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Dec. 8, 2004 In the State of Washington, the biggest threat to clean air is not the environmental policies of the Bush administration; but a natural phenomenon; Mount St. Helens. Mount St Helens has been: “pumping out between 50- 250 tons a day of sulfur dioxide. The EPA should be furious. They have yet to find a way to collect fines from active volcanoes. Mount St. Helens joins other natural factories of pollution like Italy’s Mount Etna which: “can produce 100 times more sulfur dioxide than Mount St. Helens” affecting huge areas of Europe; or the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii which: “churns out 2000 tons a day of sulfur dioxide…creating an acid fog that damages crops.” If one volcano can beat an entire state of man- made emissions, becoming the top dog of state sources of pollution, what is a state to do? What is the EPA to do? Should Environmental Activists run to the base of the mountain and picket Mother Nature? Perhaps the ACLU can sue to have the mountain’s name changed because of the religious overtones of the title “Saint”! Aren’t volcanic eruptions considered “Acts of God?” OH! NO! Can’t have that! But, how do you take a volcano to court? Along with the sulfur dioxide, Mount St. Helens “produces 500-1000 tons a day of carbon dioxide.” Now, carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas; but, do not fear, because man-made sources of carbon dioxide beat out the mountain by 10 times that amount. All the earth’s volcanoes combined produce only about one percent of all sourced carbon dioxide. If you remember the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines though, that one eruption is said to have put more pollutants in the air than all the automobiles ever built and driven up to the time of that event. One “Act of God” became a greater source of pollution that all the cars of history! That’s amazing! A rumor I’m starting is that the EPA has put out an arrest warrant for God concerning the Pinatubo disaster. Science is a wonderful thing. But science can be taken to extremes. We hear about how man is destroying this planet; yet natural sources of contamination and pollution happen every day and nobody blinks an eye. There are those that decry the fact that America hasn’t been bilked into giving up jobs and adding to the national debt by joining the worthless Kyoto Protocol. China, the world’s heaviest polluter is exempt from the protocol. Since China is just now expanding its industrial development, it is getting a bye from Kyoto. Every day China causes more unchallenged pollution; yet it is America, the cleanest country of the world, with the most expansive environmental laws in existence that is impugned for its stance against another plan to steal money from the American taxpayers while allowing super-polluters to buy exemptions and the expense of American jobs. We don’t need Kyoto. We are clean enough thank you. So until the EPA and the Environmental Movement can come up with a big enough pair of handcuffs to rein in Mother Nature, Mount St. Helens’ title as Washington’s super polluter is assured to continue. NOTE: All quotations from: “The Seattle Times.com” Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2004, “Mount St. Helens the state’s No. 1 air polluter” by Sandi Doughton. ------------ About the Author: Michael John McCrae is just a guy with an opinion and a desire to express it. Email: macswordV@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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