On December 7th, 2009, the EPA issued this finding: “greenhouse gases linked to global warming endanger the public’s health and welfare.”

They obviously did so in order to implement and enforce new rules over business and industry.

The new greenhouse emissions rules that went into effect last month cover new or expanded power plants… and already a company has been granted an exception.
Will it be like obamacare, where companies who curry favor with the administration get a pass?

The Obama administration will spare a stalled power plant project in California from the newest federal limits on greenhouse gases and conventional air pollution, U.S. EPA says in a new court filing that marks a policy shift in the face of industry groups and Republicans accusing the agency of holding up construction of large industrial facilities.

According to a declaration by air chief Gina McCarthy, officials reviewed EPA policies and decided it was appropriate to “grandfather” projects such as the Avenal Power Center, a proposed 600-megawatt power plant in the San Joaquin Valley, so they are exempted from rules such as new air quality standards for smog-forming nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

The proposed Avenal Energy project will be a combined-cycle generating plant consisting of two natural gas-fired General Electric 7FA Gas Turbines with Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSG) and one General Electric Steam Turbine.

Even stricter rules are coming:

Just before Christmas, the EPA announced it will set standards for how much carbon dioxide pollution power plants and refineries can release.

Unless House GOP leaders pass a bill to prohibit the EPA from regulating carbon emissions.

Acting on a vow to fight the Obama administration on climate issues, Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, unveiled draft legislation Wednesday to try to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

Sen. James M. Inhofe (Okla.), ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), chairman of the subcommittee on energy and power, joined Upton in issuing what they called the Energy Tax Prevention Act.

In a statement, the congressmen said the legislation’s intent is to show that the Clean Air Act was not meant to address climate change, stop the EPA “from imposing a backdoor cap-and-trade tax” on industries identified as polluters, and protect American jobs.

The EPA has its foot “squarely on the neck of business,” Upton has said. Republicans say the Obama administration is trying to use tougher EPA regulations on energy to overcome the president’s failure to pass climate-change legislation.

In 2008 the EPA spent $15 million to measure the pollution caused by cow farts and burps. I can only find the 2001 chart, though. California’s happy cows came in first.

When the EPA starts setting allowable levels of cow flatulance, the squeeze will truly be complete.

Taxation, control, power. I like a healthy earth as much as the next girl, but where will it end?