Yesterday’s announcement by the EPA that the Obama Adminsitration is now willing to list greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride) as threats to public health that must be regulated under the Clean Air Act is a major step forward for the United States on the issue of climate change. The Obama Administration can now begin to act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without having to wait for the climate bills in Congress that have been so thoroughly corrupted by fossil fuel industry lobbyists.
However, optimism at this strong move needs to be countered with some skepticism. The Obama Administration can now act, but will it?
The EPA’s announcement came at about the same time that Ken Salazar, Obama’s Secretary of the Interior, announced that offshore exploratory drilling for oil will begin in the Chukchi Sea, an area with a rich marine ecosystem that’s vital for the survival of huge numbers of species that migrate to the area to feed.
Irregular Times criticized the efforts under George W. Bush to open the Chukchi Sea to offshore drilling. We would be hypocrites if we turned a blind eye to the continuation of the same program under Barack Obama.
Early last year, some members of the Senate tried to require the Executive Branch to conduct studies of the likely impact of offshore drilling for oil in the Arctic. Barack Obama would not cosponsor that bill. Now, as President, he has the power to embrace the same idea – that scientific studies of likely environmental impacts should precede drilling. Again, Barack Obama won’t take that sensible stand.
There’s reason to be skeptical about the EPA’s willingness to regulate greenhouse gas emissions as well. In this morning’s New York Times, it’s revealed that the EPA has failed to enforce clean drinking water regulations, leading tens of millions of Americans to drink water with unsafe levels of substances like arsenic, and even radioactive materials.
We need a strong EPA, and we need strong climate action. The time for expanded offshore drilling and limp-wristed EPA regulation is past. President Obama needs to show leadership on environmental issues, and that takes more than promises.
