I would venture a guess that most Americans think that the Environmental Protection Agency is involved in, you know, protecting the environment.
Not under the Bush administration.
Take this example. According to today’s Washington Post, last December the EPA tried to submit a proposed rule to “limit greenhouse-gas emissions on the grounds that they pose a threat to public welfare.”
The EPA emailed the proposal over to the White House for inspection. According to the Post,
[U]pon learning that EPA had hit the “send” button just minutes earlier, the White House called again to demand that the e-mail be recalled.
“I’m sorry, Mr. President, I just sent that official, scientifically-vetted policy proposal seconds ago!”
Not to worry, the White House has a plan for this kind of thing. The New York Times explains what happened next:
The White House . . . refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency’s conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened, senior E.P.A. officials said last week.
“What email? Anyone see an email from the EPA about CO2 around here?”
“Do you mean the study that was the direct result of the 2007 Supreme Court ruling that stated ‘greenhouse gases are a pollutant’ and subsequently ‘ordered federal environmental officials to re-examine their refusal to limit emissions of the gases from cars and trucks’?
“Yeah, that one.”
“Nope, haven’t seen it anywhere.”
Don’t worry, America; the Bush administration is in the reality business. Everything is going to be OK in the end:
Over the past five days, the officials said, the White House successfully put pressure on the E.P.A. to eliminate large sections of the original analysis that supported regulation, including a finding that tough regulation of motor vehicle emissions could produce $500 billion to $2 trillion in economic benefits over the next 32 years. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
If you’re in the White House and see a plan that makes us healthier, saves the environment, AND is good for the economy, there is only one thing to do: Delete.