The yeas are 255 are the nays are 172. In the federal House of Representatives the bill passed with a 58.6% majority. The bill will, if enacted into law, take away the right of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. At a time when government appears to shut down, till politicians can act like adults, the vote distracts and plays a partisan game with impeding consequences. The consequences being the nation’s inability to control the highest per person emissions rate in the world. The entire world will feel the effects of this vote, as of yet denied by house members. The fall back will be the senate, but even a majority of 53 democrats cannot preserve this essential function of the Environmental Protection Agency. Many democrats are in the grip of big coal and if there was only a "up or down" vote the people would lose.
This name, not official, was proposed by Jared Polis (D) Colorado's second district, to reflect accuracy. The name is accurate because, the welfare of "we the people" is at stake, the welfare of the world is stake, and the welfare of the environment is at stake. If politicians don't respect that, we have to make politicians see what the majority of us think. But, what are politicians supposed to do the majority of them "stick their heads in the sand", or willfully be ignorant. The people are to learn why the Environmental Protection Agency must keep its right to regulate carbon dioxide, like any other pollutant.
If Congress does not create a law then the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency must come into effect, an authority given by Congress. If carbon dioxide is not regulated then, as stated in previous blog posts, our standing in the world might suffer and the immanent consequences of climate change. There are many options but, by far, the best one is to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.
Our government can sometimes feel like a bought subsidiary of "Big Coal", but we should know that the grip of "Big Coal", are not as strong as 100 years ago. These words keep me hopeful.
