U.S. Chamber of Commerce Seeks 'Scopes Monkey' Trial on Global Warming. By Jim Tankerley, LATimes, August 25, 2009. "The nation's largest business lobby wants to put the science of global warming on trial. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trying to ward off potentially sweeping federal emissions regulations, is pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to hold a rare public hearing on the scientific evidence for man-made climate change. Chamber officials say it would be 'the Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century' -- complete with witnesses, cross-examinations and a judge who would rule, essentially, on whether humans are warming the planet to dangerous effect. 'It would be evolution versus creationism,' said William Kovacs, the chamber's senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs. 'It would be the science of climate change on trial.' The goal of the chamber, which represents 3 million large and small businesses, is to fend off potential emissions regulations by undercutting the scientific consensus over climate change. If the EPA denies the request, as expected, the chamber plans to take the fight to federal court. The EPA is having none of it, calling a hearing a 'waste of time' and saying that a threatened lawsuit by the chamber would be 'frivolous'...
"In the coming weeks, the EPA is set to formally declare that the heat-trapping gases scientists blame for climate change endanger human health, and are thus subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act. The so-called endangerment finding will be a cornerstone of the Obama administration's plan to set strict new emissions standards on cars and trucks. The proposed finding has drawn more than 300,000 public comments. Many of them question scientists' projections that rising temperatures will lead to increased mortality rates, harmful pollution and extreme weather events such as hurricanes. In light of those comments, the chamber told the EPA in a filing on August 25 that a trial-style public hearing, which is allowed under the law but nearly unprecedented on this scale, is the only way to 'make a fully informed, transparent decision with scientific integrity based on the actual record of the science.'"
No comments:
Post a Comment