Cheney Quietly Maneuvers Increased Control Over Environmental Policies
Cheney Quietly Maneuvers Increased Control Over Environmental Policies
The White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is a “super-powerful office” that reviews all major federal regulations of “non-independent federal agencies” on a range of issues, from workplace safety to water quality. OIRA and agency representatives regularly often meet with “outside stakeholders” to solicit opinions on regulations.
Vice President Cheney’s office has recently taken an interest in these meetings. In June, ThinkProgress noted that lobbyists for major polluters visited the White House to lobby against tighter smog standards. At that time, Clean Air Watch observed how unusual it was for a representative from Cheney’s office to attend that meeting:
Also sitting in on that meeting was a representative of Vice President Dick Cheney, long considered the go-to guy for big industries opposed to tougher environmental standards. … It’s pretty rare for someone with the Vice President to sit in on a meeting like this. It suggests that industry has really sought to elevate this politically.
This incident was not isolated. As OMB Watch notes, OIRA has “held more than 540 regulatory review meetings since February 2002.” Prior to Feb. 2007, Cheney’s office attended just three meetings; since that time, it has attended eight:
Based on the meetings a representative from OVP has attended, Cheney is focusing his attention on environmental and homeland security rules. The 11 meetings pertained to eight separate rulemakings, four of which were for EPA rules, and three of which were for DHS rules. The rulemakings are also those expected to have a significant impact on the economy, as the regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, chemical security and ozone likely will.
In the past, Cheney has taken “full advantage of the president’s cluelessness” to control the administration’s environmental agenda and stop progress against global warming. For example, he stacked the Committee on Environmental Quality with industry heavyweights, killing Bush’s 2000 campaign promise to place caps on carbon emissions. In 2001, his infamous energy task force also ordered the EPA to “reconsider” a rule requiring stricter pollution controls on power and oil refinery plants.
Cheney likely has a sympathizer in current OIRA head Susan Dudley. In her previous job at the industry-backed Mercatus Center, Dudley opposed tougher smog standards, air bags in cars, and regulations for arsenic in drinking water.
UPDATE: Warming Law has more on whether these meetings addressed California’s waiver application.
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shouldn’t that hat be black?
November 8th, 2007 at 11:53 amLooks like Kucinich needs to reintroduce his resolution.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:53 amwhat is that on his head?
November 8th, 2007 at 11:53 amOh, goody. Just what we need.
YIKES.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:57 amshouldn’t that hat be black?
Comment by rastaman — November 8, 2007 @ 11:53 am
Come on, Dick – it’s after Labor Day, for pete’s sake!
November 8th, 2007 at 11:57 amI cannot wait until this ogre is out of office forever.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:58 amDoesn’t this evil clown do EVERYTHING quietly ?
∞
November 8th, 2007 at 11:59 amDidn’t JR Ewing get shot? Oh, wait, it was all a dream. OK, the nightmare goes on.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:00 pmSo, let me get this straight…
the person who convened the Ultra Top Secret Energy Policy Panel is also the person who is deciding the environmental direction of the country?
That’s like having some Arabian Horse Show director in charge of disaster preparedness… no wait… bad example….
that’s like having a political lapdog as your Attorney General… oops… another bad example….
November 8th, 2007 at 12:00 pmCHENEY IS A MONSTER, CHENEY IS AN EVIL MONSTER!
November 8th, 2007 at 12:00 pmthis MONSTER, a friend of Musharrif, — encouraged, no doubt,
Musharrif’s recent crackdown – as a test run for what they
plan to do in 2008. They are PLANNING TO ATTACK IRAN, right before
the election, calling them a threat and putting on hold the election, or
doing it to show how tough they are, and thus get another MONSTER (Guiliani in)….THIS IS A MONSTER AMONG MONSTERS.
What about the WARS THAT will come down the pike as nations fight for WATER, and people die in sweltering heat, including babies! WELCOME TO HELL., CHENEY’S HELL.
Is that Darth’s “Dirty Harry” look? IF so, it isn’t working, he still looks like a scumbag.
Damn Duracell!! Why oh why did they ever invent those damn long-lasting pacemaker batteries anyway!
November 8th, 2007 at 12:01 pmDoesn’t this evil clown do EVERYTHING quietly ?
∞
Comment by alphainfinityomega — November 8, 2007 @ 11:59 am
my god you’re right… he does have a john wayne gacy look about him doens’t he?
November 8th, 2007 at 12:01 pmAnd the neocon’s have the audacity to accuse Hillary Clinton of having secret universal health care planning meetings.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:01 pmThis is not a surprise. Memo to media: Get a clue. Richard B. Cheney is the acting President not the one named George W. Bush. He has his hands into certain departments and meetings and such as National Security, CIA, Justice Dept and so on that will benefit him in the long run when he is out of office. By the time Dick leaves office, we will find that all of the food chain of departments that has a financial benefit has Dick’s fingerprints everywhere.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:02 pmAre Cheney’s secret meetings held at the YMCA?
November 8th, 2007 at 12:02 pmAre you opposed to letting the government hear from “stake holders”? These are companies and individuals who the government is threatening by removing their rights to do what they want with their own land. It seems more then fair to let them be heard if you ask me.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:02 pmMove fast, Dickie — you only have 14 more months left to completely trash our reputation in the world, destabilize a major region of the world, and kill all progress we have made toward responsible stewardship of the earth. You’ve done well so far toward these objectives, but there are still a few pockets of common sense left for you to shred and stomp on. Better step up the pace!
/sarc off
November 8th, 2007 at 12:03 pmCan we please just lock this evil douchebag in his man-sized safe until Jan. 2009? It would be considered an act to protect our National security. C’mon, we could drill a few air holes in the top and drop in a few puppies each day to quell his blood lust.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:06 pm“he’s got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle as he goes riding merrily along…”
dick, make the world a better place.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:07 pmdrop dead, NOW!
Are you opposed to letting the government hear from “stake holders� These are companies and individuals who the government is threatening by removing their rights to do what they want with their own land. It seems more then fair to let them be heard if you ask me.
Comment by Roger_Roger — November 8, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
Again, the two-headed troll STILL can’t rub two brain cells together to arrive at a logical thought. “Do what they want with their own land”? Do these companies own the whole friggin’ world already and I didn’t know it? Or have the figured out how to confine air and water and soil pollution to only their own patch of land without spreading it everywhere?
November 8th, 2007 at 12:07 pmmy god you’re right… he does have a john wayne gacy look about him doens’t he?
Comment by joe cantwell — November 8, 2007 @ 12:01 pm
Great – now I have that Sufjan Stevens song stuck in my head.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:07 pmNo one asked you Roger2X
November 8th, 2007 at 12:08 pmAnd Rogerx2, nobody asked you.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:08 pmRoger_Roger, 21_22
November 8th, 2007 at 12:09 pmFantastic!
Hey PLC-
November 8th, 2007 at 12:09 pmTwice the troll protection for a troll with two names and no brain
Getting Dick Cheney out of the White House is the real key to waking up from our collective nightmare.
Bush is obviously a puppet. Get Dick out, and we’re on our way to being good again.
I mean, just look at the breakdown of our major crises, and Cheney is leading the charge to make them worse.
Iraq – lied to us and started this whole mess
Iran – leading the charge to start this whole new mess
Global Warming – see above
Dollar Weakening – his corporation friends are robbing us blind
And then you look at Pakistan. This very website reported that Cheney’s office, instead of the State Department, deals with Musharraf. And over the weekend, Musharraf declared “emergency rule” and inflicted martial law upon the citizens. “Emergency rule” is a lot like “catastrophic emergency”, which would be Bush’s (aka Cheney’s) magic word if he wanted to do the same thing here, according to NSPD-51, which was released on the White House’s website on May 9th, 2007.
Seriously, my friends. The stakes are now too high to let him stay.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:11 pmTwo Two Whacks in One
Double your pleasure.
RogerRoger’s favorite song to sing is a duet of “If I only had a brain” from the Wizard of Oz.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:12 pmAre you opposed to letting the government hear from “stake holders� These are companies and individuals who the government is threatening by removing their rights to do what they want with their own land. It seems more then fair to let them be heard if you ask me.
Comment by Roger_Roger — November 8, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
I doubt if anyone is saying that landowners affected by environmental regulation shouldn’t be heard. When it comes to environmental laws and regulations, everybody who is affected by them — landowners, land users, and environmental groups — should be listened to.
But that’s not the point of this piece. The point being made is that Dick Cheney is involving himself in OIRA meetings in an unusual and unprecedented way — while meeting with fat cat polluters. Not a conviction of guilt of any kind, but a situation that bears watching.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:13 pmSeriously, my friends. The stakes are now too high to let him stay.
Comment by Jen Clark — November 8, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
Maybe it’s time for Pelosi to climb on the table so she can reach those stakes and drive them right into the Clockwork Orange Heart of Dick Cheney.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:14 pmGypsies, tramps, and thieves
November 8th, 2007 at 12:15 pm#24 APA..LOL.Good one….Blessings
November 8th, 2007 at 12:16 pmThe death-knell of the republic had rung as soon as the active power became lodged in the hands of those who sought, not to do justice to all citizens, rich and poor alike, but to stand for one special class and for its interests as opposed to the interests of others.
T.Roosevelt
November 8th, 2007 at 12:18 pmThe thing on mr. evil’s head remind’s me of one of the old time piss pot’s they use to hide under the bed…..I wonder.?…Blessings
November 8th, 2007 at 12:20 pmIt seems more then fair to let them be heard if you ask me.
Comment by Roger_Roger — November 8, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
Did anybody ask R2Dumb2 anything? I didn’t think so.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:21 pmWe’ve got a Thomas Jefferson solution situation in the offing for 2009:
Fire everybody from the Federalist Party.
In the first hundred hours:
Fire.
Declassify.
Prosecute.
Waxman and Conyers have all the info.
And I could be wrong about the technicalities, but Georgie can’t pardomn in advance, can he?
November 8th, 2007 at 12:21 pmUnless he can, it’s probably better to wait until after the inauguration to hand down indictments.
No presidential pardons.
No secret documents.
No executive privilege.
And they all go to jail.
Private citizen Bush and private citizen Cheney included.
Comment by pbg — November 8, 2007 @ 12:21 pm
I am holding on to the hope that this is the real reason that impeachment is off the table. I would much rather see criminal indictments.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:25 pmWhat hat? That’s his brain, evil makes it swell.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:25 pm#34,pdg,..The problem with that is, they have written into the patriot several articles forbidding any prosacution of this administration after they leave office…..Blessings
November 8th, 2007 at 12:27 pm#17 Miss Molly – my only disagreement with you is the administration doesn’t have to hurry they have already destroyed our credibility throughout the world and here at home as well.
There is nothing that was a good social issue that hasn’t been raped of funds since this corrupt evil doers have been in power. This bunch are like a terrible virus ruining and destroying everything it touches.
I am sick to death of anyone that can support this despicable administration. There is not one thing they have done right or honorably.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:33 pmI see what is happening in Pakistan as a preview of what Bush/Cheney will do here if they get the chance. Hopefully Americans will riot in the street as the Pakistani people are doing against their dictator. We should be in the streets today, protesting what is happening right now.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:35 pmWow, that is some big freaking pimple on that hat’s butt.
Corporations own the Fascist War Criminals in the Black House.
Buck Fush
November 8th, 2007 at 12:39 pmdoes he wear the hat at cabinet meetings?
November 8th, 2007 at 12:39 pmAnd if somebody doesn’t like Uncle Dick sticking his nose where it don’t belong, there’s a man-sized safe in his office waiting…
November 8th, 2007 at 12:50 pmUh, nice hat the Face of Evil is wearing. Can someone tell me where the Face of Evil got it so that I never unknowingly stumble in there.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:51 pmAll hat, no cattle except for the mutilated ones.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:08 pmThe pic of Cheney makes me laugh, because he looks like an old Brokeback Mountain guy who wishes he could openly live with his male lover Rumsfeld.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:09 pmComment by Jay Randal — November 8, 2007 @ 1:09 pm
donald: “i can’t quit you!”
they kiss.
fade.
credits roll.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:12 pmonly a few short months left (well, until that false flag event). big dick has alot of work to do, gutting all of those federal safety and environmental regulations.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:13 pmIs Cheney so filled with power that he forgets he has grandchildren and where will they go to breathe clean air, and enjoy the forests and oceans? That is what amazes me, all of these people have families is the money of today worth destroying all life for tomorrow?
November 8th, 2007 at 1:17 pmThis sort of thing supports my opinion that the only people that still approve of an individual like Cheney are those who are equally as immoral, corrupt and greedy as he is, or, just too stupid to know any better.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:22 pmtexaslady > Cheney only cares about himself, so he does not really care about his grandkids.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:23 pm#50 It is impossible for me to understand the lack of caring for others, family or society. We are all in this world together, what happens to one will someday affect everyone. I wonder how many good minds have been lost in the 3856 men and women whose future was taken.
I guess that is what astounds me that many total conservatives appear so self centered.
November 8th, 2007 at 2:04 pmWell its not like deregulation has done anything to weaken the safety of Children’s toys. It just opened the door for a date rape drug for 5 year olds.
November 8th, 2007 at 5:14 pmGotta love the picture of that there cowboy dude Dick – looks almost as authentic as Georgie boy.
November 8th, 2007 at 5:33 pmI’ll bet all my Texas cousins are so proud.
Can we IMPEACH the rat bastard?
November 8th, 2007 at 5:40 pmsimply put, i f*&^-ing hate cheney.
November 8th, 2007 at 6:31 pmFor a Full List of Judiciary Committee Members, how they voted on the “Tabling†and then the “Send to Committee†vote….
and their phone, fax, and email addresses…
http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/house-judiciary-committee-contacts/
(Conveys voted against tabling it, by the way)
If you have other direct email addresses I am lacking, please leave as comments. Please call and write!
November 8th, 2007 at 7:13 pmya know… i kinda figured, what with the super secret energy meetings, that cheeeney has been in charge of “environmental policies” from the beginning….
November 8th, 2007 at 7:32 pmRoger_Roger, if I live next to you, spew poison in the air, fill up a pit with poison, and have a big fan blow the fumes in your face, that’d be OK, eh? It’s my land.
Funny that you haven’t responded to anyone…
You and your ilk are done for. The Republican party couldn’t get Abraham Lincoln elected right now. Face it, and go cry on your own land.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:09 pmComment by supak — November 8, 2007 @ 8:09 pm
roger_roger’s here?!
November 8th, 2007 at 9:31 pmdude do you have a job or do you just hang out here all day?
#50: you are absoultely correct in your reply to Texaslady. Cheney does NOT care about “his family”. The only reason he has a family in the first place is because of VIETNAM….it (I mean the MONSTER CHENEY), had “better things to do” than possibly get sent to Vietnam. Those “better things” obviously was making sure that it was as dark as possible, getting drunk and actually sleeping with Lynne., and lo and behold – he got his deferment (#5)….9 months later. He HAD to sleep with Lynne, when all his other deferments fell through. As mentioned before, those who fought the draft I consider HEROES – otherwise we would still be there…but CHENEY, ‘ol “shock and awe” Monster Dick there, cares nothing about anyone but himself. His family, and grandchildren are products of his self-love.
November 8th, 2007 at 10:03 pmPredictions of the next 911 by a Professional Geologist.
http://www.H2onE2.com Glacial Respiration, Conceptual Ring of Ice, The End of Linear Western Religion
A Geological Exploration of an E2 Earthen Planet And the H2 Human Species
Author: B Billy Marse, Professional Geologist
Brief Description:
http://www.H2onE2.com is an exploration of the universe, geology, climate, biology, humans, psychology, folklore and ancient structures to uncover the beginning and disclose the end of linear western religion. The true DaVinci Code behind the bible is not a supreme spiritual power but a scientific record of climate change described as Glacial Respiration. The Greek philosophers originated the practice of communicating a hidden idea or message in the short story format, as a metaphor. In the bible, metaphors conceal historic climate change within the fanciful stories. The theory of Glacial Respiration explains the myth behind the Holy Grail, structures such as the Great Pyramids, Stonehenge, Easter Island and is the knowledge that was collected in the Jewish Ark of the Covenant.
The environmental changes of Glacial Respiration determine all biological evolution and can explain why higher forms of intelligent humans developed. Further, Glacial Respiration releases the secret hidden by the Knights Templars, Masonic Order and all religions. Uncovers an advanced Blue-Blooded semi-industrial Atlantian Civilization that was built and destroyed many times over for the last million years. The book ends with an explanation of how linear western religion will be physically ended and describes the construction of the doomsday device capable of fulfilling its own self defining prophesy, “Revelationsâ€. H2onE2 is a mind-expanding experience that stimulates the soul, instinct, intellect and is an almanac to the past, present and future of humanity. Rise, awaken and evolve into H3 human consciousness.
The discovery:
November 9th, 2007 at 4:58 pmAs a Professional Geologist, I attempted to link the Dust Bowl/Great Depression to a pre-glacial condition or mechanism and ended up writing the book H2onE2. I felt that there was a strong connection between the Dust Bowl and transition back into Glacial Winter. I did notice that my professors scientifically crumbled every time I mentioned the relationship. I could not go back in time or locate indisputable proof. The proof came from understanding all educational disciplines including history and theology. I soon discovered that all religious text both eastern and western continually described significant climate change conditions relating to Glacial Respiration. For years I fought off mixing science and religion until I discovered that the origins of all religions were founded or created to help humans psychologically survive the harsh earthen environment. Without reason I soon accepted that the world’s complicated religions were the same. This came true and I continued to write and discover. Everything came into place as though I was unlocking a 10,000-year-old puzzle. I also realized this puzzle was opened before I discovered it, by someone else, some other group. If so, further understanding of this knowledge might be extracted from significant historical events. Lastly, this is the vital information needed to make future predictions.
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