More Multi-State Lawsuits Against The Bush Administration

When you've got a good thing going for you, why not add to it? A few weeks ago several states sued the Bush Administration for denying them the opportunity to have stricter regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from cars than the federal government. The story got good press and more heat piled on the corrupted White House.

Now Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York are teaming up to take on a cold-weather climate problem, efficiency standards for gas furnances and home heating appliances. California may not use this as much as we do, but everyone wants to stay warm, but George Bush seems to want to have it be at the expense of the environment....and our pocketbooks.

From The New York Times:

The city’s Law Department, along with the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York, argue that the new efficiency standards set by the federal Department of Energy last November are far too weak to significantly cut carbon dioxide emissions, or to help lower home heating costs that have hit people in the Northeast especially hard.

The new standard for the most common home heating appliance — the gas-fired furnace — was increased only slightly, going to 80 percent efficient from the previous 78 percent level.

Environmental groups had urged the government to raise efficiency standards for furnaces to at least 90 percent, which would represent meaningful reductions in home heating costs as well as the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.

“By adopting such weak standards, the Energy Department is telling New Yorkers and others that reducing greenhouse gases and heating bills just doesn’t matter,” Ramin Pejan, a lawyer with the city’s Law Department, said in a statement.

You would think that after Bush's pathetic display of pandering for cheaper crude oil prices and the subsequent smack-down from the Saudis that may be he'd come up with a way to be less dependent on oil. Ah, but then we would be forgetting all his friends in the oil industry, and their need to make a ridiculous profit on processing all that crude. Who cares if demand cruises by the amount of supply of this environment-robbing substance? Oh, our children and their children....um, well, that's their problem.

New Jersey Going Green

New Jersey hosting one of the Live Earth concerts at the Meadowlands today to bring attention to the problem of climate change. The mood must be festive out there already, because Governor Corzine was in an extremely green mood yesterday when he enacted laws to curb greenhouse gas emissions. New Jersey is only the second state in the nation behind California to take such monumental action. Al Gore couldn't have been happier.

From WCBS-TV:

"From now on when I give my slideshow around the world I'm gonna include New Jersey," Gore said. Under the law, the state will have until 2020 to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent, and until 2050 to cut emissions by 80 percent. Power plants will have to become more efficient and cars will have to spew less carbon dioxide into the air. "It is the strongest global warming cap in the country," said Suzanne Leta Liou of Environment New Jersey.

No one has really said how New Jersey will do this exactly, but at least there is groundwork to build on. Perhaps Corzine can take some pointers from New York City's PlaNYC that has dozens of climate-saving ideas. Not only should Jersey being getting pointers, they should be a part of a growing chorus that demands the federal government do something about climate change. Too bad the current resident at the White House isn't bothering to listen.