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Texas Gov. Abbott likely to sue over Biden administration’s climate regulations

Texas Gov. Abbott likely to sue over Biden administration’s climate regulations

Don’t mess with Texas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfH7XhQ-Q8o

I will start this post by agreeing with my esteemed and talented colleague, Mike LaChance, that Biden’s presidency is worse than imagined . . . which is a remarkable achievement, as I anticipated that it would quickly descend into a morass of scum and villainy.

However, there is hope that some stiff-spined Republicans learned a lesson or two from how the #Resistance Democrats responded to former President Donald Trump’s attempt to enact policy that was actually supported by regular Americans.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott plans to protect the state’s oil and gas industry from the Biden administration’s climate agenda by “identifying opportunities for litigation” over federal environmental regulations.

“We’re here for a singular purpose today,” Abbott said after a roundtable meeting with industry leaders in Odessa. “To make clear that Texas is going to protect the oil and gas industry from any type of hostile attack launched from Washington, D.C.”

President Joe Biden has outlined an ambitious climate change agenda, with the goal of transitioning away from fossil fuels. He has said he hopes to decarbonize the U.S. power sector by 2035 and reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Among his early proposals: tougher methane regulations for producers, incentives to encourage consumers to buy cars that do not run on gasoline, required disclosure of climate risks from public companies and pausing oil drilling on public lands.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has already begun challenges related to immigration, filing a lawsuit over the 100-day moratorium on deportation issued by Biden.

The order was temporarily blocked from being enforced by a federal judge on Tuesday.

Biden’s executive orders also paused new oil and gas leases on public lands and ended federal subsidies for fossil fuels “as consistent with applicable law.”

The Statesman notes that oil and gas industry leaders in Texas have expressed concerns for smaller oil producers that likely do not have the funds to comply with stricter environmental regulations while also still dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Democrats seem very unhappy with this move.

The Texas Democratic Party said in a statement that Abbott “isn’t being honest with working Texans” about Biden’s plans, noting the new White House is “actually projected to create energy jobs” and analysts have predicted the Biden administration will be a “positive catalyst” for oil and gas prices.

“Abbott needs to be upfront and honest with working Texans about how jobs are going to change over time,” the party’s communications director Abhi Rahman said. “Sticking our heads in the sand and fighting these global economic trends is actually what will hurt regular working Texans.”

It is interesting to note that Texas enters 2021 as the world’s ninth largest economy.

“While 2020 brought unique challenges, Texas continued to shine as a beacon of hope and opportunity,” Abbott said. “Texas’ ranking as the world’s ninth largest economy is because of the hardworking men and women of the Lone Star State, our commitment to economic freedom, our state-of-the-art infrastructure and business climate. As we cultivate an environment of growth and opportunity, Texas will continue to build an even brighter future for all Texans.”

Since 2015, Texas has been recognized as the world’s 10th largest economy — ahead of Canada and South Korea and behind Brazil. Texas’s economy overtook Brazil’s to become the ninth largest economy in the world, according to 2019 GDP data from the International Monetary Fund.

I look forward to Texas taking bold legal action. After all, you don’t mess with Texas.

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Comments

Now if he’d only do away with this stupid mask mandate.

    Close The Fed in reply to txvet2. | January 31, 2021 at 2:41 pm

    I was wondering about this? Is there a mask mandate in Texas? I want to go on a trip to there, but the mask is a deal killer. I’ll probably go to Florida instead.

    In Georgia, 98% of the time I wear no mask and no one says a thing.

      Not outside, although on austin plenty of people wear them like a badge. Girly boys, borderline women amd even put on their kids

      But any store you go in amd I hate it

        Firewatch in reply to gonzotx. | January 31, 2021 at 3:54 pm

        Out here on the Llano the only place I have to wear a mask is when I take my wife to the hospital for follow ups. Nobody else wants to screw with an old codger with an oxygen machine. I was jumped by one Karen, but I smiled at her and said I was special and kept on walking.

          texansamurai in reply to Firewatch. | January 31, 2021 at 4:04 pm

          we’re about done here as well–had a karen approach me in a pharmacy yesterday “you’re not wearing a mask!!!” to which replied “you don’t need a mask. you ought to be wearing a big-ass trash bag “–left her speechless

          just not going to listen to their bullschyt any longer

        Firewatch in reply to gonzotx. | January 31, 2021 at 3:58 pm

        I recently went to my primary and the whole office had experienced the dread virus as well as their families. I had to ask how the masks had worked for them. It’s fun watching people face reality.

      Colonel Travis in reply to Close The Fed. | January 31, 2021 at 5:06 pm

      Where are you headed? Some places here do not care. Big cities it’s harder to get away from it but sometimes I don’t bother any more and no one says anything. I see a few people who aren’t wearing masks. Never seen them run into a problem, but I’m not following them around like a psycho.

      Is there a mask mandate in Texas? I want to go on a trip to there, but the mask is a deal killer. I’ll probably go to Florida instead

      If you go to Florida don’t go to the Southeast counties: Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade. All of them has mask mandates.

      Abbott’s directive said, to paraphrase, either wear a mask or keep your distance; but a lot of counties, including Bexar, have their own mask mandates. Things have quieted considerably over the past year. You don’t see legions of employees wiping down everything in HEB anymore, and the sanitizing wipes to wipe your grocery cart disappeared months ago.

        I think DeSantis recommends wearing masks, too, but it’s not enforceable (he removed the ability of local authorities to impose fines, etc.). In blue cities in Florida, I hear that masks are pretty common indoors and even outside. I wouldn’t know, though, I stay in Free Florida (i.e. Trump country). I did have to renew my driver’s license the other week, and it seemed that masks were required at the DMV. There was a sign, anyway, and everyone wore one, so I did, too. That said, there are signs urging mask wearing on every door of every business around here, and no one wears them (except at the DMV, apparently. Oh, and at the doctor’s office/hospital they have you wear them.).

        Otherwise, it’s just the tourists who wear them; I’ve yet to have anyone say a word to me or to hear anyone say a word to anyone else who is not wearing a mask. This really is not the place to get your Karen on. 😛

          I think DeSantis recommends wearing masks, too, but it’s not enforceable (he removed the ability of local authorities to impose fines, etc.)

          Not quite. He removed the ability of local authorities to fine people. He, whether intended or not, didn’t remove authority to fine businesses, and that’s exactly what Florida’s Democrat counties do: “Your business will refuse service to and summarily remove any patron not wearing a mask, or we will fine you into oblivion. Here’s our hotline to report violations.” Ignoring mask signs isn’t really an option. I’ve tried it, when I had visible surgery to my face, because there is, technically, a medical exemption. Not one business cared, they all refused service and demanded I leave.

          A 30-day limit by law on “emergency” declarations? “Limited by law” is such a quaint notion. They just laugh and declare a new emergency every 30 days.

          I’ve yet to have anyone say a word to me or to hear anyone say a word to anyone else who is not wearing a mask.

          Sounds delightful. I’ve been scolded for walking the wrong way down a grocery aisle.

        Milhouse in reply to txvet2. | February 1, 2021 at 4:42 pm

        My first encounter with HEB was the one in Austin that has such a large and well-stocked kosher section, and such a good kosher bakery, that I thought the name meant it was a Jewish store! I was disappointed to find out it stands for Howard E. Butt.

    texannie in reply to txvet2. | February 1, 2021 at 9:44 am

    Yes indeed! The stupid mask mandate and the continued shutdown of business in Texas is so damn destructive to our state! Abbott’s trying to please all the liberals as well as the conservatives is keeping our state in suspended animation. It’s a “George Bush” way of straddling the fence that is holding back a return to normal in Texas!

1000 times ^

Close The Fed | January 31, 2021 at 2:40 pm

WTF? A mussleman head of comms for the Texas dems?! In a nutshell all that’s wrong with our country.

On another note, “Abbott needs to be upfront and honest with working Texans about how jobs are going to change over time,” the party’s communications director Abhi Rahman said. “Sticking our heads in the sand and fighting these global economic trends is actually what will hurt regular working Texans.”

Trends — what his friends want, he means. What we need is energy independence Trump established, so we don’t give a damn who-kills-whom in the mideast, where Rahman’s fellow citizens actually are.

Look, at this point, why even bother suing? The Courts are on THEIR side, before you even file your papers.

Ignore their “laws” and don’t export to any states that stand with the DNC/Feds.

    Titan28 in reply to dmo. | January 31, 2021 at 3:35 pm

    dmo, I’m with you. On a good day, the judiciary, given that most judges see the Constitution as an impediment, is a roll of the dice. Just ignore them. Opt out.

analysts have predicted the Biden administration will be a “positive catalyst” for oil and gas prices.

They’re correct if “positive catalyst” means prices will rise. Great for the producers still allowed to produce. For the others left idle not so much.

Conservative Beaner | January 31, 2021 at 5:17 pm

Can we Texit now Governor, Pleeeeeeeease.
This only going to get worse.

Expected result of these lawsuits: summarily denied for “lack of standing”.

    Danny in reply to randian. | February 1, 2021 at 2:12 am

    That has never happened before where Texas had any reasonable amount of standing.

    Texas’ pro-Trump lawsuit was as absurd as if California sued Texas for having a lower minimum wage on grounds that it is costing California jobs.

    It was a political stunt nothing more and it weakened us in the short term and long term.

      Milhouse in reply to Danny. | February 1, 2021 at 5:05 pm

      Exactly. It’s fairly well established that states do have standing in this kind of suit. Whereas the SCOTUS rejected Texas v Pennsylvania unanimously — Thomas’s and Alito’s only objection was that their belief in cases of original jurisdiction the court must do the parties the courtesy of hearing them out before dismissing their case as worthless.

        txvet2 in reply to Milhouse. | February 1, 2021 at 5:39 pm

        Point of quibble – if stories of the closed door donnybrook are correct, apparently both Gorsuch and Barrett were in agreement with Alito and Thomas but literally were bullied into silence by Roberts.

          Milhouse in reply to txvet2. | February 1, 2021 at 11:30 pm

          I have trouble believing that. In any case the only difference of opinion was when to dismiss the case — before or after hearing it. No justices thought it had any merit.

Lucifer Morningstar | February 1, 2021 at 8:40 am

Texas Gov. Abbott likely to sue over Biden administration’s climate regulations

And that’s what every republican controlled state governor ans state legislators need to do. File lawsuit after lawsuit in state/federal courts challenging every aspect of Biden’s executive orders and the Biden regimes actions. And do it for the next four years if necessary. After all, “lawfare” can go both ways and what’s good for the goose is also good for the gander.

    You do realise lawfare has been going on for a long time, certainly Texas was guilty of it in the Obama years and i’m sure there are other examples predating this.

      Milhouse in reply to mark311. | February 1, 2021 at 5:16 pm

      “Guilty”? Suing when you actually have a case is not anything to be “guilty” of.

        mark311 in reply to Milhouse. | February 3, 2021 at 6:04 pm

        That’s some what debateable. I guess you’d have to look at the merits of each case and I seem to remember their were a lot of cases. It certainly struck me at the time that the cases were in the lawfare category.

Texas’ pro-Trump lawsuit was as absurd as if California sued Texas for having a lower minimum wage on grounds that it is costing California jobs.
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not even in the same realm–the fraud in this past election was so blatant, so widespread and obvious and the actions of particular states so clearly in contravention of their own respective election laws paxton(to his credit)felt compelled to DO SOMETHING

the only “absurd” aspect of the entire thing was robert’s refusal to grant even a hearing to 17 states/100m americans(our countrymen)–in a titanic act of betrayal to his oath and his duty he at once rendered scotus irrelevant

only cucks like you think it has weakend our state

    Milhouse in reply to texansamurai. | February 1, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    Danny is correct, the suit very obviously had no merit. It is simply none of Texas’s business how Pennsylvania chooses its electors.

Killing off jobs that exist right now in favor of jobs that might exist, maybe, at some point in the future. Yeah, that’s dumb enough for a democrat.

    randian in reply to Ironclaw. | February 1, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    There is zero chance these jobs exist in the future, since the last time we were offered this sucker’s bet about 0.1% of the promised jobs materialized. A bunch of cronies got rich while bankrupting their companies. This is all about putting America in its place (at the bottom), aiding China, giving Iran a leg up, and enriching terror-financing Saudi sheikhs.

Danny is correct, the suit very obviously had no merit.
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apparently 17 or so governors/ags/state senators/representatives thought differently–after all, what do they know?

can just imagine the conversation:

“governor, before we file we should consult millhouse.”

“mr attorney general, who the hell is millhouse? some other chickenshit lawyer? where’d he get his jd?

“he doesn’t have one, governor. he’s not a lawyer at all but he likes to play one on the web.”

“so mr attorney general, he’s just another cuck on the internet?”

“yes, governor. he is.”

“get our suit filed, mr attorney general.”