Something Texas can't be proud about

[BigBlueDodge]

This was a reality slap in the face. I knew we were bad, but wasn't aware we were that bad!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/116784/page/1

For all of the great reasons to live in Texas, this certainly is not one of them. Hopefully our government can get control of the situation and set legislation to fix this.

Just a couple of quick facts

1. If Texas was a country, we would be the 8th worst polluting country in the world, ranked just behind the whole of Canada

2. Texas dumps more CO2 into the air than the #2 and #3 states COMBINED

3. There have been numerous attempts to introduce pollution limiting legislation, but the attemps have been blocked by lobbyist groups from energy and transportation industries

4. Half of Texas live in cities with air that is unsafe to breathe, as defined by the EPA's Clean Air Act

Is a sobering wake up call that we need to do something about this.

[Murph]

Political

[Bobj616]

Something ,needs to be done to reduce polutants ,but keep it in perspective. What if Texas just produced the energy,oil,natural gas,and beef that is used in state. That would reduce the problem a lot . I am keeping my pickup . Bob

[carrbowl]

Originally Posted by Bobj616

Something ,needs to be done to reduce polutants ,but keep it in perspective. What if Texas just produced the energy,oil,natural gas,and beef that is used in state. That would reduce the problem a lot . I am keeping my pickup . Bob

exactly why it is political....how much oil and gas is produced in Texas? compared to the rest of the country? Why is it gas prices sky rocket when the gulf has a hurricane??

[Mike G]

Gasoline only .. roughly 50% is produced here in Texas along the gulf coast

[STP Images]

The air we breathe in this city sucks; it's not an arguable point. Posting an article that contains survey results about how much pollution is in the air that we put into our lungs is informational in nature. Carcinogens have no political party affiliation.

[JPalmer]

Something else to take into consideration....

Most of the entire summer, smoke and haze blows into our state from Mexico where they burn crop fields for weeks on end to clear them for the fall. You can literally see it in satellite photos.

Most of the bad air in the summer doesn't come from our own polluting... it drifts north.

[matwey]

once I was driving south along 287, passing by few trains a mile long loaded with coal... my first impression was that coal will turn in few days into sulfur and we will bread that air and Texas is building new coal power plants !!!! we our killing our self's !!!

[Mike G]

Power has to come from somewhere, they won't allow new nuclear plants, wind and solar just aren't viable yet, where would you like the electricity you use everyday to come from?

[afrikaner07]

I think they are trying to use wind power, if you take a look near Sweetwater, or on Highway 84, you will see 100's of Windmills. I hope this article will shake up some of the higher ups, or stir us up to complain to them about it. Something has to be done, even if it isn't entirely our fault.

[BigBlueDodge]

Originally Posted by Murph

Political

Murph, I disagree. If I posted an article on high crime rates, or schools failing, would that be political? The article is bringing to light an ugly reality that many of don't recognize.

However, I do think you have a point. To all posters, DON'T TURN THIS INTO A POLITICAL DISCUSSION. Leave references to Democrats and Republicans out of your responses. Else, this thread is sure to get closed.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by afrikaner07

I think they are trying to use wind power, if you take a look near Sweetwater, or on Highway 84, you will see 100's of Windmills. I hope this article will shake up some of the higher ups, or stir us up to complain to them about it. Something has to be done, even if it isn't entirely our fault.

and all those acres and acres of windmills generate how much of the electricity in use per day, less than 1%?

Electricity-producing windmills are not very productive in the summer and the winter (they generate less than 25% of their capacity during these periods), when electricity is most needed?

In the US in 2001, 39 % of our energy came from petroleum, 24 % from natural gas, 23 % from coal, 8 % from uranium, 3 % from wood and miscellaneous combustibles, 2.5 % from water power, and 0.1 % from solar/wind?

This hasn't changed significantly and won't for a while.

[toverman]

The answer isn't only to find alternative power sources, it's to use less power. In Texas, our wide open spaces mean many of us commute quite a long ways to work, stuck in traffic with all the others. It's a mess!

I miss bicycle commuting, but I also value my life too much to be on the wrong end of a wayward SUV. I'd love to ride the train, but don't get me started ... the only one going in the right direction is a freight train covered in graffiti.

[d2creative]

Originally Posted by toverman

I miss bicycle commuting, but I also value my life too much to be on the wrong end of a wayward SUV. I'd love to ride the train, but don't get me started ... the only one going in the right direction is a freight train covered in graffiti.

I pedaled into work today! 11 miles
And yesterday I rode my new 250cc Vespa. 70mpg and leaves cars in the dust on I-10 feeder roads.

[markfh]

Originally Posted by BigBlueDodge

Murph, I disagree. If I posted an article on high crime rates, or schools failing, would that be political? The article is bringing to light an ugly reality that many of don't recognize.

However, I do think you have a point. To all posters, DON'T TURN THIS INTO A POLITICAL DISCUSSION. Leave references to Democrats and Republicans out of your responses. Else, this thread is sure to get closed.

You can agree or disagree all you want. Every aspect of this entire discussion is POLITICAL in our society not exclusively between democrats and republicans but extends deeply into the scientific disciplines and other areas as well. Therefore I suggest the subject get dropped.