[kipita]

"Most geologists view crude oil, like coal and natural gas, as the product of compression and heating of ancient vegetation over geological time scales.

This is sort of what my last post was about in a "some Government programs create work just to keep themselves alive" sort of way. To say you're going to clean the soil at a site to a level that's lower than background in areas nearby is crazy. I'd say dilute it with nearby soil if there are concerns to reach such low levels. Sometimes dilution is the solution to environmental pollution. I've spent 15 years as an environmental chemist and know superfund programs (and the money they waste) very well.

[Yosemitest]

"...some Government programs create work just to keep themselves alive..."

I agree. Have you read the book Cleaning the soil is, in my opinion, almost impossible. Oil came out of the ground, and it can go back into the ground. The earth will clean itself, if given the time.

But about cleanups... I really like to know your opinion of the cleanup of these old military bases like Warminister, PA and if you think that the only thing that can be done with them is ...say use them to build nuclear power plants.

But the timber situation in Mississippi, is why I posted this article. I know many people who lost a lot of good timber to those hurricanes, and the new hybrid pines are glorified milkweeds. They grow twice as fast as the close grain pines, but weigh less than half the weight of the old pines. The new pines aren't worth anything except for pulp wood for paper, or chip or particle board. They really are a waste of good land.