ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL BLOGS

AN EXAMPLE OF HOW GOVERNMENT DOESN'T KNOW ANY MORE THAN WE DO

   I'm constantly amused by those who think transferring a function to government will somehow convert the function into being "better".  For example, many think that health care should be nationalized, or that the oil companies should be nationalized--as if putting health care or oil production into the hands of a person wearing a "government" hat rather than a "private enterprise" hat will somehow make delivery of services "better".   

     Truth be told, the folks who work in government enterprises are just like the rest of us and screw up just as much.  Except that, when a government employee screws up, this affects everybody because the screw-up affects all the taxpayers.  Here's a prime example, as reported in the Sacramento Bee:

State fined for fuel tank lapses

County inspectors say leak-detection system wasn't properly checked.

The state department that looks after the Capitol's emergency underground fuel tank was ordered to pay $93,350 in penalties Wednesday after Sacramento County inspectors cited it for ignoring environmental and hazardous materials regulations.

The court-approved penalty marks the second time in four years that the county's Environmental Management Department cited the state Department of General Services for violating regulations governing the safe operation of underground fuel storage tanks.

***

...when ...inspectors checked the Capitol's underground fuel tank last fall, they found General Services had failed to test its containment systems at least once in three years.

State workers also failed to certify at least once a year that the 1,000-gallon tank's leak-detection system was working. Lastly, they failed to remove water from a secondary containment system, rendering the entire emergency tank's leak-detection system inoperable, the county's violation summary shows.

     Now, all State taxpayers get to help pay the fines assessed. 

     Yet, big-government types want to transfer more and more functions to government-- as if people putting on a "government" worker's hat somehow magically transforms them into being competent.  Incredible.

SHOCK POLL FROM GREAT BRITAIN-MAJORITY DOUBT "CLIMATE CHANGE" IS CAUSED BY HUMANS

     This poll shock from Great Britain:

The majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans - and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The Observer.

The results have shocked campaigners who hoped that doubts would have been silenced by a report last year by more than 2,500 scientists for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which found a 90 per cent chance that humans were the main cause of climate change and warned that drastic action was needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

     guardian.co.uk

     If the environmentalists can't sell this stuff in Great Britain, imagine how depressing this must be for them when it comes to considering their sales pitch in the even more-skeptical USA. 

     This is especially the case when you consider that he campaign of fear about "global warming", recognizing the slim evidence for that phenomenon, has now retreated to the use of the euphemism "climate change"-- which, of course, could mean warming, cooling, or really any change at all.  Since the Earth's climate has been changing for eons, resorting to "climate change" as a campaign cry may be arousing suspicions in people that the cry simply represents a stealth attempt to increase government control over our lives.

    

BEWARE THE VINYL SHOWER CURTAIN (OR NOT)

     The website of Seattle TV station KREM (channel 2) reports on a controversy over vinyl shower curtains (is nothing sacred?):

It may the last thing on your mind when you get ready for a shower, but that new shower curtain may bring some unwanted friends into your home.

A study found that more than 100 chemicals are released by some curtains, and some are at levels that violate indoor air safety standards.

"I think what's most surprising was the amount of chemicals that were released into the air when you bring a new shower curtain home," said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal of Washington Toxics Coalition.

     On the proverbial other hand, there is this quote from the KREM report:

          "This report is simple scare-mongering. It is a blatant attempt by a well-known pressure group to manipulate consumers and retailers into thinking that shower curtains pose a danger, when they don't. It offers no evidence of actual harm," said Greg Bocchi, Pres., The Vinyl Institute.

     What's next on the chopping block-- new car smell?