President Obama is throwing out the goodwill built from his Alaskan visit last year.
A perfect example is found in today’s ADN article, “Alaskans Slam Obama on Arctic Plan,” about an agreement between the Prime Minister of Canada and our President to address climate change in the arctic. Our Alaskan Congressional delegation have spoken out against this carte blanche agreement because Alaskan dreams and hopes for developing arctic policy were snubbed. We are under the ice, and they are skating over us.
But more than scrapping goodwill, the Obama Administration is scrapping the law via regulation.
Here’s what I mean: Regulations have the same effect as law, for they can be enforced with punishment when violated. Because of the detail in enforcing a law, the Legislative Branch has given the Executive Branch the authority to write appropriate regulations that comport to the law.
The problem we face from the Obama Administration is that they are writing the regulation details without comporting to the law but based upon what they imagine the law should be.
These two North American leaders apparently agreed to set methane emission targets for the arctic. As quickly as that was done, the ADN article reads, “In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency will begin drafting regulations immediately.”
Clearly, this indicates a boldness of action, but boldness that is brash, for it precludes that there need be any discussion about following the law that should support and be behind those new regulations.
Besides tearing into the heart of Alaskans who are in love with the arctic, this executive action by the President also tears into the separation of powers as outlined in our Constitution, and that is connected to the bigger heart of all Americans who love the Constitution.
Eugene Harnett, APEonline.org Editor
Posted by Alaska Politics & Elections on Thursday, March 10, 2016
