More California Environmental Insanity

[m1911owner]

I just heard on the radio that the (San Francisco) Bay Area Air Quality Managment District is trying to put through a law that would put people in jail for using a fireplace or wood stove on a "Spare the Air Day."

I note that there are many more "Spare the Air Days" this year than in the past.  This is not because our air is dirtier than in the past (in fact, the air is much cleaner than it used to be).  Rather, it is because they've changed the definition of "dirty air" (again).


(An irony I just have to point out is that wood stoves have long been the "environmentalists'" preferred method of "ecologically sound" heating. )

[The Rabbi]

I'm surprised SnFran hasn't decided to jail people for eating fatty foods or smoking cigarettes.

[Art Eatman]

California also thinks that burning natural gas doesn't emit CO2, apparently.  They're building gas-fired electric generating plants.  The gas is imported from Canada since you can't drill in California.  Canada is selling gas faster than it's finding new reserves.  Eventually...

But since gas emits fewer particulates than coal...

Art

[Thor]

We have a coal burning power plant in the town I recently moved from. On any calm day and on some days when the wind was from the right direction, one could smell the sulfur dioxide in the air or see a yellowish-brown haze over the area. Personally, I would like to see more nuclear power plants. They are clean and efficient.

[wacki]

I'm surprised SnFran hasn't decided to jail people for eating fatty foods or smoking cigarettes.

New York did that for trans fatty foods not to long ago.

[Limeyfellow]

We have a coal burning power plant in the town I recently moved from. On any calm day and on some days when the wind was from the right direction, one could smell the sulfur dioxide in the air or see a yellowish-brown haze over the area. Personally, I would like to see more nuclear power plants. They are clean and efficient.

Thats because expanding and using old power plants doesn't require the same sort of cleaning equipment requirements as a new one would so all the cleaning up acts they wrote for new plants don't effect what we been pumping out that much. Making the limits apply to all power plants would help right now.

Its a bit of a silly limitation especially in winter for northern california. Perhaps they should have these when its perhaps warm. I'll end up paying out my arse if I had to rely on only gas heating.

[Art Eatman]

Power plants have been built according to the EPA rules in place at the time.  As anti-pollution technology has advanced, the rules have become stricter and the plants cleaner.  The problem for retrofit is the cost versus the remaining lifespan of any particular plant. 

Over-simplified, if it cost a billion dollars to build a plant and it's halfway through its lifespan, it's not good money management to spend another billion dollars for retrofit of anti-pollution equipment.  Another obvious problem is that the customers would scream like banshees at the increased cost of electricity.

Art

[The Rabbi]

I'm surprised SnFran hasn't decided to jail people for eating fatty foods or smoking cigarettes.

New York did that for trans fatty foods not to long ago.

Not exactly.  They prohibited restaurants from using them.  No word on whether they have jailed anyone yet for using Crisco.

[Manedwolf]

I just heard on the radio that the (San Francisco) Bay Area Air Quality Managment District is trying to put through a law that would put people in jail for using a fireplace or wood stove on a "Spare the Air Day."

To me, the fragrant, sharp notes of woodsmoke on a crisp morning is one of the pleasures of New England. White woodsmoke curling from a chimney...I can think of a lot more polluting things!

Though here, I WOULD do something against people who burn some sort of cheapa__ greenwood like cargo pallets or something and stink up the neighborhood.  Hardwood fires smell wonderful, but some people burn something, whatever it is, that causes an eyewatering miasma. It's like "WTF are you burning, peat?!"

[m1911owner]

It's like "WTF are you burning, peat?!"

Perhaps they were burning Pete from PETA, who really deserved it.   But that's a whole 'nuther thread.