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Texas Governor Reckons Gasoline Prices are Most Important. They Aren’t: Still, Supreme Court Backs Him (3)

June 30, 2022

–A few hours after our comment story, the Supreme Court acts to backup the Texas governor’s message: that Biden should tone down his use of the EPA for climate protection

CarrZee comment: President Joe Biden is doing the right thing seeking to limit climate change via the regulatory back door.

I get it. It’s hard for the WSJ reporter in the following story and some politicians to pull their heads out of the sand and think long term.

Still.

They should at least try.

See this: apple.news/AYD09IEOxTY-IJdIhEF_7cA

And I highlight this snip of the story:

“The EPA’s process could interfere in the production of oil in Texas which could lead to skyrocketing prices at the pump by reducing production, increase the cost of that production, or do both,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wrote Mr. Biden this week. “Your administration’s announced action is completely discretionary. Thus, you have the power to stop it.” 

Drilling produces volatile organic compounds (VOC) that create ozone when mixed with nitrogen oxides (e.g., from vehicles) and sunshine. EPA recently started using solar-powered air sampling systems to remotely measure emissions in the Permian. If EPA deems them too high, Texas and New Mexico would have to propose plans to reduce ozone, which would likely require limits on drilling.

Since EPA doesn’t have the legal authority to ban fracking, it’s now trying to do so through this regulatory back door. We warned about this last year. Climate activists also want EPA to tighten ozone standards to indirectly regulate CO2 from fossil fuels. Joe Goffman, a champion of this idea, is leading EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation on an acting basis, and he’s in charge of ozone rules.’

A few hours after the WSJ published and we wrote the comment above, this happened:

Supreme Court Guts Clean Air Act
 
Washington, D.C. (June 30, 2022) – In the case of West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 today to significantly narrow the scope of the Clean Air Act, causing a major setback for President Biden’s plan to rein in greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel-burning powerplants, according to Defenders of Wildlife.
 
Aimee Delach, senior policy analyst for climate adaptation at environment group Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement:
 
“Today’s decision leaves the most powerful country on Earth fighting our greatest existential crisis with one hand tied behind our back. No country has contributed as heavily to climate change as the United States, and now we have few options to turn back the clock. This is a dark day for our planet and the countless species that may perish as a result.”
 
 
Big Bind

So, Mr Biden is in a big bind.

He has been meeting emerging-nation leaders at the G7 meeting this week in Germany, who have been telling him to act on climate change, despite any short-term political cost.

It really is a matter of policy salespersonship and I thought the USA was world leading on sales. Mr Biden needs to convince his lawmakers to act, especially now the court has given him little other choice.

Bonn Meeting

His climate envoys have been meeting 200 others (plus) in Bonn at UNFCCC talks earlier this month. (See sunset below on the last day of talks)

CarrZee: Please get a grip Supreme Court, WSJ and Texas governor — the long-term security of the global climate is worthy of back-door regulation, especially if USA lawmakers can’t agree legistlation via Congress.

Remember, the USA is responsible for about 25% of the climate crisis, yet has only 4% of the world’s population.

The rest of the world is pressing these facts and pressuring America to act with more urgency. How it does so isn’t as important as getting started in a more emphatic way.

Photo: CarrZee

G7 Meeting

(Updates to add court decision, replace fruity language with less-fruity language)

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