Perry Plays The Dirty Air Card - - Transparent, Despite The Smog

Texas Gov. and GOP Presidential candidate Rick Perry urges President Barack Obama to suspend clean air regulations that will help the country recover from hazardous air pollution to which Texas contributes disproportionately.

The new clean air rules are designed to significantly reduce smog and soot pollution by requiring 27 states, including Texas, to decrease smokestack emissions.

The new guidelines apply to sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, which mostly come from coal-fired plants.

Texas has 19 coal-fired power plants -- more than any other state -- and plans to build nine more. It is one of the few states still adding coal-fired plants and releases more air pollutants than any other state. Most other states are building generation plants that use sources other than coal, particularly natural gas.

Clearly, Perry has failed to manage the issue in his own state, which also happens to be sitting on 30% of the country's supply of cleaner-burning natural gas, making it the nation;
s largest natural gas producer.

Pretty transparently-political move by Perry, whose ugly debate performances make him increasingly unacceptable to moderate Republicans and tea party fringe-dwellers alike.