There once were sane Republicans . . .

. . . at least compared to the current species. Christine Todd Whitman was the Republican governor of New Jersey and EPA administrator under George Bush II. She has something to say about the current EPA (in which the "P" now stands for pollution). The EPA wants to roll back motor vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency requirements -- something the automobile companies, by the way, aren't even asking for. Quoth CTW:

Since the election of Donald Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been guided by appointed officials who have fundamentally failed to uphold its mission: to protect public health and the environment. From undermining and ignoring established science, to rolling back lifesaving public health protections, it's become abundantly clear that this administration has no intention of upholding the core mission of the EPA. . .

Trump, [EPA Administrator] Wheeler and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Deputy Administrator Heidi King recently announced their plans to reverse America's clean-car standards.

With the transportation sector, now the country's largest source of carbon pollution, the clean-car standards are the most effective policy we have on the books to fight climate change. Rolling back these standards will mean dirtier cars that pollute the air and jeopardize the health of millions of Americans, especially the over 26 million Americans who suffer from asthma. . . .

This rollback also ignores thousands of pages of research showing that the current standards are achievable, protect public health and reduce air pollution. The EPA should make decisions based on science -- not willfully ignoring the work of scientists.

And it will also cost consumers money. Oh, remember States' Rights™, the Republican Party mantra? Hah! The administration wants to prevent states from imposing stricter standards of their own. This isn't just about people breathing polluted air. It's about the survival of civilization.

The U.S. is the only nation in which a major political party denies the reality of anthropogenic climate change. That is not ignorant, or stupid. It is willfully evil. Republican voters in North Carolina drown just as readily as Democratic voters, and they burn just as readily in California. Republican farmers will be ruined by drought, and the only reason that Republican politicians are doing this to them is because they want the Koch Brothers' money. Yeah, we should be talking about Brett Kavanaugh. But does that really have to be the only thing we're talking about?