With Earth Day looming on Friday, the bright minds at Reason TV have compiled a Top Five list of the “imminent environmental catastrophes that ultimately didn’t happen.” And just to get the party started, the list does NOT include “acid rain, expanding deserts and global cooling.” Take it away…

The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency argued Wednesday that “rural America’s economy has done fairly well” vis-a-vis the rest of the country, eliciting a quick response from U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., who invited the regulatory agency’s head to visit his largely rural Colorado district.

The EPA’s Lisa Jackson received an invitation from Gardner to visit the 4th Congressional District and examine the impact of regulations on rural and agricultural livelihoods.

Though Gardner didn’t use the magic word (please), Jackson accepted Gardner’s suggestion that she make a trip to Colorado’s Eastern Plains:

Rep. Gardner: Do you believe that agriculture is affected by increased cost of energy?

Jackson: Certainly, absolutely.

G: Do you believe agriculture is impacted by the increased cost of fertilizer?

J: Certainly, sir.

G: Do you believe that these regulations will increase the cost of farming equipment?

J: No, sir, I don’t necessarily believe that because I’m not sure what regulations we’re talking about. We have regulations on the board right now, for instance, for cars, that make clear they pay for themselves essentially, because of the savings in fuel. There are tremendous opportunities in rural America for the economy to continue to grow as it has thrived over the past several years. And we are not looking to regulate . . .

G: You think the economy has thrived over the past several years?

J: Rural America’s economy has done fairly well as the rest of the country has seen the housing market and economy really do poorly.

G: Administrator Jackson, I would invite you to to my district to meet with people who believe the economy has not thrived over the past several years.

J: I’d be perfectly happy to do that, sir.

Not only would Gardner’s constituents, no doubt, like to contest Jackson’s assertion that rural America “has done fairly well,” so would the statistics provided by the Bureau of Labor.

A post by Daily Yonder using BLS data showed that rural unemployment has consistently tracked and often exceeded both urban and exurban unemployment rates through January 2010, easily within the time frame that Jackson refers to in her comments. In fact, in 37 of 50 states early last year, the rural unemployment rate exceeded the state’s overall unemployment figures. And, despite a rebound in 2010, rural unemployment is still only 0.2 percent behind urban unemployment figures, and still tracking ahead of exurban rates.

Or take a look at Colorado’s most recent county-by-county unemployment figures, from December 2010 (click to open slideshow):

I’m sure the 3rd Congressional District’s Rep. Scott Tipton would also like to allow Jackson to tour his almost completely rural district, where many counties exceed 10 percent unemployment rates.

Consider this report from the Denver Post back in September 2009, where two year increases in the unemployment rates from 2007 to 2009 saw rural areas on the Western Slope jump 105.3 percent, and even the Eastern Plains, which have had much lower figures in the past, increase by 66 percent.

That’s a big rural unemployment Twinkie.

Rep. Cory Gardner (CO 4) and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson argued over regulations aimed at rural communities and agriculture sources in a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce committee. Jackson pointed to the clean energy sector as a source for future jobs, while Gardner defended rural, agricultural workers and small business owners, who would bear the price of increased EPA regulations:

G: Do you think they need to worry about job losses?

J: I think we, the President has made it clear that jobs are our absolute focus.

G: That’s a simple yes or no question.

J: Absolutely, jobs are our absolute focus. We believe the clean energy sector is a place to grow jobs . . .

G: What if they’re not in the clean energy sector? Should they worry about jobs? I mean, this sounds like we’re picking winners and losers and saying some jobs are better than others.

J: I do know this, sir, the Clear Air Act is supposed to relieve their minds about pollution in the air that might make them and their family sick.
. . .
G: And, on agriculture, I think it’s important to, when we talk about agriculture’s not affected by these rules, and jobs aren’t affected by these rules, I want to point out a letter that talked about the cost of running a sprinkler for farmers in my district. The estimated cost of certain greenhouse gas emission controls would cost the farmer in this particular electric association nearly $2,000 a year per meter. Do you think that will affect their ability to hire people and to grow their operation?

J: Sir, I don’t know what you’re referring to, but I’m happy to review it, and I’m also happy to again state what I said before, that as we put these regulations out, they are meant to be common sense moves that, in general, will rely on efficiency and other moderate steps that will add up, that will get us started in moving towards reducing greenhouse gas pollution.

Later, following an exchange with Jackson over the state of rural economies, Gardner invited Jackson to visit his district, to see firsthand the effects of the economic downturn and the burden of environmental regulations on rural counties supported by agriculture:

G: Administrator Jackson, I would invite you to to my district to meet with people who believe the economy has not thrived over the past several years.

J: I’d be perfectly happy to do that, sir.

Rachel Boxer, communications director for Gardner, told WhoSaidYouSaid the offer to Jackson still stands. “We have not heard from Ms. Jackson since Rep. Gardner invited her to our district, but if she ever wants to visit we would be delighted to show her around,” said Boxer.

John Hickenlooper’s vision for Colorado in urban areas (and maybe beyond?) is for people to bike, walk and ride mass transit.

The occasional car, of course, is needed to transport Denver Mayor Hickenlooper around the state to enlighten the rest of us.

In a video recently posted by Adobe Airstream, an online culture magazine, Hickenlooper discussed sustainability, urban planning and Denver’s new bike sharing program.

“How do we begin thinking about people moving on bicycles and walking and taking light rail or buses?” said Hickenlooper [at 5:37 of the video]. “We have the largest bike-sharing program in the United States, right? Almost 500 bicycles, 45 stations. And the whole notion is that people can get off light rail. They can get onto a bike. They can do the last hundred yards. It doesn’t cost them anything. You know, this is, you know, how do we wean ourselves off automobiles?” (Emphasis WSYS)

And how is Hickenlooper campaigning for governor across the state? By stagecoach?
We’ve already seen how Hickenlooper’s eco-vision translates into policy with FasTracks, the Denver metro region’s mass transit project reportedly facing a $2.4 billion shortfall.
In the documentary “Sprawling from Grace,” Hickenlooper described the promise of transit-oriented development around light-rail stops. “So that you’d have the maximum opportunity for people to get what they want without having to get in a car,” he said.
In 2009, Hickenlooper said said it would be “insane not to be spending tens and tens of billions a year” to combat climate change. “But I’m a moderate.”
With moderates like this who needs extremists?
——-
Must Like Cars, David Harsanyi, The Denver Post, 7/2/10

How do environmental pressure groups get their message across to members of Congress? They “storm” district offices, like the local coalition led by 1Sky organizer Micah Parkin did on Wednesday at the Denver office of appointed U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. They got what they came for, as Parkin announced afterward.

“His staff did make an announcement that he will be opposing attacks on the Clean Air Act, including (Republican) Sen. Murkowski from Alaska’s attacks on the Clean Air Act,” said Parkin. “So that is exciting, exciting news. He also said that he believed both senators from Colorado would be opposing any legislation – we’ve heard rumored that the legislation being put forward by (Sens.) Kerry and Lieberman and Graham, that they’re looking to bow down to industry and include gutting the Clean Air Act as part of that attempt to get them to accept climate and clean energy legislation. We just heard from the senator’s staff that that is not going to be anything that they’re going to be willing to support.”

Here’s a link to The Hill about the proposed Senate legislation.

In Bennet’s office, one of the activists expresses wariness about a group photo that included a Bennet staffer, saying, “You don’t have permission to use the photo until you’ve actually issued the announcement. If we see that in your campaign literature, we’re not going to be happy.”

Suspicion of Bennet among some on the left has been fanned by FireDogLake.com, a left-leaning website that has torn into Bennet for his stated support of the public option in health-care reform, only to see him sidestep the issue when he could have called for a vote in the Senate. “Michael Bennet has swindled progressive activists out of more than $70,000 in his faux grandstanding for the public option,” the blog posted on Wednesday, referring to money raised via ActBlue.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper flew in to Copenhagen for the climate summit next to a guy who has only a bike because it’s “more fashionable” than owning a car.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uiOmIZmqnI]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uiOmIZmqnI

Yes Hick, we are overwhelmed at how fashionable you are.

BTW, can you and that rich and fashionable guy you flew there with tell us the carbon footprint from your flight?

What a freaky video. This “scientist” describes reducing population as the “master variable” in climate change. What a totally creepy and Orwellian thing to say. This dude should hang out with Dick Lamm.

I’d also be interested to see what his idea of a better economy would be. If the “madness must end” of an economy based on growth and more and more, I want him to volunteer to be first and give up all his money and stuff (he can give it to me).