The Obama waivers start to spread

posted at 8:48 am on February 3, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

We already have more than 700 waivers to the requirements of ObamaCare in place, with 40% of those affected being in unions.  Now we see waivers beginning in another area of the Obama administration’s key policy areas — greenhouse gas emissions.  In January, the administration began enforcing new EPA rules on new or expanding power plants, and within just a few weeks, announced the first waiver of those rules:

The Obama administration will spare a stalled power plant project in California from the newest federal limits on greenhouse gases and conventional air pollution, U.S. EPA says in a new court filing that marks a policy shift in the face of industry groups and Republicans accusing the agency of holding up construction of large industrial facilities.

According to a declaration by air chief Gina McCarthy, officials reviewed EPA policies and decided it was appropriate to “grandfather” projects such as the Avenal Power Center, a proposed 600-megawatt power plant in the San Joaquin Valley, so they are exempted from rules such as new air quality standards for smog-forming nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

Hey, you know what else Barack Obama did in January?  He picked GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt to lead his new jobs commission.  Does that sound like a non-sequitur to you?  Let Timothy Carney explain the details of the Avenal Power Center:

The proposed Avenal Energy project will be a combined-cycle generating plant consisting of two natural gas-fired General Electric 7FA Gas Turbines with Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSG) and one General Electric Steam Turbine.

GE: They bring good waivers to life!

The Obama administration seems very eager to impose regulation on everyone except their bestest buddies.  If these policies are so bad that Obama’s friends and political allies need waivers to get around them, then perhaps they shouldn’t be in place at all.  And perhaps the Obama administration should learn something about the rule of law, rather than the rule of whim — or as the rest of us call it, The Chicago Way.

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Heh, those new EPA regulations didn’t even last as long as a GE appliance, before the waivers started flying. Close though!

MNHawk on February 3, 2011 at 11:59 AM

“When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion – when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing – when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors – when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you – when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice – you may know that your society is doomed.” – Ayn Rand

RadClown on February 3, 2011 at 12:07 PM

Miss me yet?

- W.

BobMbx on February 3, 2011 at 12:30 PM

Mr. President is making a mockery of our system. You can’t make laws and then decide who has to follow them and who doesn’t.

scalleywag on February 3, 2011 at 12:45 PM

There are two main types of economic systems of the civilized world; capitalist and command.
Capitalism is what built our nation. The choices of supply and demand are made by the people. That means we buy products or services we want at a price we are willing to pay, which determines what is produced or provided. Everyone has an opportunity to be productive in their own way by their own choices.
The Obama administration fails to understand the basic principle of supply and demand. Their concept of it is based on FDR’s program of putting people to work on roads, bridges and public projects would create people with money. Companies would then be created to produce products for those people to buy. Sound familiar? The program failed but its failure was covered up by our nation entering WW II and going into a war production economy.
Command is the control of supply and demand based on the interest and needs of the state. The State determines what is produced, where it is produced, and what the cost to the people for that product will be. This requires a bureaucracy that determines what services are goods can be provided with the resources and labor available. It is in this manner the phrase; “From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.” becomes relevant to the economics of the state. The elites of course “need” what we have today and the great unwashed get the projects and scratching for whatever the state tosses down.
Socialism is the transitional state from a capitalist system to the command system, also known as communism. Its purpose is to transfer the wealth from individuals to the state and production from the control of the people to control of the state. Socialism itself always fails because it has to fail for the people to accept the State control as their only way to survive. We see that enviable transition happening in Venezuela today.
Obama was mentored by the best communist and socialist that this nation had to offer. He has been financed and supported by the wealth of those who want to see the end of capitalism in America and control by the State. Communist and socialist have said for decades that the only way to do that in America is through nationalized medicine. Nationalized medicine allows the government to enter into every aspect of the people’s lives. It is no surprise that Obama pushed everything else aside to get their nationalized medicine law created, tax laws to redistribute the wealth, finance laws to control the production of wealth, and cap and trade laws, or having failed that, federal regulation, to redistribute the nation’s wealth to other countries, including socialist nations who no longer have means of producing wealth. A socialist or command system is a benefit to those in control of great wealth and means of production. It is easier to deal with a few bureaucrats that the rules, regulations and the desire of the people of a capitalist system. Effectively it becomes more profitable to them.
Does any of this ring any truth with what Obama is doing today?

Franklyn on February 3, 2011 at 1:21 PM

Note that this is a proposed power plant in CA. Unlikely ever to get approved much less built. But because GE engines are proposed, it must get a waiver.

“All animals are equal except some animals are more equal than others.” George Orwell Animal Farm

Caststeel on February 3, 2011 at 1:51 PM

And Gov Perry is still struggling to continue construction in TX because of the new regs.

Oleta on February 3, 2011 at 2:11 PM

Heck, the USSR, and Russia now, had/have more credibility.

How far the U.S. has come.

Transparency and Winning the Future, one exclusion at a time.

Schadenfreude on February 3, 2011 at 2:12 PM

Everyday brings new examples of Obama’s hard work to destroy our country. Crony capitalism helps, so Obama embraces that. Real capitalism is rejected.
Is there anyone out there who does not understand that Obama is intentionally destroying our economy?

GaltBlvnAtty on February 3, 2011 at 2:31 PM

It was as if FDR gave a speech in 1940 on foreign affairs, and ignored Nazi Germany while he touted our friendly relations with Canada. This is not the way men of destiny act.

Obama is not transformational, and he will not be great. If he goes on like this, he will not even be adequate, but will go down in history as one of the soi-disant leaders who not only failed to master a crisis, but failed to admit one existed.

The mess he claims he inherited from President George W. Bush (which was made in large part by Obama’s friends and his party) will be as nothing compared to the one he’ll pass on to his heirs.

Midgets at the helm

Schadenfreude on February 3, 2011 at 2:48 PM

If you put together Obama’s resistance to just about any serious changes in entitlement spending with his antique vision of technological progress, what you see is an America where the public sector permanently consumes a larger part of the economy than in the past and squanders the proceeds on white elephants like faux high-speed rail lines and political payoffs to the teacher and other public-sector unions. Private-sector innovation gets squeezed out by regulations like the Obama FCC’s net neutrality rules. It’s a plan for a static rather than dynamic economy.

Schadenfreude on February 3, 2011 at 3:22 PM

Obama is an idiot and a crook. I hope the RNC gets their financial house in order to crush this maggot in the campaign with a blizzard of commercials showing his corruption.

Jaibones on February 3, 2011 at 3:36 PM

There is no need to repeal BarryCare, just give waivers to everyone in the country.

bayview on February 3, 2011 at 10:31 PM

These waivers should be prohibited by law. Granting a waiver to one while shutting down another gives government life and death decision over the corp. This situation would encourage a large campaign contribution from those desiring a waiver. Pay or die. The whole world, not just USA, must get rid of these money sucking Global Warming socialists. They shut down that clean coal plan in Illinois killing many jobs in mining as well as plant.

Herb on February 4, 2011 at 11:42 AM

Government by waiver. FOO: Friends Of Obama.

Dandapani on February 4, 2011 at 10:01 PM

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