Sanity Restored

Friday, February 13, 2026

All of modernity, and all the modernization that proceeded it, has flowed from two primary and basic “inventions” – the wheel and fire.  The wheel is the basis of all mechanics and fire is the basis of all energy making.  Fire is a chemical reaction called an “oxidation reaction” – oxygen being one reactant, some carbon-based material being the other, universally resulting the production of CO2.  Respiration is the basis of all animal life.  Animals take in oxygen, and in an internal, biological oxidation reaction produce energy to make their bodies function and release CO2.  This whole production of CO2 is a fundamental of life.  Which made 2009’s “endangerment finding,” by the Obama administration E.P.A., deeming CO2 as a pollutant, endangering human health and the environment, a power-grab of god-like levels and a denial of life itself.

In that finding they gave themselves power over literally everything.  Most importantly they gave themselves power over human life itself since we, like your car or your stove, emit CO2.  Literally everything, save plants, emits CO2 either in its use or its construction – everything.  This is what I mean by god-like power.  The EPA is granted the authority to regulate pollutants that endanger human health and the environment, so with that ruling they gave themselves virtually limitless power.

The ruling meant that our breathing was a polluting activity.  They ruled that simply by being alive we were polluting the planet.  In an instant and with a piece of paper, they changed how humanity looks at itself – they changed us from the stewards of the planet to its pestilence.  Of such decisions, genocides have been born.  But what separates this ruling from those is that this one encompasses not just a select sub-group of humanity, but all of humanity, and all other animal life.

From this ruling has flowed some of the silliest regulations in history – up to an including the regulation of cattle farts.  It has unleashed the expenditure of our money in the trillions of dollars chasing clearly not yet viable technologies, and providing funding to conduct studies to further bolster the idea that mankind is a pestilence upon the planet.  Oh, and much private money has been expended, again in the trillions of dollars, to comply with those silly regulations.  To call the endangerment finding a boondoggle is to do disservice to boondoggles.

Yesterday:

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday revoked the Obama-era “endangerment finding” that has served as the scientific and legal basis for U.S. regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-change-related initiatives.

A new EPA rule officially rescinds the 2009 scientific finding that determined that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.

Amen and Amen.

The cries of “climate denial” and “The end is nigh” will likely flow from the usual sources at tremendous volume and vehemence in the coming days.  It will be interesting to see how many “true believers” resign in protest from the EPA and how many are ousted.  Some states, like California I am sure, will continue with their regulatory scheming at a breakneck pace, just as if their air somehow stays only in California.  They will proclaim themselves a “climate change sanctuary” and render themselves even less economically competitive than they currently are.

But the facts are quite different.  There are approaches to the issue of human-induced climate change that do not require the complete restructuring of the economy nor appointing a federal agency god.  One economist, for example, has determined it is far less expensive to cope with climate change than it is to prevent it.  You know, like mankind has done throughout its history since the climate has changed many times through that same history.

This, “Trump announced the decision at the White House on Thursday, saying, ‘This determination had no basis in fact whatsoever.'” is typical Trumpian hyperbole.  So spare me the wailing and gnashing of teeth.  The world is not going to end.  In fact now we have a chance to prosper while we deal with the issue instead of suffer at the hands of our environmentalist overlords.

Well done, Lee Zeldin.