A Devil’s Bargain
Bush is waiving environmental protection rules for gasoline production in order to reduce production costs and — theoretically — the price at the pump. This waiver is supposed to be temporary, but you’ll forgive me if I have my suspicions that he will “forget” to reinstate the rules once the crisis is past. Bush seems to have a pathological aversion to regulations, even those that provide cleaner air for us to breathe.
He’s an oil man, from an oil family, and most of his inner circle has some connection to the oil industry. He can mouth all the platitudes he wants about alternative energy sources, but until I see a major national push to develop those alternatives and bring them into mainstream use, I’ll have my doubts. At least he wants to rescind the unconscionable $2 billion in tax breaks that he handed to the oil companies a few months ago. But again, I’ll believe it when I see it.
Meanwhile, I’m really looking forward to another summer here in Jefferson County, where we haven’t been in compliance with the ozone regulations for years, and all those cars sitting on Highway 280 and I-65 in the 90-degree heat spewing yet more pollution into what a friend calls the “Birminghaze”.
April 26th, 2006 at 9:36 am
You have hit right on what bugs me about this whole story.
April 26th, 2006 at 10:16 am
What I want to know is, where do these people go to breathe air? Are they happy just breathing the same s*it they’re making the rest of us breathe (like they used to say about the paper mills down here in Mobile–”ahhh, the smell of money”) or do they have a secret stash pumped into their homes, cars, and of course the mountain or beach resorts they escape to?
April 26th, 2006 at 10:22 am
Del, I guess they can afford an Ionic Breeze for every room.
April 26th, 2006 at 10:56 am
have you ever stopped to think about it for a moment when the local weather man tells you not to go outside because the air quality is bad that day?
we have made the air, the frickin’s air, dangerous. yet it is people who want to change that who are the ‘wackos.’
April 26th, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Why would anyone ever think that a fart might be interested in preventing air pollution, anyway?
April 26th, 2006 at 1:52 pm
Yeah, sure, the oil companies will pass that savings on to us at the pump — hell, I’ve already spent that $.50!
Most of Montgomery is downwind from an International Paper plant. It doesn’t reek like the paper mills of old, except occasionally when the wind’s right. But on a clear day, drive north from here, and it’s plain from the interstate why so many people here suffer respiratory trouble; the particle cloud is plain to see.
We had a joke when I did some work around pulp and paper mills: “see that smoke? guess they’re not in compliance today…!”
The joke was, it smoked like that every day. Ha ha.
April 26th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Maybe we can use that plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal our windows from the pollution instead of the chemical weapons attacks.
I’ve driven through that lovely paper mill scent on the way to Montgomery. I’ve also stayed inside and kept my kids in on ozone alert days. I don’t understand why the environment is not a priority. Yeah, I know the Dominionists think Jesus is coming back any day now, but they’re not a majority of the population. We need to get serious about this — I want my grandchildren to be able to breathe without gas masks.
April 26th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
I thought it was highly ironic that the Preznit was at the Renewable Fuels Council talking about needing to use ethanol, then the next day he says he wants to waive the summer formula rules for gasoline, which require adding ethanol, thus depriving ethanol producers of their market. WTF?
April 26th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Pretty confusing. Could he be flip-flopping???
April 27th, 2006 at 11:45 am
No flip-flop, not ever, not no way, not no how.
Same story as ever — lip service for the cameras and microphones, while the real priorities are apparent by his actions.
This goes for virtually ALL politicians, of course. Some are just more resolute and stay-the-greedy-course than others.