If you have been paying attention--it is not easy: even a paid observer like David Roberts finds it onerous to keep up with the stupidity--then you should realize that Conservatives are actually killing people and they are crippling more and depriving them of succor. The Clean Air Act passed in 1970 as a result of the toxic smog in California (affecting rich people). But the Clean Air Act was passed in 1972. It took the Cuyahoga River to go up in flames to make people force Congress to deal with it, and that took 3 years.
But is nothing compared to the ruling by the EPA.
David Roberts wrote this in his piece in Grist. You should read all of it.
"Wednesday, at long last, the EPA unveiled its new rule covering mercury and other toxic emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants. Anyone who pays attention to green news will have spent the last two years hearing a torrent of stories about EPA rules and the political fights over them. It can get tedious. After a certain point even my eyes glaze over, and I'm paid to follow this stuff. But this one is a Big Deal. It's worth lifting our heads out of the news cycle and taking a moment to appreciate that history is being made. Finally controlling mercury and toxics will be an advance on par with getting lead out of gasoline. It will save save tens of thousands of lives every year and prevent birth defects, learning disabilities, and respiratory diseases. It will make America a more decent, just, and humane place to live."
No comments:
Post a Comment