EPA chief sued for doubting global warming hysteria

EPA chief Scott Pruitt has been sued for his recent comments on CNBC’s Squawk Box. The lawsuit is here. The media release is below. ### For Immediate Release: Apr 13, 2017 Contact: Kirsten Stade (202) 265-7337 EPA’S PRUITT SUED TO BACK UP CLIMATE CHANGE CLAIMS Pruitt Should Put Up Evidence Supporting Stance or Cease Climate … Continue reading EPA chief sued for doubting global warming hysteria

Source: EPA chief sued for doubting global warming hysteria

EPA chief Pruitt on rogue employees, the environment, and frivolous lawsuits

Paris accord a ‘bad deal’

Pruitt reiterated on Fox & Friends we need to leave the Paris climate accord, once again calling it a “bad deal” for Americans. China and India, he said, have no obligations to reduce CO2 emissions until 2030 even as the United States continues to lower its own emissions at the expense of its economy. The accord, Pruitt said, contracts our economy while serving European needs through an agreement that’s not legally enforceable.

He said he was investigating the EPA division in Las Vegas that bilked taxpayers out of $15,000 to pay for gym memberships. Pruitt will be visiting coal mines in Pennsylvania today to further explain President Trump’s executive orders to miners and to let them know the war on coal was over. He will also stress clean coal, which he says is not a myth, as well as shale oil and gas recovery.…

Wash Post: After ‘whacking’ EPA budget, Trump’s EPA chief is seeking a 24/7 security detail

By Brady Dennis

The Trump administration has proposed whacking the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by nearly a third, eliminating thousands of employees and scrapping dozens of programs, including climate-change research and cleanup efforts in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay.

But a detailed budget plan obtained by The Washington Post last week includes a request to add positions within the agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance  “to provide 24/7 security detail” for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

Pruitt’s predecessor, Gina McCarthy, had what was known as “door-to-door” protection — essentially from her residence each morning until she returned at night, according to Liz Purchia, a communications director at the EPA in the Obama administration. She said security officers typically would leave McCarthy once she was at her office. Previous EPA administrators have had similar arrangements.

On a handful of international trips, McCarthy did receive 24/7 protection, depending on the threat level of a country, as determined by the State Department, Purchia said. But that was the exception rather than the rule. And if McCarthy was in Washington over the weekend, her security detail would not be with her unless she had an official event.

So why the need for additional resources to protect Pruitt around the clock?

That remains unclear. The EPA did not immediately offer comment Wednesday about the reasoning behind the request. It also remains unclear whether Pruitt himself sought the full-time security detail.

Myron Ebell, who led the EPA transition for the Trump administration but has since returned to his role at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told E&E News this year that it would make sense for Pruitt to receive increased protection.

“I think it’s prudent given the continuing activities by the left to foment hatred and the reported hostility within the agency from some unprofessional activists,” Ebell said at the time.

Pruitt undoubtedly has been a polarizing pick to lead the EPA, given his legal attacks on the agency during the Obama years. His confirmation has triggered public protest from activists and environmental groups, but broad praise from Republicans on …

Time Mag: ‘Climate Change Deniers Have Pres. Trump’s Ear. But Now They Want Results’

1:20 PM ET

And yet to some of the strongest opponents of Obama’s environmental policy, particularly those who deny the existence of global warming, Trump is not going far enough. Despite having called climate change a “hoax” before his election, these critics think Trump has been ducking bigger fights like withdrawing from the international Paris Agreement on climate change and undoing the scientific underpinning for the EPA’s climate change rules.

While the choice of former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state upset environmental groups, Tillerson has emerged as a comparatively moderate voice in the administration, including advocating for the U.S. to remain in the landmark Paris Agreement. At the Heartland Conference, that stance has erased any residual goodwill from his stint running a multi-national oil company.

“Secretary of State Rex Tillerson think it’s really nice to be able to go to international meetings and pal around with his fellow foreign ministers,” Ebell said. “Rex Tillerson may be from Texas and he may have been CEO of Exxon, but he’s part of the swamp.”

As attorney general of Oklahoma, Pruitt sued the EPA more than a dozen times and he has personally questioned the science behind climate change. Yet, his methodical approach to dismantling many EPA regulations and functions has come in for criticism. While Lehr called Pruitt a “good choice,” he accused him of moving too slowly.

Still, those who deny the science behind climate change are in a position to influence U.S. policy for years to come. Trump does not have a science advisor and his administration has turned to skeptics for guidance on energy and environmental policy issues. Lehr, who says the greenhouse effect plays a negligible role in the climate, delivered a presentation to administration officials designed to help Trump defend his claim that climate change is hoax.

“Every administration is a mixed bag,” Ebell tells TIME. “I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed. I would say I am anxious.”…

EPA staffers billed taxpayers $15,000 for gym memberships

http://us.blastingnews.com/news/2017/04/epa-staffers-billed-taxpayers-15000-for-gym-memberships-001622409.html
The Las Vegas EPA division was caught doling out free gym memberships to employees, paid for by your tax dollars.

Despite #epa staffers complaining about President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts, it still didn’t stop them from charging taxpayers $15,000 for gymmemberships. Receipts obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show the Las Vegas Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) division purchased one-year “Super-Sport” 24 Hour Fitness memberships for 37 employees worth $399.99 a year.

The freeloading employees work at …

Busted: American Lung Association Never Mentions CO2 as Harmful to Human Health

Via: https://co2islife.wordpress.com/2017/04/02/american-lung-association-never-mentions-co2-as-harmful/

I just finished watching Chris Wallace grill EPA director Scott Pruitt and was shocked to see the questioning of Chris Wallace. It was if he got his talking points from MSNBC or Michael Mann. The one comment he repeated were highly speculative comments made about the clean power act saving thousands of lives. To support these claims he referenced the American Lung Association’s position multiple times. I found that extremely odd. If there is any organization that understands that CO2 is not a pollution, it is the American Lung Association.  The entire purpose of the lung is to manage the delicate balance between CO2 and O2 in the human body. CO2 is necessary for the lung and blood to function. Too little or too much CO2 in the lung and the pH of the blood can change, hyper- ventilating can cause a person to lose consciousness, too much CO2 and a person can suffocate.  The standard level of CO2 in the lungis between 2.7 to 7.5%. To put that in perspective atmospheric CO2 is 400 ppm, or 0.04%. 2.7 to 7.5% or 27,000 ppm to 75,000 ppm is between 67 and 187x the level of the atmosphere. Submarines can have CO2 levels near 10,000 ppm. The lungs have absolutely no problem handling high levels of CO2. Plants are the same. Higher CO2 levels make plants more drought resistant and greatly increases their yields. Plants die when CO2 drops below 180 ppm.

typical or physiological CO2 levels in the lungs which range from about 20 to 50 mm Hg or from about 2.7 to 7.5%.

It is for that reason, I questioned Chris Wallace’s approach and had to check out the American Lung Association. Sure enough, the American Lung Association makes the obligatory platitudes towards “climate change,” but never with an “N” mentions CO2 as a harmful pollutant. Sometimes a half-truth is often quite the lie. They did nothing to clarify the critical role CO2 plays in improving and saving the lives of every living organism. They do vaguely mention “carbon pollution” and state that utility plants produce CO2, but conveniently never mention CO2 as a health risk. Interestingly, they do mention that “biomass plants” are major sources of pollution. I’m pretty sure far more people die and suffer from natural causes of asthma and hayfever than CO2. I’ve never heard of anyone having an allergic …