WSJ: Snake Oil Additives - Do Congress's bidding, get sued. [

Wall Street Journal ^ | July 26, 2005 | Editorial

[OESY]

Heaven help those companies that jump on the global warming band wagon, only to find themselves blamed for results not foreseen by Congress. This is the same legislative body that includes a minority party and some RINOs that, for ideological reasons, could only envision deficits "as far as the eye could see," despite the fact that the beneficial effects of tax cuts sat right beneath their pompous noses.

[traviskicks]

This is right out of atlas shrugged.

[sure_fine]

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[WideGlide]

IMHO the entire lot of them, all 535 and their staff flunkies, cabin boys, and handmaidens ought to be kicked to the curb and the lights turned off on Capital Hill. Use the salary savings to clean up their MTBE mess.

[patj]

Could we do worse if we had a lottery and said; "OK, now it's your turn to go up there."? Think of no elections, and the smile just starts to grow.

[zeugma]

Could we do worse if we had a lottery and said; "OK, now it's your turn to go up there."? Think of no elections, and the smile just starts to grow.

I've seen some serious propsals along those lines. Personally, I'm disposed to like them as well, but with a few caveats. First, only taxpayers would be eligible. (Some have propsed that each dollar in taxes you pay would be one "entry" to the drawing.) Second, we'd have to reign in government quite a bit to make sure that no real damage could be done by a single raving lunatic. (this ought to be done anyway, as H.Clinton is running for president.)

Another way to look at it is that anyone who actually wants the job should be automatically disqualified from having it. This is especially true of the office of the presidency. One of the reasons George Washington worked out so well for us as President is that he didn't really want the job very much.

[Huck]

Having mandated the use of the fuel additive MTBE>

That's a lie. Here's proof:

What are the oxygenate requirements of the Clean Air Act?

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAA) require the use of oxygenated gasoline in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. The CAA does not specifically require MTBE. Refiners may choose to use other oxygenates, such as ethanol.

At this time, about 30 percent of this country’s gasoline is reformulated gasoline, of which about 87 percent contains MTBE. Refiners have chosen MTBE as the main oxygenate in RFG in cities outside of the Midwest primarily for economic reasons and its blending characteristics.

Congress did not require the use of MTBE; The WSJ is shilling for the oil industry. In fact, one of the holdups on the energy bill has been that republicans want to spend over 10 billion dollars of taxpayer money to clean up private industry's mess, and amazingly, some rank and file GOPers seem to agree. Big gubmint definitely has a home in the GOP. Grab yer wallets.

[Huck]

Use the salary savings to clean up their MTBE mess.

The GOP wants to use 10 billion or more of our tax dollars to clean up the energy companies' mess, and amazingly, some so called conservatives support that idiocy.

[WideGlide]

10 billion or more of our tax dollars to clean up the energy companies' mess

MTBE is just one more example of the unintended consequences on a Nanny Government. Congress mandated the additive to close up the Ozone hole. The energy companies are not at fault here.

[Huck]

Congress mandated the additive to close up the Ozone hole. The energy companies are not at fault here.

That is incorrect. The Congress (which is really just us, by the way) did not mandate MBTE.

[okie01]

Congress did not require the use of MTBE; The WSJ is shilling for the oil industry.

Congress mandated the use of oxygenates and specified either MTBE or ethanol. Further, the EPA had approved their use.

The WSJ is "shilling for responsibility".

[Huck]

and specified either MTBE

Incorrect.

[Huck]

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAA) require the use of oxygenated gasoline in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. The CAA does not specifically require MTBE. Refiners may choose to use other oxygenates, such as ethanol.

At this time, about 30 percent of this country’s gasoline is reformulated gasoline, of which about 87 percent contains MTBE. Refiners have chosen MTBE as the main oxygenate in RFG in cities outside of the Midwest primarily for economic reasons and its blending characteristics.


The WSJ is shilling for gubmint providing free liability coverage to the oil industry, courtesy of us taxpayers.

[Huck]

I have to say though, it's sort of funny to see "conservatives" arguing for a multibillion dollar payout to private business for environmental cleanup. Wonder where the idea ever got in their heads that they wanted to pay more taxes in order to cover someone else's risk. What a coincidence they all thought of that on their own. Or did they?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Huck-ster, would there have been sufficient ethanol without sending gas prices through the roof (and making rotgut wine cost $100 a liter)?

[Keith in Iowa]

You are absolutely right...keep sticking up for reality.

[HiTech RedNeck]

In about 95% of spills, a responsible party has been identified and most are already paying for a cleanup....

Sounds like Superfund is doing what it is supposed to, already.

MTBE in water at the levels we've been seeing it has only one substantiated ill effect, and that is to make water taste lousy. And it takes far more than what you get from homeowners spilling gas as they fill their lawn mowers, to get it up even high enough to taste. It takes an industrial sized muck-up, with an industrial-sized culprit.

[Huck]

Thank you.

[Huck]

Huck-ster, would there have been sufficient ethanol without sending gas prices through the roof (and making rotgut wine cost $100 a liter)?

Is your argument that because ethanol is more expensive than MBTE, the taxpayer should pick up the check? Why shouldn't it come from the producer's bottom line? What happened to letting the market dictate? Are we all socialists now?