This morning President Obama announced, "I have requested that Administrator Jackson withdraw the draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards at this time."
Just hours before, the worst jobs numbers in a year were released.
Business and industry groups have been beating the drum regarding the EPA's excessive regulations and their impact on the struggling American economy. The EPA has already backed down from their foolish attempt to apply oil-spill regulations to spilled milk on dairy farms. Now common sense and economic necessity can chalk up another win.
I have been alerting the public to the disastrous impacts these over-reaching regulations will have on energy costs—which will have an adverse effect on the overall economy and raise personal energy bills for consumers. High energy prices disproportionately hurt the poor as they increase prices on all basic necessities. We've been encouraging people to contact their local, state, and federal elected officials to express their ire over the EPA's actions. Obviously, the push back is making a difference.
The EPA, and many other agencies, have been pushing one-size-fits-all regulations with little regard for the unique socio-economic or geographic circumstances found in the various regions of the country. While clean-up was needed in the seventies when America looked like China looks today, we have long ago reached the law of diminishing returns when it comes to EPA regulations—they cost more money, kill more jobs, and produce less bang-for-the-buck. What used to be America's manufacturing base, formally known as the "rust belt," is now the "unemployment belt."
Today's announcement, is a victory for American citizens and should serve as encouragement to them to continue to keep the pressure on our elected officials--even when it feels like we are a lone voice crying in the wilderness.
It is interesting that this decision was announced just days after a GAO report was released revealing that environmental groups were getting rich by filing lawsuits forcing the EPA to more strictly enforce regulations, and after the third solar manufacturer in thirty days filed bankruptcy. The tightening of ozone regulations would have benefitted the solar and wind industry, but would have raised energy prices.
America's citizens have been a part of changing the energy/environment discussion. Keep it up! There are many more economically damaging regulations in the pipeline.
Could today's announcement be just the first such statement to come from the White House? Maybe President Obama is beginning to realize the damage done to the American economy by allowing environmental extremists to dominate energy policy. Hopefully we hear more of this in next week's big job-creation speech.
Marita Noon is the executive director for Energy Makes America Great Inc. and the companion educational organization, the Citizens' Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE). Together they work to educate the public and influence policy makers regarding energy, its role in freedom, and the American way of life. Combining energy, news, politics, and, the environment through public events, speaking engagements, and media, the organizations' combined efforts serve as America's voice for energy. Marita's twentieth book, Energy Freedom, will be released in October.
