Why Flint? Why Dieselgate? Why Was the EPA Prevented From Acting?

by Robert E. Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Of all the grandstanding by politicians over the Flint, Michigan, drinking water disaster perhaps the most hypocritical has been that of Democrats such as Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton heaping all the blame on Michigan Republicans while not saying one word about the deficiencies of the Environmental Protection Agency under the Obama Administration.

In both cases independent investigative and enforcement actions by EPA in support of the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts would have prevented these crises.

In our bailiwick of low Greenhouse Gas (GHG) renewable fuels, EPA’s removal of calculations (“F” and “R” factors) that properly account for renewable fuel GHG emissions reductions in the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards has placed an artificial cap on potential E10 plus markets.

In addition, the EPA of the Obama Administration has tilted the field in favor of electric cars by removing the GHG lifecycle analysis for those vehicles. By so doing, the impact of fossil fuel used to produce vehicle charging electricity is removed from electric car GHG accounting. The result? The Zero-Emission vehicle!

Regardless of our continued efforts, we watch the crumbling of our nation’s environment. How can this be happening?

We have the best environmental legislation ever written in the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. We have an independent federal agency unencumbered with prior conflicting issues set up to enforce those laws. President Richard Nixon even approved the use of fines collected by EPA to be used for future enforcement and not returned to the General Fund.

It seems very clear now that the Obama Administration has embraced, and possibly expanded the White House control of EPA that began under President Ronald Reagan.

At first, EPA Administrators like William Ruckelshaus fought back hard for EPA independence. But, under the succeeding Administrations of Clinton, Bush, and Obama, the EPA has been brought to heel and now operates like another White House office.

And, while the Obama Administration announced with much fanfare in 2015 a plan to reduce methane leaks from oil and gas drilling and pipeline operations, the Administration restricted EPA from writing regulations that would cover existing operations, which produce most of the leaking methane. Under the Obama plan, EPA could only regulate drilling and pipeline operations placed in operation after the regulations were approved. They haven’t been yet.

You might say this is all “inside the Beltway” minutia that doesn’t mean anything to people in the Midwest expecting clean drinking water. But it does, and here’s why.

What came with increasing White House control of EPA was also increasing protection for those limited number of corporations and individuals that funded the Presidents’ campaigns.

Chief among those contributors have been banks and investment houses. What type of projects do they like to issue bonds for? How about “privatized government operations” like water treatment that guarantee bond owners payment through water bills and taxes. Flint, Michigan anyone? And, oh by the way, unless something changes, the folks in Flint will still be on the hook for paying for that useless system long after it's replaced. Isn’t Wall Street capitalism great?

Outside of Bernie Sanders, have any of the other Presidential candidates seriously questioned the role of campaign contributions on the enforcement of American laws that protect the average citizen? I don’t think so. For that matter have any of the mainstream media types conducting televised “debates” asked this question?

One hopes that these examples of restricted EPA actions will be enough to shake up the American people so this systemic degradation of a citizen’s right to a clean environment is ended.

One hopes that the next President will not base his or her government on the demands of those who paid for the election.

One hopes voters will demand the justice promised in the Declaration of Independence and codified in our hard fought laws and judicial decisions.

*Robert E. (Bob) Kozak is the founder of Atlantic Biomass, LLC, and a co-founder of Advanced Biofuels USA. Having worked for about 40 years in the transportation, energy, environmental, and government relations industries and in enzyme development, he serves as a fuels/engines and policy expert for Advanced Biofuels USA. He can be reached at atlanticbiomass @ aol.com