Here we go ...

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson finally got to use her parking space on Capitol Hill this morning. Jackson was the star witness at the newly Republican-run House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Energy and Power hearings on the proposed "Energy Tax Prevention Act."

What's that? You weren't aware that there was an energy tax that needed preventing? Well, that's because the Republican majority has decided to frame its battle against the EPA's efforts to regulate greenhouse gases as fighting energy taxes, because greenhouse gas regulations equal higher energy costs, which then kill jobs. (That's why the bill to repeal health care reform went down as the "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act.")

For her part Jackson—who withstood more than two hours of pointed questioning from Republican committee members—tried to frame the issue in terms of the EPA's larger responsibility to safeguard clean air. To her, the Republican assault on the agency's ability to regulate greenhouse gases would water down the Clean Air Act itself, with consequences for the health of the nation ...

Read the entire Time magazine post, by Bryan Walsh, here.

Further reading: REPORT: Clean air regulations will create jobs — iStockAnalyst.com

When are we going to start putting an appropriate value on our health? (Hint: It's priceless.)

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson also made a presentation at the Good Jobs, Good Environment conference this week. Check it out:

Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes commentary on Creative Loafing's CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.