The Recycling Bin: Obama's Green Orders

Yesterday, Obama took action on a request by 14 states to waive national emissions rules in favor of stricter standards. The move was considered the president's first step towards fulfilling green campaign promises. Here's what people across the Internet are saying about the decision:

• The New York Times' editorial board calls the move "a wonderful start." "Mr. Bush began his tenure by breaking a campaign promise to regulate carbon dioxide and by withdrawing the United States from the Kyoto agreement on climate change. Mr. Obama begins his with a clear signal that he will not hesitate to use the regulatory levers provided by the Clean Air Act and other federal statutes to fight global warming."
• Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) called the move "environmental thuggery."
• Detroit Free Press columnist Tom Walsh wonders what the move will mean for struggling Detroit. "Is the new president merely softening up Detroit with silky rhetoric before he shoves crippling new regulations down the auto industry's throat? Or is he serious about the hard work and politically risky decisions inherent in forging a comprehensive energy policy?"
• Arnold Schwarzenegger: "For too long, Washington has been asleep at the wheel when it comes to the environment." Watch his full remarks here.
• The L.A. Times editorial board is "doing cartwheels" over the decision, but regrets that a gas tax is not yet in the picture.
• Representative Mike Rogers (R-Mich.): "We have an absolute crisis in the American auto industry and today's decision to pile on new regulations without any substantive help is a cruel blow to Michigan workers and their families."
• General Motors: "We're ready to engage the Obama administration and the Congress on policies that support meaningful and workable solutions and targets that benefit consumers from coast to coast."