Leaded Gasoline To Come Back?
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Environment, General Politics, Money
Oddly enough…yes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration is considering doing away with health standards that cut lead from gasoline, widely regarded as one of the nation’s biggest clean-air accomplishments.The Environmental Protection Agency said this week that revoking those standards might be justified “given the significantly changed circumstances since lead was listed in 1976″ as an air pollutant, claiming that concentrations of lead in the air have dropped more than 90 percent in the past 2 1/2 decades. Battery makers, lead smelters, refiners all have lobbied the administration to do away with the Clean Air Act limits.
Well, glad this has happened. We needed to bring leaded gasoline back because it’s so safe and good for us.
Not a moment too soon!
*sigh*
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 14th, 2006 and is filed under Environment, General Politics, Money. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 14th, 2006 at 8:48 am
I would be very interested in hearing why these industries believe that this would not be a public health hazard.
Sometimes these issues get over simplified by the press. Perhaps there is new methods that they use and that the Clean Air Laws may not allow for those. Not all laws are written to adapt to new technologies.
December 14th, 2006 at 11:49 am
I agree with Paul - the industry representatives should be able to state their case regarding why they believe the law should be updated (and it better not be “because we want to pump more crap into the air”)
December 14th, 2006 at 12:35 pm
*headdesk*
December 14th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
So let me make sure I’m reading this correctly. Lead in the air was a big problem in the 70’s so we put in the Clean Air Act. The legislation is working and our air is cleaner, so we should revoke it. Hmm, either this is being wildly over simplified or Bush and these industries think we’re all very very dumn.
December 14th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Well, we know what the disadvantgages were to having lead in the gasoline, we’re not sure what would happen if it is replaced, but why?Are there any advantages to having lead added ? I know that it increased horsepower, that’s why it was introduced in the first place, wasn’t it? I remember when they came out with unleaded gas it was more expensive and we wondered how come something that was an additive would then cost MORE just to leave it out! Does that make sense? (like my Andy Rooney impersonation?)
It may increase gas mileage, that is the only thing I could think of to reconsider using it.
December 14th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
Studies have shown that even very small concentrations of lead can cause significant problems in children, especially when present during pregnancy. Even if mileage is increased by adding it to gas, the health risks are far too great to even consider its reintroduction - even now, there are laws all over the country telling you exactly how to dispose of old paint that contains lead to prevent exposure.
Not only that, but since the 70’s, cars have been retooled to work with unleaded gas - adding it back would probably not help today’s cars as much as it would those from the 70’s. Finally, anyone remember the knocking and pinging that leaded gas used to cause? Do you really want that back?
Yet another blatant example of Bush’s tongue between the greasy cheeks of big oil.
December 15th, 2006 at 6:58 pm
What I don’t get is why the White House is making this proposal now, just as the Democrats are about to take control of Congress. I get the feeling that this will end up becoming, fittingly enough, a lead balloon.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Well, glad this has happened