Congress Passing ARC-ES Is the Natural Follow-Up to EPA’s Rejection of the Endangerment Finding

When the Environmental Protection Agency announced last month the rescission of the so-called “endangerment finding” under the Clean Air Act, it was predictably met with doomsday pronouncements from the radical left, including from leading far-left media figures.

David Muir cries, “The globe is warming, the globe is warming!”

One of the more over-the-top reactions came from ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir, who led his network’s report on the topic by declaring,

Tonight, President Trump has repealed U.S. power to regulate climate in this country. The president officially rejecting the science. And what this now clears the way for. Critics tonight arguing this is not only dangerous for the environment but for your health.

The most outrageous laugh-out-loud notion expressed by Muir is that the U.S. or any other nation has ever had the “power to regulate climate,” an example of the God-like attributes that liberals assign to themselves. At most, mankind can do things to lower air pollution and keep water clean. But it cannot, has never been able to, and will never find a way to “regulate climate.”

Earth’s climate is based on conditions of atmosphere, oceans, solar energy and geological forces that go back to the beginning of time. Climate is beyond our control. It sometimes changes, incrementally and slowly, as evidenced by ice ages and warming trends.

But our climate is literally a force of nature, not something within the power of any group or nation to regulate with legislation. It is the height of humanistic arrogance and ignorance to suggest that any nation could possibly “repeal the power to regulate climate in this country.”

Regulating emissions or other byproducts of manufacturing that are released into the air or water? Yes. Regulating climate? Impossible.

What most news reports failed to explain, of course, is that the endangerment finding was always a house built on sand. It was always a politicized abuse of authority by the Obama administration that was never granted by Congress within the Clean Air Act.

Why the EPA was right to rescind the finding

An excellent comprehensive legal justification for the EPA’s decision to overturn the finding is provided by the agency and can be found here. The bottom line is that:

1. The Clean Air Act “does not provide EPA statutory authority to prescribe motor vehicle emission standards for the purpose of addressing global climate change concerns,” and that
2. “[I]ts regulations have not and cannot have any material impact on global climate change concerns, rending them futile,” and finally that
3. “Congress never intended to give EPA authority” to impose greenhouse gas emission regulations for cars and trucks.

A rule that never should have happened in the first place has finally been rescinded, but not before billions of dollars spent by manufacturers and passed on to consumers have been wasted in the delusional belief that the U.S. could, as David Muir put it, “regulate climate.”

The EPA estimates that the endangerment finding has resulted in “16 years of consumer choice restrictions and trillions of dollars in hidden costs for Americans.” Consumers have paid an average of an additional $2,400 per vehicle thanks to the unnecessary burden of making automobiles compliant with the rule.

Danger: reinstatement! Pass the ARC-ES Act to prevent this

But while the EPA’s decision is cause for celebration by American consumers, it could be undone in a heartbeat by a future administration wedded to the dogma of the climate cult. That’s why it’s urgent for Congress to codify into law a commitment by the U.S. to nullify the radical left climate change crusade and legislatively enshrine America’s common-sense energy position for generations to come.

The Affordable Reliable Clean Energy Security (ARC-ES) act was introduced last October by Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH) and would codify affordable, reliable energy into law. Passage of the act would be much more effective than an agency rule or even a presidential executive order.

Congressional passage of ARC-ES would protect America’s energy future from the whims of future climate zealots and guarantee energy that is cost-effective, abundant and effective. It would send a clear signal that our nation will never again require the waste of billions of tax dollars on subsidies for unreliable “alternatives” or force manufacturers to spend trillions on configuring products to make them compliant with delusional leftwing mandates.

The EPA’s courageous decision to rescind the endangerment finding was a wonderful gift to the American people as we approach the United States’ 250 th birthday celebration later this year. The biggest present of all would be Congress passing and President Trump signing into law the guarantee of America’s economic security for our children and grandchildren.

The EPA has started the ball rolling. Congress must keep the momentum going. Pass ARC-ES now.

Notes

This article was originally published at The Empowerment Alliance and is re-published here with permission.

This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.