Environment -- Cheney Cans Climate Change

July 9, 2008

by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, Ali Frick, and Benjamin Armbruster

ENVIRONMENT

Cheney Cans Climate Change

Last October, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee about the "Human Impacts of Global Warming." Gerberding told the committee that global warming "is anticipated to have a broad range of impacts on the health of Americans," but she gave few specifics, instead focusing on the CDC's current preparation plans. Soon after Gerberding delivered her testimony, CDC officials revealed that the White House had "eviscerated" her testimony by editing it down from 14 pages to four. The White House initially claimed that Gerberding's testimony had not been "watered down," but White House Press Secretary Dana Perino later admitted that the Office of Management and Budget had removed testimony that contained "broad characterizations about climate change science that didn't align with the IPCC." In a letter responding to questions by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) yesterday, former EPA official Jason Burnett revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney's office and the Council on Environmental Quality pushed to "remove from the testimony any discussion of the human health consequences of climate change." During a news conference yesterday, Boxer chided Perino's previous claim that the edits were made in order to align the testimony with the IPCC. "This was a lie," said Boxer. The White House, however, refused to admit wrongdoing. "We stand 100 percent behind what Dana said," White House spokesperson Tony Fratto told reporters.

WHAT'S MISSING: The White House's deletions, which were "overwhelmingly denounced" by scientists and environmental health experts, included "details on how many people might be adversely affected because of increased warming and the scientific basis for some of the CDC's analysis on what kinds of diseases might be spread in a warmer climate and rising sea levels." The cuts made by the White House included "the only statements casting the health risks from climate change as a problem, describing it variously as posing 'difficult challenges' and as 'a serious public health concern.'" At the time, Perino claimed that "the decision" was made "to focus that testimony on public health benefits" of climate change. "There are public health benefits to climate change," asserted Perino. But in his letter to Boxer, Burnett said that the reason for the cuts was to "keep options open" for the EPA to avoid making an endangerment finding for global warming pollution, which was required by a recent Supreme Court ruling. In a statement yesterday, Boxer tied the editing of Gerberding's testimony to the recently-revealed effort by the White House to keep a formal EPA endangerment finding "in limbo" by refusing to even open the e-mail from Burnett that contained the document. They're "obviously related," said Boxer.

WHITE HOUSE CLAIMS 'NOTHING UNUSUAL': Defending against accusations that the White House is "recklessly covering up a real threat to the people they are supposed to protect," Fratto claimed that the Bush administration did nothing improper in editing the testimony. "There's absolutely nothing unusual here in terms of the inter-agency review process, whether it's testimony, rules or anything else," Fratto told the Washington Post. He added that "the process exists so that other offices and departments have the opportunity to comment and offer their views." But it's apparent that the level of editing involved in Gerberding's testimony was out of the ordinary. In October, a CDC official told the press that while it was normal for testimony to be changed in a White House review, the changes made to Gerberding's testimony were particularly "heavy-handed." In an interview with CNN yesterday, Gerberding said that she "wasn't aware that there had been any edits" to her testimony until she "got to the hearing." Gerberding maintained that she did "the very best" she could to "answer the senators' questions honestly and openly." Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, refused to comment on the allegations against Cheney's office, simply saying, "We don't comment on internal deliberations."

CHENEY'S MALIGN ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCE: In his letter to Boxer, Burnett revealed that Cheney's office had also objected in January to congressional testimony by EPA administrator Stephen Johnson that "greenhouse gas emissions harm the environment." According to Burnett, an official in Cheney's office "called to tell me that his office wanted the language changed." Such actions are not unusual for Cheney. Since taking office, he has taken "a decisive role to undercut long-standing environmental regulations for the benefit of business" while undermining any real action to combat climate change. In December, after Johnson "answered the pleas of industry executives" by announcing his decision to deny California the right to regulate greenhouse gases from vehicles, it was revealed that executives from the auto industry had appealed directly to Cheney. EPA staffers told the Los Angeles Times that Johnson "made his decision" only after Cheney met with the executives. Since February 2007, Cheney has quietly maneuvered to exert increased control over environmental policy by federal agencies -- particularly the regulations on greenhouse gas emissions.

HUMAN RIGHTS -- JUDGE TELLS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO PRIORITIZE GUANTANAMO CASES: Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan, who is handling the appeals of more than 200 Guantanamo detainees, directed Justice Department lawyers to prioritize the detainee cases over all other cases. Hogan vowed to hold lawyers' "feet to the fire" and said he would be "concerned and suspicious if the Bush administration delayed cases." The desire to quicken the pace of the roughly 250 pending detainee cases comes after last month's Supreme Court decision in Boumediene v. Bush, in which the court ruled that detainees held at Guantanamo and other detention centers have a right to habeas corpus protections. The hearing was the first since Boumediene. Gitanjali Guetierrez, an attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, echoed Hogan's concern that the Bush administration would stonewall the proceedings, noting "our clients have been sitting in Guantanamo for years...after all this, the writ of habeas corpus will be rendered meaningless." Asked why 54 of the detainees have been cleared for release but remain imprisoned, Justice Department lawyer Judry Subar said "that's the issue the executive branch is struggling with." Lawyers for the Justice Department are requesting time to add new evidence to justify holding the detainees.

KATRINA -- FEMA'S TOXIC TRAILER MANUFACTURERS CALLED TO TESTIFY: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold a hearing today to "examine the role of four manufacturers who provided trailers with dangerous levels of formaldehyde to victims of the Gulf Cost hurricanes in 2005." Exposure to the toxic FEMA trailers resulted in "insomnia, headaches, coughs and sinus problems" among the 143,000 families that the trailers have housed. Conservative lawmakers released a report yesterday focusing on issues uncovered in previous investigations, including the role that FEMA and the Centers for Disease Control played in covering up risks associated with long-term exposure to the trailers. Their report argued that "blaming trailer manufacturers for doing what was expected of them would be misplaced and ineffective." But as a lawyer representing hundreds of toxic trailer victims explained, "[I]t's laughable to assert that the manufacturers bear no responsibility for the levels of formaldehyde in the trailers they made." The 100,000 toxic FEMA trailers now sit empty in vast parking lots at a cost of $130 million per year.

ADMINISTRATION -- McCLELLAN: IRAQ'S OIL 'CERTAINLY PLAYED HEAVILY' IN CHENEY'S DESIRE TO LAUNCH WAR: Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan appeared on CBC Radio One's "The Current" yesterday morning to discuss his recent memoir, in which he asserts that the Bush administration waged a "propaganda" campaign in order to "sell the war" in Iraq to the public. Inquiring about Vice President Cheney's motivations to go to war, host Jim Brown noted that Cheney "doesn't strike me as someone who would be particularly motivated by idealistic visions." McClelland said, given that Cheney was "a former chief executive officer for Halliburton...that certainly played heavily into his thinking, more so I think than the idea of transforming the Middle East into a beacon of democracy." McClellan added that he believes that President Bush never "would have made the decision to go in and invade Iraq" if "he could see what had happened." But when asked if Cheney "would do it differently a second time around," McClellan said flatly, "No." During a speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco last month, McClellan suggested some book titles for Cheney should he choose to write a memoir of his own after leaving office: "The Lies I Told," or "I Upped Halliburton's Income -- So Up Yours."

Tomorrow, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) plans to introduce a single article of impeachment against President Bush "for taking our nation and our troops to war based on lies." Last month, Kucinich presented 35 impeachment articles against Bush, which have been sent to the Judiciary Committee.

Iranian state-run media reported today that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had "test-fired nine missiles, including one which Tehran claims has the range to reach Israel." The test comes one day after Iran threatened to strike Tel Aviv and American interests if attacked by Israel or the U.S.

A new report by Inspectors General from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs finds that many veterans "disabled in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan pay more for health care than other retirees." They suggest "waiving for life the Medicare Part B premiums for service members who have been medically retired and are unlikely to get another job."

Faced with mounting pressure from voters to respond to record gasoline prices, Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) "opened the door to a compromise with Republicans that would open more land on and offshore to oil and gas exploration and production." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also "called on the Bush administration to draw down 'a small portion' of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most revered Shi'ite leader in Iraq, has "rejected any security agreement with US, stressing such deal will affect the country’s sovereignty." Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie said his government was "impatiently waiting" for the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops.

And finally: Yesterday, two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson spoke at the National Press Club. The event became "politically dicey" when the moderator asked him whether there is "anything inappropriate about a sport based on fuel consumption." Johnson initially punted the question saying he wasn't "fit to comment," but then admitted that they should look at "alternative fuel sources." Johnson also said he drives at hybrid, "even though it may sound crazy coming from a race car driver."

"Gov. Ted Strickland announced Tuesday that the state would charge in-state tuition to all veterans attending college on the G.I. bill. The Ohio plan, the first of its kind in the nation, makes all veterans 'honorary Ohioans' for the purpose of a college education."

NEW JERSEY: "Gov. Jon Corzine enacted the first phase of New Jersey's universal health care plan yesterday by mandating coverage for all children within three years and offering affordable, subsidized policies to needy parents."

CALIFORNIA: "[L]awmakers presented a plan late Tuesday night to impose $9.7 billion in new taxes on the wealthy and corporations to avoid the cuts to government services."

MASSACHUSETTS: "House lawmakers will consider legislation today that could someday rid the state of the Electoral College system and put presidential elections more directly in the hands of voters."

THINK PROGRESS: Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan: "I could not say honestly today that this administration does not believe in torture."

WONK ROOM: Iraqi national security adviser: No, actually we are talking about a date for withdrawal.

HUFFINGTON POST: Controversial pastor John Hagee's lawyers demand that 120 videos of him be removed from YouTube.

TAPPED: A helpful chart comparing how Iran's military abilities compare to those of the United States.

Q: But if [Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki] said get out now, we don't want you anymore –
BUSH: I don't see how we could stay. It is his country.
-- President Bush on the Charlie Rose show, 4/24/07

VERSUS

"The United States on Tuesday rejected a demand from Iraq for a specific date for pullout of US-led foreign troops from the country, saying any withdrawal will be based on conditions on the ground."
-- AFP, 7/8/08

Think Progress

Cheney Cans Climate Change

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