This page was last updated on January 4, 2012.
Regulation now better than cleanup later; David Shields; Beaver County Times; January 4, 2012.
I don’t know if this is the David Shields, Jr., who wrote “Impeach the president” back in 2006.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Concerning Mr. Svihra’s letter stating the gas line owners won’t allow a leak because they would lose money, I submit the Alaskan oil pipeline.
“It leaks like a sieve, but the cost to rectify these problems exceeds the price of the lost oil. Thousands of gallons versus millions of barrels. Every other state has much more regulation than Pennsylvania.”
[RWC] The “Alaskan oil pipeline … leaks like a sieve?” Since when? If this were the case, the press would bombard us on a daily basis with photos/stories/video of harmed fauna and flora. I’d like to know Mr. Shields’ definition of “leaks like a sieve.”
Mr. Shields didn’t mention his source for “Every other state has much more regulation than Pennsylvania.” In any case, every pipeline will leak sooner or later regardless of how many regulations we have in place. This doesn’t mean we don’t need reasonable regulation, just that expecting a pipeline never to leak is unreasonable.
“Yes, it is possible to overregulate an industry, but why should taxpayers’ dollars be used for superfund cleanups. We can have appropriate regulation now or massive reclaimation [sic] projects later.”
[RWC] Who says “taxpayers’ dollars [should] be used for superfund cleanups?” As for “leaks like a sieve,” I’d like to know Mr. Shields’ definition of “appropriate regulation.”
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