Daily Caller’s epic EPA fail
September 30th, 2011 | Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Stephen Losey
I can’t remember the last time I saw a publication get a story as blatantly wrong as the Daily Caller’s dubious “scoop” this week, claiming the Environmental Protection Agency is going to hire 230,000 new workers.
Here’s the background. The EPA is trying to enact a new, controversial “tailoring” rule allowing it to focus enforcement of greenhouse gas emissions on just the biggest polluters, “shielding small polluters from rigid Clean Air Act permitting requirements.” The New York Times quoted EPA as saying without the tailoring rule, about 6 million facilities could need permits for greenhouse gas standards.
Industry groups are suing EPA to strike down the tailoring rule and pare back EPA’s enforcement of the Clean Air Act. On Sept. 16, the Justice Department filed a brief on behalf of EPA arguing the tailoring rule is legit, and if it were lifted, the cost of enforcing the Clean Air Act on everyone would be crushing — both to government and industry. Justice said:
[...] immediately applying the literal PSD statutory threshold [...] would result in annual PSD permit applications submitted to State and local permitting agencies to increase nationwide from 280 to over 81,000 per year, a 300-fold increase. [...] Hiring the 230,000 full-time employees necessary to produce the 1.4 billion work hours required to address the actual increase in permitting functions would result in an increase in Title V administration costs of $21 billion per year. [Emphasis added]
That’s a worst-case scenario, and pretty clear that they’re arguing against enforcing the regulations on everyone. But how did Daily Caller play it?
The EPA is asking taxpayers to fund up to 230,000 new government workers to process all the extra paperwork, at an estimated cost of $21 billion.
Really? At a time when agencies across the government are facing massive budget crunches, buying out employees left and right, and in some cases considering layoffs, the EPA’s work force of 19,000 is going to suddenly grow by a factor of 13? Increasing the size of the overall government by more than 10 percent? Not to mention the fact that EPA has not submitted any requests for $21 billion budget increases, and would get laughed out of Congress if they did. (For the record, EPA asked for almost $9 billion total in fiscal 2012, a 13 percent decline from 2010.) The whole idea doesn’t pass the smell test.
Politico jumped all over it Tuesday. And Erik Wemple of the Post reports that Daily Caller didn’t give EPA a call to allow them to respond, or even check to see if they were … um … actually planning to hire nearly a quarter-million new employees.
Daily Caller doubled down Wednesday and said they’re standing by their story (in an editor’s note that contained several swipes at liberal groups). They shouldn’t. It’s a piece of lousy journalism, and betrays a clear lack of understanding of the current realities of the federal work force and budget environment.
Tags: FAIL
Saving the planet not a game … well it sort of is
November 17th, 2010 | Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Andy Medici
Do you want to save the planet and reduce emissions, but are unsure of how to gloat about it to your friends? Well now you have a Facebook game that will put the “win” into dwindling resources, and its brought to you by the federal government.
DoSomething.org and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star program yesterday announced the launch of eMission, a unique Facebook game with a social mission―to increase energy efficiency and fight climate change offline.
The idea is that you get points for environmentally sustainable acts offline that are translated into points in the game. So if you begin biking to work or recycling, you do better in the game.
Now, this game is geared mostly to teenagers, although its open to anyone.
Still not convinced? Well, there is also the opportunity to win sweet, sweet swag. eMission participants can enter for a chance to win one of five $2,000 scholarships for their energy efficiency efforts, and other great prizes like signed DoSomething.org swag.
Told you there was swag.
Still not convinced? Well listen to the words of One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush (Full disclosure: I have no idea who that is) who knows that saving the environment begins with individual actions.
“Teens are already on Facebook playing games, so why not play one that’s going to change your life for the better?”
Poll: Most favor higher fuel efficiency standards
September 17th, 2010 | Environmental Protection Agency Fleet Management Politics | Posted by Andy Medici
Most Americans favor higher government-imposed fuel-efficiency standards, according to a poll released last week.
The survey of 1,000 likely voters showed 85 percent favor government requirements to increase fuel efficiency in cars and 78 percent favor government regulation reducing emissions from large trucks, SUVs and minivans.
Respondents also support increased fuel efficiency standards even if the price of the car goes up by $3,000, with 66 percent still favoring the proposal and 28 percent opposed.
The Environmental Protection Agency received a favorable response: 63 percent of respondents saw the agency favorably or very favorably.
Environment America, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists sponsored the poll, which was conducted by the Mellman Group and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
EPA seeks a video star, too
March 2nd, 2010 | Environmental Protection Agency Uncategorized | Posted by Tim Kauffman
Last week I wrote about a video contest being sponsored by the General Services Administration, which is offering $2,500 to the person who best extols the virtues of the government’s information portal, www.usa.gov, through a 30- to 90-second video.
Not to be outdone, the Environmental Protection Agency is also getting into the act.
EPA yesterday launched a contest seeking videos that raise awareness about environmental justice, which EPA defines as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”
Examples could include a music video about climate change or an interview about a successful environmental justice project that has made a community a healthier and happier place to live, EPA suggests.
EPA will hand out cash awards of between $1,000 and $2,500 for the top three 30- to 60-second public service announcements and 3- to 5-minute informational videos. It’s also offering $500 awards for the best videos submitted by students.
Videos must be submitted before midnight April 8. EPA will announce the winners to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day (which, by the way, was the subject of last year’s EPA contest).
Website of the day: EPA’s green power map
February 12th, 2010 | Agencies Energy management Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Tim Kauffman
Five percent of the energy federal agencies use this year must come from renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass, under the 2005 Energy Policy Act. That’s up from 3 percent in 2009.
To help agencies get there, the Environmental Protection Agency has a nifty mapping tool on its website that lists available green power resources by state and links to the utility companies’ websites.
The nation’s capital, for instance, has six options that include wind or landfill gas in the energy mix. California offers a dozen green power alternatives, including energy generated by wind, solar, water and landfill gas.
The tool also lists nationally available renewable energy certificates (RECs) that agencies can purchase to help them offset the use of traditional carbon-based power.
EPA’s open government efforts begin with public
February 11th, 2010 | Environmental Protection Agency White House | Posted by Tim Kauffman
The Environmental Protection Agency is asking for the public to help it comply with an Obama administration directive to make government operations more open and transparent.
EPA has created a special website through which people can submit and vote on ideas for how the agency can solicit more feedback from the public, improve the quality and availability of information posted online and work better with groups inside and outside government. Ideas will be accepted until March 19.
EPA will use the suggestions to help write its first-ever Open Government Plan, said Linda Travers, EPA’s principal deputy assistant administrator, in an Feb. 10 e-mail to members of EPA’s list serve. All agencies have until April 7 to publish these plans, which are roadmaps for how agencies will comply with the open government principles President Obama laid out in a December memorandum.
Tags: open government, transparency
Leading the (green) way
June 17th, 2009 | Agriculture Defense Energy Environmental Protection Agency General Services Administration HHS Postal Service Transportation Treasury | Posted by Tim Kauffman
Federal agencies having a tough time meeting the plethora of green government mandates should take a close look at the 15 federal teams who have been recognized this year for spearheading environmentally sustainable practices at their agencies.
Winners of the 2009 White House Closing the Circle Awards — handed out Wednesday during the middle of the three-day 2009 Federal Environmental Symposium East in Bethesda, Md. –Â Â are demonstrating best practices in areas such as recycling, green purchasing and fuel conservation.
The big winner was the Air Force, which received four awards for initiatives under way at local bases and headquarters. The Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office in Denver was the biggest individual winner, taking home two awards.
A complete list of the winners — along with some of their accomplishments — is after the jump.
Tags: environment, green government
Things I didn't know government did: Certify TV prizes are green
May 14th, 2009 | Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Steve Watkins
As a condo dweller with precious little outdoor space, I naturally love Home and Garden Television (HGTV). And like many network viewers, I’ve drooled over the spacious HGTV “Green Home” in Port St. Lucie, Fla., which the network is raffling off. But I did not realize the home had a government connection: It’s EPA certified!
I also didn’t know EPA certified TV prizes, but according to this EPA press release the home has “earned EPA’s Indoor AirPlus and Energy Star labels.”
Tags: fun
WH announces VA nominees
April 1st, 2009 | Agencies Congress Defense Environmental Protection Agency Interior Transition Veterans Affairs White House | Posted by Rebecca Neal
The White House announced six more political appointees Tuesday, including three for the Veterans Affairs Department.
- Roger Baker, nominee for assistant secretary for information and technology, Veterans Affairs. Baker is the former president and chief executive office of Dataline, a technology company in Norfolk, Va. He also is a former chief information officer of the Commerce Department and served on President Barack Obama’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications policy group during his 2008 presidential campaign.
- William Gunn, nominee for general counsel, VA. He represents military members and veterans in his Northern Virginia law practice. He retired in 2005 from the Air Force, where he was a colonel in the JAG corps.
- John U. Sepúlveda, nominee for assistant secretary of human resources, VA. He is a former deputy director of the Office of Personnel Management, appointed in 1998 by then-President Bill Clinton.
- Anne Castle, nominee for assistant secretary for water and science, Interior Department. She is a partner at Holland & Hart in Denver, where she practices water rights and water quality law.
- Mathy Stanislaus, nominee for assistant administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Environmental Protection Agency. He is an environmental lawyer and chemical engineer and champions revelopment of brownfield sites.
- Jo-Ellen Darcy, nominee for assistant secretary of the Army (Civil Works), Defense Department. She is the senior environmental adviser for the Senate Finance Committee.
Tags: Congress, Transition, VA
Deputy EPA administrator nominee is out
March 25th, 2009 | Agencies Environmental Protection Agency Transition | Posted by Rebecca Neal
Jon Cannon, President Barack Obama’s nominee for deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday afternoon.
And in case you’re wondering, it’s not over unpaid taxes, an issue which has befallen a handful of Obama’s other nominees.
Cannon, an environmental law professor at the University of Virginia, said he withdrew because he once served on the board of a nonprofit group currently under investigation.
It has come to my attention that America’s Clean Water Foundation, where I once served on the board of directors, has become the subject of scrutiny. While my service on the board of that now-dissolved organization is not the subject of the scrutiny, I believe the energy and environmental challenges facing our nation are too great to delay confirmation for this position, and I do not wish to present any distraction to the agency.”
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee had scheduled a confirmation hearing for Cannon for Thursday.
Tags: EPA, Transition