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Do Not Exhale: Becoming a Environmental ViolatorSubmitted by jason van orsdol on Tue, 01/19/2010 - 10:13.
If one were to go searching for an issue involving government as related to energy production, use, and regulation, Mountain Top coal mining is an excellent starter choice. Mountain Top Mining or ‘Strip’ Mining often stands as the chosen poster child for environmentalist agendas poised against the use of all fossil fuels producing CO2 or carbon dioxide; regardless that coal alone accounts for at least 45% of the electricity being utilized in the United States as you read. Coal also carries high concentrations of CO2 when burned to generate electrical power. Like it or not no alternative energy source(s) stands to take the place of coal in an immediate efficent and effective manner, so far. At this very moment you are also exhaling one would assume, emitting the hazardous material (HazMat) CO2.
Using worst case scenarios like Strip Mining and calling it standard scenarios is effective. Then take the adopted worst case scenario to the highest levels of government to obtain the greatest authority for change. Regardless of your position on Mountain Top Mining, the subject grabs attention and has raised relevant and irrelevant environmental and governmental issues focused on CO2 emissions. The federal government is utilizing environmental issues to expand rule, regulation, and funding for federal agencies based on CO2 emission. Federal regulations may be headed for you.
Now that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named CO2 a hazardous material, some might say anything is possible in regards to energy and environmental regulation. The average adult human emits some .25 pounds of CO2 per year, by the way. Recently, the EPA presented an excellent example of a Federal agency ignoring state’s Rights, law, and regulated industry while expanding Federal powers. The EPA is currently proposing a change in EPA ‘Rule’, not law, with far-reaching implications.
Under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas ‘tailoring’ Rule, any operation producing more than 25,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) per year will fall under expanded EPA regulation, effective or not. Expanded control comes with the dropping of a zero. State agencies and Federal authorities currently regulate CO2 emissions at sources producing more than 250,000 tons per year, such as power plants. A move to 25,000 tons per year is drastic, very drastic. Such action represents a 10 fold increase in the power of Federal environmental regulatory powers.
Some 100,000 new operations in all states will become ‘Violators’ under the newly proposed regulations of CO2. Thousands of operations will instantly falling under EPA ability to override state authority, by the EPA’s open admission.Massed Federal regulation of farms and small business operations in every state will be an immediate requirement under this proposed ‘tailored’ Rule. County, city, and state governments will see direct EPA intervention in stae industry and economy, ignoring state agencies and law. Sadly, the 100,000 newly federally regulated operations figure is far too low to account for all operations producing 25,000 tons of CO2 emissions. As an example of a newly made Violator arena, many farms produce 25,000 tons of CO2 per year. Many potential Violators are already doing the math to determine if their emission levels will make them federally labeled Violators to be ‘corralled’ by new EPA regulation.
Environmental groups are no slouches in promoting increased regulation of environmental Violators. Environmental agendas surpass state systems when seeking sweeping change at the expense of state regulation and law; let us not forget the citizens. In 2009, the Sierra Club, an environmental group of several sorts, announced the successful closure of at least six coal operated power plants in more than one state. Getting the plants shut down was a matter of going to court, Federal Court. Local and state governments are simply ignored. To end the life of the coal power plants, the Sierra Club utilized the organizations’ favorite path, a Federal courtroom. Citizens dependent upon the power plant were ignored and seemed to have never had a chance to level their positions.
Indeed, there exist other Federal ‘paths’ to override a State’s Right to self regulation, yet the courtroom is the chosen venue for rapid precedent setting via expanded Federal regulatory powers often designed by environmental groups. Expansion of federal power is being sought through issuance of more stringent Federal energy production and utilization regulations that openly bypass long standing State authority. Environmental organizations are seeking change through very accommodating Federal realms with many winding paths, including a path to Congress and the White House.
The Obama Administration has given the Executive Branch ‘thumbs up’ to the Federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) proposal to over-ride State mining permitting programs as an example of total disregard for State agencies and processes long standing. Once again the Federal Government feels it has a better understanding of any State power infrastructure capabilities than the people governing their State. The Surface Mining Reclamation and Control Act covered this issue long ago by ensuring States’ manage their own regulatory programs to be as stringent as Federal law; the States have been stringent. However, without rewriting the law, the OSM and EPA intend to degrade State Rights while pursuing growth in the size of the Federal agencies and, as always, in increasing funding. This bureaucratic endeavor will lead to nothing short of higher energy costs and a weakened Union of States.
When taking the idea that any federal agency would increase powers 10 fold without process or objection is a reality State governments and citizens should fear. The massing of a centralized government strangling the free market with self appointed powers over States is a reality in progress. Look to the energy industry and environmental agenda to see the process unfold. For the world of energy, coal produced from Mountain Top Mining acted as a key spring-board for reducing State Rights. Federal agencies regularly attempt and succeed in expanding Federal powers; in this case by increasing Federal authority to control energy production and use. Increases of Federal power with deep impact to State Rights should serve as an alarm bell to uninformed citizens.
Expanding EPA controls alone increases the possibility that the federal government will come to their door with ‘tailored’ regulations for their operations, surpassing all known state, county, city, local, and other regulations. This is all despite increasingly stringent and currently state management. Clearly, the origins of a small centralized government seem to have been lost, forgotten, or ignored when energy policy and/or the environment are an issue. Now, exhale freely.
- Jason Van Orsdol
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Fossil Lobby Using Realneo?
Jason Van Orsdol is off to a roaring start here on Realneo. Disinformation with images. States Rights vs. Smog?
We'll see were this goes.
Dissent in Demand
Critics are always welcomed, as a means to grow dissent is essential. Smog is being used as an excuse to increase Federal Powers. Please remember CO2 was once taught to be a 'building-block of life'. Today it has been labeled a hazardous material by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.
State's like Ohio will see elimination, duplication, and surpassing of long standing State agencies and law. Making the connections of seemingly unrelated issues is not what the Federal Government wishes.
Jason Van Orsdol
Green Fuel Lobby via Realneo
it's already gone
See where it goes? It's already gone. No time for your counterargument, Jeff? I think Jason has invited you to step into the ring. C'mom, Jeff - have at it. We know you love a good debate.
Jason - what is TEDC? I see from your flickr page that you are the VP there. Nice work on the women's t-shirt gas mask image.
Susan, What's gone?
I'm in my garage with the car running and the door down, just checking if smog really develops. If Jason is right, I'll let you know soon.
In the mean time I have stacked up some bricks with whom to debate whether the world is flat or 6 dimensional....
Great Laugh
Susan, you have a savy way to express your views, excellent. Jason Van Orsdol
aw c'mom Jeff
You know the world is flat!
And Jason, it's OUR Mayor and our County Commissioners who are funny and the port authority tops even those bozos. The FBI is all up in that shit. Read our paper and click on "county in crisis. In this exchange Jeff was ROFLHAO. And here in Cuyahoga County where we have our very own steel plant and our very own coal flues and our city government was dumb enough to sign a 50 year contract with AMP for coal fired energy, we can barely breathe. Check our air quality. It sucks.
Remember Rockefeller? He launched Standard Oil in our industrial flats using the hillside of the bank of the Cuyahoga for his first refining operations. Ever wonder why the river burned? Know what river launched the Clean Water Act?
Come visit us in this shrinking city and we'll take you down to the banks of the mighty Cuyahoga River's ship channel and let you take a swim. And while here, you will be able to suck in our still putrid air.
This image is from 1899. Rockefeller, who used to live in my neighborhood (but hightailed it outta here just like Flagler), had 88 refineries in our neck of the woods.
Now much of the industry is cleaner (not really) or gone. Sherwin Williams who covered Cleveland (and the world) with lead dust is still here, and we still have some munitions folk leftover from WWII and Arcelor Mittal took over what was once LTV and before that Republic Steel. Our lovely Lake Erie has a vouluminous dead zone and most of the fish are inedible due to mercury content, but hey, c'mon and we'll show you a good time. Wanna know about burning dinosaurs? Come to Cleveland. We're the freakin' experts. Bring your gas mask. You can get land cheap -it's the taxes and fees that'll kill ya!
Oh and sorry to hear that you're not a VP. I was thinkn' we mighta had a real BIG mercury-laden fish on the line... Welcome to realneo where we don't sugar coat it. You can call me "Citizen Ida" (Tarbell that is:). Cleveland proves it - ain't nothin' too big to fail.
No sugar
Jason Van Orsdol
Endless Dissent
Susan,
TEDC was a joke! Funny how information comes up! The TEDC or Tulsa Endless Dissenters Committee. We never let the poor Mayor sleep. Several of my colleagues and I started the TEDC to object to ridiculous practices of the Tulsa City government such as Affirmative Action firings to meet minority quotas or the recently dethroned Mayor and her decision to move City Hall to a corporate office building with known structural failure issues – much less the building survivability was a joke and the City Emergency Response HQ (against ER staff warnings). I’m far from a real VP.
Jason Van Orsdol
The Rebuke of the Wall
Jason Van Orsdol
Jeff, I hope you heeded my warning that Co2 in your garage at 80+% of the atmosphere of a garage will kill you just as drinking too much can. Happily, Earth’s air concentrates up to 3% Co2; beyond this level the Earth will allow heat vented to space. The ‘hole’ in the Ozone is now understood to be a mechanism for this relief cycle.
Your picture is an excellent example of heavy hydrocarbon refineries, not coal powered plants from the 19th Century; my calendar says 21st Century. The only stack burning is running on heavy Fuel Oil 6. If you knew which wall to argue with it would relate this? The oil derricks pump oil, not coal. Less to mention the environmental practices and mistakes of the past are not in any way similar to those we face today. Now we are seeking to reduce in the parts per trillion and billion, not pounds or a full 1%.
Wait, why are you exhaling Co2? Disagreement is fine, but poisoning our air Jeff, please. Do you prefer the GHG from Methane aka Natural Gas at a 300% cost premium over coal or just like to pollute in general? You are producing 2.5 pounds of Co2 per year on average. If you can’t breathe well in the city call the EPA for an air quality test, which is on-going at the State and Federal level as it is.
Before I continue please recall:
Humans exhale Co2 and plants breath Co2, in return we humans receive unbiased O2 – symbiosis – I’m Native American and understand this relationship well. The top employers of Native Peoples are in the, energy and military sectors. Folks like you spewing Co2 wish to shut down Native owned plants as a means to further impoverish and subjugate Native People, see Four-Corners and Salt Lake River Projects.
One Volcanic eruption spews Billions of tons of Co2 into the atmosphere. Please tell me why volcanic activity has not lead to the destruction of Earth. Saying it is natural does not count, as the man made portion is only a fraction of what a major Pacific Ring volcano produces in mere seconds. Why did the entire population not centered near Mt. St. Helen’s survive if Co2 is a potent killer? Wall answer?
Find the NASA wall, as the space agency is very upset data from 2001-2011 was used to make blatant false alarmist conclusions based on qualitative emotion and ignorance. The truth is the Earth has expelled far more heat that had ever been realized. Eco-fascist are doing all they can to deny, manipulate and change this quantitative proof of their agenda being wrong. Dinosaurs would have been unable to breath based on the junk science being produced.
When you can show me NASA is wrong we can discuss our mutual distain for individuals who use the working class like shoes. I’m no fan of the Rockefeller clan either. Yet, that does not change scientific fact.
I cannot find any points of substance to rebuke with you, as you are only complaining. Those who complain, yet sit idle are not active and productive citizens. If you feel your community is being wronged you have the power of community available. Send me another wall I can jump over. Yes, of course the world is flat, one will fall off the disk shaped Earth at the State-line for California and New Zealand on the full 360.