Court upholds state pollution laws

In the '90s, the Far Right wanted to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency - the EPA. They considered any reasonable regulation on Big Business to be a government "taking", even though no property changed hands.

It was the ideology of propertarianism taken to the point where (if the Far Right had its way) only large property owners would be allowed to participate in government.

The EPA almost has been dismantled under Bush. Now the EPA's only function seems to be telling the states that they can't place environmental regulations on Big Business.

A 1990 congressional change to the Clean Air Act clearly authorized states to limit polluting emissions from factories and utilities. Despite this, Bush's EPA began placing harsh limits on the states' power to monitor industrial emissions.

Weren't the Republicans the ones who were running on states' rights? Did they lie about that just like they lied about their other campaign promises? (Yes.)

But now a federal appeals court has slapped the Bush regime silly.

In a 2 to 1 ruling, the court says Bush's EPA can't restrict the states in this manner.

Gee, ya think? After all, the law is perfectly clear in authorizing states to curb polluters. Why isn't the ruling unanimous instead of 2 to 1?

At least Bush got smacked down - making this one of few instances in his whole lifetime of failure that someone's ever told him no.

(Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/washington/20air.html)