U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today released brief summaries of five EPW Republicans staff reports that take a hard look at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and matters of critical energy, environment and public policy concern. Specifically, the EPW Committee reports have focused on hydraulic fracturing, environmental collusion, climate change, the EPA's secret science developed by bureaucrats like John Beale, and how the Obama Administration is leaving States behind in their rule-making agenda.
"I know first-hand how aggressive the EPA is in claiming new authority to regulate domestic energy production and private property, and how the Agency works to impinge free markets in the United States," said Vitter. "These committee staff reports bring forward honest research on energy and environmental related issues."
Earlier today, Vitter shared the committee staff reports with every Republican in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Cooperative Federalism: Neglecting a Cornerstone Principle of the Clean Air Act: President Obama's EPA Leaves States Behind (Issued October 31, 2013) Congress has enacted many environmental statutes that preserve the primary role of the States in achieving environmental quality goals. This "cooperative federalism" approach has been described as a partnership between the States and the federal government and is key to prior U.S. environmental victories. This report shows the attempts made by President Barack Obama's Administration (EPA specifically) to phase out State and local involvement, and also what the Senate EPW Committee Republicans are doing to maintain and uphold cooperative federalism, one of the cornerstones of the Clean Air Act (CAA).
EPA's Playbook Unveiled: A Story of Fraud, Deceit, and Secret Science
(Issued March 19, 2014) This report begins to challenge the deference due to administrative agencies, as well as provides the history behind EPA's secreted and controversial science that underpins the agency's ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) benefits claims. Courts have extended deference to agency policy decisions under the theory that federal agencies are composed of neutral, non-biased, highly specialized public servants with particular knowledge about science and policy matters. However, this report reveals that within the EPA, some officials making critically important decisions were not remotely qualified, anything but neutral, and in at least one case - EPA decision-making was delegated to a now-convicted felon and con artist, John Beale. What's more, the report explains how Beale was able to get away with his fraud for so long - having gained trust due to his role as a principal architect of EPA's "playbook," which was used to push through controversial clean air regulations in the 1990's while hiding the underlying science.
(Issued July 30, 2014) The report highlights the lengths the far-left environmental movement goes to hide sources of funding and to disguise their actions - bought and paid for by millionaires and billionaires - as charitable acts in service of their fellow man. This report outlines a sampling of the individuals, foundations, and practices that are active in today's political system, shedding light on just a fraction of the activities of the far-left environmental machine that undermines American free enterprise and resource security.
(Issued September 4, 2014) The report provides an opportunity to consider the underlying science and impacts of looming policy decisions that relate to climate change. It includes empirical evidence regarding risks, the impacts of climate regulations on the European countries that have adopted restrictive policies, and a review of how reality is now stacking up to past predictions, recent claims, and modeled scenarios. Moreover, this report provides an opportunity to think critically and respond appropriately to many of the false claims perpetuated in the public forum and on Capitol Hill.
Setting the Record Straight: Hydraulic Fracturing and America's Energy Revolution
(Issued October 23, 2014) The report is a comprehensive review of U.S. domestic energy resources, the abundance of opportunity provided by advanced drilling technologies, the misinformation campaigns and false claims about hydraulic fracturing, and provides thorough reference to the geopolitical, trade, and micro and macro-economic benefits from America's energy revolution. The report thoroughly dispels common myths and provides background information on the individuals and organizations that are routinely propagating nonsense. It also provides the necessary information to understand the long-term strategy for undermining domestic oil and gas production by the Obama Administration and its far-left allies.
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