So, the co-founder of Greenpeace has quit.
Patrick Moore has left the building... uh huh.
He's fed up with his fellow compatriots who, without any formal science training, seek to manipulate us "unenlightened" with misinformation, skewed facts and fear rather than true science. Moore has had enough of "pop-environmentalism".
So, what's the big deal? Even if the "environmentalists" are wrong, surely they've done us a great service...they've made us more "aware" and we're saving the earth.
The question is, what are we REALLY aware of and what earth are we saving?
Case in point:
The environmentalists brought us that wonderful fuel additive, MTBE. Our premier pseudo-scientists (Barbara Boxer and Al Gore come to mind) rallied against the big oil companies and put their foot down on behalf of humanity and wow! Air pollution be gone!
THE OOPS FACTOR: a "think-again moment"
1) MTBE is sludge. Since Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether is a toxic waste, Shell, Exxon, Unocal, Texaco, Valero, Mobile, Chevron etc. etc. devised a way to reintroduce this sludge back into the gasoline and profit from it rather than bear the financial burden of its disposal.
2) MTBE actually increases, not decreases, nitrogen oxide in the air, thus contributing to smog. It also increases the release of aldehydes and ketones..2 known carcinogens (I love the smell of formaldehyde in the morning.)
3) We now know that as early as the 1980s, these petrochemical companies knew that MTBE is water seeking and water soluble, rendering water undrinkable from the smallest concentrations...and, because it's highly soluble, it's almost impossible to clean up. This sludge is currently in the process of contaminating our ground water, our reservoirs, our lakes, rivers and wells.
4) And here's the kicker (I love this one)...when there's no drinkable water left and folks demand that the oil companies clean up the water sources they contaminated with MTBE...they can blame the government for MAKING them use the additive...and we, the taxpayer, pay the freight. OOPS!
Now you know. Make a statement with a tee...and start the conversation.
IT ISN'T EASY BEIN' GREEN
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3 comments:
Your ignorance is bliss. While I must agree that Al Gore and his cohorts are indeed pseudoscientists, don't fall into the trap of believing that ALL oil companies are to blame for MTBE seeping into the groundwater. It was the corrosive tanks that were the problem. Had there been a system in place to check the strength of the tanks, cities across the US would not have had their groundwater tainted. Reason why MTBE was used in the first place was because it replaced lead as an oxygenate for motor gasoline.
Get off the trite bandwagon of blaming the oil companies. You're a dime a dozen, toots.
thankx for your comments m.e.!
BTW I'm neither an oil-company basher nor an oil-company cheerleader. I'm a free-market advocate. Oil is a commodity, plain and simple.
The fact remains that major oil companies knowingly distributed a product that contaminates water and did not inform the public of the inherent dangers (like corroding tanks or super-solubility facilitating its introduction into ground water at accelerated rates.)
Since you're involved in the petrochemical field, I'm sure you're aware of the many states bringing (and about to bring) lawsuits. One case in point: Lake Tahoe Water District versus 4 oil companies and Lyondell Chemical.Thousands of internal oil-company documents and sworn depositions. Most compelling, 635 pages of hand-written notes...jury found them liable.
Interestingly, Tosco and Chevron have asked the Calif. Air Resources Board to let them stop using MTBE..,how come? liability?
My concerns are not with the oil companies...they're "big boys" and will take care of themselves.
My concern is with the modern-day politician who panders from the "environmentalist" platform and scapegoats others (including oil companies) when their legislative blunders are exposed.
and, by the way, my name isn't "toots".
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