Good News

According to The Guardian,

Environmental Protection Agency declaration allows it to impose emissions cuts without agreement of reluctant Senate.

The Obama administration adopted its climate change plan B today, formally declaring carbon dioxide a public danger so that it can cut greenhouse gas emissions even without the agreement of a reluctant Senate.

This is actually one of the most positive things I've seen from our young administration. This does not mean that EPA will impose regulations for controlling CO2 emissions, but it means that they are empowered to if Congress, especially the Senate, refuses to act in any meaningful way. The article implies that drafts and guidelines of such regulations have been created.

The announcement gives the EPA a legal basis for capping emissions from major sources such as coal power plants, as well as cars. Jackson said she hoped it would help to spur a deal in Copenhagen.

The EPA action had been seen as a backstop should Congress fail to pass climate change law. Obama and other officials had repeatedly said they would prefer to pass legislation, but that prospect has grown increasingly remote. The House of Representatives narrowly passed a climate change bill in June, but the proposals have stalled in the Senate.

I have been badly backed up on expressing my outrage over the so-called "Climategate" so-called scandal because it seems theres so much I want to say. Let's start with this: scientists are human. Get over it. If you have never referred to someone who, from your perspective, is being stupidly obstinate, by an unflattering epithet, you aren't.

Second, is there anyone who cooks who doesn't have a few kitchen tricks up their sleeve? Auto mechanics? Don't all human activities have "tricks" that get a job done with less hassle, more efficiency, and often better, than simple brute force? Does that mean the food is no good, or the car doesn't run? Of course not; if that's what it meant, such tricks wold be useless. People who refuse to admit that this is an extremely common colloquial usage, and not just by scientists, of the word "trick" are being stupidly obstinate assholes.