EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas • Hacker News Board

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#31

Post by ardy42 » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 5:57 PM UTC

outworlder wrote: post #20

spaetzleesser wrote: post #2

It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. I grew up in a time when rivers were red or green depending on what type of leather the factory upstream was processing at the time. The only fish you could see were dead. Breathing in cities was hard. Environmental regulation is a big success story that improved the lives of countless people while com…

> It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. No, it's very easy. Environmental regulations cost money. Lots of money. It's much more profitable to keep these externalities.

> No, it's very easy. Environmental regulations cost money. Lots of money. It's much more profitable to keep these externalities.

I don't think that's the whole story. You also have Zombie Reaganism, which has the Republicans reflexively aping 80s policy as the response to everything, even though it's not the 80s anymore.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#32

Post by duskwuff » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 5:57 PM UTC

spaetzleesser wrote: post #2

It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. I grew up in a time when rivers were red or green depending on what type of leather the factory upstream was processing at the time. The only fish you could see were dead. Breathing in cities was hard. Environmental regulation is a big success story that improved the lives of countless people while com…

> It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations.

There's a part of it that's performative. Liberals care about the environment and want to impose regulations, ergo conservatives should disregard the environment and should roll back regulations.

Of course, this is a ridiculous line of reasoning. But it's not meant to convince anyone who would recognize how illogical that is.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#33

Post by tmpz22 » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 5:58 PM UTC

busterarm wrote: post #30

natch wrote: post #14

>It’s very hard to understand why As republican former secretary of the interior James Watt put it, “Why worry about the environment when the second coming is at hand?”

That's not even close to the Republican mainstream now though. The "Christian Right" is a relic that died during the first Dubya administration. It's nothing more than a boogeyman for progressives now.

Then why is DT still talking about how biden is an ungodly man who is going to, and this is an exact quote, "hurt god".

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#34

Post by paulryanrogers » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 5:59 PM UTC

outworlder wrote: post #20

spaetzleesser wrote: post #2

It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. I grew up in a time when rivers were red or green depending on what type of leather the factory upstream was processing at the time. The only fish you could see were dead. Breathing in cities was hard. Environmental regulation is a big success story that improved the lives of countless people while com…

> It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. No, it's very easy. Environmental regulations cost money. Lots of money. It's much more profitable to keep these externalities.

Money can't buy cures for many pollution causing diseases. We should require that those in charge of these regulations must periodically drink from the 'treated' water output which tests as most polluted. Likewise they must breath air samples from the communities that test as most polluted.

Once it's personal, and they can't buy their way out then improvements can be maintained.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#35

Post by bryanlarsen » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 6:00 PM UTC

JKCalhoun wrote: post #18

xeromal wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clearly this whole situation is political but I'd make 2 points. 1. You might be surprised at the election outcome. 2. The headline is based on the article, not what people think it should be.

I can only have my confidence in the U.S. voting public renewed or absolutely shattered this November.

There's middle ground. For example, Trump could lose, but some Senate seats that should flip might not.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#36

Post by busterarm » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 6:00 PM UTC

tmpz22 wrote: post #33

busterarm wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not even close to the Republican mainstream now though. The "Christian Right" is a relic that died during the first Dubya administration. It's nothing more than a boogeyman for progressives now.

Then why is DT still talking about how biden is an ungodly man who is going to, and this is an exact quote, "hurt god".

He's a 74 year old speaking to other 70+ year olds there.

Talk to some younger Republicans, even Christian ones, who aren't in your social filter bubble.

The whole Falwell family has long been disgraced and ignored.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_Majority#1988 If you scroll down and do some followup reading you'll see that his plans to revive the organization failed miserably.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#37

Post by sschueller » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 6:00 PM UTC

throwaway5752 wrote: post #7

I suggest changing the headline to "outgoing administration continues to sabotage government for next administration as popularity continues to decline during incompetent response to viral pandemic". Another example of something that was so important they waited until less than 3 months before the election to do it. It hardly needs saying, but this is devastatingly bad environmental and climate policy.

He might get re-elected. To me it seem like the DNC is doing everything it can to make that happen. :/

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#38

Post by zentiggr » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 6:00 PM UTC

dmurray wrote: post #29

outworlder wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. No, it's very easy. Environmental regulations cost money. Lots of money. It's much more profitable to keep these externalities.

I'd say it goes further than that. With the polarisation of American politics, rolling back environmental regulations is politically popular with one cohort of voters just because it's unpopular with the "other" side. Repealing regulations (not necessarily environmental ones) was popular enough to be a Trump campaign promise, after all.

I've seen someone's opinion basically summarized as "a lot of these [Trump / republican] supporters don't really reason through anything political beyond "fuck liberals". As long as it opposes the damn liberals and whatever they want, it's all good, no matter how illogical, self-harming, or clueless in any other regard.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#39

Post by julienchastang » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 6:01 PM UTC

dmurray wrote: post #29

outworlder wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. No, it's very easy. Environmental regulations cost money. Lots of money. It's much more profitable to keep these externalities.

I'd say it goes further than that. With the polarisation of American politics, rolling back environmental regulations is politically popular with one cohort of voters just because it's unpopular with the "other" side. Repealing regulations (not necessarily environmental ones) was popular enough to be a Trump campaign promise, after all.

See https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/opinion/trump-beirut-poli...

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#40

Post by martythemaniak » Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 6:02 PM UTC

spaetzleesser wrote: post #2

It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. I grew up in a time when rivers were red or green depending on what type of leather the factory upstream was processing at the time. The only fish you could see were dead. Breathing in cities was hard. Environmental regulation is a big success story that improved the lives of countless people while com…

It's very easy to understand if you know what "coal rolling" is. As with many of the administration's actions, this is just Executive-level coal rolling.