You may have noticed that in recent weeks, the Biden administration has been rolling out a hell of a lot of new regulations. Earlier this month it was big student loan reforms and a massive improvement in how public lands are managed, then this week we had better pay and working conditions for working Americans, minimum staffing ratios for nursing homes, and even improved service on airlines.
That’s not only because it’s an election year, though Joe & Kamala certainly do like to point out that where the Other Guy rages (and wants to raise inflation!) they’ve been busy making Americans’ lives better. But the bigger reason is that the administration wants to get new rules finalized prior to May, to keep them from being tossed out in the next Congress via the Congressional Review Act, which Donald Trump and his cronies used to reverse a bunch of Barack Obama’s environmental regulations.
. . . The requirement that coal plants find a way to eliminate 90 percent of their emissions by 2032 effectively accelerates the end of coal for power generation, which was inevitable anyway. Roughly 70 percent of US coal plants have already closed, and last year, coal generated only 16 percent of electric power, a new record low. In addition to the emissions rule, three other final rules also impose strict new limits on mercury, coal ash, and pollution of wastewater, to put an end to the environmental degradation caused by coal.
. . . The other option, obviously, would be for utilities to meet coming demand with renewables, as administration officials pointed out when previewing the new rule. Thanks to the IRA’s hundreds of billions of dollars in incentives, carbon-free power generation, including battery storage, already beats the cost of building new gas plants. Going forward, the administration is confident renewables will be the far more cost-effective and reliable way to meet increasing demand by 2032, when the emissions limits fully kick in.
This is the correct response. He’s been world’s better than expected on many things. But between those expectations and Republicans that bar was ridiculously low.
There are many things I wish biden and Democrats would do. But complaint wise Biden’s kid gloves and undeservedly diplomatic tone with Israel is the biggest. Though completely expected given the century of propaganda and enabling of such a dangerous regime over there. It doesn’t all fall on biden. But he still wrong for his part.
oh yeah but when I say the bar is ridiculously low I mean like taking into account all the presidents I have had experience with. Im like old and to have biden be the best to me is sorta sad. previously I felt the same way with obama and the current pope. I feel like there should be a sign saying you must be at least this competent to be president with their picture and most of the presidents would then be disqualified. Like this is the crappiest you can be to hold the office. instead (at least for me) they are the best. Im not even comparing to trump now who is so opposite end of the spectrum and did the monumental achievement of making bush junior not seem so bad (yes yes. I know thats debatable as his random crazy sellout stupid is hard to measure against calculating power for us by which im talking channey of course).