On April 17th, 2009, the Obama EPA announced that it was proposing to find carbon dioxide (and five other heat trapping gases) a danger to human health. While this might seem self-evident to us, this is big news for the federal government because this is the first step in the process of EPA regulation. In 2007 we celebrated the Mass vs. EPA decision when the Supreme Court ruled that global warming pollution poses a danger to human health and must therefore be regulated under the Clean Air Act. Under the Bush Administration we saw no action taken on this ruling. But now, Obama has instructed Administrator Jackson and the EPA to move forward with the process of regulating carbon dioxide and other global warming causing pollutants. Regulation is likely not the single silver bullet and must be used in combination with other policies such as investment. Many consider this ruling a pressuring tactic to aid floundering climate legislation in Congress. This ruling could also provide the foundation for a negotiating position at December’s UN Copenhagen climate talks.
From April 17th — June 23rd, the EPA is encouraging public comment. They held two hearings for this purpose in Arlington, VA and Seattle WA on May 18th and 21st respectively. I had the privilege of attending the Seattle hearing and rally, organized by a coalition of groups including the Sierra Student Coalition and Cascade Climate Network. EPA reported that response to both hearings was “overwhelming.”
More than 2,000 people turned out in Seattle to support the EPA’s decision at the noon rally on the 21st. Hundreds of children and students joined members of the faith, business, and environmental communities. David Nokovic, freshman at Portland State University, spoke at the rally on behalf of the youth in attendance. “We pledge to end this climate crisis within our lifetimes, because failing to do so is unconscionable,” said Nokovic. “We pledge to hold ourselves and our elected officials accountable, and we pledge to work with all who will join us.”
All through the day, nearly 200 people testified and over 90% of that testimony was in favor of global warming pollutant regulation. Over 25 youth gave compelling testimony to the panel of EPA representatives who heard 10 hours of testimony that day. I myself, was on a panel with two industry lobbyists from the Washington Farm Bureau and two other youth…
The Washington Farm Bureau representatives claimed that the science wasn’t in yet and that they were disappointed that the EPA was not abiding by expert scientific advice. While one advocate agreed that the affects of climate were wrecking havoc on the state’s agriculture, he pointed to solar flares as the reason, as evidenced by this beautiful sunny day he said. Instead of investing in regulation, he preferred the federal government invest in large water storage facilities so that in times of drought (caused by solar flares I suppose) farmers (aka big Ag) could still irrigate their crops.
The WA Farm Bureau testimony was strictly contradicted by the next two youth testifiers. Nick Engelfried, a graduating senior of Pacific University raised the issue of equity and green jobs, which our generation could desperately use.
For all these jobs to materialize we need a federal government that will not only invest in green energy technologies, but which will clamp down on the old polluting industries — coal, oil, gas, and industrial agriculture — which have so long held the workers of America captive under the old, inefficient, fossil fuel-dependent economy that we are now seeing crumble all around us… If the EPA is up to that challenge, you can count on our support every step of the way.
Mark Kimbrell of Focus the Nation also testified in this same panel:
This administration and this agency have a generation of young people behind them. But make no mistake, if the legislation and regulation we deserve is weakened by compromise with the status quo of the past, this movement’s commitment will only become stronger. And there is nothing stronger than thousands of young people who feel their future is being gambled away!
Public comment is being accepted until June 23rd! Follow these instructions to get yours in, it’s easy! There are many groups congratulating the EPA on this decision, but the EPA really needs to hear from forward-thinking folks who have thoughtful comments about how to regulate these pollutants. It’s not enough to regulate global warming pollution, we must do it in a just manner that takes this problem and turns it into an opportunity, particularly for those of low socioeconomic status.
Are we so far down the road on this issue that we have become blind to the simple fact that “global warming” may not in fact be man made? And how does it factor in that the most accurate reading of the mean temperature of the earth (from satalites) proves that in the lst 20 years (as long as we have had this data) the earth is NOT getting warmer and in fact has actually cooled. Here is my reference http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/essd06oct97_1.htm
It would seem to me that before I would take up a cause and donate my time energy and money, i would do independent research to verify all the blah…blah I hear spouted as fact.
The issue at hand is not if the earth changes over time (obviously it does) but do our actions really change it – or are we being given another cry of dooms-day to call us to action for a cause labled as one thing but really pointed at another.
I recall when i was a child in school it was a different cataclysmic event, another ice age, that was immenent and reguired me to give my time and money to.
No one I ever met was enthusiastic about getting more polution or making our water less clean. We are all environmentalists for less polution. But, i will not be run around by alarmists that simply need an empty threat of the end of the world in order to accomplish their small selfish goals. The truth is, we are very small and although we can polute and harm our environment by illegally dumping chemicals etc. we simply are not and cannot, change the global temperature.
Finally, I think the fact that we think of ourselves as so powerful and important reflects our loss of basic faith in God and the elevation of self as some sort of mini-god. Do independent research from a broad array of sources before allowing yourself to led by others!
Going waaaayyyy back to the No nukes movement of the ’70s we’ve attended countless governmental hearings that were really just dog & pony shows. Don’t be discouraged by such things. It’s still important to make a showing (or a show!) at these events, but it’s even MORE important to make a showing in the streets! Like the old saying sez’: that’s were the rubber meets the road; in other words that’s the real world (there’s rubber bike wheels, yes?)
Having said that, here on The Enviro Show (WXOJ-LP) in Western Massachusetts we are very concerned about FALSE SOLLUTIONS to the climate crisis. Two of these are the national push for so-called “biomass” and the siting of industrial wind plants by private corporations ob PUBLIC space. For some info on these issues look here:
http://www.maforests.org/Biomess.pdf
http://www.videodesk.net/Wmt_Show.aspx?web_key=2738
http://concertobi.blogspot.com/2006/04/windpower-advocates-tunnelvision-on.html