A few weeks ago, the EPA caused the largest toxic waste spill in US history.
By the numbers: The massive toll of the Animas River spill
By Ben Brumfield, CNN
Updated 12:57 PM ET, Thu August 13, 2015
The number of gallons of heavy metal filled wastewater the U.S. Geological Survey says spilled into the Animas River. That’s about 60,000 bathtubs full.
The bright discoloration was an obvious flag that something was awry in the river. But the EPA was sluggish with information in the aftermath, as residents worried about possible damage to their health, and businesses on the river shut down.
12,000 That’s how many times higher than normal the level of lead was in one water sample tested from the Animas River shortly after the spill.
Lead poisoning is tricky, because at low levels, it can be hard to detect. It can slow down child development and cause learning disabilities, the Mayo Clinic says.
Lead is just one of the many heavy metals released, and it’s not the deadliest. The wastewater also contained extremely high levels of arsenic, cadmium, beryllium and mercury. It also contained zinc, iron and copper.
Animas River spill: The massive toll by the numbers – CNN.com
So how did EPA respond to their own spectacular incompetence? By suing Volkswagen for using software that increases gas mileage.
Disabling the emissions controls brought major advantages, including much better mileage — a big selling point in Volkswagen’s push to dominate in America.
Volkswagen shares declined about 34 percent last week, and the company faces penalties of as much as $18 billion from the Environmental Protection Agency.
As Volkswagen Pushed to Be No. 1, Ambitions Fueled a Scandal – The New York Times
So where did all those metals originate? The mining company didn’t haul them up there in horse drawn tankers. Those minerals leached out of the ground and they are going back to the ground. Don’t drink out of the streams and don’t eat the sludge on the bottom – still good advice.
After WWII, the US National Academy of Sciences did not grant private companies like Volkswagen the right to deceive the public the way scientists do who work for NASA, EPA, DOE, NOAA, etc.
“Stalin’s science” is posted on ResearchGate to give NAS members an opportunity to respond publicly to charges the US National Academy of Sciences betrayed the American public after WWII:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10640850/STALINS_SCIENCE.pdf or
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281017812_STALIN'S_SCIENCE
I admire VW for producing reliable cars with great milage. I would own another without hesitation.
I would love to have my 1981 VW diesel Pick-up back again. Great little truck with 50mpg. Nothing else comes close with the same carrying capacity for cargo.
OT,,,
A message for any Aussie who voted Liberal (that’s Conservative down-under)…
According to Liberal party pollsters……
YOU DON’T MATTER
http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/have_you_quit_the_liberal_party/
The EPA is akin to the ancient chariot driver using a noose around the neck of a horse strangling him while whipping him to get him to go faster.
It wasn’t until the horse collar/breast collar was invented that the horses true pulling power was harnessed.
Sometime during 481 BC-221 BC (exact date is still debated), the Chinese improved the throat-and-girth harness by inventing the breast collar harness. This type of harness consisted of a padded strap running around the chest (not the throat) and a surcingle around the barrel of the horse. This harness is best used for lighter work or hauling because it places the weight of the load on the sternum of the horse and the nearby windpipe, reducing the horse’s air supply. Try keeping that strap low enough not to run straight over the wind pipe especially on a pony is a real PITA!
This is on a draft horse, you can see how close it is to the throat even in this big beautiful horse.
http://www.bigblackhorse.com/BBH01/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/h/p/hp26t.jpg
The horse collar was a major improvement because it was made of semi-rigid padded leather that padded the shoulders and was shaped to keep the pressure off the windpipe. It then had metal or wooden hames strapped in place that attached via a strong leather strap or chains to the load.
http://pioneerfarmequipment.com/images/f-HameBuggy.jpg
The horse collar had the disadvantage that it has to be carefully fitted to each individual horse.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Given the way the EPA is going, this is important knowledge. I figure I can get a ‘Green Job’ training horses, ponies and people in the Art of Driving and I want to get my credentials well established before the rest of the crowd.
Hmmmm, my horse collar did not show. Here is another j-peg
http://www.heindlengineering.com/carts/images/horse_collar_hames1.jpg
Obama could start a business shaking down foreign corporations.