The Supreme Court recently judged that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is, in essence, responsible for all conditions associated with global warming under the Clean Air Act. The Act was first signed in 1970 and was then amended in 1990. And while people are still running around claiming that the sky is falling and that this will bankrupt what remains of the "domestic" auto industry over night, NYU professor, David Schoenbrod, also of the Cato Institute, has already described how this decision has been seen before.
The issue of global warming, or environmentalism in general, is a concern to a host of different players in a less than orchestrated dance, including: the general public, the president, the EPA, Congress, big business, and apparently the Supreme Court among others. By tagging the EPA with this responsibility (you're it!), the court is essentially helping to pass the buck and give Congress a free pass.
Everyone involved in the climate shuffle wants to take credit as part of the solution, but when actual dollars and cents are attached to measures (taxes) to address the situation, they vanish quicker than that new car smell. The dance resembles more a game of musical chairs with the EPA left standing alone, who will now assume the role of whipping boy when things don't get better and voters come calling. And while the EPA should be the lead agency in setting enviro-policy, the simply don't have legs or stomach (or any other parts for that matter) to actually make change. It is a bit like a corporate CEO tasking the mailroom to enforce Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
How does the president fit in? Well, he actually plays a similar role, though as we have seen, he is clearly taking sides by leaving the automakers out on their own. It will be interesting to see if this filters down to any other parts of big business be fore he takes his leave. He too at least wants to appear to be part of the solution, though because he is just one person, he can move a bit faster around the duck-duck-goose circle.
It took the EPA (and Clean Air Act) numerous administrations, more than 25 years and one amendment to achieve any appreciable results. Let's hope the public doesn't let the global warming charade to follow the path.
To read Professor Schoenbrod's article on What's next for Global Warming? click here.
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