{"id":2101548,"date":"2023-11-17T05:23:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T10:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-decision-pits-amtrak-joe-against-the-railroads-again\/"},"modified":"2023-11-17T05:27:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T10:27:03","slug":"epa-decision-pits-amtrak-joe-against-the-railroads-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-decision-pits-amtrak-joe-against-the-railroads-again\/","title":{"rendered":"EPA decision pits &#8216;Amtrak Joe&#8217; against the railroads, again"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fepa-decision-pits-amtrak-joe-against-the-railroads-again%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2101548&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>President Biden&#8217;s White \u2064House Intervenes in Railroads \u200cDispute<\/h2>\n<p>The\u200b Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration, has taken\u2062 a stance in \u2063the ongoing dispute involving America&#8217;s railroads. In a move that supports California&#8217;s\u200c efforts \u2063to reduce emissions, the EPA has \u200bmade it easier for \u2063the state to require railroads to replace diesel-powered locomotives with\u200c electric or lower-emission alternatives.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The California locomotive regulation is unreasonable, based on \u200cflawed assumptions and mandates\u200c technology that \u200cis not viable or commercially available today, particularly at scale,&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Ted Greener, spokesman for\u2062 the Association of\u2064 American\u2064 Railroads<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The\u200d railroads&#8217; trade group has been fighting against this law in court, but the EPA&#8217;s preemption waiver, effective\u200d from December 8, has made their legal battle even more\u2064 challenging. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, has already filed for the dismissal\u2063 of the\u200c lawsuit, citing \u200cthe\u2063 Biden administration&#8217;s action as support.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, federal law \u200bhad preempted\u2062 state law on railroad emission regulations due to interstate commerce concerns. The federal\u2063 government believed that \u200bmost railroad regulations, including \u2063emissions,\u2063 should be handled at the federal \u2064level.<\/p>\n<p>This EPA waiver aligns \u200bwith President Biden&#8217;s\u2062 broader agenda to reduce carbon emissions and \u2064transition American vehicles from combustion engines to electric\u2063 power.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;President Biden has set an ambitious U.S. goal of achieving a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-border-towns-democratic-mayor-has-had-enough\/\" title=\"A Border Town\u2019s Democratic Mayor Has Had Enough\">carbon pollution-free power sector<\/a> by 2035 and net zero emissions economy \u200bby no later than 2050,&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The White \u200bHouse&#8217;s website<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The railroads argue \u2064that they are already relatively &#8220;clean&#8221; compared to other transportation alternatives, such as trucking.\u2064 They \u200dwarn that if railroads,\u2064 responsible \u2062for less \u200cthan 1% of U.S. emissions, face restrictions, it would negatively impact businesses and \u2064consumers\u2063 by reducing\u200b affordable \u2064and \u2062environmentally \u2062friendly transportation\u2062 options.<\/p>\n<p>In response to\u2062 the railroads&#8217; claims that electric or non-diesel-powered locomotives are\u200b not viable alternatives, Attorney General Bonta presents some compelling evidence.\u200b He highlights that the Pacific Harbor Line\u200b has received a new battery-electric \u200blocomotive for evaluation and \u2063use, while the\u2062 Sierra Northern\u200b Railway has been granted \u200c$15.6\u2062 million to convert diesel locomotives \u2064to run on hydrogen.<\/p>\n<p>Oral arguments regarding this dispute are scheduled for January 9.<\/p>\n<p>President Biden, known as\u2063 &#8220;Amtrak Joe&#8221; during \u200dhis time as a Democratic senator, was expected to be a cooperative partner for the railroads. However, their hopes were only \u200dpartially fulfilled when Biden supported legislation to avert a major\u200b railroad strike last year. This support came after \u2062his own appointees to the National Mediation Board contributed to\u2062 the strike by prematurely ending negotiations.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Now, \u2064California is working with the EPA to open the door for this policy to stand, which disregards the need for \u2062uniform federal standards. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/epa-decision-pits-amtrak-joe-against-the-railroads-again\/\" title=\"EPA decision pits 'Amtrak Joe' against the railroads, again\">makes\u2062 bad policy worse<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Ted Greener<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>There is also \u2064a possibility that other states,\u2063 like Oregon and\u200b Washington, could follow \u200dCalifornia&#8217;s lead in various areas, including COVID-19 coordination and phasing out certain new car sales.<\/p>\n<p>On multiple fronts, such as the reciprocal switching rule, the East Palestine derailment, \u2062and the American Railway Act, the railroads and the Biden administration find themselves at\u2062 odds. The EPA&#8217;s waiver decision suggests that the White House has no intention of deescalating the conflict as\u200d the election year \u2063approaches.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE \u200bWASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2063What \u200dconcerns do critics have about the impact\u200d of\u2063 environmental regulations on economic growth and job creation in industries reliant\u2064 on rail\u2064 transportation?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ponsible for transporting\u200d a significant portion \u2063of the country&#8217;s \u200dgoods, are \u200dburdened with\u2063 costly regulations, it will lead to increased costs for consumers and could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-is-helping-china-by-restricting-domestic-mining-minnesota-state-senator\/\" title=\"Minnesota State Senator claims Biden Administration is aiding China by limiting domestic mining.\">disrupt supply chains<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, supporters of the EPA&#8217;s\u200c intervention argue that the \u2062railroads should be held to the same \u200bemission\u200d standards as other industries. They believe that the transition to electric or lower-emission locomotives is not \u2063only necessary to combat\u2062 climate change, but also presents an\u200c opportunity for\u2064 job creation in\u200d the clean energy sector.<\/p>\n<p>The EPA&#8217;s decision has sparked \u200ba debate on\u2063 the balance between environmental regulations and economic considerations. Critics \u200dargue that such regulations could\u200b hinder economic\u2063 growth and job creation, particularly in industries that heavily rely on rail transportation.<\/p>\n<p>It is yet to be seen how this dispute\u200c will pan out in court,\u200c and what the long-term implications will be for the railroads and the environment. It is clear, however, that President Biden&#8217;s administration is committed to advancing\u2062 its climate agenda and considers the reduction of emissions from transportation a \u200dcrucial part of that effort.<\/p>\n<p>As the legal battle surrounding \u2062California&#8217;s regulation of rail emissions unfolds, it will likely have broader implications for the federal-state relationship in environmental regulation. It may \u2062set a precedent for\u2062 other states to adopt stricter regulations on industries such as aviation and shipping, which\u2063 have also been criticized for their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, President Biden&#8217;s White House intervention in the railroads dispute reflects his commitment to\u2063 reducing\u200c carbon emissions in \u2064the\u200c transportation sector. While\u2062 the move \u200bhas been met with opposition from the railroads \u200band industry groups, it aligns\u2064 with the administration&#8217;s broader agenda to combat \u2064climate change. The outcome of this legal battle will \u2063not\u2062 only impact the railroads, but also shape the future of environmental regulation in the United States.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Biden&#8217;s White House is once more involved in a railroad dispute, as the Environmental Protection Agency has facilitated California&#8217;s ability to enforce regulations demanding the replacement of diesel-powered locomotives with electric or low-emission alternatives. However, critics argue that the regulation is flawed, unreasonable, and imposes specific technology requirements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2101549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2101548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2101548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2101548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2101548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2101549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2101548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2101548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2101548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}