EPA and Pollution Question

[No Free Beer]

So I was driving to class last week and in front of me was a garbage truck. Whenever he hit the accelerator, a huge amount of dark nasty smoke came out and, with me being directly behind him, obviously entered my car. That isn't the point of this post.

My question has to do with whether we should have an EPA or any type of government pollution agency.

Now, I know a lot of people will say, "the EPA has done this (exhibit A) in my local town and it's hurt so and so..."

I know some will say, "it's not Constitutional."

My point is this, how do we control the amount of pollution that is in the air, the affect it has on others, as well as, other states, without there being some sort of federal pollution agency. Now, again, I do realize that most agencies are terrible and corrupt. But, I couldn't help but think while I was behind this pollution mobile, there must be a way to control this.

I am aware of the Interstate Commerce Clause and how it affects the relationship between the states.

Moreover, look what happened with the Dust Bowl. How to we compensate for that?

[Anti Federalist]

As with so many other things the government does, sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.

It would take more than just a quick one line post to answer that.

So, because of EPA, we can't buy a diesel powered Ford that gets 80 plus MPG.

But the Cuyahoga river isn't catching fire anymore.

WRT to the garbage truck, that smoke isn't normal, there's a bad injector or a failing turbo going on there.

[GeorgiaAvenger]

I think generally there has to be a way to prevent excessive air pollution.

It is difficult, because nobody owns the air, yet all breath it. Air is collectivist by nature and there is nothing we can do about it.

Similarly water is another case.

I believe states should handle this, and they should always be as complying with people as much as possible but drawing the line when the pollution is clearly dangerous or harmful. They should not be aggressive.

[Anti Federalist]

I think generally there has to be a way to prevent excessive air pollution.

It is difficult, because nobody owns the air, yet all breath it. Air is collectivist by nature and there is nothing we can do about it.

Similarly water is another case.

I believe states should handle this, and they should always be as complying with people as much as possible but drawing the line when the pollution is clearly dangerous or harmful. They should not be aggressive.

Yeah, no easy answers on this one.

This was the Nashua river in NH/Mass in 1960:

http://www.valleyadvocate.com/blogs/gallery/NashuaRiverRedSmall.jpg

Here it is today:

http://www.nashuariverwatershed.org/images/n_nashua.jpg

Rivers and streams in New England were notoriously polluted.

At the same time, the industries that created the runoff did not "clean up".

For the most part they "packed up", so that now, there are almost no shoes, clothing or textiles made in the US anymore, the jobs and the income and the value added from all that is gone, and the pollution just shipped off to some third world country where nobody sees it or cares much about it.

[Zippyjuan]

China would be an excellent example of looser environmental standards. Two thirds of their water is so polluted that even going swimming in it is dangerous- let alone trying to drink or cook with it. Since nobody "owns" water or air and any pollution cannot be "contained" in one location and the costs of polluting in the absence of penalties is zero or next to zero there is no incentive for any business or individual to either stop polluting or to clean it up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/asia/10pollute.html
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/02/09/world/09cnd-pollutespan/09cnd-pollutespan-articleLarge.jpg



A heavily polluted river in the town of Zhugao in China’s southwest Sichuan province earlier this month.
China Report Shows More Pollution in Waterways


By JONATHAN ANSFIELD and KEITH BRADSHER

Published: February 9, 2010


BEIJING — China’s government on Tuesday unveiled its most detailed survey ever of the pollution plaguing the country, revealing that water pollution in 2007 was more than twice as severe as was shown in official figures that had long omitted agricultural waste.