With gas prices high, president lifts environmental rules

[Kolesar]

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

With gas prices high, president lifts environmental rules

President Bush, responding to growing pressure from Congress about high gasoline prices, today lifted environmental rules and took the government out of the oil market for the summer.

The changes ease the market demand for oil -- the main raw material of gasoline -- and give refiners more leeway to produce gas without using additives, such as ethanol, that add to the cost and complexity.

In an unusual position for a Republican president, he asked Congress to make oil companies pay higher taxes -- saying that with oil industry profits at record highs, they don't need tax incentives.

Wholesale gas futures prices fell 8 cents a gallon in New York trading.

(This story will be updated later today.)
www.cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/business/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_business/archives/2006_04.html#134537

[skids]

1. Frontpaged at dKos (twice basically)

This topic seems to have kossaks really up in arms:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/25/123512/610

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/25/61616/0814

...and another FP article a little more general in scope:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/25/125111/787

And not to neglect the early bird kossak that got scooped:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/4/25/115637/210

...plenty of ranting to be had on energy today.

[Frustratedlady]

3. Didn't he lift some environmental controls after Katrina?

I don't remember seeing that they were ever reinstated.

[skids]

5. Yeah, on diesel.

I don't remember seeing anything one way or the other whether they were reinstated. That one was a geographically isolated exemption, though... this is nationwide.

[fasttense]

2. Just another give-away to the oil companies. bush* paying off

his haves and have mores supporters.

[LSparkle]

4. Marsha Lying-Sack-Of-Crap Blackburn got her talking points right

"Environmental extremists" are to blame for high gas prices. Yep, in the twisted logic of DumbyaWorld, that's the ticket ...

[Sequoia]

6. This was planned along and we know it.

So I'm going to buy some Junior Mints to get rid of that bad taste.