Monkey See, Flaherty Do

Apparently it isn't just all other countries that need to be on board before the Conservatives will do anything about global warming. The same theory now applies to provinces as well:

Canada needs common greenhouse gas regulations, not patchwork, Flaherty says

January 14, 2008

VANCOUVER - A patchwork of carbon taxes and greenhouse gas rules across the country isn't a good solution to Canada's environmental woes, the federal finance minister says.

Jim Flaherty said Monday the country needs to work toward a common set of regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

…Quebec became the first jurisdiction in Canada to put in place a green tax on carbon fuels in its last budget, to help finance the province's plan to reduce greenhouse gases, something that Flaherty has criticized.

The plan was created to help Quebec reach its Kyoto protocol targets, which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2012.

Wait, wait… this sounds strangely familiar. Where have I heard this before? Oh, yeah…

Friday, Dec. 21, 2007

The EPA on Wednesday denied California's attempt to place first-ever U.S. limits on automobile emissions of heat-trapping gases, which account for about 30 percent of the U.S. total.

The EPA said an energy bill signed into law this week by President George W. Bush means no further action is needed to cut carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles.

The EPA, charged with making the decision, said the law to raise automobile fuel standards by 40 percent by 2020 was a "better approach" than a "patchwork" of state rules.

Apparently the Bush-appointed head of the EPA reached his decision, which went against the wishes and advise of his staff, soon after Dick Cheney met with auto industry executives who presented him with a letter explaining why it would be wrong to allow individual states to set greenhouse gas emission standards on their cars.

I'm guessing all it took for Flaherty to reach the same conclusion was a quick peek across the border to see what the Americans were doing. And then copy down that whole 'patchwork' thing. 'Cause that sounded pretty good.

And by the way, isn't Jim Flaherty the Finance Minister?!? Shouldn't the Minister of the Environment be dealing with this? Or Industry? Or Intergovernmental Affairs? Or... well, anybody else?

(H/T to 'Pyotr Petrobitch', a fellow commenter over at
Garth Turner's Political Mayhem)