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TND Guest Contributor: Larry Bell |
On June 10 the EPA issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking which targets the U.S. airline industry for more “climate change” regulatory madness. Citing a 2012 D.C. district court ruling that requires a final agency determination whether aircraft greenhouse gas emissions cause or contribute to endangerment of public health or welfare, their eagerness to oblige should be a no brainer.
As a matter of fact, the EPA has already decided. In 2009 the agency determined that greenhouse gas “pollution” (essential CO2 plant food) from cars and light trucks threatens human health and welfare by leading to long-lasting climate changes.
Their new announcement states that: “Since then, the body of science on human-induced climate change has strengthened, supporting today’s proposed finding — under a different section of the Clean Air Act — that GHGs [greenhouse gasses] emitted from aircraft engines contribute to pollution [that dirty “P-word” again] that causes climate change endangering public health and welfare.”
A big difference here, however, is that the Obama EPA rabbit and petitioner foxes have a common and coordinated agenda. The foxes in this case comprise a very powerful coalition.
Here, the EPA reports that its rule-making process is being undertaken in response to “domestic pressures from stakeholders and court proceedings.” Formal petitions have previously been filed by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania; the District of Columbia and city of New York; and leadership of environmental activist groups such as Earth Justice, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, and Oceana.
Yes, and there are also international foxes. As reported in an EPA statement: “For the past five years, ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] — a specialized body of the United Nations with 191 member states — has been working with the aviation industry and other stakeholders to develop coordinated, international CO2 emission standards for aircraft.” ICAO’s standards for CO2 reductions which are “equitable” across national boundaries are expected to be adopted by early next year.
While the EPA states that this latest aircraft regulation action supports the goals of President Obama’s “Climate Action Plan,” the broader anti-carbon UN/White House battle plan can readily be traced back to the collapse of a crusade to extend Kyoto protocol cap-and-trade agreements.
violate the principles of the Convention [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] as their incidence falls entirely on developing countries and these cannot be recognized as a source of new and additional finance for climate change.”
Even the UN’s ICAO — of which India is a member — unanimously adopted a “Delhi Declaration” opposing an ETS airline application as being “inconsistent with applicable international law,” successfully urging the EU to refrain from imposing the tax. The ICAO was then charged with responsibility to produce an acceptable global ETS alternative by 2016.
Apparently recognizing the improbability of reaching any agreement that other big CO2 emitters will accept, the Obama White House is counting on an old, reliable plan B. After all, why rely upon the UN to prevent climate calamity when the EPA can accomplish this by congressionally unaccountable regulatory fiat?
There is, however, still another big UN hitch to this strategy. Alas, despite ballyhooed rising atmospheric CO2 levels, satellites have recorded no global warming over the past 18 years. If a flat or cooling trend continues — as many prominent international scientists expect — perhaps the general public will eventually realize that alarmist UN IPCC predictions used to sell anti-fossil Clean Power Plan and ETS agendas can’t be relied upon either. Until then, Brers Rabbit and Brer Fox will continue to feast together on free meals, while the rest of us get stuck with the tabs.
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A version of this article also appears at: http://www.newsmax.com/LarryBell/Climate-Change-Global-Warming/2015/07/14/id/656937/#ixzz3fvX98IDm
This article was published at CFACT and is reprinted with permission.