Live data from Hacker News

EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

wsj.com

41–50 of 213 posts

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#41
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?”

I can't find a source for this quote and it slightly contradicts other things he said: https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/James_G._Watt

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#42
post #33

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".

Because he'll use any leverage at all to support his own ego and agenda. Look at how the rest of the Republican party is scrambling to get their constituents to use 'absentee' ballots and even mail-in ones even though Fearless Leader is denouncing them.

DT has no concept of the costs of his words or actions, just whether or not it appears to help his own personal "success" in the moment.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#43
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

When someone summarizes their political rivals' positions as "they're just nasty people who hate me and want to oppose anything I like", I don't think you should put a tremendous amount of stock in that.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#44
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Have you looked at who's in power lately? There are a lot of ~70 year olds in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. It seems relevant what they think.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#45
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

[deleted]

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#46

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.

> ”Environmental regulations cost money. Lots of money.”

That’s a narrow-minded view. Sure, environmental regulations cost oil and gas companies money.

But this fails to consider the external costs to society: increased healthcare costs and reduced life expectancy due to air and water pollution, future costs of global heating including property damage to coastal cities from rising sea levels, agricultural regions becoming less productive, etc.

Secondly, reducing dependence on fossil fuels (many of which are imported, even in America) will improve energy security and reduce energy costs in the long term. Great economic benefits, as well as environmental ones.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#47
post #29

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.

[deleted]

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#48
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.

A solid majority of US evangelicals believe Christ will return to Earth by 2050 (ie, the Rapture): 60%. In 2020 over 80% of US evangelicals plan to vote for the Republican candidate. They are a quarter of the US population.

It is a solidly mainstream Republican belief.

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2010/07/14/jesus-chris...

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/07/01/white-evang...

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#50

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. :/

What exactly is the DNC doing to make Trump get re-elected?
Post reply on HN