Environmental Impact of the Recession

As the recession gets deeper there could be an overall benefit to the environment. By benefit I mean less negative impacts. Now that the auto bailout has been rejected by the U.S. Senate we could see GM and Chrysler file Chapter 11 and possible thousands of suppliers going with them. The impact on industrial activity will be significant that it could probably translate into measurable changes on the CO2 emissions of the country. How this will impact any new environmental policy will be interesting. Since Republicans have successfully blamed unionized workers (not mismanagement or regulations) for the demise of the auto sector I'm sure they can find a way to take credit for the "improvement" in the environment when they argue against any new environmental policy. Hopefully the Obama administration can find a sensible way to restore balance to the economy and the impact on the environment.