A brief story, but I hadn’t seen it mentioned here.
Using a rare “pocket veto”, which takes effect when the President fails to sign legislation after Congress has recessed, Obama has vetoed two measures that would have blocked steps his administration has taken to address climate change.
One would have nullified carbon pollution standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA requires the power sector to slash its carbon output by 32 percent by the year 2030.
The second would have voided a set of national standards designed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas pollution from existing power plants. link
He wrote a letter to Congress explaining his decision, explaining the serious threat posed by a changing climate, and asserting that he could not support legislation that would overturn the Clean Power Plan. Praising the international Paris conference and agreement, the veto was a rebuke to the climate deniers in Congress who try to undermine any action taken to mitigate the effects of global warming.
When searching for news of this item, and I noticed various right wing sites carrying the story, with the suggestion that Obama is on “shaky ground” in using this pocket veto.
Time will tell, but it’s a step.