Have you noticed that Arizona seems to get just a weeeee more attention from the Federal Government than anybody else? It’s almost like they’re being told, “Hey, nice state youse got here. Be a shame if sumthin happened to it….”
Several weeks back, we covered a totally wacko case where the Federal Government wouldn’t allow Tombstone, AZ to use modern technology to repair damage to the town (“Have a Nice Day!“). We’ve all watched the ongoing immigration battle. Plus President Thin-Skin isn’t exactly best buddies with Governor Jan Brewer. And there’s the whole Fast N’ Furious thing. And Sheriff Joe Arpaio is probably not on the White House Christmas Card list, either.
And even with all that, …..this is crazy.
From tusconcitizen.com:
A new state law and a bill introduced in Congress are meant to defend Arizona agencies from being punished for federal dust-pollution violations stemming from massive natural dust events, such as haboobs.
Failure to prove compliance with federal air-quality standards could jeopardize federal funding for transportation projects in the state.
The new law ensures each city, town and county documents whether they are in compliance with EPA standards.
…U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake has (also) introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives intended to help states prove more efficiently and effectively that their violations of dust-pollution standards qualify as “exceptional events” — meaning that while proper controls are in place, violations still occur because of natural events beyond a state’s control.
——-
“It’s pretty severe,” Flake said. “This is something that I think everyone recognizes — Republican or Democrat — that it’s just bureaucracy run amok. And we’ve gotta fix it.”
OK, so Arizona, which is largely made up of desert, is having to defend itself from our oh-so-benevolent Federal Government, which is trying to cite them for…..dust violations???
DUST violations?
The massive dust storms that rolled through the Valley in 2011 have led to a record number of dust-pollution violations at air-quality monitors across Maricopa County. In many cases, multiple violations happened on the same day, but at different monitor locations.
Just when I think they can’t shock me anymore, they do it.
So what’s next: the Feds punishing Colorado because their mountains are too tall and they aren’t Americans with Disabilities Act compliant? Or maybe finding Montana excessively forested (exceeding Federal forest fire risk tolerances)? Or maybe Kansas should be punished next, since they don’t have enough trees, and thusly aren’t “doing their fair share” in the fight against CO2?
Really, I have only two concerns at this point.
- That Arizona will somehow lose this battle against this idiotic regulation, and
- That if Arizona does manage to win, the Feds will then find them in violation of their soon-to-be-released regulations monitoring Excessive Canyon Size.
Hey, it’s no crazier than trying to regulate dust storms.
Two Heads are Better Than One 
Are there poppy seeds in the dust storms? THAT might explain the regulatory oversight……just a thought.
BTW: In an announcement to be made later today, Florida is being sued by the Grand “Haboob” since they get too much sunshine, and incidents of skin problems are above the permitted level. Many believe this is due to the seductive advertising on their license plates and as such, they will now be known as the “Partly Cloudy State”…..
Dont forget the excessive humidity (hurricanes) they send us now and then…
A humidity tax….?
I smell revenue!!!
Given the opportunity to shut down a couple federal agencies of my choosing, the first targets would be the departments of Education and Energy. However, EPA is coming up fast. Some of the regs the agency is trying to promulgate and enforce are just nutty, and this is the nuttiest one yet. Clearly EPA is an agency gone wild–it’s gangsta governement in action.
Do we need environmental regs? Absolutely. Has enforcing regs made a difference? You bet it has—I think nearly all of us would agree that, in general, our air and water are far cleaner now than they were 40-50 years ago.
I worked for a while covering the industrial finishing business (painting, plating, powder coating, etc.). I visited many shops, and in every case handling environmental compliance was just built into the fabric of their businesses. In five years, no one I spoke with wanted to dump hazardous waste or release hazardous air emissions. Everyone wanted to be a good steward of the environment. Shops that didn’t comply with environmental regs are out of business, and in the most serious/flagrant cases members of their management are in prison.
EPA has been and can be a force for good. It just needs to be seriously reined in and the wacko Lisa Jackson needs to be removed from her admin post.
Agreed, Buckeye.
Which is why I try to find and highlight idiocy like this.
To be fair, it’s not all that hard to find……….
You might think, given the upcoming election, they would try to avoid excessive craziness. but these people just keep on truckin’. You gotta hand it to ’em—they are persistent. And IMO the more absurdities like this they roll out between now and November, the better.
I found another one. Stay tuned……….
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