Climate Czarina Carol Browner sat down with some media this weekend to affirm, in the most transparent fashion possible, my assertion that the administration plans to use the threat of an EPA “endangerment” finding to frighten industry into a nice, clean, controversy-free negotiated legislative settlement of the whole Kyoto agenda . . . that thing that they are terrified to do to you without industry cover.
Her message was boy, they’d sure prefer legislation to the havoc that EPA might wreak and, by the way, they’re getting ready to set EPA loose any moment now. Who’s up for some surrend- . . . some legislation!?
That this is their plan couldn’t be any more obvious. But the only way to affirm that this is a bluff is to use patient, empirical observation. Observed temperatures put the lie to computer climate models. Here, too, we should wait the prediction out. If the Obama administration pushes EPA to regulate CO2 as a pollutant, they will be on the hook for the consequences. Do you really think they want that? I was informed by an insider before this threat that they do not. They’re confident they can threaten their way into being given a pass on this.
I have a piece in the queue at Human Events picking this apart, and noting that the only thing more pathetic would be if any in industry — and you few trade groups being targeted know who you are — fall for it.
In the meantime, it’s high time that we start naming names of the Top Ten Companies Lobbying to Increase Your Energy Taxes. We’re working on that one. Let’s see how a little sunshine works. If it also serves to help keep some wobblies from selling out, all the better.