John Boehner
Congressional climate wars were dominated Tuesday by the U.S. Senate, which spent the day debating, and ultimately failing to pass, a bill approving the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. While all that was happening, and largely unnoticed, the House was busy doing what it does best: attacking science.
H.R. 1422, which passed 229-191, would shake up the EPA's Scientific Advisory Board, placing restrictions on those pesky scientists and creating room for experts with overt financial ties to the industries affected by EPA regulations.
The bill is being framed as a play for transparency: Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, argued that the board's current structure is problematic because it "excludes industry experts, but not officials for environmental advocacy groups." The inclusion of industry experts, he said, would right this injustice.
But the White House, which threatened to veto the bill, said it would "negatively affect the appointment of experts and would weaken the scientific independence and integrity of the SAB."
Comment: Everyone in this tawdry situation knows it boils down to money. Loose regulations for dangerous industries equates to more profit, since they don't have to care about the health and environmental impact of the industry's activities. Grateful industries increase campaign donations to the scum politicians who pass the 'regulations'. More grant money flows the to those 'scientists' who produce the 'research' the industries need to 'prove' to Congress the regulations levels are fine, or could even be lowered. And around it goes.