change in the future. (Back in July, Reuters reported that the bank was reportedly considering financial assistance for a 3,960-megawatt coal plant and mining facility in Jharkand, India.)
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Money To The Developing World Adapt To Climate Breakdown? Over My Dead Freedumb!
The Green Climate Fund is an international fund that aims to help poorer countries adapt to the impacts of climate change and cut their emissions. The governments of various wealthy countries have pledged some $10 billion for the fund — with Obama promising $3 billion from the United States. But it's not clear where Obama will ever get that money. The latest spending bill from Congress flatly states that "no funds may be made available for this purpose." Obama didn't specifically request any climate-fund money for 2015, but this is a pretty clear sign that Republicans will oppose any future requests. As Chris Mooney points out at Wonkblog, climate aid programs used to be less controversial. Back in his 2008 State of the Union, George W. Bush proposed $2 billion to promote clean-energy technologies in the developing world. But this sort of foreign aid is facing much more opposition these days from Republicans.
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http://www.vox.com/2014/12/11/7377245/cromnibus-environment