EPA

This is the face of madness

l3wis December 9, 2011 7Comments

It is always interesting to read 2 perspectives on a topic. Today we have the issue of the fake dust legislation that Noem sponsored. First from The Huffington Post;

WASHINGTON – A bill to ban a farm dust regulation that the federal government has never proposed passed the House Thursday, sailing through easily on a party-line vote of 268 to 150.

The measure, dubbed the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011, was purported by its lead sponsor, Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from writing a rule that would require farmers to take onerous steps to control dust from their land.

But EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has said repeatedly that no such rule is in the works. What the EPA does do is review ambient air pollution standards every five years, as required by law, and make recommendations on whether or not to tighten standards.

“We have spent an entire day debating about a bill that does not address an existing problem,” said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.).

“This entire session of Congress has felt to many of us like a trip into Alice’s Wonderland,” said DeGette. “To paraphrase the Cheshire Cat, ‘We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad. … You must be mad or you wouldn’t have come here.’ Sadly for the American people, H.R. 1633 simply underscores the ‘madness’ of this body right now.”

Republicans countered that although no rule was proposed, they worried that someone might file a lawsuit someday to to regulate farm dust.

Now let’s look at what Argue Endorser had to say about all the madness;

WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to block federal pollution limits on the dust kicked up by farms, mines and other rural operations.

The bill sponsored by freshman Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., is a key part of Republican efforts to roll back federal rules and regulations, arguing that government overreach is holding back the economy.

It’s unlikely the bill, Noem’s signature piece of legislation, will go any further. The White House has threatened to veto the bill, and it faces strong opposition in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

“Dust in rural America is not the same as dust in urban areas,” said Noem. “It’s common sense that dust from a dirt road is not the same as soot from a car, and it’s common sense that they should be regulated differently.”

So let me get this straight. Noem is sponsoring legislation to prevent the EPA from regulating something they don’t regulate anyway? Huh? Madness is right.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN86d0CdgHQ[/youtube]