From the President's speech on 9/7/09

[stoneyABF]

Originally Posted by 222lifer

What I was really hoping for was for you to read what he had to say. You didn't. You might have learned a thing or two. Very,very sad.

You are aware that Cap and Trade already exists in this country? There was a very successful program in 1990 to reduce the sulphur emissions. We live with the benefits from this program every day in this area. It also achieved the desired results at a far lower cost than predicted by industry or the government.

Now for those that are ahead of the EPA requirements there isn't much to worry about. Those that choose to continue destroying our environment will have to pay the piper. I think that is what has "big business" all worried. They will try to sell you the "America first" line but what it boils down to is that they are going to have to spend a little money in order to comply with the regulations or wave good by to their country club memberships.

Of course they will lobby and send the message that the prices will go up substantially in the manufacturing sector. Have you seen the price of the Hershey's candy go down since they moved operations to Mexico? The price is still the same isn't it? The manufacturing regulations are more lax there than in the states. The cost of manufacturing is lower. The wages they pay are lower yet consumers still pay the same amount for their candy. I am all for taxing the living daylights out of companies that have moved operations elsewhere and market their products in the United States. Make them think twice for ever moving.

CO 2 and other emissions. We have a huge copper smelter just west of where I live. The mountains behind it to the west were once covered with pines and aspens. Sage brush had trouble surviving there after the smelter was put into operation. The same goes for the North Skull Valley area of Rowley Utah. There is a magnesium plant there and ATI is building a state of the art titanium plant adjacent to the magnesium plant. The sage brush is dead in the valley there. The emissions have destroyed most of the vegetation leaving little more than salt grass to grow. It is quite an un nerving feeling when they hand you a respirator at the gate when you are making a delivery.

The smelter is one of the cleanest in the world now. Vegetation is returning to the mountains behind the smelter. Trees that have been re-planted there survive. The same will be for the Skull Valley area where the titanium plant is. Once the operation is in full swing the native plants will return.

Do you remember the Olympics in Beijing China? Now tell me nothing needs to be done with the air quality and emissions into our environment in the United States.

The last couple of years have seen some incredible growth in alternative energy sources in our area in particular. The big wind mills are sprouting up all over Utah and Wyoming. Yep, the same places we have gas and oil rigs as far as the eye can see. There must be 30 of the big wind catchers just east of the "sisters" in Wyoming.

I will reply to all this later. I wasn't aware of the sulphur emissions cap and trade deal. I'm doing some research on it.

[222lifer]

Originally Posted by stoneyABF

I will reply to all this later. I wasn't aware of the sulphur emissions cap and trade deal. I'm doing some research on it.

Originally Posted by 222lifer

There must be 30 of the big wind catchers just east of the "sisters" in Wyoming.

Did another quick count of the "big beasts" and there were 28 of them on the east side of SR207 alone. The west side of SR207 appears to have more than the east side.