Climate Change Emails & Whistleblower Merry-Go-Round

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

The problem with working on environmental and energy issues for 30 years is that you see the same patterns over and over again with each new administration. Now, instead of James Hansen hassling the Bush administration with charges of his speech being limited, we have Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel, EPA attorneys, contradicting EPA and administration policies on climate change. I disagree with Williams and Zabel and believe the Obama administration is on the right track on climate change.

Now the climate change email controversy seems to 'spring up' just days before the United Nations climate change meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark. The hacked emails show pro-global warming scientists suppressing the views of their colleagues who do not believe that such warming is occurring due to man's mechanized emissions. Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Minority Leader James Inhofe is in heaven over the email controversy. We believe climate change is the most important issue facing us today. The atmosphere goes up about 90 miles and you cannot load it with an unlimited amount of man made gaseous emissions without serious consequences.

My frustration is that nothing ever really gets done on these issues. Sure, air pollution has gotten better but I can see the air on way too many days in the summer smog season. There is too much litigation, particularly over EPA programs such as New Source Review. I pine for more success stories, such as the Acid Rain Program, which everybody agrees was successful. But I get frustrated when the mainstream environmental groups oppose President Bush's cap and trade program under his proposed Clear Skies Initiative, but then turn right around and support cap and trade under the current administration. We lost 8 years under former President Bush and now it looks like we could lose four to eight more years due to the same sorts of shenanigans from other players.