[It looks like the Chevron Doctrine, which was a pivotal 33-year-old Supreme Court decision, Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, is soon history. This single case established that courts should defer to the judgment of a federal agency when interpreting ambiguous laws and regulation. Thankfully, that deference will go the way of all bad ideas. As it [...]
Thought Piece [Currently, the U.S. is producing more than 9 million barrels per day of oil, with world-wide production around 96 million barrels per day, which means that the U.S. now accounts for 9 or 10 percent of the world’s oil production. That figure will grow, if the Trump administration follows through on the president’s promises. [...]
Thought Piece [Who knew that Dennis Kucinich was a pipeline and environment expert? In fact, who knew he even knew where North Dakota was located. Although, it isn't surprising that he opposes the Dakota Access Pipe Line. "North Dakota and other states may soon discover that the temporary financial benefits of pipeline revenue will be far outweighed by the [...]
FCC reverses net neutrality ISP transparency rules Small ISPs will no longer be required to inform customers of their network management practices The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has voted to roll back some net neutrality regulations that require broadband providers to inform customers about their network management practices. The Republican-controlled FCC on Thursday suspended the net [...]
Trump’s Clean Watershed: He orders the EPA to review Obama’s illegal waterways regulation. Wall Street Journal Editorial, Updated Feb. 28, 2017 8:04 p.m. ET http://www.wsj.com/video/opinion-journal-a-watershed-for-better-regulation/C361F7BB-BE73-4E9C-8810-0D0EC285560E.html Speaking of deregulation (see nearby), President Trump on Tuesday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider an Obama Administration rule that seized control over tens of millions of acres of private [...]
The EPA’s Science Deniers The agency changes its view on fracking and water without evidence. Wall Street Journal Editorial Updated Dec. 18, 2016 5:41 p.m. ET Speaking of fake news, the political scientists at the EPA have rewritten the conclusion of a report in order to cast doubt on the safety of hydraulic fracturing. Consider this [...]
Thought Piece "EPA officials other than Del Toral were also roundly criticized, however, with Chaffetz saying they were expected to serve as a federal "backstop" in case states didn't do their job. He said it was "nine months after Del Toral requested EPA intervene ... and at least four months after Administrator McCarthy became involved" before [...]
[Oops! I wrote yesterday that "Gina McCarthy has announced that the EPA has effectively stopped working on a cap and trade scheme and their other ambitious plans related to the Clean Power Plan (CPP), Waters of the United States (WOTUS), etc. to prepare for the orderly transfer of power." Self-righteousness rarely goes quietly into that good night "and the [...]
Thought Piece by Stephen Heins [Gina McCarthy has announced that the EPA has effectively stopped working on a cap and trade scheme and their other ambitious plans related to the Clean Power Plan (CPP), Waters of the United States (WOTUS), etc. to prepare for the orderly transfer of power. For the record, it is safe to assume that energy, [...]
Thought Piece by Stephen Heins [Gasp, Wash DC regulators finally admit they can't predict the future? Has a baseball bard, Casey Stengel, finally been heard? "Never make predictions, especially about the future." Designing plans and defenses around black swan events is micromanagement gone horribly wrong, especially when we don't know which black swan event is in the [...]
