By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: September 16, 2010
LOS ANGELES — A ballot initiative to suspend a milestone California law curbing greenhouse gas emissions is drawing a wave of contributions from out-of-state oil companies, raising concerns among conservationists as it emerges as a test of public support for potentially costly environmental measures during tough economic times.
Charles and David Koch, the billionaires from Kansas who have played a prominent role in financing the Tea Party movement, donated $1 million to the campaign to suspend the Global Warming Solutions Act, which was passed four years ago,...
There was a 2007 Decision by the USA Supreme Court mandating the EPA was to rule in the regulation of Greenhouse Gases. This 'action' in California is empty and unconstitutional. It won't survive the first court challenge. It is nothing but an election stunt as far as I am concerned.
I mean California was one of many states that sued the EPA under the Bush Administration that brought about the ruling in the first place. This is a hideous petition and simply carries no brevity except for political rhetoric. And the Koch 'addicts' are spending a million US on a campaign initiative, but, what else is new?
High Court Faults EPA Inaction on Emissions
Critics of Bush Stance on Warming Claim Victory
By Robert Barnes and Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
..."EPA has offered no reasoned explanation for its refusal to decide whether greenhouse gases cause or contribute to climate change," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority. The agency "identifies nothing suggesting that Congress meant to curtail EPA's power to treat greenhouse gases as air pollutants," the opinion....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/02/AR2007040200487.html
There is another article in the NY Times about tornadoes hitting the city. Think 'HEAT SINK.'
What is a 'heat sink' and why are major metropolitan areas being struck by tornadoes?
A few years ago I was tracking a 'system' on radar and I could not believe what I saw. As the system came closer to St. Louis, Missouri it was picking up vorticity (velocity). The closer it got to the city the more danger there was and before much longer there were tornadoes warnings. When I looked at the newspapers in regard to the 'aftermath' there was significant damage done to St. Matthew's church. Of course, I blogged about it and to some it would seem as though God was speaking loud and clear.
Supreme Court: EPA must address climate risk
The high court's 5-to-4 ruling Monday rejects the White House's view and hands environmentalists a major victory.
By Warren Richey, Staff Writer, Brad Knickerbocker, Staff Writer / April 3, 2007
WASHINGTON AND ASHLAND, ORE.
The Environmental Protection Agency must take action to assess the environmental perils of global warming.
In a major victory for environmentalists, the US Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Bush administration's view that the EPA has discretion to decide when and how to best respond to international environmental threats. The vote was 5 to 4.
Instead, the high court said laws passed by Congress to protect the environment require the EPA to swing into action to assess environmental threats that jeopardize human health and safety.
"Under the clear terms of the Clean Air Act, EPA can avoid taking further action only if it determines that greenhouse gases do not contribute to climate change or if it provides some reasonable explanation," writes Justice John Paul Stevens for the majority. He says the agency had offered no reasonable explanation to avoid the clear instructions of the Clean Air Act.
"This is the congressional design," Justice Stevens writes. "EPA has refused to comply with this clear statutory command." Joining Stevens in the majority were Justices Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer....
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0403/p01s01-usju.html
BUT, there would be more of these 'city tornado episodes.' There was one that struck a CNN studio and did a lot of damage. It was all over the media and people were astounded by the force of what most people would term 'a strong storm.' There would be a growing number of these 'incidents' which includes stadiums and the 'weather broadcasters' were calling them 'down blasts.' Another name for a low level tornado of short duration.
In recent history New York City has experienced tornadoes. I believe it was last year or the year before an F1 touched down doing a fair amount of damage to a community.
So am I surprised that while it seems 'more logical' to have 'tornado touchdowns' closer to Eastern Lake Ontario than NYC, the answer is "No."
Why? I really think nearly anyone that understands the Climate Crisis began with Human Induced Global WARMING , will 'figure out' what a 'heat sink' is and why they are FUELING their own destructive storms.
Will they get worse? Yes. But, they will become more frequent before they get worse. Or. Will they?
If the cities are 'unsure' what to do with this phenomena, the white roofs will help, but, they need regular cleaning. Also, one might recall an interest in a "Paris" design modeled after the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon."
What was that? Let's see.
If you haven't run across Blanc's work before, prepare to be wowed. He's the creator of Le Mur Vegetal -- the remarkable "vertical gardens" that now adorn the exterior walls of buildings in Paris, Manhattan, Bangkok, and other cities. One notable example is the Musée du quai Branly in Paris (photo © goodduckling @ Flickr):
http://www.onearth.org/community-blog/concrete-canyons-hanging-gardens-patrick-blancs-green-walls
It is no substitution for healthy forests, but, it will soak up some carbon dioxide and anything 'green' will bring temperatures down. Try walking across a street and then across a lawn. Notice two things. The level of noise caused by your feet and the temperature difference.
Below is the Massachusetts ruling that send same ot the Supreme Court.
While the court recognized the validity behind the science as opposed to the politics of the Bush White House. One other thing. Now that we know the Brisith scientists were victimized and the opposition that grew around the invasion of privacy of a professor's email is bogus, what happened to the investigation that would find and convict those that broke into the British university website?
...1. Petitioners have standing to challenge the EPA’s denial of their rulemaking petition. Pp. 12–23.
(a) This case suffers from none of the defects that would preclude it from being a justiciable Article III “Controvers[y].” See, e.g., Luther v. Borden, 7 How. 1. Moreover, the proper construction of a congressional statute is an eminently suitable question for federal-court resolution, and Congress has authorized precisely this type of challenge to EPA action,...
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/05-1120.ZS.html
