Washington Post: EPA “Earning A Reputation for Abuse”

It hasn’t been a good week for the Environmental Protection Agency, and today’s Washington Post editorial page didn’t make it any better. On Monday, EPA Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz resigned after video emerged in which he likened the agency’s “philosophy of enforcement” to Roman crucifixions. Today, The Post took up the issue of the EPA’s zealous enforcement overreach and slammed the agency for “earning a reputation for abuse.” On Armendariz’s “Roman” Remarks, The Post opined: The most reasonable interpretation is also among the most disturbing — that Mr. Armendariz … More

Federal Agencies Out of Control: Quick Roundup

By Tim Lynch

Today, a Washington Post editorial asks whether the Environment Protection Agency is out of control because one of its officials spoke of  “crucifying” businesspeople who may run afoul of that agency’s regulations.  The short answer is Yes, it is out of control.  Go here for the longer answer. The Drug Enforcement Agency is also out of control.  Daniel Chong was left [...]

Federal Agencies Out of Control: Quick Roundup is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog

The Human Consequences of EPA’s War on Coal

There are very real consequences to the Environmental Protection Agency’s continued efforts to undermine America’s coal industry. Those consequences were recently spotlighted in an industry-produced video, embedded above. Maria Tworek owns a sports bar in Omaha, Nebraska. “Our energy bills are sky-high,” Tworek explains. The bar has to keep its cooling facilities running 24/7 to keep all of its beer cold. If “we can’t cool our product, we don’t make money,” Tworek says. “It’s as simple as that.” The bar is Tworek’s livelihood. “This is how we live,” she says. … More

Morning Bell: Obama’s Crucifixion of “Big Oil”

If it ever was a secret, it’s not a secret any longer: The Obama Administration is on a vindictive campaign to injure America’s oil and gas industry. The proof materialized last week when video of an Environmental Protection Agency official revealed the White House’s vicious attitude toward the very industries that supply the American people a reliable, affordable energy source. Yesterday, that official fell on his sword and resigned to spare the president any further embarrassment from the truth he disclosed. Last week, Heritage’s Lachlan Markay reported on a video … More

EPA Official Resigns After ‘Crucify’ Comments Surface

Regional EPA administrator Al Armednariz resigned on Monday, days after his comments comparing his enforcement philosophy to crucifixions surfaced in a since-deleted YouTube video. Armednariz apologized last week, calling his comments “an offensive and inaccurate way to portray our efforts to address potential violations of our nation’s environmental laws.” According to the Associated Press: “The Obama administration’s top environmental official in the oil-rich South and Southwest region has resigned after Republicans targeted him over remarks made two years ago when he used the word “crucify” to describe his approach to enforcement. In a … More

Video of EPA Official’s ‘Crucify’ Remarks, Removed by Environmental Activist, Reappears Online

Explosive video of a top official at the Environmental Protection Agency comparing his enforcement philosophy against oil and gas companies to Roman crucifixions was removed on Thursday by the environmental activist who had uploaded it. “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by David McFatridge,” reads a message on the video’s YouTube page. Another copy of the video has surfaced, however. You can see EPA Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz’s comments in the embedded video above. The YouTube video’s owner appears to be the same David … More

VIDEO: EPA Official Compares Agency Enforcement to Roman Crucifixions

A video surfaced on Wednesday showing a regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency comparing his agency’s philosophy with respect to regulation of oil and gas companies to brutal tactics employed by the ancient Roman army to intimidate its foes into submission. EPA’s “philosophy of enforcement,” said EPA’s Region VI Administrator Al Armendariz, is “kind of like how the Romans used to conquer little villages in the Mediterranean: they’d go into little Turkish towns somewhere, they’d find the first five guys they’d run into, and they’d crucify them.” “That town … More

Obama’s Ten Worst Energy Policies

In his time in office, President Obama has made some seriously bad proposals and decisions on energy policy, and Americans are paying the price, whether it’s in higher energy costs, wasted tax dollars, or in jobs that have been left on the table. For those who aren’t keeping track, we’ve compiled a list of the President’s ten worst energy policies: 1) Saying “NO” to Keystone XL: With oil prices going through the roof, the best way to drive down prices is to increase the supply of oil and it can be done … More

EPA CO2 Regulation Effectively Bans New Coal Facilities

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new rule to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants, which would effectively ban new coal power plants, as its emissions standards are too low to be met by conventional coal-fired facilities. This stands in stark contrast with the President’s supposed “all of the above energy approach” and sends a strong signal that coal is not part of the President’s energy vision for America. In combination with other EPA regulations that contribute to the premature shutdown of existing coal plants, the EPA’s actions represent … More

EPA and the ‘Necessary Bankrupting’ of Coal

By Patrick J. Michaels

In its proposed rulemaking on emissions from coal-fired power plants, the Environmental Protection Agency has fulfilled President Obama’s campaign statement that his administration would “essentially bankrupt” anyone who had the audacity to hope to build a new generation facility. By essentially prohibiting the production of new plants, the administration is again picking winners and losers [...]

EPA and the ‘Necessary Bankrupting’ of Coal is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog