He is no Al Gore and President Obama has often been criticized about not taking stronger environmental stands, but he may be doing more than most of us realize. The New York Times has a story saying it is possible he may have “the most aggressive, far-reaching environmental legacy of any occupant of the White House.” Although no major environmental legislation has been passed during his time in office, he has used the Clean Air Act of 1070 to issue regulations on air pollution, soot, smog, mercury and carbon dioxide.
The Clean Air Act created the Environmental Protection Agency and gave it a lot of flexibility in how it interpreted law. President Obama has used Clean Air Act to great the first national policy for dealing with global warming and reshaped auto manufacturing and electrical utilities industries.
The Clean Air Act was passed in 1970 by a bipartisan vote in the senate of 73 to zero and signed by Richard Nixon. In 1990 the Clean Air was strengthened and passed with 89 senators voting for it including Mitch McConnell and signed by George H. Bush. The Times reported
“I had to choose between cleaner air and the status quo,” Mr. McConnell said at the time. “I chose cleaner air.”
Today Mr. McConnell is one of the most vocal critics of the President’s environmental actions. Not surprisingly he represents a state that is a major producer of coal.
It is possible some of the President’s efforts may be overturned by challenges in the Supreme Court. Time will tell.
Read the full New York Times article at Obama Builds Environmental Legacy With 1970 Law – NYTimes.com
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