EPA Sets Historic Air Quality Standards

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized the first ever national standards to reduce mercury and other toxic air pollution from coal and oil-fired power plants. Despite technology being readily available, and 20 years having passed since the 1990 clean air act amendments, some power plants are still refusing to control pollutant emissions. The EPA estimates the new rules will prevent 11,000 premature deaths per year, while the effects of improved health and related benefits could run as high as $140 billion annually.

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[seamoremonster]

Excellent news. The "Free Market" has shown time and time again that it is not to be trusted with our environment or our economy. The Free Market Rhetoric is just that...it's bullshit Corporate Porn without ethics, without decency.

[nobodymuch]

The thumbnail image for this looks like some kinda sci fi thing

[Trusseck]

@waltermh111 You have a point there.

[waltermh111]

@Trusseck right, nothing i said discounted what you say.

But short term profits are what most investors are looking for, few large companies pay dividends that people have an interest in, the big trading is in the highs and lows of the near market or speculation. Long term (10+ year plans) arent of interest to investors looking for some return, not a retirement plan.

Also, setting investors aside, bonuses at all levels depend on short term profit.

[BrotherAlpha]

@r5n And how many foreign car companies have plants in the United States? Shipping products costs money. And how many foreign markets buy American cars?

"That's what high regulation and taxation does, it drives companies out."

Then why are there so many companies in the United States that already meet these standards?

[BrotherAlpha]

@r5n You have no idea how electricity works, do you?

[r5n]

@BrotherAlpha And I admit, you're right, it doesn't make a lot of sense to ship power plants to China.............. cause Mexico is so much closer.

[r5n]

@BrotherAlpha Or they'll just them down, cause that's totally not something they do all the time! Look at the "American" car companies for instance, how many Ford/GM/Etc plants are in the US compared to outside the US, compared to how it use to be the first 50-60 years they were in business. That's what high regulation and taxation does, it drives companies out. And I fail to see how a company putting twice the pollution into the air in China is cleaner then current US standards.

[Trusseck]

@waltermh111 I'm under the impression that companies are required by law to do whatever it takes to maximise their stock market value. I'll need to validate that before asserting any certainty, however.

[waltermh111]

@Trusseck You are right, because sadly companies care more about short term profit rather than the health of the nation or our economy.

LOwer health issues means lower health costs, higher productivity, etc...

[waltermh111]

@TheCuriousSkeptic So, the more people that die, the better for us all, great, who needs tech advance, it only saves lives and that costs money

money > life confirmed.

Also, those costs for 11k people will be mitigated by lower healthcare costs of a healthier society and a greater happiness of that society, higher productivity, etc...

[TheCuriousSkeptic]

"prevent 11,000 premature deaths per year."

Great! Now do the math for us. What will it cost the country to pay all those old people their old age security payments and how much will it cost the health care system to look after them?