Underplayed Story of the Day

  • Share
  • Read Later

From the Washington Post, a reminder that that Bush Administration is not over:

Last week, the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs sent an e-mail to mayors reminding them that time was running out if they wanted to comment on the proposal the administration issued in July, which laid out how the government might curb greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. A 2007 Supreme Court decision required the Environmental Protection Agency to issue such a ruling, but the White House made it clear in its e-mail that it does not think that is a good idea.

“At the time, President Bush warned that this was the wrong way to regulate emissions. [House Energy and Commerce Committee] Chairman John D. Dingell called it ‘a glorious mess,’ ” Jeremy J. Broggi, the office’s associate director, wrote in the e-mail, obtained by The Washington Post. “And many of you contacted us to let us know how harmful this rule would be to the economies of the cities and counties you serve.”

The e-mail notes in bold, underlined text that the comment period for the rulemaking “closes on November 28” and provides a link to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce blog post that warns that a federal cap on greenhouse gases “will operate as a de facto moratorium on major construction and infrastructure projects.”