Say Anything

We North Dakotans are always told that we can’t unelect our federal Democrat incumbents because they’re so high-ranking and so powerful in Washington DC that if we did North Dakota interests wouldn’t be represented nationally very well at all. Yet, despite this alleged power our all-Democrat federal delegation supposedly has, their own party is on the verge of dealing some crippling blows to the coal and oil industries with new federal regulations.
Both industries that are a) key to North Dakota’s economic success and b) employ thousands of North Dakota workers.
As of yesterday Rep. Pomeroy had done exactly nothing to, for instance, stop the EPA from regulating carbon emissions as a “dangerous pollutant.” But then Rep. Pomeroy committed to running for re-election, and now suddenly he’s proposed a new law to take from the EPA the power to regulate carbon.
This despite an existing bill in the House, introduced by Rep. Marsha Blackburn, doing what Pomeroy is proposing.

North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy, a Democrat, has introduced a bill in Congress that would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gases. There is talk on the Senate side that a similar bill could emerge in that chamber.
Pomeroy’s bill, of H.R. 4396, the Save Our Energy Jobs Act introduced on Jan. 8, comes as the EPA has announced it would move forward on new rules to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. “This action, if not prevented, could dramatically increase energy rates as well as end up costing North Dakota jobs,” Pomeroy said in a press statement.
He noted that on April 2, 2007, the United States Supreme Court, in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that the EPA has the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions should they find these emissions to be harmful to public health and welfare.

I guess there’s nothing like the potential for a tough re-election battle to make a liberal politician want to pander to his red state constituency. Especially when Pomeroy is likely to be facing current North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Kevin Cramer for re-election.
Regardless, remember legislation to stop the EPA from using the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon was killed in the Senate by North Dakota’s own Byron Dorgan. And now Pomeroy was only inspired to do something about it by the potential of getting kicked out of office.
Which is all well and good, I guess, but I’d rather elect a political leader who does more than just represent our interests during election years.