Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

From Attorney General Greg Zoeller:

Volatile issues of global climate change, energy-sector jobs, judicial activism and the roles of federal government branches will collide April 19. That’s when the United States Supreme Court hears arguments in a case with a potential to affect indirectly all Americans who use electricity.

The case is American Electric Power Co. Inc. v. Connecticut. At issue is whether states and private plaintiffs can sue utility companies for producing greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.

The state I represent in court, Indiana, is not a party in this lawsuit. Nonetheless, as Indiana’s attorney general, my duty is to alert the Supreme Court to Indiana’s legal concerns. To raise our arguments, we authored a 28-page amicus brief that 22 other states signed, and filed it with the nation’s highest court.

The facts of the AEP v. Connecticut case and its procedural history are complicated and the underlying science is technical. But at its core is a concept that dates to the very founding of our Constitution: the separation of powers of our three branches of government.

In our brief we contend federal district courts are not the venues to decide inherently political questions that belong instead within the legislative and executive branches.

Consider how this case began: Connecticut filed suit against six utility companies alleging their carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired electric-generating plants contribute to global climate change. Connecticut, five other states and New York City alleged a “public nuisance” under common law and asked the federal court to determine and impose limits on the amounts of CO2 emitted from utility smokestacks.

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From newsobserver.com:

But the increase didn’t alter the agency’s overall estimate, mostly because livestock producers are expected to scale back their corn purchases.

The email announcing the governor’s veto was sent out after midnight. Perdue’s staff had announced Saturday morning that she would veto the bill, but the veto was delayed by the day’s severe weather and deadly tornadoes.

In her veto message to the legislature, Perdue, a Democrat, wrote: “House Bill 383 irresponsibly took the financial lifelines for 37,000 North Carolina citizens and families and hitched them to a budget ploy that will wreck the lives of millions more.

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Check out the video:


From Pure Politics:

With both parties nominations for attorney general set, Republican challenger Todd P’Pool is gradually ramping up his arguments against Democratic incumbent Jack Conway.

P’Pool has released a web-only video attacking Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway over coal issues.

The one-minute ad was produced by the Strategy Group for Media, who handled ads for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul last year in his race against Conway for an open Senate seat. The Strategy Group also ran ads for former Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson in his two runs for that office.

The web video marks the beginning of sorts of the one race for statewide office in which the nominees are set. Neither P’Pool, who is the Hopkins County Attorney, nor Conway, who is finishing his first term as attorney general, drew opposition in their respective primaries.

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Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald on Fox News discussing the State Supreme Court election in Wisconsin.

From CharlotteObserver.com:

In an age of government austerity, the Western Governor’s Residence would seem a relic of better times – a mansion sitting on top of Sunset Mountain with a panoramic view of Asheville.

North Carolina is one of only five states that have a second residence for its governor, the result of a gift to the state and one that the state manages to run pretty cheaply.

But even so, some eyebrows were raised when the state – in the midst of laying off thousands of state employees and cutting many programs – agreed to spend nearly a quarter of a million dollars to renovate the western residence.

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Republican State Leadership Committee President Chris Jankowski was recently on Backbone Radio discussing the RSLC’s fight in Wisconsin. Listen to the segment below:

Check out the web ad the RSLC put out last week taking the Democrats to task for attacking Republicans instead of seeking solutions to the states problems.

From Stateline:

Not only has 2011 been the toughest budget year in a long time for many states. It’s also been one of the most confusing in terms of understanding how big the budget gaps really are.

In Texas, some people talk of a $15 billion budget shortfall. Others put it vastly higher, at $27 billion. Statehouse reporters, unwilling to pick sides, often describe the shortfall as “between $15 billion and $27 billion.”

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Alexandria, Va. (April 1, 2011) – With a Democratically led Washington State Legislature yet to roll out a budget, Democratic Senators “resisting” efforts to scale back $2 million the state spends on artwork, and a fiscal situation worsening by the week, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) launched a web video today, taking the party to task for relentlessly attacking Attorney General Rob McKenna rather than focusing on solutions.

“Washington Democrats are clearly in a position where they can’t get their act together, they’re afraid to make difficult decisions, and are already running against a non-existent 2012 campaign,” said RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie.  “In the last election, voters overwhelmingly showed they are tired of leaders who simply want to keep things as they are and protect the status quo, and Washington Democrats are risking a great deal by attacking Rob McKenna rather than problem solving.”

The video, “Out of Gas,” notes that despite the fact that McKenna is not even a candidate, “Washington State Democrats are racing to 2012” and “revving up attacks against Republicans instead of seeking real solutions to the state’s problems.”

The ad cites recent comments from Seattle P-I columnist Joel Connelly – not exactly a Republican cheerleader – that said, “State Democrats — have fired off boilerplate attacks a full 20 months before the 2012 election. It’s the usual clumsy, guilt-by-association stuff.”  The column went on to say “When a party has held power for a long time, and is running low on gas, there’s an old, oft-deployed survival strategy: Gin up fears and try to drag down the promising alternative. … The current Democratic administration in Olympia IS out of gas.”

“After watching Washington Democrats attack Republicans and mislead the voters about their positions, it comes as no surprise that Republicans picked up legislative seats in the last election, and that those on the left are criticizing the party’s tactics,” said Gillespie.  “The Democrats’ tank is empty.”

About the RSLC
The RSLC is the largest caucus of Republican state leaders and the only national organization whose mission is to elect down ballot, state-level Republican office-holders. Since 2002, the RSLC has been working to elect candidates for the office of Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State and State Legislator. The RSLC has more than 100,000 donors in all 50 states. The RSLC raised more than $30 million for the 2009-2010 cycle as part of an effort that picked up 20 legislative chambers, six Attorneys General, three Lieutenant Governors and seven Secretaries of State.

The RSLC includes The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) whose mission is electing Republicans to the Office of Attorney General.  Since its founding in 2000, the impact of the RAGA has been significant as the number of Republican Attorneys General has increased in five of the past ten elections, growing from fourteen to twenty three nationwide.  In 2010, Republicans won 16 out of 30 Attorneys General races, including pick-ups in Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, and Oklahoma.  All previously held Republican seats were successfully defended and maintained.

From AJC.com:

Marking the first anniversary of the new federal health care law’s passage, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said it is already costing the state and its employees millions of dollars in higher premiums, with more cost increases coming.

Under the law, young adults can remain on their parents’ insurance plans up to age 26, which will increase the state’s costs by $17.7 million in fiscal 2011 alone, according to data provided by the governor’s staff.

“We know the real cost though still lies ahead,” Deal said during a news conference Wednesday at the state Capitol.

Area Democrats also gathered to celebrate benefits they said the overhaul produced.

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