CEI Today: Fitch downgrade, EPA greenhouse gas rule, and Park Service barricades

FITCH DOWNGRADE

Daily Caller: ‘Why now?’ Fitch’s downgrade threat raises questions

Could Fitch Ratings’ warning that it may downgrade the United States’ AAA credit rating due to the ongoing debt ceiling debate be politically motivated?

“My question is ‘Why now?’” John Berlau, an economist at the free market Competitive Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “I just have that one statement by Fitch to go on, but no other credit rating agency seems to think the debt ceiling drama by itself merits a downgrade.”

“It’s not inconceivable — and I can’t prove this — that Fitch is trying to get in good with the Obama administration by threatening to do a [downgrade] to help the administration in the debt ceiling hike, but not actually doing a downgrade,” he continued.

SUPREME COURT – MARLO LEWIS

Globalwarming.org: Supreme Court to Review EPA Greenhouse Rule: What If Petitioners Win — or Lose?

The Supreme Court announced it will review the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals June 2012 decision in Coalition for Responsible Regulation v. EPA, which upheld the agency’s four main greenhouse gas rulemakings.

In the new case, Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, the Court will limit its review to one question: “Whether EPA permissibly determined that greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles triggered permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act for stationary sources that emit greenhouse gases.” In other words, the Court will review the agency’s April 2010 Timing Rule.

NAT’L PARK SERVICE BARRICADES – MYRON EBELL

“As Difficult As Possible: The National Park Service’s Implementation of the Government Shutdown”

The House Natural Resources Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a joint hearing on Wednesday, “As Difficult As Possible: The National Park Service’s Implementation of the Government Shutdown.” CEI’s Myron Ebell testified.

“The Park Service has gone out of its way to spend money — that it claims not to have to keep Parks open — in order to close facilities not operated by the Park Service that it normally pays little attention to and spends no money on. Questions that I think are worth pursuing are: Where did all these barricades and printed signs come from? And when were they ordered?”