Bush administration pushed states to lobby against California fuel rules

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Detroit Free Press

Bush administration pushed states to lobby against California fuel rules
House Democratic chairman will hold hearings
September 24, 2007

By JUSTIN HYDE

FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration organized a stealth lobbying campaign, with the auto industry’s help, to oppose California’s effort to set fuel economy standards, the chairman of the House Oversight committee said Monday.

In a letter to the top White House environmental official, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., asked the administration to repudiate the lobbying, saying it should have made its objections public rather than leaning on members of Congress and state governors to oppose California’s rules. Waxman has scheduled a committee hearing on the issue for Tuesday.

California lawmakers want to set strict controls on greenhouse gas emissions from new cars and trucks that would result in a fuel economy standard of 43 miles per gallon by 2016 for cars and some trucks. Automakers vehemently oppose the rules, and have fought California and 14 other states from imposing them.

The states need a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce its rules, and after more than two years of consideration, the EPA is expected to rule on the request soon. While the Bush administration has not publicly said whether it favors the waiver, Waxman said his committee’s investigation found that U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters oversaw a lobbying effort earlier this year to drum up negative comments from government officials.



Read more: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070924/NEWS03/70924039/0/NEWS03

[leftchick]

1. &%$#@)*&!!!

:censored:

[Megahurtz]

17. Same here. n/t

[Auggie]

2. When chimp leaves office I'm opening some good Champagne

[olddad56]

6. he's only a figurehead, the extreme right won't be leaving, they'll be rigging

so, don't open the champagne yet.

[SpiralHawk]

3. "Smirk, smirk, smirk" - Commander AWOL corrupt republicon cronies

"Screw the people, screw the planet, we republicon cronies have PROFITS to make for ourselves - smirk, smirk, smirk"

- - Commander AWOL corrupt republicon cronies

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Why is Callifornia always the target of right-wingers?

[Raine]

5. IMO it's because CA is the most

renegade rebellious state and they think if they can control us they will be able to control the other 49 states. They want to break us Californians but I got news for them...they never will. :D

[Maestro]

7. When his * going to think about the citizens of the US and not his rich

automaker friends?

I know the answer. My question is rhetorical, but seriously, when is our government going to say that something needs to be done to protect first our country from rampant pollution and then be a world leader in this respect? It is very frustrating. I watch as pristine lands are taken over for possible drilling. Personally, where I live in Texas, then Governor Shrub, undid what the Democratic Governor, Ann Richards, had put in place forcing certain industries in Texas to upgrade filters on their smokestacks to capture more heat trapping gasses. His excuse was that it was too expensive. What? There are three cement plants in my hometown and one steel plant. All received reprieves, but were later sued by local environmental organizations.

We are seeing a huge decline in many birds, polar bears are expected to be extinct by 2050 if nothing is done to mitigate global warming and my family can not swim, fish or enjoy many lakes and rivers due to contamination.

For example, you can say good-bye to this bird, Loggerhead Shrike, soon. Its numbers have declined from 10 million in 1940 to roughly 2.5 million today. This is due to at first DDT and now habitat loss and general unhealty living conditions within its range. I am sure that air and ground pollution play a role in this.



And even though it has been taken off the federal endangered list, eagles and all raptors in general are very susceptible to pollution.


Sorry for the poor quality but it was raining, freezing rain actually and extremely overcast and cold.

And finally all of my children have been diagnosed with asthma so I worry about them more than anything.






To say I am frustrated with the government is an understatement! Shrub and Darth why don't you think about others when you do what you do you selfish bastards!

Thanks for the vent.

[gateley]

8. How on earth could anyone be against controls on greenhouse gas emissions?

And it's more than our country -- it's the globe. It's overwhelming.

[Canuckistanian]

9. They really are evil incarnate, aren't they?

I mean, there's not even an attempt to do something beneficial, something "prudent", as his father says.

No, they go to the other extreme. Then they try to get OTHER people to do the same.

And it's all so underhanded, done in secret, behind closed doors. Skulking around. Hoping nobody will notice. They know it's wrong.

And yet, they don't really give a shit when they're found out.

They know nobody's going to ask them a thing about it.

[Maestro]

10. Or just incredibly selfish bastards that do not

want upset all the corps that really run (ruin) our nation. Of course, I vote for evil incarnate.

[Rageneau]

11. Do these guys know how to get back and forth from a parallell universe?

Is that why they care so little for the one we live in?

[liquiduniverse]

12. This could potentially be a huge story.

It could be the smoking gun that exposes the White House as being in cahoots with big oil (believe it or not, a lot of people who get their news from the MSM would be surprised at this). It could also further brand the Republicans as the anti-environmental party. Not to mention that the whole thing was rather deceitful.

Unfortunately, I don't think the Dems will play it right. Past experiences would suggest that the Dems will be seen as weak, petty, and lacking any balls if they challenge this, simply because too few of them know seem to be able to make a solid argument (ahhh yes, my cynicism comes out). Maybe they'll surprise me this time. ;-)

[Maestro]

13. Seriously, the candidates should jump all over this.

Yet again the admin is showing more respect for "Big Oil" and corps than people, wildlife and the land in general.

[durablend]

15. Never happen...

If it did, the right would take out a huge newspaper ad condemning it (and a third of our side in Congress would join in on the condemnation from the right)

[Supersedeas]

14. Bush and friends to not much like the tap on Oil Company profits--rob them all, he says

[Doctor_J]

16. Another example of the "keep the government off my back" GOP

interfering in states' matters. I hate these people.