Why Isn’t Nevada in the Fight against the White House’s Disastrous Clean Power Plan?
(Chuck Muth) – Contrary to what you might believe, I am not a climate change denier. In fact, the climate here in Nevada has changed dramatically since August. It’s so bad, I’ve had to replace my gym shorts with sweat pants!
But that’s not the kind of climate change President Barack Obama is talking about. He’s talking about catastrophic, permanent climate change that is believed by some scientists and dismissed by others.
To “prove” that global warming is real, the White House contends that “2014 was the hottest year on record globally, and 2015 is on track to break that record.” In addition, the administration maintains that “globally, the 10 warmest years on record all occurred since 1998.”
Also occurring since 1998, according to a study by the Australian government, “the number of children seeking help for mental health problems” has doubled. A consequence of global warming? The timing fits, so it must be so, right?
But it’s not just Australians suffering from the alleged devastating side effects of global warming. Americans, according to the White House, are in serious danger, too.
“Children, the elderly, and the poor (of course) are most vulnerable to a range of climate-related health effects,” the White House contends on its website, “including those related to heat stress, air pollution, extreme weather events, and diseases carried by food, water, and insects.”
In the immortal words of Gov. William J. Lepetomane (I-Blazing Saddles)…
“Holy underwear! We have to protect our phony-baloney jobs here, gentlemen! We must do something about this immediately! Immediately! Immediately! Harrumph! Harrumph! Harrumph!”
To that end Obama is pushing his “Clean Power Plan” (CPP), which according to the hype will cure everything but the heartbreak of psoriasis.
Indeed, if you believe the administration (but why would you?), CPP will prevent up to “3,600 premature deaths, 1,700 non-fatal heart attacks, 90,000 asthma attacks in children and 300,000 missed workdays and schooldays.”
Why, it’s a miracle!
Unfortunately, the potential side effects of the plan are listed in the small print, so you might have missed them…
“CPP could result in serious infections, heart problems, high blood pressure, kidney problems, anxiety, stomach problems, uncontrollable drooling, bowel problems, bleeding, chills, body aches, tiredness, nerve damage, ulcers, aching joints and fevers. Stop taking CPP if you experience an objection lasting more than four hours.”
Kidding aside, there are very real side effects of Obama’s proposed CPP.
According to a recent report by National Economic Research Associates (NERA), if Obama’s EPA moves forward with the CPP – which ABC, NBC, CBS, NYT and CNN think is A-OK but FOX, WSJ, CNS and NRO think is a SNAFU – consumers are really gonna take it in the shorts.
Indeed, NERA projects that “all of the lower 48 states will have higher electricity prices because of the Clean Power Plan,” and that “electricity prices will increase by double-digits, on average, in as many as 40 states,” resulting in household spending power being slashed by some $64 to $79 billion.
Simply put: CPP, if implemented, would be an economic climate disaster.
Which is why 27 states are challenging it in court, while 18 states and the District of Columbia support it – including California (go figure). Five states – including Nevada – remain on the sidelines, not yet choosing a side. The deadline to file petitions opposing CPP is December 22, 2015.
Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt has been at the forefront of a number of important legal challenges to Obama’s federal government overreach in his short time in office, having joined lawsuits to overturn the president’s executive amnesty for illegal immigrants, stop efforts to lock up Nevada land by putting the sage grouse on the endangered species list, and block the EPA’s “Waters of the United States” rule.
Opposing the CPP would seem to be right up his alley. Let’s hope he joins the fight before the deadline!
(Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach and publisher of Nevada News & Views)
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