Al Gore Criticizes Obama For Abandoning Smog Standards

In Al Gore's most recent post to "Al's Journal," the former vice president slams President Obama for his recent retreat on smog standards.

Last Friday, under pressure from big industries and GOP lawmakers, Obama asked the EPA to withdraw proposed clean air regulations.

According to the Associated Press, "The regulation would have reduced concentrations of ground-level ozone, the main ingredient in smog, a powerful lung irritant that can cause asthma and other lung ailments."

Janice Nolen, assistant vice president of the American Lung Association, told The Huffington Post that she was "outraged," given that "the current standard used was based on the science as of 14 years ago -- before we knew that ozone killed people."

In Gore's Wednesday post, he writes:

Instead of relying on science, President Obama appears to have bowed to pressure from polluters who did not want to bear the cost of implementing new restrictions on their harmful pollution—even though economists have shown that the US economy would benefit from the job creating investments associated with implementing the new technology. The result of the White House’s action will be increased medical bills for seniors with lung disease, more children developing asthma, and the continued degradation of our air quality.

Gore also mentions that fact that on the very day that Obama made this announcement, activists were outside the White House engaged in protests against the Keystone XL pipeline, which is expected to run from the Canadian tar sands in Alberta to refineries on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Over the course of two weeks, over 1,200 people were arrested for their acts of non-violent civil disobedience. In a recent HuffPost piece, Gore wrote, "The tar sands are the dirtiest source of fuel on the planet."

Many others have spoken out against Obama's decision, including Robert Redford, who wrote for The Huffington Post that "President Obama has done a lot to protect public health and our environment," but "I want our smog levels to come down so more of our children and seniors can breathe clean air. Putting corporate profits above public health is unconscionable. It's outrageous that it would be countenanced -- by this president or any other."

Keith Olbermann slammed President Obama on his Friday show, asking, "What the hell is going on in the White House?"

Read Al Gore's full post here.
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Comments

[bibliowhining]

12:27 PM on 09/12/2011

Please sign the care2 petition to convince Obama to reverse his position on smog standards.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/10/tell-obama-to-protect-us-citizens-from-smog-pollution/

[WonderingNThinking]

05:17 AM on 09/10/2011

Simply, if you use less you need less money (not that this solves the world's problems, but please consider this thought). Less consumption leads to less demand for resources, so lower prices. (This can be done with simple changes that maintain quality of life, even improve it.) The earnings and costs of an individual will balance out. Same for society.

[JDZSB]

09:53 AM on 09/09/2011

Right on...the perceived "manmade" impact to the environment has been taken to extremes in this country to where smelts, red legged frogs, ground squirrels, butterflies, and hundreds of creatures are now higher up in the priority list then the human being. Putting farmers out of business in California, destroying the coal industry, obstructing our oil exploration and drilling, obstructing the extension of the oil pipeline from Canada, more then doubling the CAFE standard in one huge step, etc. are actions in place and which illustrate how over the GOP the EPA and the environmental activists have had their way with our government. Even if climate change is grossly affected by mankind, which is debatable, the USA is so far ahead of the billions of people living in other countries in terms of pollution management that there is no compelling reasons to ruin our economy by pushing these extremist regulations. We need to back off and support rebuilding our economy and creating jobs for HUMANS who are hurting. Get it Al??

[Suzan Satterfield]

09:42 AM on 09/09/2011

I am so tired of "either/or" thinking. Yes, it is possible to have clean air and water and prosperous industry/jobs. Cleaning up industry and installing energy-efficient measures actually creates jobs. We really don't have to choose between working and breathing!

[noslices]

08:52 AM on 09/09/2011

Now, if he would only get after the EPA to recind their water rule in California, that save a 3" fish, so that central California can start growing crops again, and put thousands of farmers and farm workers back to work, growing food for America, and stop the new Texas law that will prevent oil drilling and production in a massively oil rich area of the state because of a newly endangered ground squirrel, and how about going after the NLRB for preventing Boeing from opening their new factory in South Carolina that will creat 2000 jobs there. And while you're at it, leave Gibson Guitars alone, they make a great product.

[kejavas]

05:59 AM on 09/09/2011

Is there a king or prince in the mideast named "Pressure Polluter" that he has bowed to? Lord knows he has bowed to all of the others.

[sooo]

05:05 AM on 09/09/2011

It would sure be amazing if we could get our government to bow to pressure from the people they were elected to represent.

[redrage727]

02:13 AM on 09/09/2011

Al Gore is a lot like our POTUS. They say one thing, regulate or make laws to enforce us to do it, but do nothig themselves. Practice what you preach.
POTUS does the same thing. WE are broke, economic failures abound, no money, urgent, right NOW...but he and his family hasn't stopped spending or shown any restraint. They haven't set any examples for America. Spend.spend, spend. Money problems? What problems? You don't see me or mine (POTUS & Family & cousins, neices, nephews, Moms' in Laws, etc) having any problems spending, taking lavish vacations and trips. So what are we supposed to think? Lead by example because we already know you don't lead by transparency and truth.

[redrage727]

02:08 AM on 09/09/2011

Even educated Al Gore, a far left extrenist liberal, surely knows that there is a time and place for everything. This country is in economical dire straights and now is not the time to pass more regulations. That cost $$$ and usually jobs. If you keep regulating and kicking a country when it's down, it may not recover enough to ever get up again.
What's all the rush? Let us all give some recovery time before we introduce even more regulations that cost small fortunes and put people out of work. That's just sound economic sense. Liberals like Gore want everything right now. Spoiled. Perhaps he should stroke his chakra and calm himself down. ( pun intended) OH. and stop acting mentally unstable. That would go a long way towards your credibility. We have had worse smog for hundreds and hundreds of years and yet here we remain. Not saying we shouldn't make the world a cleaner, safer place to live & breathe but be patient. Recovery time is what's needed right now.

[Paul McGibboney]

11:00 AM on 09/09/2011

Lack of Regulation is one of the things that got us into this whole mess. Greedy conservatives and their low-info lemmings are the menace here. The wealthiest among us use hyper-emotional buttons to push the lemmings into hysteria about things like..well, if you aren't a conservative, then you are an evil communist trying to take over their double-wide or stop them from watching the Kardashians. The puppet masters use language like "deregulation" and "privatizing" because they know bubba and susie creamcheese get a headache when too much cyphering is demanded. Deregulation means letting the fox watch the henhouse and take all the eggs then eat the chickens, while the family that raised them starve. Privatization means letting an extremely few people (with no regulation) make big bucks and give less service and all the while demanding the taxpayers pick up their share of running their business. If all this is making your head swim, just watch any of the old westerns about cattle barons and railroad barons, et al, as they had their way taking everything from everyone along the way. I'm thinking we need some leaders NOW whose heads aren't caught in the barons zippers.

[Chipper Jones]

12:48 AM on 09/09/2011

Al Gore..one more "great" Lib. I am thankful everyday that this snakeoil salesman has been discredited

[tepeko]

11:43 PM on 09/08/2011

Dear Al,
Please go away...on your private jet, of course....

[rw302361]

01:10 AM on 09/09/2011

may you have my illness for a day and see what its like to suffer because people like you dont care

[flairbrusher]

11:16 PM on 09/08/2011

Maybe the man who invvented the internet should look into all of the lives that have been violated through it. That should give him something to do for the next ten years.

[USARMY20]

10:50 PM on 09/08/2011

Ugh! Mr. Gore, everytime you open your mouth, the smog index increases.

[TheSarge]

10:00 PM on 09/08/2011

Don't they all? Money must have a power that has eluded me, I seem to be content with my small piece of world.

[waltersaucier]

09:31 PM on 09/08/2011

who's al gore anyway. don't go away mad just go away.