The Criminality Will End, But Never Soon Enough…
If you have any interest, you might want to keep an eye on ProPublica’s running list of midnight regulations being enacted by the Bush Administration. You might think that changes in agency regulations won’t have as much of a measurable impact on your life, think again.
For example, do you like drinking water? The EPA will stop regulating a certain contaminant in drinking water:
Perchlorate is a chemical component of rocket fuel that can contaminate water both naturally and, more frequently, through improper disposal at rocket test sites, military bases and chemical plants. Cleaning it up would cost billions of dollars. But the contaminant has been linked to thyroid problems in young children, pregnant woman and newborns, leaving critics concerned for the developmental health of those most vulnerable to the chemical’s effects.
Perchlorate has been found in the water in 35 states.
Factory Farms may now “voluntarily” apply for permits to discharge animal waste into waterways. Basically, we’re leaving it up to the farms to determine if they are releasing to much animal crap into your public drinking water? Anyone downstream from a farm?
The rule, formulated to address practices voided by a Federal Appeals Court ruling, asks companies that run confined animal feeding operations to voluntarily apply for permits to discharge waste into waterways. If the operators don’t think they pollute enough, they are under no obligation to get permits.
And I guess the administration figured that mountaintop removal already sounded too difficult, so they made it easier to blast the top off a mountain and push it into an adjoining valley.
This rule could make it easier for mining companies to dump debris from mountaintop removal into waterways.
And I hope your family never gets gets stuck between a rock and hard place…
Under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, states are required to reduce their caseload–and get people receiving aid into the workplace–by a certain percent each year. But if states spend more money than required on benefits and services for needy families, called “maintenance of effort” expenditures, they receive credit toward their caseload. This rule would eliminate that credit. HHS says the credit is no longer necessary because, among other reasons, states have significantly reduced their caseloads and operate successful programs without spending more than their MOE requirements. But critics, including members of Congress and governors, fear that eliminating the credit incentive means less money will be available to disadvantaged families.
There are a few good things there, and a considerable number of administrational improvements dealing with court cases, new tech, etc… but that the stab of the new regulations are towards favoring industry is obvious; especially in the assualt on age old environmental regulations.
-Marc-
I can see the whole Factory Farms deal getting out of hand. Though, many of these water contaminates people get angry about for the most part are being address through water facilities. At least thats what they told us! when we went on a tour through a water plant.
Im a water bottle drinking elitist and I cant remember what tap water taste like, even though I would think it would taste the same way as bottled water.
I must also admit that as nature loving , fishing, camping lover this is really sad.
I’d say Sensico, that while I appreciate sentiment, in rural areas nitrogenous and phosphouric waste from farm fertilizers and animal waste is the number one contaminants, and water facilities only treat water coming out of sewage pipes not directly pumped into your rivers and streams. We still haven’t gotten so bad as to directly be pumping all of a river outflow into a plant to be cleaned.
so basicaly, dealing with the source of dead zones and algae blooms is voluntary if it costs too much.