Pollution in Perspective

There were a few interesting articles that touched on pollution on Friday and Saturday:

• New Power Plants May Get Leeway on Smog

• Air Quality Board Approves Revised Pollution Credit Policy -- Much to Critics' Displeasure

• Pollution Concerns May Lower the Boom on Offshore Fireworks

Basically, when it comes to major polluters, like power plants, the South Coast Air Quality Management District wants to give them a break. Instead of really enforcing the (poor) pollution standards that have been set, they are lowering them. Instead of the $90,000 per pound fee every year a plant is over the limit, the South Coast AQMD decided a $54,000 per pound fee just once (not yearly) would be enough. And, oh yeah, these plants are likely to be in poor neighborhoods where the air quality is already low and asthma rates high.

The contrast with this issue was the concern over the pollution from fireworks shot over the ocean. The pollution from this is probably less than from one airliner making a flight over the Pacific. Furthermore, there has been only one study done on this pollution, whereas there are plenty of studies to show the horrible effects of pollution from power plants.

The difference is small fry (fireworks companies and the towns who hire them) versus big fry (energy industry). It is yet another good example of how incapable this system is of tackling environmental issues. They can attack the individual and expect us to monitor our purchasing and recycling habits, or even attack smaller industries, but the only thing they have to offer in way of controlling the big industries is to offer them greater and greater subsidies at our expense.