US Executive Order 13990 was signed on January 20, 2021. It’s title: “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.”
It never occurred to me that science had to be “restored”. Is there a climate crisis?
The Order announces the following US Administration policies: “to listen to the science; to improve public health and protect our environment; to ensure access to clean air and water; to limit exposure to dangerous chemicals and pesticides; to hold polluters accountable, including those who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; to bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change; to restore and expand our national treasures and monuments; and to prioritize both environmental justice and the creation of the well-paying union jobs necessary to deliver on these goals.”
“To listen to the science”. I’m not sure what “listen to the science” means. I thought science was used to expand our Knowledge; knowledge of principles and causes; to be used to ascertain truth or facts. I never thought we “listened” to it. What would Thomas Dolby say?
“Improve public health and protect our environment”. Are there many who feel there has been an improvement in public health in the last 363 days?
“To ensure access to clean air and clean water”. Several studies show the average American spends ~90% of their time indoors. That would suggest indoor air should be a priority. Does this executive order address that? I remember well the stack performance test we ran on the Unit #3 coal plant at Craig Station in Colorado in 1985. Test results showed 0.0007 grains of dust per dry standard cubic feet in the flue gas exiting the stack. As the stack testing firm leader told me at the time “the stack gas is being polluted by the outside atmosphere”. Can you find me an indoor venue (other than a chip factory) that can beat 0.0007 grains of dust per dscf?
And clean water? Several studies have shown less than 0.5% of American households do not have reliable access to clean water, but that is still a substantial number. But it isn’t the water. It’s the plumbing. How does this executive order bring indoor plumbing to families in need? Could we take at least some of the billions of what will be spent on this executive order to get some plumbing into homes that need it? Would that cost so much?
“To limit exposure to dangerous chemicals and pesticides”. How does climate change affect the use of dangerous chemicals and pesticides?
“To hold polluters accountable, including those who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities”. How should we define a “polluter”. Could we start with indoor plumbing to help poorer communities?
“To reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” The US energy industry emits less carbon dioxide today than it did more than 30 years ago in 1990. See graph below.
In the US, coal emits less carbon dioxide than all other fossil fuel sources. How does China stack up? Russia? How concerned might China and Russia be, having fallen short of the US performance?
“To bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change”. How does one bolster such resilience? Climate change is all about carbon dioxide emissions. When people talk about carbon reductions, they mean carbon dioxide reductions. Since life itself is based on carbon. Does anyone remember the Star Trek episode where Kirk and Spock came across an alien life form based on silicon? It makes me wonder – why is carbon so bad? Do we really want a life based on silicon?
“To restore and expand our national treasures and monuments.” I’m assuming this refers to only certain national treasures and monuments…correct?
“and to prioritize both environmental justice and the creation of the well-paying union jobs necessary to deliver on these goals.” How well have we cared for our union jobs? Millions of union jobs have been lost since 1980. Fifty years ago, 1 in 3 were union workers. Today, that’s 1 in 10. It’s hard to see how this executive order will lead to the creation of “well-paying union jobs.” See graph below to see the union job trend.
And how will this executive order impact the new rulemaking undertaken by the EPA for the Effluent Limitation Guidelines ELG’s? Will new ELG limits bring cleaner drinking water to those families without sufficient indoor plumbing?
Under President Obama, the ELG limits for mercury and selenium in wastewater were proposed, and under President Trump, those were added to the Federal Register. Contrary to popular belief, while the EPA under president Trump did change the limits set under President Obama’s EPA, the EPA under Trump lowered the mercury (Hg) limit, and raised the selenium (Se) limit. Even so, the current selenium limit (31 ppb) is below the US Drinking water limit (50 ppb). Isn’t that good enough? With this executive order, what new limits can we expect?
The EPA hints at the use of membrane technology being the new BACT. Time will tell.
The poor always pay the price for our folly. This executive order confirms it.