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7/9/2008
Lasee: Environmental extremists will do damage
Matthew Frank, Secretary Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has good news for you—we are going to take more mercury out of the air that is being generated by our coal burning electrical power plants. And, it won’t cost us hardly anything. The air we breathe and the fish we eat should be cleaner (well maybe they will be) and it will be very affordable. Less than a dollar a month. There is only one problem, this isn't being done anywhere now.
Last week, the DNR Board, an unelected, governor-appointed board of seven decided unanimously that our coal burning electric plants must cut their current mercury emissions by 90% over the next seven years. Electric power plants nationally are already cutting their mercury emissions by 80% from 75 tons nationally to 15 tons. (EPA website). The last ounce of mercury is the most expensive to reduce. This is the law of diminishing returns (if you don't believe in the law of supply and demand, you won't believe in this, either.)
U.S. power plants, overall, are responsible for about 1 percent of current global mercury emissions.
And our DNR board would make it 1/10th of 10%. And it will only cost a buck a month.
Secretary Frank must be using his crystal ball again. Because there is NO existing technology to accomplish these desires at this time. (Link).
Because of prevailing winds, Wisconsin ratepayers (electricity users) will be paying to clean up Michigan and New York. These new strict mercury controls will not benefit Wisconsinites. Well, we can feel good about ourselves because we are doing something. Somehow. Feeling good is a benefit.
At a time when our economy is weak, our energy costs are rising and our food costs are growing faster than we can afford, now is not the time to impose additional costs on the backs of electric users. At a time when there are pay cuts in the air, people are losing their jobs, this unelected board has moved forward with a decision that will likely double our electric bills over the next five to ten years without any other inflation or increased costs.
What we need now is NOT additional regulation. NOT additional expenses. We need a time-out because our economy has to catch up.
Protecting our environment is important. Heating our homes, turning on the air conditioning, getting to and from work (and an occasional trip to grandma’s house) today is more important than some new incremental gains that we can’t realize for years to come. There needs to be a balance. There needs to be a return on investment. Only prosperous growing societies can afford to protect the environment.
With a price is no object attitude our prosperity is endangered. Our state and country must remain prosperous. Only then will we be able to continue our respect of our environment.
The environmental extremists want to load us up with ever increasing regulations. This will at some point reduce us to a third world lifestyle. I think they want some other country to lead the world. The Chinese understand the relationship between economic growth and better living standards for all and the need to fuel this growth with an energy growth policy. I wish our national leaders understood this.
Frank Lasee is a Republican and represents the 2nd Assembly District.
COMMENTS
I only wish the DNR would pay attention to some of the real pollutants, such as GM crops (read "Seeds of Deception" or watch "The Future of Food") or glyphosate, which we were told was biodegradable, but which indeed is not.
Or how about the "pollution" caused by cell phones, which is damaging the bees' ability to navigate, thus causing colony collapse disorder? When the bees go, you can say goodbye to certain crops. Some speculate that if bees entirely died out, we'd only last a few years.
But these measures would involve taking on giant corporations like Monsanto, the true "evil empire". (Since when does a chemical company become involved in agriculture?) And it is easier to go after an electricity company, which will indeed pass along costs to users, as you correctly said.
emily matthews (Wed Jul 09 08:53:21 2008)
How true.
Create Standards, that have absolutely no solution except to CLOSE down the Electric Generator Plants.
Only then will the Greenies be happy!
They started with cigarette smoke, and will continue until we are just like a third world country.
Think I am wrong ?
Ask yourself, when was the last death due to Mercury Poisoning ? ---you won't find it, but you will pay for the hysteria over it!
There are kids on a South Sea island that have 4 times the max mercury levels recommended, and the scientists can't find any problem with it.
Why are our cemetaries not considered "Hazordous Waste sites"
With all the Mercury in the mouths of the deceased.
In fact, I have mercury in my mouth..from 1950..
Hysteria and Fear....lead to control folks !
And these guys want "Control"
Rich Carlstedt (Wed Jul 09 13:12:18 2008)
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