Jurisdictional skirmishing to determine who takes the lead in tackling tough public policy issues is nothing new. But cleaning up pollution in our nation continues to generate substantial heat and ongoing turf battles among legislators, regulators, environmentalists, states, industries and others. The question remains: Who should be charged with crafting workable climate change solutions that don't stall economic recovery and impair the competitiveness of American businesses?
Sen. George Voinovich thinks he has the answer. Or, at the very least, he's kicking off debate over who should not be in charge. The Ohio legislator will offer an amendment to omnibus climate legislation soon to be introduced in Congress by a bipartisan group of senators. His proposal would bar federal agencies and states from regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
Other federal legislators have moved to limit the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate green house gases, but the Voinovich amendment also would bar states from adopting their own climate laws. The rub is that several states already have established programs to limit greenhouse gases and the EPA has issued a ruling to restrict greenhouse gas emissions.
Curbing pollution is a global issue that requires a national standard, not a patchwork of conflicting state policies and agency regulations that reduce certainty among our nation's businesses and industries. If the Voinovich amendment seeks to introduce one-size-fits-all climate policy into the debate, so be it. A workable, nationwide solution that's legislated by Congress and in line with economic recovery is just what we need now.
Steve Smith resides in Kettering.
4 Opinion
Letter to the Editor
