President Bush Was Enviro Friendly After All
President Bush was actually good to the environment. In the following report of statistical data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency, pollution levels have decreased under 6 Republican Administrations.
According to statistics calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States is in much better shape today than they were several years ago.
Americans have reduced toxic releases by more than 50 million tons since 1970. If that many tons were deposited in dump trucks, the trucks would stretch from Baltimore to Dallas (all the way around the world) if lined up bumper-to-bumper.
- Currently, it would take 20 of today’s new automobiles to release the same number of emissions as a 1960s model.
- Carbon monoxide emissions (CO) have decreased by 33 percent. Forty-one fewer tons are being produced per year as a result of current efforts. Much of these emissions are from cars, trucks, buses, lawn and construction equipment.
- Large utility and industrial boilers and other mechanical devices are producing 12 percent less nitrogen oxide emissions. This is 3.3 million tons fewer each year. Nitrogen oxide is a contributing factor to ozone formation.
- Sulfur dioxide emissions have reduced by 38 percent or 13 million tons per year. These emissions are typically associated with large boilers. Acid rain has been a product of these emissions in the past.
- Dropping 14 million tons per year, volatile organic compound emissions have decreased by 42 percent. VOC emissions are a factor in the formation of the ozone layer.
- Particulate matter emissions reduced by 9 million tons per year, or a 75 percent reduction.
- Decreased by 98 percent, lead emissions have reduced by 217 thousand tons per year.
- The EPA statistics indicate that the decrease in emissions is about 48 percent across the board, reducing pollution by 109 million tons of toxic fumes.
President Bush’s positive effects on the environment are further detailed here by AEI (the same venue Vice President Cheney spoke after President Obama’s Guantanamo Detention Facility speech).
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research analyzed data collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and concluded that levels of numerous gases linked with air pollution have fallen off since 2001.
Among the findings: Carbon monoxide decreased by 39 percent, ozone by 6 percent, and sulfur dioxide by 32 percent.
“Pick any category you want and pollution levels are generally lower than they were seven years ago,” said Steven Hayward, the policy analyst who authored the report, titled “Index of Leading Environmental Indicators,” for the conservative think tank.
“(Environmental groups) said air pollution was out of control, but this was always more about politics than it was fact,” Hayward said.
Environmental groups agree that tremendous progress has been made since the 1980s, when cities like Houston and Los Angeles were thick with smog and acid rain devastated lakes and forests across the U.S.
It in fact, it goes to show that policy decisions by a Republican led congress at the time had a positive impact on the environment, while protecting business interests at the same time. When sound judgment and policy are united good things do happen.
President George W. Bush drew the ire of environmental groups throughout his eight years in the White House, perhaps the loudest in 2003 when he announced that he would end a Clean Air Act program that required older power plants, refineries and industrial sites to install pollution control devices when they expanded their operations.
But in looking over the data on air quality from the Bush years, Hayward notes that levels of most air pollutants decreased at a faster rate than they did during the Clinton administration.
“Mostly of it’s technological change. Quite a bit of it’s been forced by regulation, but a lot of it has been the marketplace,” Hayward said. “The EPA has models that project an 80 percent decline in auto emissions. Nothing Bush could have done was going to change that.”
Another case in point is free markets, competition, and the need to change in order to keep up with global demands while protecting the environment made much of this possible. Taking away free market principles and mandating industry by government will set us back both economically but environmentally and safety wise (if Mr Obama gets his way with roller skate size soda cans for cars).
Jeff Holmsted, a high-ranking official at the EPA from 2001-2005 and now an attorney with the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani, acknowledged that the decrease in air pollution over the last eight years owes much to efforts of past administrations. But he called the statistics a vindication of Bush’s environmental policy, which he said did away with cumbersome regulations while still protecting the environment.
“I think among people who actually understand how the regulatory process works, they, in private, would acknowledge that we accomplished a lot,” Holmsted said.
Source:forums.gardenweb.com
The Dawning of Obamunism… GM is Officially Government Motors
Stalin would be so proud! The Donkey’s are controlling the cars:
There should be no question as to why the auto industry accepting the new CAFE standards today…
General Motors Corp’s (GM.N) plan for a bankruptcy filing involves a quick sale of the company’s healthy assets to a new company initially owned by the U.S. government, a source familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.
The source, who would not be named because he was not cleared to speak with the media, did not specify a purchase price. The new company is expected to honor the claims of secured lenders, possibly in full, according to the source.
The remaining assets of GM would stay in bankruptcy protection to satisfy other outstanding claims.
GM has about $6 billion in secured debt, including a secured revolving credit and bank debt.
The government’s plans include giving stakes in the new company to GM’s union and bondholders, although the ownership structure of the company is still being negotiated, said the source who is familiar with the company’s plans.
In addition, the government would extend a credit line to the new company and forgive the bulk of the $15.4 billion in emergency loans that the U.S. has already provided to GM, the source said.
As I have been stating… we will never see our taxpayer dollars for any of this bailout nonsense. These bankruptcies were inevitable and they just threw money down a black hole!
The government has given GM until June 1 to restructure its operations to lower its debt burden and employee costs.
Not ‘gonna happen!
If those talks failed, the company has said it would follow rival Chrysler LLC into bankruptcy.
My father mentioned yesterday, on his birthday, that he would be finding out whether or not he would have a job today… GM will follow Chrysler, the question is when and how soon this summer?
Setting up a new company to buy the healthy assets is aimed at reassuring consumers who might not be willing to make a major purchase from a bankrupt company, fearing it would not honor warranties or provide service.
The board of the new company would be established with the tacit approval of the government. Fritz Henderson, who took the helm of GM earlier this year after the government pushed out Rick Wagoner, would likely head the new company, the source said.
GM could not be immediately reached for comment.
GM shares were up about 9 percent at $1.29. (Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)
George Soros – stop buying up GM shares for yourself!
Breaking: President Obama To Announce New National Fuel-Economy (CAFE) Standard; UPDATE: Cost to Consumer $1,300 Per Vehicle
The new “national emissions policy for autos” will ramp up to a new mileage-per-gallon standard in 2016. (approx. 35 miles/gallon)
The details will be hashed out tomorrow and will most likely involve the climate change legislation and “greenie” police we will come to expect from this far left administration/congress:
California, 13 other states and the District of Columbia have urged the federal government to let them enact more stringent standards than the federal government’s requirements. The states’ regulations would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and trucks by 2016.
Officials said Tuesday’s announcement moves toward the 30 percent goal by 2016, starting with model years 2011 and beyond.
Obama’s move also would effectively end litigation between states and automakers, who sought to block state-specific rules. The new federal rules would prompt automakers to drop their lawsuit. Two car companies who have been part of the litigation, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, have received billions in government loans during a dramatic downturn in car sales and weakened economy.
So what will be the cost implication to all of this and why does the government feel the need to control one more thing in average Americans’ lives? This is getting creepier by the minute ~ OBEY!
UPDATE:
President Barack Obama outlined Tuesday the nation’s first comprehensive effort to curb vehicle emissions while cutting dependence on imported oil, calling the plan an historic turning point toward a “clean-energy economy.”
Obama thinks that Americans will believe that more regulations will make us more energy independent, just as he and his liberal buddies want Americans to believe that cap and trade will also create independence with wind and solar power (two technologies that are still incredibly inefficient and we don’t know much about… no hydro, nuclear or domestic oil). Sadly, most Americans won’t get it – they are too concerned with the season finale of Idol to care. And of course the auto industry went along – they all saw what the White House did to GM and Chrysler!
He said the new rules amounted to removing 177 million cars from the roads over the next 6 1/2 years.
Oh Good – so we can really boost the economy by staying home and being bed ridden…
While the new fuel and emission standards for cars and trucks will save billions of barrels of oil, they are expected to cost consumers an extra $1,300 per vehicle by the time the plan is complete in 2016. Obama said the fuel cost savings would offset the higher price of vehicles in three years.
Yeah, sure the vehicles will be more expensive in three years, or maybe all the gullible suckers who voted for Obama will start to catch on that he just lies and deceives to create a perceived crisis to pass what he wants… One can hope!
