New environmental policies (Part 1 of assignment II)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601157.html

In this article, President Obama outlines a few things:

First, Obama desires to allow California and other states to set new, strict regulations on auto emissions to reduce oil consumption and pollution and begin the task of reducing and eventually eliminating the dependence on foreign oil. The strict emissions regulations could encourage American automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars. "The moves are aimed at reversing decisions by Bush administration, which he said had stood in the way of bold action by California and other states to limit greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles(Washington Post)."

Having more fuel-efficient cars will help reduce foreign oil dependence and reduce harmful emissions into the air, and Obama is letting the individual states decide how they want to regulate their emissions. There really is not too much to disagree with from what I have read.

Environmental regulation really began to pick up in the 1970s, but during the Reagan Presidency, he eliminated all environmental and resource policies because he wanted to reduce the scope of government regulation. This allowed for grassroots organizations to successfully appeal to the public. George Bush Senior reacted to this by his support for the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990. George Bush Junior, on the other hand, was much more interested in economic development than environmental regulation and resource conservation.