NYT: A Perry Presidency Would Scale Back EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency plays a major role in shaping Pennsylvania’s energy landscape. Earlier this week, the agency held a hearing on hydraulic fracturing’s environmental impact in Pittsburgh. A similar session is underway today in Texas.
Today’s New York Times takes a look at what would happen to the agency, if Texas Governor Rick Perry makes it to the White House. The Republican would likely push to significantly scale back the agency’s regulatory role.

Catherine Frazier, a Perry campaign spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement, “If elected president, the governor’s energy priorities will be centered around scaling back the E.P.A.’s intrusive, misguided and job-killing policies, which will empower states to foster their own energy resources without crippling mandates and open the doors for our nation to pursue and strengthen an all-of-the-above energy approach.”

Ms. Frazier said that Texas had achieved large reductions in pollution by following its own path and asserted that some federal actions were driven by politics rather than science.
Mr. Perry used more colorful language this month in addressing a Tea Party group in Florida.
“Somebody has to tell the E.P.A. that we don’t need you monkeying around and fiddling around and getting in our business with every kind of regulation you can dream up,” he said. “You’re doing nothing more than killing jobs. It’s a cemetery for jobs at the E.P.A.”

The article points out Texas has led the way, in a state lawsuit ordering the EPA to stop its greenhouse gas regulatory program.
Want to read more about Perry’s environmental and energy record? Here’s the Texas Tribune’s primer on the issue.

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