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| Report: W.H. delayed Obamacare, EPA rules till after 2012 election |
| 2013-12-16 |
| In an effort to ease President Obama’s reelection bid, the White House delayed the imposition of a series of regulations affecting Obamacare and environmental protection ahead of the 2012 election, according to a new report in the Washington Post. While the administration has said its approach to regulatory review is consistent with that of previous administrations, several former administration officials told the Post that the delays were longer under Mr. Obama than his predecessors, and that the motive behind them was clearly political. The regulations in question governed some of the most politically sensitive aspects of the president’s agenda. One determined which Americans would qualify for subsidized health insurance under Obamacare’s federal and state exchanges. Another defined the minimum coverage standards that insurance plans must meet under the new law. Several environmental regulations were also delayed, including a rule requiring cleaner gasoline and lower-pollution vehicles that critics in the oil industry warned would increase the cost of gasoline. That rule was ready in December 2011 but was only issued in March 2013. Other regulations delayed until after the election dealt with coal ash disposal and emissions caps on existing power plants, according to the Post. A spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget, which reviews new regulations, told the Post that the agency “works as expeditiously as possible to review rules, but when it comes to complex rules with significant potential impact, we take the time needed to get them right.” But critics are bound to see political motives behind the delays, and it seems Congress is already gearing up for a fresh series of hearings. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action, told the Post he’s concerned about the tangible effects of the delayed regulations. “Legal protection delayed is protection denied,” he said. “I’ve spoken to officials at the top rungs of the White House power structure and at OIRA and we’re going to hold their feet to the fire, and we’re going to make sure they’re held accountable in a series of hearings.” Oh sure, just like you have in all the other hearings you have held about this administration. Your ratings would improve if only you would do something after all these hearings. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #6 Oil industry officials, however, said the cost would be at least double the administration’s estimate and could add up to 9 cents a gallon in some places. The proposed standards, which had been stuck in regulatory limbo since 2011, would reduce the amount of sulfur in U.S. gasoline by two-thirds and impose fleet-wide pollution limits on new vehicles by 2017. The Obama administration’s decision to go ahead with the regulations deals a political blow to the oil and gas industry, which had mobilized dozens of lawmakers in recent days to lobby the White House for a one-year delay. It also comes as the administration alarmed many environmentalists by weighing a delay in limits on greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. Unlike the sulfur limits, the administration argued, the power plant limits could immediately hurt the struggling economy. While gasoline sulfur itself does not pose a public health threat, it hampers the effectiveness of catalytic converters, which in turn leads to greater tailpipe emissions. These emissions — nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and fine particles — contribute to smog and soot, which can cause respiratory and heart disease. Including Carbon Monoxide is FLAT ILIE they know you Can't burn anything without making Carbon , Monoxide, Dioxide, and plain carbon. So they lie by omission. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2013-12-16 15:01 |
| #5 |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-16 11:02 |
| #4 Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., the chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action, told the Post he's concerned about the tangible effects of the delayed regulations. Dickie's up for re-election. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-12-16 10:56 |
| #3 They ("O" and minions) must have known thatObamacare and the EPA rules would p!ss off a good many Americans [They were correct] and consequently would affect the upcoming elections. Friggin weasels. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2013-12-16 10:49 |
#2  The Washington Post figured it out two years too late. Why didn't we read about it here, at Rantb... Oh, yeah. We did. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2013-12-16 08:42 |
#1  A spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget, which reviews new regulations, told the Post that the agency “works as expeditiously as possible to review rules, but when it comes to complex rules with significant potential impact, we take the time needed to get them right.” |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-12-16 03:31 |