There’s a proposal in the House of Representatives to drastically reduce funding for the EPA and the Department of the Interior:
The legislation, which could come to a floor vote this week, would cut Interior’s funds by $750 million, or about 7 percent, and the E.P.A.’s budget by $1.5 billion, or 18 percent. (The latter cut would bring reductions in the E.P.A.’s budget to 34 percent over two years.)
Yet the fiercest debate seemed to center on 39 riders attached to the bill that would hobble the regulation of big polluters and direct an additional $55 million in subsidies to oil and gas companies.
Among the 39 riders are measures that would open up uranium mining in lands next to to the Grand Canyon, limit the E.P.A.’s oversight powers over mountaintop removal mining and free oil companies from meeting Clean Air Act standards for offshore drilling projects.
Perhaps one of the most striking measures is a rider that would prevent the Fish and Wildlife Service from adding new species to the endangered species list, upgrading species listings or protecting vital habitat by eliminating all funds for those activities.
Here are some snippets from the debate. If we continue to weaken the EPA, perhaps we can eventually match China’s pollution problems.
Their total determination to destroy everything great about this nation is beyond belief. I’m angry as hell about this. I absolutely do not associate with anyone who belongs to organizations intent on this destruction–even if years ago, there was a friendship existing between us.
From TreeHugger:
The US Government has been a big supporter of LEED, thanks to that radical leftist George Bush, who imposed Executive Order 13423, which set “goals in the areas of energy efficiency, acquisition, renewable energy, toxics reductions, recycling, renewable energy, sustainable buildings, electronics stewardship, fleets, and water conservation.” The Department of Defense was a real leader in this, with 49 projects, the most of any Department of government. But if the Republican congress gets its way, it’s over; in the National Defense Authorization Act, there is what Chris Cheatham of Green Building Law Update calls “a real kicker”:
The bill would prohibit FY 2012 DoD funds from being used to achieve a LEED Gold or Platinum certification, however these certifications could be obtained if they impose no additional cost to DoD.
But wait, there’s more!
The bill would also require a cost-benefit analysis and return on investment for energy efficiency attributes and sustainable design achieved through DoD funds used to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold or Platinum certification.
So Congress won’t let the Department of Defense pay for LEED applications, but even if they found the money for it, they would have to also pay for a cost benefit analysis. What would that do to the rainwater collecting roof of the new hospital, its landscaping, or every other feature that reduces water and carbon footprint but doesn’t give a direct cost benefit? They are gone.
Interesting. I’d like to know when the government as a whole started being concerned about “return on investment”. I guess if it don’t blow something/someone up, the government becomes cost conscious….