Inauguration, Western Lands and the New “Climate Czar”
Barack Obama prepares to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.
The Senate passes a bill that would bring millions of acres of Western lands under federal control and further land use restrictions.
The appointment of Carol Browner as White House “Climate Czar” raises questions about who will really be in charge of environment policy.
More headlines: listen to the LibertyWeek podcast.
1. NATIONAL
Barack Obama prepares to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.
New CEI Video: Barack Obama and the Price of Change:
“How much will President Obama’s plans for economic stimulus and other federal spending cost the American taxpayers? We do the math.”
2. CONGRESS
The Senate passes a bill that would bring millions of acres of Western lands under federal control and further land use restrictions.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Energy Policy Myron Ebell on why the vote was a disappointment:
“I have heard several Republican congressional leaders say that the party has learned its lesson from their disastrous losses in the past two elections. From now on, it’s back to being the party of limited government, fiscal discipline, lower taxes, and against pork barrel spending. Sounds good, but Senate Republicans have blown their first opportunity to demonstrate that they mean what they say. The first bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) brought to a vote in the 111th Congress is the omnibus land grab bill…The Senate voted on Thursday 73 to 21 to pass this monstrosity.”
3. POLITICS
The appointment of Carol Browner as White House “Climate Czar” raises questions about who will really be in charge of environment policy.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Analyst Steven Milloy on Browner’s past political affiliations:
“Incoming White House energy-environment czar Carol Browner was recently discovered to be a commissioner in Socialist International. While that revelation has been ignored by the mainstream media and blithely dismissed by her supporters, you may soon be paying the cost of Browner’s political beliefs in your electricity bill.”
Listen to LibertyWeek, the CEI weekly podcast, here.