Thune, Barrasso lob anti-Earth grenade

The EPA is coming under fire from Koch West.

In an effort to distract voters from mercury, lead, and asbestos fallout from coal-fired power plants, refineries, and mines South Dakota junior senator and presidential dopeful, John Thune, has teamed up with fellow Earth-haters to restrict EPA powers as it polices serial offenders under the Clean Act Act.

David Doniger calls it "Mural Dyslexia:"

All these bills are based on a pair of big lies. The first is that EPA is engaged in an “unconstitutional power grab” trying “to regulate that which it has been unable to legislate.” No, EPA is doing its job under the Clean Air Act, a law enacted by Congress, which (as the Supreme Court has found) directs EPA to act when science demonstrates that pollutants endanger our health and welfare. The second big lie is that EPA’s modest plan for curbing dangerous carbon pollution “will kill millions of jobs” and “poses a significant threat to job creation and economic recovery.” But EPA is not allowed to make businesses take steps that are too costly or that would hurt the economy – Clean Air Act safeguards have to be both achievable and affordable. The bill’s only exception is an empty one – it would allow action only to protect against imminent and substantial harm from direct human exposure – and then only from pollution levels higher than any projected to occur in the future.

If this obvious plumage display makes it to the President's desk, I'll eat this keyboard.  David Montgomery at Mount Blogmore must have heard ip the other day.  The TEA wing of the US House is coming from another direction as the REINS Act, intended to bind the hands of the executive in favor of industry, reaches the floor for debate.