By Alex Mills
Alex Mills
Environmental groups and the Obama administration have had a very close working relationship since the first day he took office in 2009. President Obama has appointed many leaders of the environmental movement to key positions within his administration.
When Obama’s environmental team failed to pass significant environmental legislation, such as cap-and-trade, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Ca.), chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Resources Committee, proclaimed that the administration will just increase the regulation of the industry instead of trying to pass new laws.
Recent proof of this special connection between federal regulators and the environmental community comes from a letter on Jan. 10 from Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). McCarthy’s letter was in response to an earlier letter from Beinecke.
McCarthy reassured NRDC in the letter that EPA is very focused on even more regulation of the industry.
“The EPA is moving forward on several initiatives to provide regulatory clarity with respect to existing laws and using existing authorities where appropriate to enhance public health and environmental safeguards,” McCarthy stated in the letter.
The phrase “provide regulatory clarity” is an indication that EPA intends to change current regulations to increase the oversight and reporting requirements. Also, the phrase “enhance public health and environmental safeguards” is taken right from letters that ask for contribution to environmental groups.
One such group is called the Food & Water Watch, which is connected to MoveOn.org, the organization that was so instrumental in raising funds for President Obama’s election and re-election. In a recent fund raising letter, Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, stated that the organization “is a leader of the grassroots movement to ban fracking for oil and natural gas, and we’ve succeeded in helping pass more than 400 local resolutions against it already.”
“Right now we are strategizing with our allies to move the national debate toward a ban on fracking,” Hauter said in announcing a new national coalition of environmental extremist groups, Americans Against Fracking.
Americans Against Fracking list 25 national organizations as part of “a national coalition to ban fracking.” In addition to MoveOn.org and the Food & Water Watch, the list consists of such well known organizations as Friends of the Earth, Center for Biological Diversity and Greenpeace.
There are some organization listed in the coalition that makes you wonder what they are against hydraulic fracturing, like the Food & Water Watch and Justice Through Music. For example, what is the connection of the Justice Through Music organization and hydraulic fracturing? Well, their website states that the goal of Justice Through Music, which happens to be a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is to “eliminate political and social apathy.” Also, the organization states that it tries to “organize educate and activate young people about the importance of civil rights, human rights and voting.”
Heck, anybody and everybody, even crust old oilmen, could be against “political and social apathy” and for “civil rights, human rights and voting.” So, why are there stories on its home page supporting the banning the Keystone Pipeline and hydraulic fracturing, coal miners, honor treaties with Indians, urges readers to sign up for ObamaCare, and the legalization of marijuana? Why is Justice Through Music really opposed to fracing? Does it have a full understanding of the issues surrounding fracing? How did the organization come about its policy? Is it considered a “no brainer” to be against anything the oil and gas industry supports, and support such issues as ObamaCare and legalization of marijuana? Maybe, the real reason it is against fracing is because it is the politically correct thing to do for liberals.
Alex Mills is President of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. The opinions expressed are solely of the author.
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