re: WT EDITORIAL: Close the EPA Doug Fiedor response to Anton, "when I have some actual facts to offer"?? LOL I was a practicing research scientist for over 35 continuous years. I might be a little "older" nowadays but, most probably, I still correctly remember parts of what I knew back then. But, hell, don't believe me. Here's the information from the department of the federal government that monitors the volcanic gasses. Now, if you want to talk about getting facts straight, the group mentioned below would be one very good place to start. There are also other accredited groups, but you can find them on your own. Sorry, but reports from ecowhacko groups are not acceptable. http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/hazards/gas/index.php Volcanic Gases and Their Effects U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey Carbon dioxide (CO2) Volcanoes release more than 130 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. This colorless, odorless gas usually does not pose a direct hazard to life because it typically becomes diluted to low concentrations very quickly whether it is released continuously from the ground or during episodic eruptions. But in certain circumstances, CO2 may become concentrated at levels lethal to people and animals. Carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air and the gas can flow into in low-lying areas; breathing air with more than 30% CO2 can quickly induce unconsciousness and cause death. In volcanic or other areas where CO2 emissions occur, it is important to avoid small depressions and low areas that might be CO2 traps. The boundary between air and lethal gas can be extremely sharp; even a single step upslope may be adequate to escape death. On Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 8:00 PM, Anton Psychopoulos <[email protected]> wrote: Also, there are many volcanoes on federal land. Each time one of those burp they put out as much carbon dioxide per hour as all the nation's SUVs do in a year! No. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/apr/21/iceland-volcano-climate-sceptics Get back to me, Doug, when you have some actual facts to offer. -- Dr. Psycho On Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 2:22 PM, John Robinson <[email protected]> wrote: WT EDITORIAL: Close the EPA Doug Fiedor [email protected] If the federal government really believes that lowering the natural rate of carbon dioxide will "save the planet", they could easily stop the production of about a hundred-million metric tons of carbon dioxide simply by stopping all those useless bureaucrats from breathing. Also, there are many volcanoes on federal land. Each time one of those burp they put out as much carbon dioxide per hour as all the nation's SUVs do in a year! Because these volcanoes are on federal land, the air pollutants they produce are the federal government's responsibility. Perhaps the federal government could show some leadership in protecting the environment by installing some type of catalytic converters on their volcanoes. Silly, eh? Maybe so. But not much sillier than most of the rules and regulations promulgated by the EPA. The federal EPA leviathan has become nothing more then a bureaucratic joke. It's time that the EPA was closed down and their over-bearing regulation rangers sent to the unemployment line. Doug Fiedor Editor note: It seems to me when these agencies are writing regulations aimed at getting around Congress, they are in effect violating Article I Section, of the US Constitution, to wit: All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States , which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Rich Martin http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/3/close-the-epa/ EDITORIAL: Close the EPA It’s time to stop funding carbon mysticism with taxpayer dollars By THE WASHINGTON TIMES The Washington Times March 3, 2011 As Congress looks for ways to trim the budget, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) represents an opportunity for up to $9 billion in savings. This outfit has become little more than an advocacy group for trendy leftist causes operating on the public’s dime. Many liberal policies being promoted are so unpopular that congressional Democrats can’t muster the votes to get them through the proper legislative process. So they go to the EPA instead. That’s why the EPA announced Tuesday that it had revised the deadlines imposed on certain companies for reporting so-called “greenhouse gas” production. A facility that manufactures paper, for example, would have to determine whether it “emits 25,000 metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2e)” per year. The agency guesses that this covers about 10,000 businesses which would then be forced to measure their carbon-dioxide output, maintain detailed records and submit reports to EPA busybodies. All of this extra work is required not to make companies more productive or more competitive in the marketplace. Instead, it increases the EPA’s power over the private sector in the name of fighting the purported effects of global warming. Although we are led to believe that each metric ton of carbon dioxide brings the planet closer to the brink of destruction, companies won’t be compelled to report the greenhouse-gas emissions of their own employees, about a dozen of whom would produce a metric ton of carbon dioxide while breathing on the job for a year. “This carbon dioxide is part of a natural closed-loop cycle and does not contribute to the greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere,” the EPA website explains. “Natural processes of photosynthesis (in plants) and respiration (in plants and animals) maintain a balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thus, the carbon dioxide from natural process is not included in greenhouse-gas inventories.” This line of thinking betrays the unscientific basis of the EPA’s endeavor. If a CO2 molecule is making the planet warmer, it doesn’t matter whether it came from a factory or an animal or a bureaucrat. It interacts with the atmosphere in exactly the same way. The EPA rule reflects a more mystical view of climate change in which individual CO2 molecules can differ. Mother Earth looks favorably upon molecules from “sustainable” sources. Those from SUVs, factories and cigars anger her. Instead of blessing the planet with cold, she will curse it with warmth. The left isn’t even consistent with such beliefs. First lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign encourages kids to be less lazy and sedentary and increase their physical activity for better health. Never mind that this could be catastrophic to the planet. As a child’s muscles burn calories through exercise, respiration increases and the amount of carbon dioxide exhaled can double. By comparison, encouraging children to take more naps would cut their carbon-dioxide output in half. Mrs. Obama wants active lifestyle habits to carry over into adulthood, where a grown man can exhale as much as 150 grams of carbon dioxide when running for a mile - nearly as much as a Toyota Prius covering the same distance. Either exercising tots are not doing their part to save the planet, or carbon-dioxide molecules simply aren’t as evil as the EPA claims. The House has voted to defund the EPA’s greenhouse-gas campaign. It ought to go further and ask why a federal agency is needed when all 50 states have their own departments of environmental quality, natural resources or environmental protection. If the left wants to pursue pseudo-scientific mysticism, it should do so without taxpayer money. © Copyright 2011 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission. Check out Doug's website http://fiedorreport.blogspot.com/ -- To join RichsRants, send email to: [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/richsrants?hl=en
