Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 11/05/2010 10:55:54 AM PDT by WebFocus
In the wake of historic midterm losses, people wondered whether Barack Obama would be willing or even able to execute a shift to the center and work with Republicans in the House to find areas of common ground on policy, or whether he would shift to regulatory innovation to push his agenda. Most people guessed the latter, but a personnel change yesterday at EPA may suggest that the White House is looking for olive branches rather than bureaucratic warfare. Lisa Heinzerling, an advocate for aggressive regulatory expansion to combat global warming, has resigned:
One of the Obama administration’s most aggressive officials on global warming regulations is stepping down from her post at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Lisa Heinzerling, the head of EPA’s policy office, will return to her position as a Georgetown University law professor at the end of the year, said EPA spokesman Brendan Gilfillan.
Within EPA, Heinzerling is one of the more dogmatic proponents of regulating greenhouse gases to the maximum extent possible under the Clean Air Act.
There are two camps within the agency on climate, said an environmental advocate who spoke on background. The Heinzerling camp, with the mind-set that, “we have the law on our side; let’s go get them.” In the other camp are Administrator Lisa Jackson and EPA air chief Gina McCarthy, who are trying to maintain the support of the White House and Congress.
The question will be whether Heinzerling left on her own steam or got pushed out the door. Even if it was her own decision, it may have come after losing the fight to run roughshod over Congress and impose the equivalent of carbon taxes through regulation. A Republican House appears poised to strip the EPA of funding if it exceeds what the GOP considers its Congressional mandate, which means an end to regulatory innovation for the next two years, at least. There isn’t much point in sticking around for Heinzerling under those conditions.
If she got pushed, then it sends a stronger signal that the White House may have decided to forgo a constitutional battle with Congress over regulatory expansion as a substitute for legislation. This shows the importance of winning the House in the midterms. The Senate won’t be able to add spending rejected by the House because Republicans will have a substantial majority to block it in conference reports. Anything defunded by the House will stay defunded, and despite some of the tough talk from the Obama administration before the midterms on pursuing regulatory solutions, the White House has apparently reached the obvious conclusion.
We will know more when Obama appoints Heinzerling’s successor. If the next appointee is an advocate of aggressive regulatory expansion, then Heinzerling’s departure won’t have been an olive branch at all.
Can't Obama pick someone with some business and executive experience?
It’s all about grant money. Climate change will always exist and so will the grants. And these INTELLECTUALS like to butt heads....AND THEY BOTH GET GRANT MONEY!!!
Wow, will the Czars be next? (Of course not)
In the spirit of cooperation with the oil industry, he is probably considering appointing the President of the Venezulian National Oil Company to lead the dept of energy. That guy would be known as Chavez. Quote (o)bama on this appointment: I have moved across the aisle here in a spirit of cooperation with our business minded members of Congress and let me make this clear, I am doing this to be helpful as I try to get this country moving ahead. Mr. Chavez has shown he abides by my ideals. He knows when to step in and take charge. He will do that with any of our domestic oil companies that go against any of my ideas or concepts.
“Can’t Obama pick someone with some business and executive experience?”
He doesn’t like business experience. 8% of his hire have business experience.
“the White House is looking for olive branches...Lisa Heinzerling, an advocate for aggressive regulatory expansion to combat global warming, has resigned...”
She hasn’t been indicted, tried, convicted, sentenced, or executed. How is that an “olive branch?”
Don’t let the garage door hit your wide load on the way out, Lisa!
Ed puts forward and interesting thesis. I just figured that Heinzerling saw the investigations coming and took this opportunity to head for the hills. I never imagined that she might have been pushed out by the Obozo as kind of a truce offer to Boehner. I can’t see it but it is rather interesting.
RE: She hasn’t been indicted, tried, convicted, sentenced, or executed. How is that an “olive branch?”
An Olive Branch in the sense that her policies are DEEPLY UNPOPULAR with business and the right and some Democrats whose jobs and businesses will take a huge hit as a result of her regulation.
In other words, Obama might have said something like this to her :
“Look Lisa, I like you and you know that you and I share the same ideology.... however, we just took a huge hit this November and I need to shore up my message to those who supported me before but went against me this time because of your aggressive regulatory policies. Therefore, I have to reluctantly let you go. Maybe some other time.... see you in Georgetown.”
She made one fatal mistake:
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/US-Texas-vs-EPA/2010/02/16/id/350002
She messed with Texas...
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, you commie.
Tip of the iceberg. IMO - Discredited science teachers will be dropping like polar bears... whoops, I mean RINO’s. Good riddence!
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