|
Bashing Local Industries
Mark
Y. Avelli
10/12/2003
The Pensacola News Journal and an organization of confused eco-raptors called PIRG (U. S. Public Interest Research Group) continue to bash local industries for perceived environmental transgressions. The real environmental villains are the politicians, or perhaps the political system that is being exploited by the Chicken Littles in the press and PIRG groups who assure us that the sky is falling, or will fall unless we do as they say.
The real issue is the need for perspective. A world free of risk is a myth. There is no rational assessment of risk in context with an estimate of the real cost of reducing said risks. Depending on your viewpoint, it is clear that public perception of risk is hypocritical, irrational, capricious, paranoid, un-informed, confused, or all of the above.
Ozone lowering by adding equipment to reduce NOX emissions by Gulf Power will soon increase your yearly electric bill by sixty dollars. But is Gulf Power the demon portrayed in the local press?
The real demon may well be nature in the form of the vast acreage of pine trees in the panhandle. A recent study at the University of Helsinki showed that pine trees exposed to UV light (sunshine endemic locally) cause them to emit large amounts of NOX gases that rival those from vehicles and industry.
This implies that unless a significant reduction is made in forest acreage, Gulf Power spending $200 million dollars to upgrade its power generating plants will not result in any significant improvement in air quality. I suggest that environmental studies reported in a peer reviewed scientific journals are more substantive and credible than the ranting of journalists never exposed to the rigors of science.
Mary Y. Avelli
Email
Comments
Gulf
One
mya_ep_112002.html
|
