Pres. Obama chose perhaps the worst time to announce that he was rescinding EPA's new smog rules, right in the middle of a huge sit-in at the White House against the Keystone XL oil pipeline. It's as if he's handing us the nails to put in the coffin of his environmental record.
My biggest problem with this is how he allows the issue to be framed: we have to choose between a clean environment and good jobs. Since we're in a recession, it's OK to let more people die from air pollution for years to come. This is a false paradigm, but let's take it on its face: would we rather have jobs that make people sick, or be healthy and have higher unemployment?
Again, I don't think this is the choice. Renewable energy is huge growth sector and it reduces air pollution. But I'm just laying out the argument as it stands in the national debate. Notice that I didn't use the word "environment": the purpose of the new EPA regulation is not to protect the environment. It is to save lives.
So, human health or dirty jobs? I know what I'd choose first.
My biggest problem with this is how he allows the issue to be framed: we have to choose between a clean environment and good jobs. Since we're in a recession, it's OK to let more people die from air pollution for years to come. This is a false paradigm, but let's take it on its face: would we rather have jobs that make people sick, or be healthy and have higher unemployment?
Again, I don't think this is the choice. Renewable energy is huge growth sector and it reduces air pollution. But I'm just laying out the argument as it stands in the national debate. Notice that I didn't use the word "environment": the purpose of the new EPA regulation is not to protect the environment. It is to save lives.
So, human health or dirty jobs? I know what I'd choose first.
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