Chamber of Commerce still committed to blocking climate change action – Red, Green, and Blue

Last year, the Chamber of Commerce, big businesss big lobby group, made a bit of a splash when it subtly changed its position on climate to distance itself from the rankest sort of climate denial it otherwise funds. This year, they continued their feint to the left,focusing on issue adsinstead of just electing Republicans, and even going so far as to support a handful of (pro-gas) Democratic politicians.

But as EDF recently pointed out, despite the Chamber hedging its bets with Democrats now (perits fired flack), its still working against climate action in court, where its siding with polluters and the Trump administration on the clean car standards.

No one should be particularly surprised by this, as it tracks completely with theirbehavior last yearwhen, after their supposed change of heart on climate, they werestill filing motionswith polluters and by themselves to oppose the Clean Power Plan and defend the Trump administrations replacement the dangerously Orwellian-named Affordable Clean Energy rule.

Speaking of which, the D.C. circuit court recently heardargumentson the rule, and according to the experts whospoke with Dawn Reeves at InsideEPA, things arent looking good for the Trump administrations proposed rule. According to one of the half-dozen sources Reeves quotes, all three judges did not like the ACE rule, and said theres a high likelihood it would be struck down.

For less reading of the tea leaves and more of a straight read of the arguments presented over a grueling nine hour virtual hearing, PoliticoPROs Alex Guilln covered theseven big take-aways. Ranging from the authority the EPA has to regulate carbon dioxide at all and narrowly targeting coal plants, or by looking at the entire grid writ large, the facts that the rule would only reduce emissions by less than 1 percent, and had no minimum for acceptable levels of pollution for each states plan, appear to be looming large in the judges minds.

One judge, the recently Trump-appointed Justin Walker, was particularly incredulous that the ACE rule was so lacking in any sort of standard. I think thats really hard to wrap my head around. Were talking about a program to reduce air pollution and it doesnt even require you to consider how much pollution youre reducing?

That was likely a turning point in the case that one source described to Reeves. Initially, Walker started out wanting to be the champion for what [Trumps] EPA was doing, but when they sat up and realized ACE doesnt do anything, that its clearly a coal bailout, thats when he finally started really understanding it.

So if even the Trump appointee is sounding skeptical of how lax this proposed regulation is, thats certainly something!

That said,a second piece by Reeves at InsideEPApoints out that all this may end up being a moot point after November 3rd anyway.

Because if Biden wins, his administration would almost certainly scrap the ACE rule for something more appropriate and less created by polluters. If not, the Trump administration would likely appeal any adverse ruling from the district court up to the Supreme Court, putting the decision in the hands of a handful of judges appointed by Trump after having been cleared by the pro-polluter Federalist society.

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Chamber of Commerce still committed to blocking climate change action - Red, Green, and Blue