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    Flap’s Links and Comments for April 19th on 18:24

    These are my links for April 19th from 18:24 to 18:34:

    • Global warming lawsuit: Supreme Court signals it will throw out lawsuit By California and other states – The Supreme Court justices indicated Tuesday they would throw out a huge global-warming lawsuit brought by six states against coal-fired power plants in the South and Midwest. And they will do so with the support of the Obama administration.

      Acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal urged the justices to end the lawsuit, insisting the problem of global warming and greenhouse gases is too big and unwieldy for a single judge to handle. It is a regulatory problem for the Environmental Protection Agency, he said.

      Four years ago, the justices cleared the way for the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouses gases under the Clean Air Act. Since then, the government has adopted stricter standards for motor vehicles. The agency is debating regulations for power plants, but has taken no firm action.

      But all the while, several states, led by Connecticut, New York and California, have pressed ahead with a lawsuit that calls carbon pollution a "public nuisance" and asks a federal judge to restrict emissions from power plants.
      During Tuesday's argument, most of the justices — liberal and conservative — said they were skeptical about turning over such a complicated and politically charged issue to a single federal judge.

    • Jon Huntsman’s ‘remarkable’ letters to Obama, Clinton reveal adulation for chief executives – Jon Huntsman, President Obama’s outgoing ambassador to China, is considering running against his boss in 2012 as a Republican.

      But two handwritten letters from Huntsman obtained by The Daily Caller raise the question of why he’s not campaigning for Obama instead.

      “You are a remarkable leader,” Huntsman wrote to Obama in an Aug. 16, 2009 note, underlining the word “remarkable,” “and it has been a great honor getting to know you.”

      The letter thanks Obama for “the graciousness and kindness you have shown me and my family – particularly your confidence in my ability to represent you in China.” Huntsman said he was “leaving behind a state we love – but anticipating an extraordinary experience in Beijing.”

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      Read it all

      But, is Huntsman planning for 2012 or really 2016?

      My bet is the latter.