Dissident Politics: News bits: Supreme Court guts a key environmental regulation; Whacking Ken Paxton; Etc.

The AP writes:

Supreme Court limits federal power over wetlands,
boosts property rights over clean water

The Supreme Court on Thursday made it harder for the federal government to police water pollution in a decision that strips protections from wetlands that are isolated from larger bodies of water.

It’s the second decision in as many years in which a conservative majority of the court narrowed the reach of environmental regulations.

The justices boosted property rights over concerns about clean water in a ruling in favor of an Idaho couple who sought to build a house near Priest Lake in the state’s panhandle. Chantell and Michael Sackett objected when federal officials identified a soggy portion of the property as a wetlands that required them to get a permit before building.

By a 5-4 vote, the court said in an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito that wetlands can only be regulated under the Clean Water Act if they have a “continuous surface connection” to larger, regulated bodies of water. There is no such connection on the Sacketts’ property.

The court jettisoned the 17-year-old opinion by their former colleague, Anthony Kennedy, allowing regulation of wetlands that have a “significant nexus” to the larger waterways.

Kennedy’s opinion had been the standard for evaluating whether wetlands were covered under the 1972 landmark environmental law. Opponents had objected that the standard was vague and unworkable.

The pro-pollution, brass knuckles capitalist Republican Party's animosity toward regulations and protecting the environment is on display yet again. Private property rights trump the public interest as usual.

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From the Shocking and Amazing Files: In an amazing move against years of blatant corruption, the Texas House of Representatives filed articles of impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton is probably one of the to five most criminal/corrupt people in high level government anywhere in America. I didn't think he could be impeached by his own party, which has serious chronic corruption problems of its own. The NYT comments: "the committee filed 20 articles of impeachment against Mr. Paxton, charging him with a litany of abuses including taking bribes, disregarding his official duty, obstructing justice in a separate securities fraud case pending against him, making false statements on official documents and reports, and abusing the public trust."

Ken has been a naughty boy. Articles 7-9 and part of 10 is shown below.

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From the climate change denier party: The Independent writes:

DeSantis dismisses climate change, calling it ‘politicization of weather’

Florida governor repeats common misconception about climate change and fierce storms

Mr DeSantis was speaking to former congressman Trey Gowdy, a conservative Republican who himself is a climate change denier, in an interview with the conservative news network following his disastrous Twitter Spaces event minutes earlier with Elon Musk.

The governor went on to say that he believed emissions could be reduced by encouraging innovation in the private sector, and dismissed the necessity or effectiveness of government regulations on that subject.

As long as voters keep putting Republicans in power, America will be seriously crippled in its ability to even try to deal with climate change. The private sector can't and won't effectively deal with the climate issue. It's a miracle that Biden got to sign a bill with non-trivial spending to mitigate climate change.

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From the anti-democracy, anti-rule of law party: DeSantis Says He Will Look Into Pardoning Jan. 6 Rioters If Elected President. If Trump doesn't get a chance to pardon the traitors, DeSantis will do it.

Most Republican Party elites still support the Republican Party's1/6 coup attempt and the traitors who participated. The GOP normalized and justified the 1/6 treason event as "legitimate political discourse."