When it comes to wasteful government spending, the Environmental Protection Agency is one of the most wasteful of all. One example is the Clear Air Act, which sounds harmless enough. Only a jerk wouldn't want clean air, right?
Well, according to experts Diane Katz and James Gattuso,
"The benefits are highly questionable, with the vast majority being unrelated to the emissions targeted by the regulation. The costs, however, are certain: an estimated $9.6 billion annually. The regulations will produce a significant loss of electricity generating capacity, which will undermine energy reliability and raise energy costs across the entire economy."
Another example of our tax dollars being put to not-so-good use at the EPA is one of their more recent policies regarding methane emissions. While being politically driven, and lacking scientific facts, the EPA is on a road to setting America back 50 years in the energy revolution. In 2015, the EPA reported that since 2005, net methane emissions from natural-gas was down 38%. Fast forward to 2017, when they reported that 1/3 higher than previously reported. That since 2005, methane emissions had dropped only 0.68%. The most recent numbers were produced using data from the 1990's, which would inflate the current measurements.
The energy sector has made many changes over the last decade that the EPA is deliberately ignoring. For example, oils and fuels that have been contaminated are filtered by producers so they can be reused to yield maximum performance with fewer emissions. Since 2000, oil and gas companies nationwide have invested roughly $90 billion in technologies designed to reduce harmful pollutants.
The EPA is using cooked data to add more regulations, and tighten the limits of methane emissions. Some studies have found that by 2020 these new regulations could cost 800 million dollars! That is three times more expensive than their original estimate. We the consumers will pay the price for all of this, with rising energy costs, and more expensive products.
"Ironically, the new methane rules will also hurt the environment by crippling a low-carbon-emission technology. As of last year, natural gas–fired power plants tied coal-powered plants as America’s biggest sources of electricity production. Because gas-fired energy plants produce 50 percent less carbon dioxide than coal plants do, the growth of natural-gas infrastructure has played a key role in reducing carbon emissions." [Henry I. Miller 16]
Now, what authority does the EPA actually have to issues all of these rules? Congress has passed no laws that give them this power, and seems to be another example of federal overreach.
President Trump has made many promises, one of which is to overhaul the EPA with true conservationists, and not those with radical political agendas. Conservation is something that every American should care about, but doing so through corruption, and incompetency will only set conservation back 100 years.
**Keep following for more updates on the Trump-era EPA**
Well, according to experts Diane Katz and James Gattuso,
"The benefits are highly questionable, with the vast majority being unrelated to the emissions targeted by the regulation. The costs, however, are certain: an estimated $9.6 billion annually. The regulations will produce a significant loss of electricity generating capacity, which will undermine energy reliability and raise energy costs across the entire economy."
Another example of our tax dollars being put to not-so-good use at the EPA is one of their more recent policies regarding methane emissions. While being politically driven, and lacking scientific facts, the EPA is on a road to setting America back 50 years in the energy revolution. In 2015, the EPA reported that since 2005, net methane emissions from natural-gas was down 38%. Fast forward to 2017, when they reported that 1/3 higher than previously reported. That since 2005, methane emissions had dropped only 0.68%. The most recent numbers were produced using data from the 1990's, which would inflate the current measurements.
The energy sector has made many changes over the last decade that the EPA is deliberately ignoring. For example, oils and fuels that have been contaminated are filtered by producers so they can be reused to yield maximum performance with fewer emissions. Since 2000, oil and gas companies nationwide have invested roughly $90 billion in technologies designed to reduce harmful pollutants.
The EPA is using cooked data to add more regulations, and tighten the limits of methane emissions. Some studies have found that by 2020 these new regulations could cost 800 million dollars! That is three times more expensive than their original estimate. We the consumers will pay the price for all of this, with rising energy costs, and more expensive products.
"Ironically, the new methane rules will also hurt the environment by crippling a low-carbon-emission technology. As of last year, natural gas–fired power plants tied coal-powered plants as America’s biggest sources of electricity production. Because gas-fired energy plants produce 50 percent less carbon dioxide than coal plants do, the growth of natural-gas infrastructure has played a key role in reducing carbon emissions." [Henry I. Miller 16]
Now, what authority does the EPA actually have to issues all of these rules? Congress has passed no laws that give them this power, and seems to be another example of federal overreach.
President Trump has made many promises, one of which is to overhaul the EPA with true conservationists, and not those with radical political agendas. Conservation is something that every American should care about, but doing so through corruption, and incompetency will only set conservation back 100 years.
**Keep following for more updates on the Trump-era EPA**
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