No federal action on emissions

Whatever tiny sparkle of hope there was for action on US emissions has just been snuffed out, with news that our current administration will not act before leaving public office - not so hard to see coming.

From the Washington Post:

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to announce today that it will seek months of further public comment on the threat posed by global warming to human health and welfare -- a matter that federal climate experts and international scientists have repeatedly said should be urgently addressed.

The Supreme Court, in a decision 15 months ago that startled the government, ordered the EPA to decide whether human health and welfare are being harmed by greenhouse gas pollution from cars, power plants and other sources, or to provide a good explanation for not doing so. But the administration has opted to postpone action instead, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Even the EPA admits that sweeping emissions change will bring economic benefits. However, the administration will not allow the agency to state publicly that emissions harm public health; such a statement would require immediate policy changes that would affect various industries attached to senior officials.