George DeMarse: New climate approach needed

Regarding the Aug. 4 Focus article “Climate push may be next Obamacare”: We already see Gov. Pat McCrory and his cronies lining up against what will be stringent new emission standards regarding power plants.

We also see a state regulatory body, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, which should be duty bound to follow the law, running to this right-wing legislature asking for “protection” to allow it to not follow what will be federal law on emissions. In order words, an excuse not to do its job.

We can clearly see that Republicans don’t care about public health and safety, but they sure do care about polluters running to them for protection against that evil EPA.

We are long past the heyday of states “doing their own thing” on ameliorating climate change. We need first a federal, then a global approach to do anything meaningful on climate change.

Now the Republicans continue to force bad air and bad water on us because they want to protect their cronies who frack and drill and pipeline us to death with dirty energy. Let’s just champion clean energy sources for a change and help our bad climate at the same time.

This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "George DeMarse: New climate approach needed."