Those who remember a recent speech to the John Locke Foundation from Secretary Donald van der Vaart of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality might find some interest in a report this week from Michael Bastasch of the Daily Caller.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says he would repeal every rule President Barack Obama has coming down the pipeline, including Environmental Protection Agency regulations on power plants and U.S. waterways.
“I think we need to repeal every rule that Barack Obama has in terms of work in progress,” Bush said during the Republican presidential debates Tuesday night, specifically mentioning the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) and Waters of the U.S. rules.
The EPA’s Clean Power Plan is the centerpiece of Obama’s global warming agenda. The CPP limits carbon dioxide emissions from new and existing power plants and is a key part of Obama’s pledge to the United Nations that the U.S. would cut emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025.
The CPP was cheered by environmentalists, but derided by dozens of states and Republicans who argue it will cost Americans billions while having no impact on global warming. A recent report commissioned by the coal industry found the CPP would cost the economy $371 billion by 2033. …
… Bush also mentioned EPA unilaterally changing the definition of “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. Dozens of states have sued the EPA over this rule as well and were successful in getting federal courts to block the rule’s implementation.
The Senate recently passed a bipartisan resolution opposing the rule. Opponents argue the EPA rule amounts to an agency “power grab” over U.S. waterways.
