The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

The Foundry

Obama to Force Cap and Trade Around Congress?

According to Carbon Control News, President-elect Barack Obama has named Georgetown law professor Lisa Heinzerling to his Environmental Protection Agency transition team. Heinzerling authored one of the briefs in support of the enviro position in the Massachusetts vs. EPA Supreme Court case. Heinzerling told the Guardian last month:

EPA has the authority to regulate sources of pollution directly and could set emissions standards for new stationary sources of pollution — such as coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, and steel and concrete plants — in relatively short order.

The Guardian further reports:

It could easily take more than seven years to get a federal carbon-trading mechanism to stabilize emissions. It’s also possible that congressional compromise will water down cap-and-trade emissions targets and, worse, undermine existing state and regional efforts.

[Heinzerling] and many other legal experts believe that under the Clean Air Act, the EPA can also administer a national cap-and-trade program by writing federal rules to unify independent regional carbon markets. … Experts believe the EPA can promulgate an additional set of regulations that would control transportation emissions — everything from cars and trucks to boats and airplanes.

This is exactly the approach we have been warning about. The EPA has already set the necessary regulatory process in motion. There will be no debate in Congress. Obama has not even been sworn in yet but the period for public comment ends this Friday. Let them know how you feel about their central planning power grab.

  • Author: Conn Carroll
  • Interact: Sphere
  • Share This
  • Print This Post

6 Comments

November 24, 2008 Dennis Aderholt writes:

The EPA needs to sit down and shutup. They have dived into something that will end up hurting all of us, and as usual they will only enforese regulations to the select few. There should be a list by the EPA that states the names of those that are to be left alone. The little man and the private business will be the ones effected by all this junk.

November 24, 2008 Barb -mn writes:

EPA:
The one area that stands firm on fabricated testing results of the man-made global warming scam. The one and only area president-elect stands firmly beside as there has come many avenues to force taxpayers down an unnecessary road and rob the money out of their pockets, force closings of businesses and steal the freedoms this country was founded on. How many are staffed with the EPA and what are their wages? Are they TAXPAID WAGES? No concrete evidence, no visual evidence, no health evidence, NOTHING BUT GOVERNMENT MAKE-WORK! NOTHING BUT MORE GOVERNMENT WASTE!

Here’s an idea. Let the people create their own jobs without the infringement of government regulations and standards that do nothing but give government more of the greed and control over the people. Here’s another idea. USE THE NATURAL RESOURCES that are provided. Independence!!! It isn’t the job of the government to put environment before HUMAN LIFE. In the meantime, let those with the freedom to do so, and the brainwashed belief on man-made global warming, create alternative ENERGY with their own money!

When president-elect obama says he has 1million jobs, don’t be fooled. When anyone in government comes up with jobs, they are jobs controlled by government LESS YOUR FREEDOM, MORE OF YOUR MONEY! I listened to obama, not once did he ever express FREEDOM TO THE PEOPLE! Nor does he appreciate individualism or personal achievement!

November 24, 2008 Josh S, Kentucky writes:

Why has the EPA’s regulatory authority never been limited by the courts? I suppose that bit in the Constitution about Congress not being able to delegate its legislative authority means absolutely nothing at all.

November 27, 2008 ConstitutionWatch.org » Blog Archive » The Censorship Doctrine, Also Known As The “Fairness Doctrine” writes:

[...] probably go about it, bypassing Congress and using a bureaucratic out of touch regulatory body, is exactly the route the Obama administration is probably going to take on cap and trade as [...]

December 2, 2008 Here Come the Carbon Police! « American Elephants writes:

[...] at home, in the meantime, the EPA is planning to regulate 1/5 of all food service businesses, 1/2 of all health care businesses, 1/2 of the entire lodging [...]

February 4, 2009 The Censorship Doctrine writes:

[...] probably go about it, bypassing Congress and using a bureaucratic out of touch regulatory body, is exactly the route the Obama administration is probably going to take on cap and trade as [...]

Leave a comment

Comments are subject to approval and moderation. Commenting is a privilege, not a right. Please keep it clean and stay on topic. Personal attacks and obscene language will not be tolerated. Essentially, don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to your mother at the dinner table.

Sign up for Morning Bell Email

Archives

Heritage Poll

Recent Visitors

Search The Blog