Obama's deal with private equity firm, EPA and oil refinery

[esmith]

Well it appears that when an election is on the line Obama goes to a private equity firm and has the EPA give the refinery a wavier.

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/capitol/obama_relaxes_regulations_when_it_1NjgDULxkpJctRCGmmTQ3N]

appears the above link doesn't work. This one should
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/capitol/obama_relaxes_regulations_when_it_1NjgDULxkpJctRCGmmTQ3N

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Well it appears that when an election is on the line Obama goes to a private equity firm and has the EPA give the refinery a wavier.

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/capitol/obama_relaxes_regulations_when_it_1NjgDULxkpJctRCGmmTQ3N]

The page isn't working. But I googled what you're talking about and it's much ado about nothing.....:sad:

 

[esmith]

Hmmm. I went back to my bookmark, copied it and it is:


Obama relaxes regulations when it suits his campaign


Posted this then clicked on above link and the article came up.

 

[esmith]

The page isn't working. But I googled what you're talking about and it's much ado about nothing.....:sad:

Not much ado about nothing?????
The Obama campaign has been bad mouthing private equity funds ever since Romney entered the race. Obama has been bad mouthing the oil industry and appointed anti-oil advocates to the EPA. Then when a refinery is on the brink of closing, costing numerous union jobs and a major hit to Philadelphia's economy Obama does an about face. Yet you say "not much ado about nothing". This appears to me to be the typical Obama supporter not being able to face reality.

 

[Alceste]

Obama's administration helped broker a deal to save a refinery? So what?

For clarification, the regulation was not "relaxed", the seller's consent decree (which is a voluntary agreement related to the judicial system - not a "regulation") was referred to the EPA, which agreed to a modification allowing the buyer to temporarily offset emissions to another of their holdings during upgrades to avoid violating clean air regulations.

White House Worked With Buyout Firm to Save Plant - WSJ.com

End result: 85 jobs saved, domestic energy prices prevented from spiking this winter. Those evil Democrats!

 

[Alceste]

Not much ado about nothing?????
The Obama campaign has been bad mouthing private equity funds ever since Romney entered the race. Obama has been bad mouthing the oil industry and appointed anti-oil advocates to the EPA. Then when a refinery is on the brink of closing, costing numerous union jobs and a major hit to Philadelphia's economy Obama does an about face. Yet you say "not much ado about nothing". This appears to me to be the typical Obama supporter not being able to face reality.

Where has Obama "badmouthed private equity firms"?

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Not much ado about nothing?????
The Obama campaign has been bad mouthing private equity funds ever since Romney entered the race. Obama has been bad mouthing the oil industry and appointed anti-oil advocates to the EPA. Then when a refinery is on the brink of closing, costing numerous union jobs and a major hit to Philadelphia's economy Obama does an about face. Yet you say "not much ado about nothing". This appears to me to be the typical Obama supporter not being able to face reality.

Alceste has answered this. You don't seem to understand what he did so when I researched it I discovered it is much ado about nothing......

 

[Sunstone]

Of all the silly issues to raise in this campaign. What next? "Obama says he likes bran, but doesn't eat it"?

 

[Alceste]

Of all the silly issues to raise in this campaign. What next? "Obama says he likes bran, but doesn't eat it"?

GOTCHA!

Obama says Americans should have better health care, BUT THEN HE WORKS OUT AND TAKES CARE OF HIMSELF, so he's not going to be as likely to use it. What a hypocrite!

 

[BSM1]

[

quote=esmith;3045056]Not much ado about nothing?????
The Obama campaign has been bad mouthing private equity funds ever since Romney entered the race. Obama has been bad mouthing the oil industry and appointed anti-oil advocates to the EPA. Then when a refinery is on the brink of closing, costing numerous union jobs and a major hit to Philadelphia's economy Obama does an about face. Yet you say "not much ado about nothing". This appears to me to be the typical Obama supporter not being able to face reality.

[/QUOTE]

When it comes to talking sense to Obama supporters, esmith, you probably want to save your breath. The last time Mr. Obama walked across the water I caught h*** when I observed that the bottom of his shoes got wet. Oh well.

 

[Revoltingest]

When it comes to talking sense to Obama supporters, esmith, you probably want to save your breath. The last time Mr. Obama walked across the water I caught h*** when I observed that the bottom of his shoes got wet. Oh well.

The interesting thing is that if Bush or Romney relaxes anti-pollution regs, the Dems would be all over it.
We'd see a flurry of AlterNet articles bashing those dirty Republicans. But when their own guy does the
same, there is no criticism at all. Whaddaya wanna bet that The Carlyle Group & their union workers will
be making (or have made) contributions to his campaign?

 

[Alceste]

When it comes to talking sense to Obama supporters, esmith, you probably want to save your breath. The last time Mr. Obama walked across the water I caught h*** when I observed that the bottom of his shoes got wet. Oh well.

I'm a Nader supporter, and a Canadian. My reasons for disliking Obama are evidence-based and rational, such as his persecution of whistle blowers and his failure to close Guantanamo Bay. In this case I am defending critical thinking, not Democrats.

By all means, tear him a new *******, you have my blessing. Just do it with actual issues, not imaginary ones.

 

[Alceste]

The interesting thing is that if Bush or Romney relaxes anti-pollution regs, the Dems would be all over it.
We'd see a flurry of AlterNet articles bashing those dirty Republicans. But when their own guy does the
same, there is no criticism at all. Whaddaya wanna bet that The Carlyle Group & their union workers will
be making (or have made) contributions to his campaign?

If you read the article I linked to, I think you'll find that the Carlyle group does not make any contributions to either party. Instead they give lucrative jobs to officials from both parties after their term in public office concludes. Bush Sr. for example. You might also find that no environmental regulations have been relaxed. A voluntary agreement has been amended.

 

[esmith]

If you read the article I linked to, I think you'll find that the Carlyle group does not make any contributions to either party. Instead they give lucrative jobs to officials from both parties after their term in public office concludes. Bush Sr. for example. You might also find that no environmental regulations have been relaxed. A voluntary agreement has been amended.

A key issue Carlyle identified was a 2005 consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency under which Sunoco agreed to limit emissions at its refineries.
Carlyle wanted to work on the refinery without triggering costly environmental reviews.
The White House referred the issue to the EPA, which along with state and local environmental officials agreed to modify the decree, allowing Carlyle to transfer emissions credits from the Marcus Hook refinery, in effect giving the Philadelphia refinery greater leeway to pollute.




excerpt from: WSJ: White House worked with buyout firm to save major Philadelphia refinery | Hydrocarbon Processing | HPInformer Blog

 

[Riverwolf]

Par for the course of a politician.

 

[Alceste]

A key issue Carlyle identified was a 2005 consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency under which Sunoco agreed to limit emissions at its refineries.
Carlyle wanted to work on the refinery without triggering costly environmental reviews.
The White House referred the issue to the EPA, which along with state and local environmental officials agreed to modify the decree, allowing Carlyle to transfer emissions credits from the Marcus Hook refinery, in effect giving the Philadelphia refinery greater leeway to pollute.




excerpt from: WSJ: White House worked with buyout firm to save major Philadelphia refinery | Hydrocarbon Processing | HPInformer Blog

Yes, Carlyle will have greater leeway to pollute than Sunoco's voluntary agreement had previously allowed them, because they will be offsetting a portion of the emissions of that facility to another Sunoco facility. They won't have greater leeway to violate emissions regulations.

What is your point? What are you claiming is Obama's specific misbehavior in this case? Was it saving the jobs? Stabilizing the energy prices? Helping to broker a deal between two private companies? What?

 

[Riverwolf]

Yes, Carlyle will have greater leeway to pollute than Sunoco's voluntary agreement had previously allowed them, because they will be offsetting a portion of the emissions of that facility to another Sunoco facility. They won't have greater leeway to violate emissions regulations.

What is your point? What are you claiming is Obama's specific misbehavior in this case? Was it saving the jobs? Stabilizing the energy prices? Helping to broker a deal between two private companies? What?

The nature of political marketing: make the opponent look bad.

TBH, it's not as funny as it used to be.

 

[Alceste]

The nature of political marketing: make the opponent look bad.

TBH, it's not as funny as it used to be.

Seriously though, is it THAT HARD to "make Obama look bad" that the facts need to be twisted, misrepresented or totally fabricated?

He looks pretty bad from where I'm sitting solely based on facts. Drone warfare. Whistle-blower persecutions. The entrenchment and expansion of Bush's surveillance state. Failure to end entanglements overseas. Guantanemo Bay. Reliance on Wall Street bankers to solve economic problems caused by those very same bankers. Failure to implement universal health care. Extension of Bush tax cuts for the rich at the expense of fiscal solvency. Secretiveness. Inadequate leadership / negotiation skills to build government consensus.

Aren't any of these factual issues reason enough to criticize Obama without having to invent or distort things? Or are these subject not fair game for partisan criticism because the Republicans intend to continue with these exact same policies?

 

[Revoltingest]

If you read the article I linked to, I think you'll find that the Carlyle group does not make any contributions to either party. Instead they give lucrative jobs to officials from both parties after their term in public office concludes. Bush Sr. for example. You might also find that no environmental regulations have been relaxed. A voluntary agreement has been amended.

BTW, I don't object to it at all.

 

[Riverwolf]

Seriously though, is it THAT HARD to "make Obama look bad" that the facts need to be twisted, misrepresented or totally fabricated?

Not really.

As a person set to vote for him in the coming election, I could easily make him look bad by pointing to the fact that when he won last time, he put his face EVERYWHERE, thus painting him as a narcissist.

He looks pretty bad from where I'm sitting solely based on facts. Drone warfare. Whistle-blower persecutions. The entrenchment and expansion of Bush's surveillance state. Failure to end entanglements overseas. Guantanemo Bay. Reliance on Wall Street bankers to solve economic problems caused by those very same bankers. Failure to implement universal health care. Extension of Bush tax cuts for the rich at the expense of fiscal solvency. Secretiveness. Inadequate leadership / negotiation skills to build government consensus.

Aren't any of these factual issues reason enough to criticize Obama without having to invent or distort things? Or are these subject not fair game for partisan criticism because the Republicans intend to continue with these exact same policies?

Probably.

I don't vote for the good president; I vote for the least evil president. From what I've seen, Obama is less evil than Romney.