Court backs EPA order to power plants to cut back

[The_RANDy_Corporation]

So which do you want, allegedly dirtier air in Maine or shivering in the dark?

***

Federal Court Upholds EPA Ruling on Power Plants
The Associated Press
Published: May 16, 2001

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling by the Environmental Protection Agency ordering power plants in the Midwest and Southeast to cut emissions by May 2003.
Tuesday's ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. stems from a complaint filed on behalf of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Those states claimed that emissions from 10 coal-fired plants in Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia violated the Clean Air Act and contributed to dirty air in the Northeast - an argument the EPA accepted in 1999.

"I am gratified that the Court of Appeals has firmly upheld EPA's finding that the uncontrolled coal-burning power plants of the Midwest and Southeast cause smog in New England," Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said in a statement.

Plant operators had argued that pollution from the Midwest accounts for only a small amount of air pollution in the Northeast. Much more comes from automobile pollution in metropolitan New York and along the East Coast, they said.

The Associated Press (http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAOFZ81TMC.html)

[The_RANDy_Corporation]

Very interesting Sniper. I'd never heard of that.

I wonder how Rhino and MaximumSam see this issue. Both live in Ohio. Both now presumably face the possibility of energy shortages in their State as a result of this.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Conservatives and Mr. Bush had better be ready for a very, very ugly spin battle over energy in the coming months. The truth is, (1) bad political leadership; (2)our national NIMBY reluctance to build energy plants; and (3) enviro intransigence have caused the present problem. Period.

But the left will try to assert that (1) it happened on Bush's watch so it's his fault; (2) It's merely a conspiracy by greedy oil and energy companies; (3) the solution is price caps, conservation and more government control over the energy industries.

This battle could shape politics for the next four years. I think it is vital for the right to be infomed and to be loud because when the shortages hit hit the fan this summer, the left will lie relentlessly.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

This is the fruit of a long-standing project called NESCAUM, an alliance of liberal Northeast state governments to impose tougher clean air standards than Congress will impose. The problem for enviros at the state level is that if they impose draconian standards that chase industry out of their states that other states that don't have tough standards will benefit economically.

It is not a coincidence that the populations of the northeast states have not grown, that the south and west *have* grown and that economic and population growth areas are also GOP strongholds.

Therefore, the eastern libs want to find ways to force the south and west to adopt high taxes and crushing regulatory burdens so that the northeast can keep bad policies without suffering economic loss. NESCAUM was intended to help eastern enviro officials to impose California-style policies on their states and ultimately on the nation as a whole.

It is a very bad precedent to let states use federal courts to dictate policy on one another.

[Warlady]

So that's why Clinton locked up the clean coal mining in Utah. And I thought it was because he owed the Lippo Group in Indonesia. It was to give the enviro's a reason to get control of the energy industry. Fascism is on it's way folks.