Tampa Bay Paper Belatedly Notes FL Has Shitty Government, And That Science Is Important

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The justices' move signals that the conservative majority is at least open to the argument made by the states that the administration's plan is an overreach of executive power. That argument has no legal or practical merit. Both the high court and lower courts have upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the federal Clean Air Act. That's exactly what Obama's plan does, and it allows states the flexibility to decide for themselves how to achieve the targeted reductions, whether by closing aging plants, replacing the dirtiest fuels or investing in newer, clean-energy technologies.

Florida again chose to stand with polluters by joining the legal challenge. Bondi declared the ruling was "a huge victory for Florida families" that staved off, at least for now, "untold" pain to jobs, power bills and the nation's electrical grid. Tell that to the millions of Floridians who suffer from asthma and other serious illnesses made worse by higher temperatures and air pollution. Tell it to residents across South Florida whose lawns and streets are flooded with seawater, or the millions in Central Florida who face billion-dollar price tags for developing new drinking water sources. Tell it to Florida Power & Light, the state's largest power utility, which has saved billions of dollars with cleaner plants and renewable energy. Tell it to countless government agencies and private companies that are moving away from dirty fuels and incorporating solar, wind and conservation into the mix.

A federal report this week on the outlook for coal says it all. Coal consumption decreased 15 percent last year, mainly because utilities are turning to cleaner sources of energy. That trend will only continue, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Tuesday, as coal stockpiles rise after losing market share to natural gas and as renewable energy becomes more affordable and available.

However the merits of the case are resolved, the high court's action in freezing a regulation before any court ruled against it — which has never happened before — will cost states valuable time in tailoring their own climate strategies. And it embarrasses the Obama administration just as it seeks to induce China, India and other major polluters to adhere to the commitments they made at the climate talks in Paris. It also becomes even more critical that a science denier not succeed Obama as president.

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http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-florida-on-wrong-side-of-climate-change-fight/2265084