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EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

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Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#2
It’s very hard to understand why the current administration has such an urge to roll back environmental regulations. I grew up in a time when rivers were red or green depending on what type of leather the factory upstream was processing at the time. The only fish you could see were dead. Breathing in cities was hard. Environmental regulation is a big success story that improved the lives of countless people while companies could still make enormous profits. Why try to roll that back? If anything we should get even more clean.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#4
post #3

Edit: I stand corrected.

Bernie Sanders supported not only going 100% renewables as quickly as possible, but also banning hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") [1]. Silver lining is Aramco and COVID is doing what American's politicians didn't have the fortitude to do: force the scaling down of the US oil and gas industry and the inherent reduction in fossil demand from reducing commuting and air travel (respectively). I'm unsure how anyone can argue for additional oil and gas industry support at this point, with renewables and EVs proven; it's time to treat it like the toxic industry the coal industry is, and transition away from it as fast as possible (not "as fast as commercially reasonable"! as. fast. as. possible, World War 2 mobilization style). [2]

It's annoying we're only making headway in transitioning off of fossil fuels due to luck (cost decline curve of renewables and batteries, making them cheaper than all other fossil and nuclear generation) and a pandemic instead of a concerted effort. "It is what it is."

EDIT: @natch: To refine my point, I don't intend to minimize the work of those performing R&D or implementation of renewables and associated technologies, but that we "lucked out" that we've gotten as far as we have with the minimal amount of resources we've put into the domain. We should be pouring significant amounts of global GDP and productivity into this transition.

[1] https://berniesanders.com/issues/green-new-deal/

[2] https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/Climate-and-COVID-19 (Bill Gates: "COVID-19 is awful. Climate change could be worse.")

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#7
I suggest changing the headline to "outgoing administration continues to sabotage government for next administration as popularity continues to decline during incompetent response to viral pandemic".

Another example of something that was so important they waited until less than 3 months before the election to do it. It hardly needs saying, but this is devastatingly bad environmental and climate policy.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#8

I suggest changing the headline to "outgoing administration continues to sabotage government for next administration as popularity continues to decline during incompetent response to viral pandemic". Another example of something that was so important they waited until less than 3 months before the election to do it. It hardly needs saying, but this is devastatingly bad environmental and climate policy.

Clearly this whole situation is political but I'd make 2 points.

1. You might be surprised at the election outcome. 2. The headline is based on the article, not what people think it should be.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#9
post #3

Edit: I stand corrected.

Bernie Sanders supported not only going 100% renewables as quickly as possible, but also banning hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") [1]. Silver lining is Aramco and COVID is doing what American's politicians didn't have the fortitude to do: force the scaling down of the US oil and gas industry and the inherent reduction in fossil demand from reducing commuting and air travel (respectively). I'm unsure how anyone can a…

....we had a chance to really fix our country with him. I don't know when another candidate of his honesty, consistency and moral caliber will appear again; if ever. My countrymen baffle me ...I really enjoyed phone banking.

Re: EPA to Rescind Methane Regulations for Oil and Gas

#10
post #8

I suggest changing the headline to "outgoing administration continues to sabotage government for next administration as popularity continues to decline during incompetent response to viral pandemic". Another example of something that was so important they waited until less than 3 months before the election to do it. It hardly needs saying, but this is devastatingly bad environmental and climate policy.

Clearly this whole situation is political but I'd make 2 points. 1. You might be surprised at the election outcome. 2. The headline is based on the article, not what people think it should be.

I doubt they were being serious about the title.
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