Those were Al Gore's words.
Former Vice President Al Gore is unhappy with Barack Obama.In a blog post Wednesday afternoon, Gore took Obama to task for his decision late last week to scrap EPA’s proposed update of George W. Bush-era smog regulations.
“Instead of relying on science, President Obama appears to have bowed to pressure from polluters who did not want to bear the cost of implementing new restrictions on their harmful pollution — even though economists have shown that the U.S. economy would benefit from the job creating investments associated with implementing the new technology,” Gore wrote.
“The result of the White House’s action will be increased medical bills for seniors with lung disease, more children developing asthma and the continued degradation of our air quality."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/62860.html And from the League of Conservation Voters...
Obama Caves to Big Polluters, Drops EPA Ozone Rule02 Sep 2011 | Emma Brown
The Obama Administration announced Friday that it will not pursue the long-awaited EPA ozone rule, awarding a huge win for big polluters. The rule—which the EPA had previously announced would be issued shortly—was intended to curb harmful smog pollution that has serious impacts on public health.
"The Obama Administration is caving to big polluters at the expense of protecting the air we breathe. The League of Conservations Voters Gene Karpinski said. “This is a huge win for corporate polluters and huge loss for public health."
The Administration claimed the rule would be a regulatory burden and cause uncertainty for businesses and state governments, given that current ozone standards are scheduled for review in 2013.
But multiple health organizations, including the American Lung Association, and EPA scientists supported the ozone rules because the current standards—implemented in 2006 by a weakened EPA operating under the Bush Administration—are not strong enough to protect public health. These ozone standards, they note, would prevent thousands of premature deaths each year.
http://www.lcv.org/media/blog/obama-caves-to-big-polluters.html This is alarming news for anyone who cares about the environment.