Monday, May 16, 2005
Pollution...
HAVE TO LOVE THIS
Greenpeace Found Guilty of Negligence
This organization and its ilk have burdened the lives of so many with such regulation that it can be overwhelming. It is good to see them get a taste of the own medicine. Seems they forgot to complete some necessary regulator environmental paperwork.
NOT SO LOVING IT
Fuel efficient low polluting hybrid vehicles seem to be taking hold. So much so that gas tax revenues are dropping. So Oregon is considering a tax-per-mile-driven.
TOXIC NEWS
Toxics have been big in the news lately.
MSNBC give a summary report of the latest Toxics Release Inventory data digestion by the EPA. Needless to say it is full of good news, but they emphasize the bad. I repair TRI reports for a number of my clients. You have no idea how much it costs to produce these reports just so these guys can write news stories.
There is another international treaty afoot to tranfer wealth under the guise of environmental preservation. Included in this toxics ban, DDT -- the existing partial ban of which has been shown to have casued numerous human deaths.
My favorite toxics story though is this one about perchlorate. First, the story is anecdotal -- about a single town. Check this quote
NUCLEAR POWER ON THE MOVE
Lots of people are figuring our what eanybody with any sense has known for a long time. Nuclear electrical power generation is the cleanest method we have yet to devise, even considering the potential dangers. So says the Independent of London (HT: HuffPo, of all places), the NYTimes, and for those of you with subscriptions the Wall Street Journal.
Chernobyl, as horrific as it was, simply cannot happen with western reactor design. The waste, while horribly toxic, is in a far smaller volume, and far more manageable, largely because of that small volume, than any other type of power generation. I am really glad to see these articles.
Greenpeace Found Guilty of Negligence
This organization and its ilk have burdened the lives of so many with such regulation that it can be overwhelming. It is good to see them get a taste of the own medicine. Seems they forgot to complete some necessary regulator environmental paperwork.
Greenpeace's ship came to Alaska to conduct an anti-logging campaign in the Tongass National Forest. The ship was carrying more than 70,000 gallons of "petroleum products" at the time, court papers said.Speaking of regulation and loving it, check out this story about lobster men doing a better jobof managing their fishery than the government.
Under state law, a large non-tank vessel must file an oil spill response plan application five days before entering state waters.
NOT SO LOVING IT
Fuel efficient low polluting hybrid vehicles seem to be taking hold. So much so that gas tax revenues are dropping. So Oregon is considering a tax-per-mile-driven.
To administer this tax, a global positioning system would be mounted in each car. As a driver fuels up, the device would relay mileage information to the gas pump, which would calculate the VMT. A simple electronic odometer-reading device would do the trick, but Oregon is looking at GPS devices because they would also allow for charging higher VMT rates for miles driven in "congested" areas during rush hour or to exempt miles driven out of state.That is downright big-brotherish, which is the problem with so much environmental regulation.
TOXIC NEWS
Toxics have been big in the news lately.
MSNBC give a summary report of the latest Toxics Release Inventory data digestion by the EPA. Needless to say it is full of good news, but they emphasize the bad. I repair TRI reports for a number of my clients. You have no idea how much it costs to produce these reports just so these guys can write news stories.
There is another international treaty afoot to tranfer wealth under the guise of environmental preservation. Included in this toxics ban, DDT -- the existing partial ban of which has been shown to have casued numerous human deaths.
My favorite toxics story though is this one about perchlorate. First, the story is anecdotal -- about a single town. Check this quote
Officials and townspeople, meanwhile, want to know just how hazardous perchlorate is. High amounts can be dangerous ? the chemical can interrupt the production of thyroid hormones, which are needed for pre- and post-natal development. But how much exposure should be permissible sparks debate in governmental and scientific circles.They have no where near high amounts, but they HAVE to do something. But here is the real kicker
The conclusion of city leaders: Piping any amount of perchlorate into homes posed an unacceptable gamble.
Perchlorate was little-known before 1997, when tests were developed that could detect it at lower levels than before.Now, the same story indicates that the perchlorate contamination dates back to WWII and military activity. That means the contamination has likely been present for decades, undetected and there is no epidemiological data to indicate a health problem -- and still they create a public panic and a budget crisis. Does that make any sense to you?
NUCLEAR POWER ON THE MOVE
Lots of people are figuring our what eanybody with any sense has known for a long time. Nuclear electrical power generation is the cleanest method we have yet to devise, even considering the potential dangers. So says the Independent of London (HT: HuffPo, of all places), the NYTimes, and for those of you with subscriptions the Wall Street Journal.
Chernobyl, as horrific as it was, simply cannot happen with western reactor design. The waste, while horribly toxic, is in a far smaller volume, and far more manageable, largely because of that small volume, than any other type of power generation. I am really glad to see these articles.
