From The New York Times:
Judge: Youth Climate Change Lawsuit Against Feds Can Proceed
A lawsuit filed by young climate activists who contend the U.S. government is failing to protect them from the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions can move forward, a federal judge in Oregon ruled Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in Eugene denied motions by the federal government and trade groups representing big energy companies to dismiss the lawsuit. They had argued that lawmakers and federal agencies, not by the court, should determine climate change policy.
The plaintiffs, including 21 youths and climate scientist James Hansen, allege the federal government has known for decades that carbon pollution causes climate change but has failed to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Wondered what he was up to - Dr. Hansen founded the Goddard Institute for Space Studies - a division of NASA located in New York City near Columbia University. Whenever you hear that NASA is claiming the hottest whatever, the proclamation is coming from these jokers. A small office too - about 20 scientists, 50 interns and about 30 visiting scientists. Dr. Hansen may have founded GISS but his ass was fired from it because he was being too political - being arrested at protests and that was too much for his handlers. The guy is deranged.
I hope the defense brings some good witnesses - this will be a fun one to watch.
Ah, but it has managed to survive the "being laughed out of court" stage at both district court and appeal level now.
I presume that it has been defended weakly by the feds; because I suspect it is a "friendly" case designed to "sue and settle".
Activist within the administration typically want a policy that they know there is little chance of successfully getting through legitimate legislative process or legal agency rulemaking process, so they get a friendly sympathetic activist group to sue the government, and then make sure the "facts" at lower court level are the unchallenged pressure-group talking points, and then negotiate a settlement that somehow obligates the government to do something it wants to do anyway, enforced by the court, and without any legislative input or public consultation.
It sure would be nice if some new brooms as agency heads could use their authority to reveal the conspiracies between groups and agencies that do this, and perhaps bring charges where appropriate and file motions to vacate the settlements.