EPA, Pesticides, and Bailouts

Today in the News

EPA WINS – MARLO LEWIS

Globalwarming.org: U.S. Court of Appeals: Food, Fuel Groups not Injured by EPA’s Approval of E15, Hence Lack Standing to Sue — Huh?

Today, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found in a 2-1 decision that automakers, petroleum refiners, and food producers lack standing to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) approval of E15 — a blend of gasoline and 15% ethanol — for motor vehicles manufactured after 2000.

Chief Justice David Sentelle and Judge David Tatel held that petitioners lack standing to sue. According to Sentelle and Tatel, petitioners could not show that the EPA’s approval of E15 would likely cause a ‘concrete’ and ‘imminent’ injury to any automaker, refiner, or food producer.

I’ll grant that the automakers’ asserted injury may be ‘speculative’ or ‘conjectural.’ However, it is hard to fathom how the EPA’s approval of E15 would not impose substantial costs on both petroleum refiners and food producers.

 

PESTICIDES – ANGELA LOGOMASINI

Openmarket.org: West Nile Outbreak Warrants Pest Control — Pesticide Spraying Included

This year, Texas is experiencing its worst outbreak of the mosquito-transmitted West Nile virus ever. Fortunately, most people who get it won’t suffer the severe symptoms — some won’t even notice they have been infected, and others will experience a range of flu-like symptoms. But the bad news is, some people will suffer severe, painful and even a debilitating illness with permanent neurological damage, and some will die.

Some greens suggest that we should not bother to control the disease using pesticides, because most people are not affected. But even a handful of unnecessary deaths and horrible suffering of those who get the illness warrants action.

 

BAILOUTS – HANS BADER

Openmarket.org: Is Government Motors Headed For Bankruptcy Again?

The Obama administration wasted at least $26 billion in unnecessary expenses in the auto bailouts. The auto bailouts might not even have succeeded in propping up the bailed-out automakers had it not been for huge natural disasters that harmed their Japanese competitors. >