Bill Postmus.net

by Ben Geman
09/02/11

The White House moved quickly Friday to try and quell anger from the left over President Obama’s decision to shelve planned smog regulations.

White House officials vowed Friday to defend other Clean Air Act regulations that are under attack by Capitol Hill Republicans, who plan to move several bills to kill or weaken separate rules including those on power plant mercury emissions, greenhouse gases and toxic emissions from industrial boilers.

“This administration has a very significant record of success when it comes to protecting public health and the environment and that is a record that we are going to stand behind,” a White House official told reporters on a call Friday.

Leading green groups blasted the White House decision in a series of scathing press releases that sounded like the attacks once lodged against the George W. Bush administration.

The Sierra Club condemns the Obama administration’s decision to delay critical, long-overdue protections from smog, an acidic air pollutant that when inhaled is like getting a sunburn on your lungs,” said Sierra Club President Michael Brune, whose group has an active political field operation.

“By putting the interest of coal and oil polluters first, the White House seems to be saying that ‘clean air will have to wait,’” he said.

Frank O’Donnell of Clean Air Watch called Obama’s decision an “abject act of political cowardice.”

The backlash underscores Obama’s delicate position as he tries to show that he’s seeking to boost jobs in the sour economy, while fending off relentless GOP claims that his environmental agenda is a brake on growth.

Since last year’s disastrous election for Democrats, the president has tried to move to the political center and repair frayed relations with the business community. That effort — epitomized by the selection of William Daley as chief of staff — has already stirred up tension with labor unions, which were among the president’s strongest backers in 2008.

Now, with the business-friendly move on the ozone rules, Obama risks alienating another group of key supporters as he embarks on a grueling reelection campaign.

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