Regardless of "which side of the aisle we sit on," as President Bush put it last week in his State of the Union address, it's always heartening to hear the president speak about the environment. That's why it comes as a shock to discover that, also last week, Bush signed an executive order giving the White House greater control over the rules the federal government develops to regulate key issues such as the environment.
For the record, in this year's State of the Union, Bush finally acknowledged the existence of "global climate change," and even offered possible solutions. This followed last year's address, when he told the nation that Americans are "addicted to oil," and the 2005 State of the Union, when he urged Congress to pass the controversial Clear Skies Act, a piece of legislation that had been under intense debate since its proposal in 2002. The language of this year's State of the Union seemed to indicate that the Bush administration was at last coming around to embracing the concept of sustainable energy.
After all, this year's address was certainly no Pollyanna speech guaranteed to leave viewers smiling. Our country is facing some extremely difficult choices regarding the ensuing war in Iraq, tensions with Iran, and, back home, an unbalanced budget, Social Security, health insurance, and education issues-along with our dependence on foreign oil, in the face of global climate change. In his address, the president pointedly acknowledged the challenges our nation faces. Calling the newly Democratic Congress "divided" and acknowledging "uncertainty in the air," he expressed the wish that Democrats and Republicans work together to resolve the current-and vast and varied-array of problems.
However, even as Bush seemed to hit the right chord on the environmental issue by stating that "the way forward is through technology" and the diversification of America's energy supply, he was working to ensure that the White House continue to exert its power despite the Democrats' takeover of Congress. Last week, it was revealed on Tuesday by The New York Times, Bush signed a directive requiring each federal agency to have a regulatory office run by a political appointee responsible for monitoring the creation of process and procedures along with their documentation. These "gatekeepers," wrote Times reporter Robert Pear, will "analyze the costs and benefits of new rules" proposed by each agency, and "make sure they carry out the president's priorities."
Not surprisingly, consumer, labor, and environmental groups have denounced this landmark executive order, reports Pear, noting that the Bush administration is particularly concerned about rules and guidance issued by both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Not since Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency has the President taken the bold step of clearly defining some of the environmental issues that will affect the world over the next 50 years. Nixon created a forum in which the rules for preserving the environment could be shaped by experts-scientists and civil servants. And, as this executive order shows, not since Nixon has the President not only worked on behalf of the environment, but really meant it. Bush may have paid lip service to the environment in his State of the Union, but it's doubtful that any of his proposed solutions will have any sustainable energy of their own.
This topic was published as part of the House Media Network newsletter. Read this newsletter in its entirety at www.housemedianetwork.com/newsletter/20
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