Zuckerberg vows to stop censoring, but ‘climate skeptics’ say it may be ‘too little, too late’
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/zuckerberg-vows-stop-censoring-climate-skeptics-say-it-may-be-too-little-too Facebook has long been hostile to skeptical perspectives disputing the “climate crisis” narrative. Climate experts say its fact checkers are still slapping “false” labels on information that disputes climate activists’ preferred narratives. By Kevin Killough Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this month that Facebook’s content moderation system would no longer rely on fact checkers and […]
NPR: Trump’s ‘energy emergency’ grants him ‘137 statutory powers’ to ‘sidestep bureaucratic processes & public notifications’ – Likely headed to court
NPR: Trump invoked presidential authority under the National Emergencies Act, which he also used in 2019 to build a wall along the southern U.S. border. This gives the president more power to sidestep bureaucratic processes and public notifications. A Brennan Center analysis “identified 137 statutory powers that may become available to the president when he declares a national emergency.”
In this case those powers include suspending some environmental regulations under landmark laws such as the Endangered Species Act and speeding up energy project approval processes. …
Trump’s declaration doesn’t lay out, specifically, what he wants done. Instead, he “orders executive departments and agencies to identify and exercise any lawful emergency authorities available to them,” says Amy Stein, a law professor at the University of Florida, who responded to NPR’s questions by email. …
But in defining what constitutes “energy” Trump left out two renewable forms — wind and solar power — which were a particular focus for the Biden administration’s ambitious climate policies. Together they comprise more than 14% of the country’s electricity generation.
Trump wants to cut regulations and speed up approval processes to deploy more oil drilling rigs, build more pipelines, and bring more power plants onto the grid. …
Stein says key provisions in the emergency declaration include ordering departments and agencies to explore using federal land or eminent domain, which is when the government takes private property for public use with compensation. The goal, as Trump’s order states, is “to facilitate the identification, leasing, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy resources.”
Stein says the emergency declaration also authorizes special provisions to grant approvals for energy projects under several existing laws including the Clean Water Act and the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act. She says it authorizes emergency consultation processes under the Endangered Species Act and construction authority for the Army Corps of Engineers.
It’s possible that challenges coming from this emergency declaration could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. That would provide answers to questions some have about the National Emergencies Act, such as what qualifies as an emergency. “We actually have no case law in the United States about what constitutes an emergency and when it’s appropriate to do it,” says Soren Dayton, who is the director of governance at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Niskanen Center. He expects either Trump’s energy emergency or his most recent southern border emergency declaration will face a legal challenge.
Dayton welcomes that because he doesn’t think complicated problems like energy production, climate change or immigration should be handled through presidential emergency declarations. “These are hard things and I think you need to have politics over them — not to invest the presidency with this magic wand and say we can do all these things without any debate,” Dayton says.