Sup State rights? Nice to have known ya! -Cameron
On 7/23/08, Larry Lyons <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://antiwrap.com/x4887bbd344a5c > > Another case of Bush political appointees trying to fudge environmental > rules. The sad part of this is that these stories are now coming out almost > daily. I've not included 3 other similar stories I've read today. > > Ex-EPA Official Says White House Pulled Rank > Administration Ordered Calif. Emissions Plan Quashed, Former Deputy > Testifies > > By Juliet Eilperin > Washington Post Staff Writer > Wednesday, July 23, 2008; A04 > > A former Environmental Protection Agency official yesterday contradicted EPA > administrator Stephen L. Johnson's congressional testimony on one of the > administration's key global warming decisions, saying the White House > ordered Johnson to block California's bid to regulate vehicles' tailpipe > emissions. > > On Jan. 24, Johnson told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee > under oath that he had made the decision on his own after determining there > was no compelling evidence to justify California's plans. "The > responsibility for making the decision for California rests with me and > solely with me," Johnson said at the time. "I made the decision. It was my > decision. It was the right decision." > > Yesterday, however, former EPA deputy associate administrator Jason K. > Burnett -- who resigned last month and has since divulged key details about > how President Bush and his deputies have influenced the agency's decisions > on climate policy -- testified before the committee that Johnson had > concluded that California's request was legally justified -- until White > House officials ordered him to reverse the decision. > > California had sought a waiver under the Clean Air Act to implement rules > aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by 30 percent > between 2009 and 2016. Johnson announced in late December that he would not > grant the waiver, effectively blocking 17 other states that had either > adopted or pledged to implement California's proposed rules. > > Burnett told the panel that Johnson had concluded that California had met > the legal requirement for a waiver by showing it faced "compelling and > extraordinary circumstances" in light of the threat that climate change > poses to the state. > > "There was no reasonable defense of a denial," Burnett said, adding that > Johnson had initially agreed to grant California a "partial waiver" lasting > several years. > > Johnson reversed course after consulting with the White House, Burnett > recalled. After several conversations with White House officials about the > possibility that the waiver could lead states to impose varying fuel economy > standards, "the administrator knew the president's preference for a single > standard," Burnett said. > > In his January appearance before the committee, Johnson said he based his > decision to refuse the waiver on the fact that "California does not meet the > compelling and extraordinary conditions" to seek the exemption. > > Johnson also testified about the waiver decision before the House Oversight > and Government Reform Committee on May 20, making similar statements and > refusing to discuss conversations he had on the matter with either Bush or > his top aides on the grounds that it would violate executive privilege. EPA > spokesman Jonathan Shradar said Johnson had undergone "a long process" of > thinking through how to treat California's request before ultimately > deciding that it was unwarranted. > > "The administrator has said it was his decision and his alone," Shradar > said, adding that it was not surprising that he engaged in a back-and-forth > discussion with his staff. "You don't just wake up and say, 'This is the > decision.' " > > Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who chairs the Senate committee, said > Burnett's testimony "raises serious concerns about the account of events > provided to the committee, including statements by Administrator Johnson." > > Saying she believed Bush took "unlawful" action in refusing to regulate > greenhouse gases linked to global warming, Boxer said she would continue > pressing to get a full accounting of how the White House has shaped national > climate policy. "We're going to get to the truth," Boxer said. > > Burnett, a 31-year old heir to a Silicon Valley fortune who showed up for > his Senate appearance with a personal public relations representative by his > side, has infuriated many Bush administration officials with his revelations > about White House actions on climate policy. More than half a dozen EPA > career officials interviewed this month, all of whom spoke on the condition > of anonymity, remembered Burnett as an administration loyalist who > repeatedly sided with the White House while at the agency and gave no hint > he was dissatisfied with Bush's approach to global warming. > > "Jason, all of a sudden, has found his voice," one career official said > wryly. "Jason Burnett was part of making these policies. When he was at EPA > he did not have the conscience he's expressing now, this green conscience." > > Bush officials emphasize that Burnett -- who has donated more than $120,000 > to Democratic candidates in recent years -- no longer represents the > administration. > > "I think everyone concedes that if Jason Burnett was the administrator, he > would have taken a different route," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. > "But he's not the administrator." > > Boxer's staff is reviewing the discrepancies between Johnson's and Burnett's > testimony to determine if false statements were made, an aide said. The > EPA's decision to deny California's waiver is being challenged in federal > court, but air policy experts said the case would be decided on the law, not > the process that led to the policy. > > "I wish I could say [Burnett's testimony is] important in the development of > policy," said Jeffrey R. Holmstead, who directed the EPA's Office of Air and > Radiation from 2001 to 2005 and now heads the environmental strategies group > at the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani. "I don't think it is." > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;203748912;27390454;j Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:264474 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
