Republicans Seek Big Cuts in Environmental Rules

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

With the nation’s attention diverted by the drama over the debt ceiling, Republicans in the House of Representatives are loading up an appropriations bill with 39 ways — and counting — to significantly curtail environmental regulation.

One would prevent the Bureau of Land Management from designating new wilderness areas for preservation. Another would severely restrict the Department of Interior’s ability to police mountaintop-removal mining. And then there is the call to allow new uranium prospecting near Grand Canyon National Park.

There is little chance that all the 39 proposals identified by Democrats will be approved by the Senate, which they control, or that a substantial number could elude a presidential veto. In fact, one measure — to forbid the Fish and Wildlife Service to list any new plants or animals as endangered — was so extreme that 37 Republicans broke ranks Wednesday and voted to strip it from the bill.

Although inserting policy changes into appropriations bills is a common strategy when government is divided as it is now, no one can remember such an aggressive use of the tactic against natural resources. Environmental groups and their Democratic allies in Congress worry that more than a few of these so-called riders could stick when both sides negotiate and leverage budget concessions in the fall.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/science/earth/28enviro.html

[IrishBuckeye]

1. Gotta make that money F**k Nature! /nm

nm

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[flamingdem]

3. There is evil in the world nt

[Uncle Joe]

4. That's because the Republicans love cancer and hate nature.

On a thread by marmar.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1590110

New Study Links Mountaintop Removal To 60,000 Additional Cancer Cases

Among the 1.2 million American citizens living in mountaintop removal mining counties in central Appalachia, an additional 60,000 cases of cancer are directly linked to the federally sanctioned strip-mining practice.

Thanks for the thread, alp.

[Moostache]

5. I quote their own words back at them: "No." (nt)

[Muskypundit]

6. Most things the reich wing tries to do makes me angry.

Then there are the few thing they do that make me truly depressed. This is one of them. Most change can be undone fairly quickly if we win elections, but changes to environmental regulation... the forest doesnt grow back because democrats win an election. The contaminated water supply doesnt fix itself overnight because of regulation being reinstated if they ever are. Most things rethugs do can be undone fairly quickly; but damage to the environment is something that stays for generations. And that is the most depressing thing to think about.

[swilton]

7. Not surprisiing

and probably the FDA as well - Education, You betcha!