Trump EPA decides Americans need more mercury in their diets

[K1052]

By way of increasing profit for coal plant operators...

The Trump administration has targeted an Obama-era regulation credited with helping dramatically reduce toxic mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants, saying the benefits to human health and the environment may not be worth the cost of the regulation.

The 2011 Obama administration rule, called the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, led to what electric utilities say was an $18 billion clean-up of mercury and other toxins from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants.

Overall, environmental groups say, federal and state efforts have cut mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants by 85 percent in roughly the last decade.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/env...orders-rollback-obama-era-regulations-n952931

If you don't get to count the health benefits then no environmental regulation would ever be worth it. Even though that's kind of the whole point in the first place.

 

[Brainonska511]

By way of increasing profit for coal plant operators...



https://www.nbcnews.com/science/env...orders-rollback-obama-era-regulations-n952931

If you don't get to count the health benefits then no environmental regulation would ever be worth it. Even though that's kind of the whole point in the first place.

I thought they're "logic" was that they can alter the cost/benefit by ignoring ancillary pollution reduction that would occur with better mercury controls, like reduced nitrous oxide release, which would also have a health benefit (e.g., only health benefits related to mercury should be counted). They're going to make the benefit side of the calculation so narrow that nothing will ever be cost effective. Thank god corporations can continue to make money on the backs of our health.

 

[K1052]

I thought they're "logic" was that they can alter the cost/benefit by ignoring ancillary pollution reduction that would occur with better mercury controls, like reduced nitrous oxide release, which would also have a health benefit (e.g., only health benefits related to mercury should be counted). They're going to make the benefit side of the calculation so narrow that nothing will ever be cost effective. Thank god corporations can continue to make money on the backs of our health.

Yes, the idea is to narrow and devalue the benefits so much (including altering what their science boards say now that they are stacked with industry shills) that any regulation would fail a cost/benefit calculation. They're stacking the deck and making people pay for it with their lives. The fundamental truth about Trump's "populism" is that the entire government is now explicitly run for the benefit of narrow corporate interests making decisions will have huge effects on millions for a little more profit that only stockholders might see.

 

[zinfamous]

Good news is that the Feds have to decide that the EPA--or any organization challenging these regulations--has proper scientific standing to overturn them. Even though the courts have been crammed with the worst of the absolute worst of Mitch McConnels brainless conservative shithead judges, I doubt more than 3% of them would allow shit like this to be overturned. And it takes what--2 or 3 years for these challenges to work their way through the courts?

Then again, I am an optimist.

Trump says a lot of shit about regulation--all of it is absolutely abhorrent for the human race, of course--but nothing has actually happened, yet. The law is actually against him, and well-established to be against him and his worst intentions.

But then that is the thing--he claims he does a thing as soon as he says it, claims a win, and immediately his brainless supporters believe him that a thing has happened and they have won. because he has won. These people are happily living in the same dimension of delusion that this giant sac of worms is living in.

 

[sandorski]

Why the hate for Vitamin M?

 

[shortylickens]

these are the same people who said vaccines were dangerous because of the 1 microgram of mercury.

 

[brycejones]

The good news is that with mercury no longer outlawed Ford will have to hire many many workers to start making cars again from it.

#MAGA