I'll quote the beginning of the article, the rest contains more details.
Once again this administration proves that they do not have the best interests of the nation at heart, overriding (possibly illegally) a supposedly scientifically driven process to determine what is best for our health when it comes to ozone limits in our air. And this time, they had to hurriedly re-write their own regulations and briefs to make it kosher.WHITE HOUSE MOVE OVERRULES AGENCY
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post
Article Launched: 03/14/2008 01:32:08 AM PDT
WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency weakened one part of its new limits on smog-forming ozone after an unusual, last-minute intervention by President Bush, according to documents released by the EPA.
EPA officials initially had tried to set a lower seasonal limit on ozone to protect wildlife, parks and farmland, as required under the law. Although their proposal was less restrictive than what the EPA's scientific advisers had proposed, Bush overruled EPA officials and Tuesday ordered the agency to increase the limit, according to the documents.
"It is unprecedented and an unlawful act of political interference for the president personally to override a decision that the Clean Air Act leaves exclusively to EPA's expert scientific judgment," said John Walke, clean air director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The president's order prompted a scramble by administration officials to rewrite the regulations to avoid conflicting with past EPA statements on the harm caused by ozone.
Solicitor General Paul Clement warned administration officials late Tuesday night that the rules contradicted the EPA's past submissions to the Supreme Court, according to sources familiar with the conversation. As a consequence, administration attorneys hustled to craft new legal justifications for the weakened standard.
Hopefully this will stop, Jan. 20 can't come soon enough (whoever wins one can hope).
Animale
