WAHOOO: Judges Overturn Bush Bid to Ease Pollution Rules

Is this the scent of a changing wind? One can only hope.

A federal appeals court on Friday overturned a clean-air regulation issued by the Bush administration that would have let many power plants, refineries and factories avoid installing costly new pollution controls to help offset any increased emissions caused by repairs and replacements of equipment.

Ruling in favor of a coalition of states and environmental advocacy groups, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the "plain language" of the law required a stricter approach. The court has primary jurisdiction in challenges to federal regulations.

The ruling by a three-judge panel was the court's second decision in less than a year in a pair of closely related cases involving the administration's interpretations of a complex section of the Clean Air Act. Unlike its ruling last summer, when the court largely upheld the E.P.A.'s approach against challenges from industry, state governments and environmental groups, the new ruling was a defeat for the agency and for industry, and a victory for the states and their environmentalist allies.

Judges Overturn Bush Bid to Ease Pollution Rules

If pollution regulations aren't enforced, the USA soon will be in the same state as Mexico - suffering water riots, just for starters.

While it is a step in the right direction, I think this is the equivalent of a stay of execution to allow for more water torture, if you know what I mean.

The regulatory agencies are so gutted and impotent and wasteful, that even if they weren't staffed with industry insiders they'd be mostly ineffective.

It's a shame really, that something so simple as not #ting in ones own nest is made so complicated by the introduction of a representative democracy.

Every little thing counts.
Our governments need to understand that while economy is important the ecology is far more important.
You can have all the money in the world but it wont mean a thing if you are falling to environmental ailments. We are connected to this planet. Dumping pollution on it is the same as dumping pollution on ourselves.
What is the saying? You have nothing unless you have your health.
Unfortunately most don't understand this until their health fails.

I'll take every little victory we can get...