Michael1942's Blog

The recent release of Sgt. Bergdahl for 5 prisoners to the government of Qatar has raised  a rash of statements from many elected officials and the Congress has initiated yet another investigation (as if we did not enough diversions). The Taliban has used the release as a means to get into the news by stating we will capture more Americans for trade. The underlying truth is that the Taliban is not as welcome in the middle east as they would like the world to believe. Many Middle East countries would just as soon not have them. Bear in mind that the negotiations to release Sgt. Bergdahl were done quietly and efficiently by rational people with no political agenda (imagine if it were up to our Congress). The Middle Eastern countries have the responsibility for these former prisoners and it is in their interest to perform this responsibility well. Many of us fail to realize that the punishments in these countries are direct and concise with little debate.  Our Congress is in total election mode at this time and every opportunity will be used to that end rather than doing the work they have been elected to do.

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I receive  these missives from the Whitehouse on subjects in the news, most are interesting enough alone but this one gave me a thought about some of the rhetoric that has been put forth for several years. The Dupublicans (especially the representatives of “Coal country” have stated that Mr. Obama will kill jobs in coal country with new standards on carbon pollution. It is possible that carbon pollution control may affect jobs and by extension living conditions and after reading this statement I realized that Coal producers have been eliminating jobs by closing mines and the job itself (mining) has taken many lives due to “Black Lung” disease, cave ins and the explosions that have occurred. It is understood that mining is the lifeblood of many communities but the ability to survive a life of mining and after is sometimes not much of a  life at all. There are programs to retrain mine workers but the Congressional representatives are not making any efforts create alternative means of earning for their constituents. The letter below talks about the EPA position on Carbon pollution.

Hi, everyone —

This past Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed national limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants for the first time.

Since then, folks across the country — on editorial boards, in classrooms, on front porches — have been weighing in on why this is so important. And with that in mind, here’s something I want to make clear:

We’re already experiencing the effects of climate change today — but don’t just think about this proposed rule in terms of the country we’re living in right now. Think about the one we and our children are going to be living in by 2030.

Thanks to these limits, that country will have a 30 percent reduction in carbon pollution from the power sector. It will also have 25 percent less smog and soot, meaning children will have an estimated 150,000 fewer asthma attacks each year — and they’ll miss an estimated 180,000 fewer days of school. Americans across the board will have up to 3,300 fewer heart attacks a year.

And now that the rule has been proposed, you can participate in the process.

Right now, we’re accepting comments from the public about the proposed power plant rule.

So if you’ve got something to say, you can submit a public comment here.

And if you want to get some more details about why this is good for the environment and public health — or spread the word about why it’s a big deal — you can take a look at this infographic, and then pass it on.

Right now, we’re in the process of developing the policies that will keep our planet clean and our kids healthy for years to come.

You can participate in that process right now. So if you’ve got a comment, you can make it here.

Thanks,

Administrator Gina McCarthy
Environmental Protection Agency

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