An Analysis of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Environmental Policy

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Website / Vanity | Sept. 23, 2003 | Mark Edward Vande Pol, aka, Carry_Okie

[NittanyLion]

I read the whole thing - very interesting analysis.

IMHO the overriding, and most troubling, theme repeated in Arnold's proposal is the idea that government mandates can generate demand and essentially create consumer markets for hydrogen and other "environmentally friendly" products. As you stated quite well, the development of any market involves a long and quite complicated supply chain, but this is particularly true of automotive markets. It's quite likely auto makers would rather forgo CA sales than reconfigure a portion of their supply chain in an endeavor that will surely generate losses. 85% of the previous market with a 2% margin is better than that 85% plus the additional 15% at a 5% loss (not actual numbers, but representative).

I won't get into the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and the absurdity of proposing hydrogen as a viable fuel source, because that seems to be common knowledge. But rest assured such grandstanding is infuriating.

Incidentally, can you provide sources regarding the emissions of plants/trees versus factories (essentially stating that plants may produce more particulates than factories are allowed by law)? I found that fascinating and would love to bookmark the source for future use.

[Kevin Curry]

IMHO the overriding, and most troubling, theme repeated in Arnold's proposal is the idea that government mandates can generate demand and essentially create consumer markets for hydrogen and other "environmentally friendly" products.

"I'm the government and I'm here to help you."

And Schwarzenegger has been quite clear about shutting down the development of inexpensive offshore oil. He intends to create artificial scarcity, thus driving up the cost of traditional petroleum-derived fuels compared to these undeveloped infant-market alternative fuels. Expensive energy is one of the most critical problems in California now.

This is an improvement on Gray Davis?

This is exactly the kind of "fiscal conservatism" that anyone with a brain and set of eyes could see that Schwarzenegger is all about.

[NittanyLion]

The arrogance of politicians who believe they can outsmart the free market is quite irritating. Consumer demand exists for a reason, and will change when the conditions are appropriate - all politicians can do is create wasteful and unproductive spending. That's money that could be used for a more realistic and appropriate cause, but must be diverted to a politician's pet project.

And somehow, it's worse coming from someone who calls himself a fiscal conservative.

[snopercod]

You never cease to amaze me. It would have taken me weeks to critique something like that BS on Ahnold's website.

Anyone who actually thinks mass-produced hydrogen-powered vehicles are practical with known technology is disqualified from any further consideration, in my book.

Hydrogen burns with an invisible flame, expands explosively when containment is lost, and takes constant refrigeration to keep it "tame", even while your politically-correct vehicle is parked at the airport for a week. The lawyers will love it.

See my tagline:

[Carry_Okie]

Agreed about the hubris of contrived markets.

Incidentally, can you provide sources regarding the emissions of plants/trees versus factories (essentially stating that plants may produce more particulates than factories are allowed by law)? I found that fascinating and would love to bookmark the source for future use.

I've ran across a few references over the years, but don't keep specific track of that one. It's common knowledge in the emissions treatment business that a medium sized pine tree produces about 8# per day of VOC, mostly terpenes (terpentine). It smells good. :-) By contrast, it stands to reason that concrete doesn't outgas very much.

Believe it or not, regulators are getting after the use of wood in construction because of the outgassing of terpenes and their effects on indoor air quality. Particle board is a real offender there.

When I was in the business (about five years ago), the BAAQMD MACT threshold was 1#/day of VOC, regardless of the size of the process. It's insane. It didn't matter if the waste stream was 100,000 cfm of almost entirely water saturated air at room temperature, if it had that one pound in it, we had to raise the destruction temperature to 1,300° in an RTO. We ran equipment that was so big that the error in the VOC assay test was larger than the threshold by a factor of six.

So I did a little googling for you and found out that the hip term for tree breath these days is "phytogenic VOC" (note: commit hip term to memory in order to sound more scientific in the fuuuuture). Here's one that you might like Phytogenic volatile organic compounds emission by russian forests. I don't have time to read it right now, but it looked promising (warning: it's a pdf file).

Here's a quote for you (bold emphasis mine):

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) are emitted into the lower troposphere from natural sources in marine and terrestrial environment. The emissions of isoprene by vegetation provide the dominant input of reactive non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) to the atmosphere. Surface fluxes of BVOCs are of interest because of their role in tropospheric chemistry (ozone and aerosol formation). However, the emissions of these compounds remain still very uncertain. In a way to improve the existing BVOC inventories and so refine our understanding on the chemical processes in the atmosphere, it is particularly relevant to test, and possibily improve, the emissions algorithms. A quantification of the errors in the emission estimates using appropriate flux measurements are necessary for that purpose. Oh, they use "biogenic." Lol! Looks like a good paper, I might read that one.

I'm pinging snopercod because I sent him some similar stuff a while ago and then he went looking for more.

[Carry_Okie]

I used to run a brazing furnace (gold/germanium eutectic, 356°C) that used hydrogen as a reducing gas.

I remember the qualification screens for electronic hybrids for under the hood applications. They were brutal compared to the military stuff. An automotive application is one of the most difficult I can comprehend. It's incredibly stupid to start there.

The lawyers will love it.

[countrydummy]

No! And please never again put words in my mouth again!

Any fool that would vote for Arnold is just that , a fool!

How Carry votes is his own business, but I would vote for a dang frog before I did Arnold!!!!!!

[Itzlzha]

Its clear to me that Arnold is trying to win the uninformed voter. Perhaps, in California, thats the best strategy. Just don't expect any of this to be enacted upon

With all due respect, dream on!

This sort of enviroMENTAList claptrap always rises, like a vampire at sundown...and MexiCali hasn't the balls to stake this crap once and for all, thanks to the abundance of granola-eating big-money Lefist/Socialists that reside there...they want the pleasures that they can afford, and others to cut back so the environment won't suffer under THEIR excesses!

[tubebender]

What is different about Arnolds plan and Scruz plan is the few Rs elected to Sacremento will sign on with AS but battle Scruz and get consessions...

[Itzlzha]

Let's face it -- it was probably written by a former Wilson official at CalEPA.

Nope...RFK Jr. and Bonnie Reiss...although I'm sure there are other RINO Wilsonista EnviroMENTALists there too.

[Carry_Okie]

Sorry, I forgot you.

[Itzlzha]

BTW, well done sir! An excellent analysis!

These SchwarzenKennedy supporters remind me of a cheap cloth salesman...

"Never mind the Quality...Feel the WIDTH!!"

[farmfriend]

I don't think there is much difference between Cruz's enviro policy and Arnold's. I can't justify spending all my time fighting government environmental crap just to turn around and vote for one of the perpetrators just because he has an R behind his name.

[Carry_Okie]

Frankly, when I read it I was stunned that it was so poorly conceived. I expected something much more insidious.

[Carry_Okie]

Here it is.

[Avoiding_Sulla]

I expected something much more insidious.

Policy planning at think tanks and universities will have the more insidious stuff. Campaigns have to be wary that there are someone with credibility, like you, will actually read their statements and report back to the rest of us numbskulls what it portends. I'm with Sierra Wasp and countrydummy -- it's we who need the editor, and you are our first volunteer. (BTW, did you synopsize?)

I'll get a chance to read the remaining 80% tonight. Thanks very much for taking the trouble on our behalf -- though I doubt wild horses could have kept you from the task.

[Carry_Okie]

(BTW, did you synopsize?)

All by my lonesome, with a few most helpful comments from forester. It took about six or seven hours, most of the time was taking out the anger that anyone who would call himself "fiscally conservative" would unload such pap and expect to get away with it.

[The Westerner]

Thank you for the ping. Why are you on strike?

[Duramaximus]

Ted Kennedy said I would appreciate Arnold.... he was right. We have a lot in common.

[BibChr]

I just asked.

You don't vote for Arnold, and you will help California suffer under far worse than a frog.

Dan