California Shows No Sign Of Easing Clean Air Rules

I believe that regardless of the role humans play in climate change, or in reversing its effects or slowing them, the fundamental concepts of clean air, clean water, clean land, living sustainably, and not harming the planet or its beings with impunity, are sound. Our continuing existence as a species *might* depend upon embracing these values and acting upon them quickly.

Kudos to people who value one of the basics, clean air.

As the most populated state and the concentration of people being in 2-3 main areas, clearly California has a problem. If the entire USA and planet had the concentration of these really 2 population areas there would be huge issues certainly with clean air and water. The majority of the USA is clean and the water and air are clean. American citizens love their nation and environment and everyone cares about these issues regardless of rhetoric. Every American wants clean air, water and soil for their children and no amount of rhetoric stating some want dirty air, etc... is simply propaganda. Regulation needs to be measured and overly oppressive regulations meant to curb business or human activity for the reasons most EnviroCommunists desire need to end. I'm with TheSteve but there has to be common sense. There is no "climate change" period so the sky is falling predictions designed to frighten people and control behavior need to be ignored and pushed back. The more the media promotes falsehoods the more they will be ignored.

@FormerBenz: I have a hard time reconciling the statement "...Every American wants clean air..." with, for example, the parts of the country that rely (for economic purposes) on the extraction of coal and selling it to those who burn it.

Perhaps this is the "tempering", "balance," "middle ground" or "compromise" to which many people refer, the balance between clean air and economic necessity, or the common sense with respect to financial profit.

Assuming your statement is true, that "EVERY American wants clean air", that NOBODY is "for" more pollution and breathable toxins, then I can't help but also conclude that there are a hell of a lot of people still going "Fuck it; Go coal!" I am confident that coal is chosen for these reasons:
- It's profitable for existing companies that extract and sell it (profit)
- The workers in the coal industry don't want to lose their job (profit)
- The infrastructure already exists to extract, deliver, and burn it (convenience and profit)

One of the reason for coal is most certainly *NOT* "it contributes to the clean air every American wants."

For the record, I believe most Americans do want clean air! I also believe the country is not run by "most Americans." It's why we have laws that protect Corporate profits, and not the common man. It's why we see many billions of borrowed dollars sent to huge failed Corporations (auto industry, failed financial institutions) and not to the common man. It's why lobbyists (paid by Big Money), Giga Corporations, and The Uber Wealthy wield more power, and can invoke more change in their OWN favor, than all the votes combined.


I am aware that I am both (a) preaching to the choir, and (b) speaking to those who cannot hear any truth in what I say.

Excellent comments TheSteve!

@ TheSteve +1

It's amazing that till this day there are still people who deny the devastating effects of unchecked human activities on the environment. Compelling scientific evidence over the last 30+ years has proven those effects and identified exact root causes.

For those who claim global warming is part of the natural cycle, think again. There are countless reports on this subject, and here is one from NASA with graph:

http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/


Even with the Trump's regime trying to dismantle the progress by CARB and the EPA, the rest of the world is smart enough to proceed with the Paris Climate agreement. Once the American people wake up, Europe and China will have already advanced past the US in this front. So much for "making America Great Again".

HenryN: 50 years ago, where I live used to routinely have 1-2 feet of snow on the ground all winter long. We used to see snow sometimes in late October, for sure in November, and Christmas was always snowy. It used to snow in early April. That was normal, back then. Gradually, over the past 50 years, green Chistmases and extremely few snowfalls have become the "new normal." Now, droughts are part of the "new normal."

I can't take it serious when someone asserts: There is no "climate change". Yeah, my experience over the past 50 years is fiction. What 97% of climate researchers say is a lie. The opposite is actually true. The climate is stable. It hasn't changed.

Business as usual. I think that's the root to it all: Some folks want, more than anything else, to have business as usual. When you get people making economic decisions that impact your profitability, your ability to stay rich and in charge, then that's a frightening prospect.

Imagine a world in which oil, coal, and natural gas became worthless. Imagine a world in which nobody needed to buy electricity from the big (and wealthy) energy providers, and could make it on their own, cheaply and reliably. I know we're nowhere near that condition, but my point is that a lot of very wealthy and very powerful people would suddenly lose their wealth and power. And I'm pretty sure they're not okay with that prospect.

Back to attacking the "EnviroCommunists" and "EcoTerrorists".

I live in California.

California is clusterscrewed by Liberal idiocy.

California is anti-business and pro-welfare. Yeah, Liberals are that DUMB.

I live in California, and yes, Matt is part of the minority brain dead conservative dinosaurs that would rather allow our planets resources to be raped and our planet polluted to the tipping point. Matt blames his inability to run a business on the state while silently taking his welfare handout. He lives in a shit holed in the dessert and still believe that Nevada is the East Coast.

Most days from the 6th floor of my office in Santa Clara, I can the mountains in Napa, a 100 mile drive from here. 20-years ago that would have been possible, so I thank California for progressively perusing anti-pollution and clean air measures. Yes, it costs money, but California is outside the cancer and obesity bands found in most red states.

@Terry989 keep making babies and collecting those welfare paybacks from yo baby mamas, yo. Are you the 6th floor custodian?

California's record: business unfriendly, abysmal eduction, freebies to illegal aliens, and Democrat corruption.

Have I ever chided you for your parents naming you after a type of cloth?

Mad Dog Mattie - - - I have no children, yet you have been breading out of control passing your defective genes on to kids that will become wards of the state. The Bay area is currently at 4.9% with the biggest building boom I have seen here in over 30 years. Again, just because you are a retard and can't make money in a market where everyone else is, doesn't mean it is the state's fault. It is your fault Mattie, you're an idiot that lives in a shit hole with no customers.

And the 5th largest economy in the world and it donates money to the red states so they can get by and bitch about the Federales.

Look it's quite simple... more population means more cars, more cars means more pollution. I don't want my state to become China. Say what you want about government regulations, but I enjoy blue sky and breathable air.

Wait until Trump and his cronies abolish the clean coal initiatives and go back to the old and cheap dirty coal - the eastern part of the US will be the same as the western part of China where blue sky is gone forever.

The poor people of the coal mining states (Appalachian and the interior), as usual, will be screwed over again - business as usual!

Anyone wants to live in this city ?

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/bad-smog-ahead-beijing-tells-students-stay-indoors-43570066