Climate change report suppressed by EPA?

By Jennifer J. Foster

Did you guys hear about this?

From FoxNews.com:

A top Republican senator has ordered an investigation into the Environmental Protection Agency’s alleged suppression of a report that questioned the science behind global warming.

The 98-page report, co-authored by EPA analyst Alan Carlin, pushed back on the prospect of regulating gases like carbon dioxide as a way to reduce global warming. Carlin’s report argued that the information the EPA was using was out of date, and that even as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, global temperatures have declined ...

According to internal e-mails that have been made public by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Carlin’s boss told him in March that his material would not be incorporated into a broader EPA finding and ordered Carlin to stop working on the climate change issue. The draft EPA finding released in April lists six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, that the EPA says threaten public health and welfare.

A couple of curious things here:

According to the article, Carlin is an economist, not a scientist. EPA officials say his information would not be incorporated in the finding because he included “no original research.“

In addition, Carlin’s work was “unsolicited,“ according to an unnamed EPA official quoted in the story:

“It was something that he did on his own,“ the official said. “Though he was not qualified, his manager indulged him and allowed him on agency time to draft up ... a set of comments.“

Hold up. Do we really have EPA analysts sitting around with enough time on their hands that they can chase their own rabbits? Get me budgeting on the phone.

Soooo ... if EPA officials are to be believed, Carlin’s work was neither necessary nor properly done, and they knew these things going in. Why, then, would Carlin’s manager “indulge” him by allowing him to chase the project to begin with? Sounds like we have some management issues in the EPA.

Strange, don’t you think, that this story alleging an EPA cover-up about greenhouse gases comes to light just days after the House of Representatives passed substantial legislation regarding climate change (a/k/a the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES); a/k/a “cap and trade bill”)?

Here’s part of one e-mail Carlin received from his superior, National Center for Environmental Economics Director Al McGartland:

“The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision,“ he wrote, according to the e-mails released by CEI. “I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and that would be a very negative impact on our office.“

He later wrote an e-mail urging Carlin to “move on to other issues and subjects.“

“I don’t want you to spend any additional EPA time on climate change. No papers, no research, etc., at least until we see what EPA is going to do with climate,“ McGartland wrote.

Carlin says this is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog; EPA officials say that Carlin’s opinions were considered, they just didn’t meet scientific muster.

Republicans are hopping mad about this. If you didn’t hear about this story this week, you will—if not before the Senate considers the ACES/cap-and-trade bill, then certainly in those hearings.

You can learn a lot from Huntsville

By Jennifer J. Foster

If you are at all interested in what’s going on in Washington vis-a-vis health care reform (and if you aren’t interested, um ... hellllloooo, McFly??? Is there anybody home???), then you need to yourself to read this post over on Flashpoint.

My friend Brian, who maintains Flashpoint, attended the town hall meeting convened by U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith last night, and he gives us the 411 on what went down.

You may or may not agree with Brian’s philosophical assessment of the roots of the health care problems. But whatever your personal beliefs, here’s the upshot: Health care reform—the kind of massive, government-driven overhaul espoused at times by President Obama—simply isn’t going to pass without the support of moderate to conservative Democrats like Griffith. And if what happened last night in Huntsville is at all indicative of what other lawmakers are hearing at home during the break ... well, this line from Brian pretty much sums it up:

If that meeting is any indication of how people feel elsewhere then I’ll tell you right now - the safest thing any politician can do is stay away from the issue.  Everyone is EXTREMELY passionate and, often, quite irrational.

Tea Party II in Montgomery

By Jennifer J. Foster

Regular reader Don S. asked me to pass along some information about an event in Montgomery this weekend. As a purveyor of all things political, I am happy to do so.

The Montgomery Tea Party Patriots will host a 4th of July rally and celebration on Saturday, July 4th, at Overlook Park between the Alabama River and Bell Street in downtown Montgomery, Ala., between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. This celebration of our nation’s independence is open to everyone who loves America.

On the schedule:

WWII airplane formation fly-over

Honor/color guard

Patriotic music by sound man and D-J Dr. Sam

Speakers (all topics will be tied to the U.S. Constitution), to include talk show host and emcee Greg Budell; talk show host Kevin Elkins; Dr. Bart Cook, to speak on nationalized medicine; George Sullivan, a WWII, Korea and Vietnam veteran; Becky Gerritson, to speak on cap and trade; and Tom Mullens, the author of “Common Sense Revisited: Awakening the Spirit of Liberty in the Inhabitants of America.“

Bring your chairs, water, flags, noisemakers, signs, family, friends, and enthusiasm for our country. We will celebrate and educate on how dear liberty is to our country. Let us raise our voices in peaceful assembly to let our “leaders” know this is the country of “WE THE PEOPLE” as we honor the sacrifices of Americans from the beginning of our republic. We will present current legislation that is damaging to our freedom and contact information for your elected officials.

There will be celebrations going on at the River Walk Amphitheater. The Biscuits have a baseball game. The Alleyway is open and will have dining and entertainment. The Brewpub is a staple of fine dining. Linger at Overlook Park to view the fireworks display or take part in the other activities downtown. Plan to spend the night at the new Renaissance Hotel or the Hampton Inn.

There is ample parking close to Overlook Park. American Legion Post 210 has offered its parking lot at 903 Bell Street about 3 blocks away from the park across I-65. There are parking decks nearby, and parking on Bell Street will be allowed.

For more information, e-mail Don at redseib (at) bellsouth (dot) net, call Donna Dawson at 334-286-9858 or 334-399-4041 or visit the group’s web site: http://ddforliberty.blogspot.com/.

P.S. If your group is planning something political and you want some help publicizing it, let me know. I’ll post info here.

Dem gubernatorial candidates face off

By Jennifer J. Foster

If you caught “Week in Review” on APT Friday, you might remember me mentioning the pending forum involving the Democratic candidates for governor, U.S. Rep. Artur Davis and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks.

The Dothan Chamber of Commerce hosted the forum Monday. As expected, conversation revolved around economic development, transportation funding, what to do about PACT and how to handling gambling and the proliferation of electronic bingo in various areas of the state.

But then there was this, as reported by the Dothan Eagle:

On State Constitutional Reform ...

Davis: Supports a constitutional convention to reform the Alabama Constitution with delegates to the convention elected by 2012.

“We need a document for who we are today and not who we were in 1901,” Davis said.

Sparks: Urges caution. He says constitutional reform should be handled in smaller chunks.

“When you understand how Montgomery works, you have to be careful about opening up the whole constitution to Montgomery, Alabama,” Sparks said.

Arrrrgh!! I am so SICK of this condescending attitude that Alabamians don’t, or can’t, “understand how Montgomery works.“ Hey, Ron Sparks: We completely understand how Montgomery works. And that’s one of the myriad reasons why we want reform: We want to take some of these things off your hands, because we don’t trust you with them anymore.

I despise this argument espoused by most anti-reform politicians. Once again, I will ask: How is it that they can trust our judgment when it comes to electing them, but not when it comes to constitutional reform?

Get behind reform, or get out of the way.

Nice work if you can get it

By Jennifer J. Foster

White House officials released the salary list for its employees yesterday.

Nothing incredibly surprising: Top-level staff members of the Obama Administration earn the same amount as their predecessors in the Bush administration, according to CNN and a congressional report; 122 of 487 White House employees earn more than $100,000; and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is one of 22 White House staffers who have already “maxed out” at the top salary of $172,000 in their first five months of the job.

In addition to Emanuel, those top earners include high-level staffers Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, senior advisers David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, National Security Adviser Jim Jones, National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers, White House Counsel Greg Craig and communications director Anita Dunn.

Not surprising. You’re familiar with most of those folks (with the possible exception of Dunn). They hold incredibly important posts and have decades of experience to bring to the job; as such, they should be paid handsomely for their expertise.

But the group also includes Jonathan Favreau.

Never heard of him?

Oh, he’s the speechwriting director. He has likened his position to being “Ted Williams’ batting coach.“

And he’s 28 years old.

If you needed more confirmation of the importance Obama places on his speeches, look no further than this: He pays the guy who produces them the same as he pays the guy who analyzes confidential information about threats to our national security.

See also:

The Annual Report to Congress on White House Office Staff, the actual staff salary listing provided to Congress by the White House.