White House Official: Obama Will Use Executive Powers To Meet Climate Goals

[babylonsister]

White House Official: Obama Will Use Executive Powers To Meet Climate Goals

by Emily Atkin
Posted on December 4, 2014 at 11:57 am



The Obama administration is doubling down on its commitment to aggressive climate action despite an incoming Republican Congress that will undoubtedly oppose it, White House senior adviser John Podesta said Wednesday, saying the President can use his executive powers to meet his carbon reduction goals.

The comments, reported by the Financial Times, were reportedly meant to assure other world leaders that the United States can still meet the ambitious climate goals set out under its historic agreement with China, even with a Congress led by a party that largely believes climate change does not exist. Under that agreement, the U.S. pledged to emit 26 to 28 percent less greenhouse gases in 2025 than it did in 2005. China, still a developing country, promised to get 20 percent of its energy from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2030, and to peak its overall carbon dioxide emissions by that same year.

“We’re building our game plan around authorities that exist in current law,” Podesta said, “not in the need to get a major, massive new climate reduction program put in place by the Congress.”

Using Presidential power to address climate change is far from a new theme in the Obama administration. Indeed, when Obama made his landmark climate speech in June of 2013 — months before Podesta was appointed his adviser — he specifically announced his intention to bypass a deadlocked Congress and direct the Environmental Protection Agency to issue strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.

“I don’t have much patience for anyone who denies that this challenge is real. We don’t have time for a meeting of the flat earth society,” Obama said at the time. “Sticking your head in the sand might make you feel safer, but it’s not going to protect you from the coming storm.”

more...

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/04/3599564/podesta-obama-executive-powers-climate/

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. I don't have much patience for those assholes either, Mr. President, good on YOU

[madokie]

11. Neither do I Mr President

[randome]

2. Wow. Impressive. Meanwhile, Congress plays with itself.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[calimary]

10. Well, why wouldn't they?

They are quite literally a big stupid proudly ignorant bunch of dicks.

[nichomachus]

3. Obama should issue an executive order a day

He'd have those bastards running around in circles.

[arcane1]

4. One way to reduce carbon: treat imports and exports differently. Aka "say No to the TPP"

What good does it do the atmosphere if we are shipping stuff from China that we can produce locally?

[riqster]

5. "We don’t have time for a meeting of the flat earth society,”

Damn straight.

[lonestarnot]

6. I particularly like that statement.

[calimary]

9. ABSOLUTELY!!!!

TOTALLY damn straight!

[vkkv]

7. Republicans Question Obama’s Motives for Fixing Economy (The Borowitz Report)

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Two days after the release of an unusually strong jobs report, prominent Republicans appeared on the Sunday morning talk shows to question President Obama’s “suspicious motives” for repairing the economy.

“When there have been so many months of job growth, it does make you wonder what he’s up to,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “You add in the rising stock market and falling gas prices, and the whole thing doesn’t pass the smell test.”

Appearing on Fox News, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accused the President of “cynically fixing the economy to distract the American people.”

“This country faces serious problems, and I don’t think they can be swept under the rug by creating prosperity,” he said.

But the sternest rebuke came from House Speaker John Boehner, who warned, “If President Obama doesn’t stop fixing the economy, Congress has ways to make him stop.”

“If the President thinks he can fool the American people by putting them back to work and raising their wages, he’s headed for a rude awakening,” he said.

[quadrature]

8. Civil War 2.0

the Southern US is always the enemy.
why is that?
the working class is always the enemy?
why is that?

NG for winter home heating, not regulated
electricity for summer A/C, regulated

aviation fuel for 1%ers, not regulated
gasoline for poor folk, regulated

[blkmusclmachine]

12. So, what can we expect Pres. Third Way to do? Another fancy, useless speech, I bet...

[Cha]

13. Thanks babylonsistah.. Thanks Obama!

[Andy823]

14. K&R nt