Posted by Jonathan Adler:
Has Obama Backed Off Climate Goals?
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_04_05-2009_04_11.shtml#1239463401
Is the Obama Administration setting aside its ambitious greenhouse gas
emission reduction goals due to political realities? Yes and no,
[1]the NYT explains.
Has the administration scaled back its global-warming goals, at
least for this year, or is it engaged in sophisticated
misdirection?
Maybe some of both. While addressing climate change appears to be
slipping down the president�s list of priorities for the year, he
is holding in reserve a powerful club to regulate carbon dioxide
emissions through executive authority.
That club takes the form of Environmental Protection Agency
regulation of the gases blamed for the warming of the planet, an
authority granted the agency by the Supreme Court�s reading of the
Clean Air Act. Administration officials consistently say they would
much prefer that Congress write new legislation to pre-empt the
E.P.A. regulatory power, but they are clearly holding it in reserve
as a prod to reluctant lawmakers and recalcitrant industries and as
evidence of good faith to other nations.
While Congress seems to have little appetite for an ambitious
cap-and-trade plan at the moment, I suspect many will change their
minds when confronted with the alternative of regulating greenhouse
gases under the Clean Air Act. I'd like to think that pushing off the
climate policy decision could cause some to reconsider use of a
revenue-neutral carbon tax, as it's the best option on the table, but
I am not optimistic.
References
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/us/politics/11climate.html
_______________________________________________
Volokh mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.powerblogs.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
