EPA…Government Shutdown?

 

By Louis Petrone

 

The House of Representatives is at it again. It is threatening a government shutdown Oct. 1. It will refuse to approve funding for the government’s new fiscal year. The House will refuse to fund all of the government, unless certain Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations recently adopted are withdrawn.

 

 

President Obama was discouraged by the failure of the House to pass legislation to deal with global warming. Obama had the EPA adopt new regulations that would mandate the cut back on carbon dioxide emissions from coal powered plants. The cut back would not be an immediate one. The new regs provide something like 15 years. The time frame provided a generous one so companies with carbon dioxide emissions will have more than adequate time to comply..

 

 

The House has for years refused to take any significant steps. Obama acted. The House countered with we will shut down the government! A typical my way or the highway response. 

 

 

The new EPA regulations will, I assume, be part of the lawsuit Speaker Boehner recently announced to curb  the President from issuing such orders. The House claims the President has exceeded his Constitutional powers. The President disagrees and says if Congress will not act, he must and will.

 

 

Some background.

 

 

The EPA interestingly came into being by Executive Order on Dec. 2, 1970. A Republican, President Nixon, created it. The creation was then ratified by Congressional hearings in both the House and Senate. I am not sure why nor whether such ratification was necessary.

 

 

The EPA is not a Cabinet position. However, it has been deemed important enough to have been given Cabinet rank.

 

 

The EPA’s two major responsibilities are clean air and clean water. Easy to understand. 

 

 

We want the air we breathe to be free of any contaminant that might harm health. Included in the responsibility is global warming. Global warming from the perspective of most scientists is caused by emissions from coal burning factories. The emissions are harmful to breathe and also affect the atmosphere and earth re warming and cooling.

 

 

Just as man cannot live without clean air, he cannot live without clean water. Contaminants, toxins, chemicals, that are harmful, must be kept from the waterways.

 

 

Duke University recently published a study regarding air pollution in North Carolina. Twenty years ago, North Carolina tightened its air quality standards. They elected to force compliance with federal laws and standards. Something few States do. The results were impressive. 

 

 

There has been a substantial decline in deaths from respiratory illnesses such as asthma and emphysema in North Carolina. The study also determined that the overall costs to society by not complying results in substantially higher medical costs that the cost of compliance.

 

 

There is a 2012 study concerning clean water. The study found that in 2012 alone, United States corporations dumped 206 million pounds of toxic chemicals into America’s waterways. A big number. The biggest ever.

 

 

Interestingly, the largest dumper was Tyson Foods. 18.5 million pounds. Nine percent of the nationwide total.

 

 

Over the past 20 years, the House of Representatives had denutted the EPA by cutting back on EPA appropriations. Especially where clean water was involved. President Obama seeks an increase in the funding.

 

 

Whereas the cost to achieve clean air is with retooling plant machinery, the cost for clean water requires corporations to dispose of toxics in ways specified by law. More expensive than just dumping toxics into a stream. Corporate America at the present time is dumping chemicals into our waterways and/or burying 55 gallon drums of toxic chemicals in wetlands and caves. Whatever way, the chemicals eventually find their way into the water table. The waters we drink. These toxic chemicals cause all sorts of dreaded illness, including a number of cancers.

 

 

The study regarding the 206 million pounds of toxic chemicals dumped into American waterways made an interesting observation. Of the top 10 polluters, four were agribusiness corporations. The companies that are using, in many instances, GMO’s. Whatever chemicals they are using to produce bigger and better looking foodstuffs is reflected in their chemical wastes ending up in the water supply. The four are Tyson already mentioned and Cargill, Perdue Farms and Pilgrims Pride.

 

 

It is all money. The cost of retooling and the cost of proper disposal. Corporate America does not want to incur that cost. Everything is the bottom line. They are insensitive to the suffering and calamities their wrongdoing causes.

 

 

Resolution of the problem is for no other reason than to protect the American people. Simple and straight forward. Congress should be first in line to do it. The House of Representatives, especially. To fund necessary legislation to guarantee clean air and clean water. Where Congress fails in its responsibility, the President has no choice but to act. 

 

 

Recognize that the House’s position protects the profit of major polluters. Congress is owned by the corporations. Corporations decide what legislation Washington passes in most instances. Our Presidents bear responsibility, also. Many have stood silently by and not taken the bull by the horns where Congress has failed. Obama is trying.

 

 

A question spins in my mind. Whatever happened to government of the people, by the people, for the people?

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