The head of the EPA, Gina McCarthy, has said that the Supreme Court’s rejection of mercury emissions limits will not affect a separate set of EPA rules to cut carbon pollution from power plant emissions. Naturally, Fox News had to demonize that statement.
The “fair and balanced” coverage of the matter on Your World consisted of an interview with Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito, from coal-loving West Virginia.
Capito said, “Damage has been done to the states. People have lost their jobs. We’re never going to recover these jobs back. I think they need to step back and start over and look at what the economic ramifications are from the rule, like the Supreme Court said they must.”
Capito also threatened: “We have, as members of Congress, ability to stop appropriations, to be able to hold rules at least for a year, and I think that’s what we’re going to see if she decides to move forward.”
Cavuto asked about Democrats possibly calling Republicans “the party of dirty. They’re for dirty air, they’re for nasty emissions. …The Republicans are the party of death, What do you make of that?” he asked.
“Why are we going to listen to the Supreme Court when they uphold Obamacare, and then when they come back and say you have to look at economic benefit balanced with environmental benefit, why that’s no longer…” Capito was interrupted by Cavuto.
“That’s an excellent point, Senator,” he said approvingly. “If you’re going to honor the court’s wishes there, you should be consistent.”
Actually, as U.S. News & World Report noted, the court did not knock down the EPA rules on power plant emissions, it didn’t even strike down the rule on mercury emissions, but sent the matter back to a lower court, though that ruling could impact the power plant rules.
But instead of merely kissing up to the senator, Cavuto should have noted that there are economic benefits to the proposed EPA plan. According to Think Progress, those benefits outweigh the costs by a wide margin. The rules would also drive demand away from carbon, which has health benefits, and 274,000 new jobs would be created.
Watch the one-sided discussion below, from the July 8 Your World.