Constructive and Destructive Environmental Plans - Essay Example

?Constructive and Destructive Environmental Plans President Obama's second term is welcomed with mixed reviews. The energy sector in particular is worried about the tough times ahead as Obama's government always sticks towards encouraging the renewable energy sources, rather than the existing energy sources. His addresses regarding the issues in various occasions indicate there will be about $150 billion investment in the alternative energy sectors like wind energy, solar power and bio fuel extraction. The investment also guarantees nearly 5 million jobs in the US soil. The Alaska Shell drilling project and the Keystone XL project worth $7 billion does not portray President Obama and his party as very environmentally friendly people in the mainstream media. The Democratic Party is looking forward to change this Image completely through various projects that are about to unfold, with environmental safety as their key concentration. Let us analyze about two such projects. Greenhouse Gas Standards for existing power plants and refineries Nearly 2.4 billion metric tons of Carbon dioxide is emitted into the US sky through the 500 power plants and the oil refineries present here. This constitutes to nearly 40% of the total Carbon dioxide emission in the country (Biello). The new rules will force the refineries and the power plants to avoid using fossil-fuel for energy and look for other alternative means like natural gas. The practical applicability of the plan is still under question. EPA is seeking the co-operation of the state governments to upgrade the age old techniques used in the power plants and refineries. Though there is much opposition for the move from the Congress, the President had already waived a green flag for EPA to formulate the rule within the next couple of months approximately. Forcing down Carbon dioxide emission means using natural gas as alternative which is way expensive than the current methods. This will result in increased electricity and gasoline bills for the consumer. But, the government is announcing various subsidies for the power plants and oil refineries to keep the prices in check. New Source Performance Standards have framed new rules for using several items in steam generating units like its generators. It closely monitors the emissions of PM, SO2 and NOX from these equipments and orders for an upgrade if they are beyond the permitted level. Various measures like the Acid Rain program and Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants programs will be used to monitor the power plants. Petroleum refineries will be scrutinized under the Catalytic Reforming and Catalytic cracking of Sulphur plants program. President Obama's various measures to make the US environment a cleaner and greener one have resulted in complete failure in the past. The Solyndra project which received nearly $535 million aid from the US government proved to be a failure, which came as a death blow to President Obama's solar electricity dream. Similarly, the A123 system which was encouraged to create hybrid electric cars which do not pollute the environment also became a massive failure. Though the intention of these projects was good, inefficient administration and lack of advanced technologies paved way for their failure. President Obama is quite concerned about not making the same mistake again. EPA held 5 listening and discussion sessions with participants from electric power industry, petroleum refineries, environmental organizations, state and tribal representatives as well as coalition group members to finalize the measures on the actions. The concerns about various parties and the difficulties in implementing the new rules were discussed in detail way back in 2011. EPA had been working on an error proof plan since then. It is only a matter of days before the new green house gas emission standards will roll out. Why is it important to control Green house gas emissions? The sun emits energy which the earth absorbs and re-emits back into the atmosphere. The over emission of green house gases blocks our atmosphere like a thick cover, preventing this heat re-emission move out of the earth's atmosphere. This results in drastic climatic changes, global warming, melting of the polar ice caps due to extra heat and several other disastrous environment changes. Controlling green house gas emissions is a must to sustain the life time of mother earth and preserve its climate. These measures will enable us to reduce at least 6% of the total 40% emission. This will impact our climatic conditions substantially. Though there are thousands of practical difficulties in materializing this plan, it will prove to be very useful for the US and the world as a whole in long term (Sackett, 2009). Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards Another major source of green house gas emission in the US is its automobiles. New Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emission and Fuel Standards ready to be imposed will further reduce the green house gas emissions, coming from millions of vehicles running on the roads. However, it is estimated, it will take nearly $10 billion for the initial parts of the plan. The government agrees that it will increase the gasoline gallon price by 6 to 9%. The research by CSIRO clearly states, failure to control green house gas emission will further lead to disastrous effects like longer summers, droughts and massive increase in the price of the food products in the near future, if proper measures are not taken to control it now. Hence, the government feels incurring this extra charge now will rightly control the future massive price rises and medical expenses each family has to incur in future. They are quite right about the same as taking some grim decisions concerned to environment is unavoidable. Coal Combustion Residual (Coal Ash) Act Not all plans suggested by the EPA with the Presidents support are quite useful. The Coal Combustion Residual (Coal Ash) act terms coal ash as a hazardous waste. There is more coal in the US than any other country in the world. Coal is referred to as a dirty fuel, and environmentalist’s support using other cleaner energy resources. But, classifying coal as hazardous waste will significantly affect various industries. Further, several States depend upon the coal-fired units for electricity directly. Imposing strict regulations on them will affect the industries in general and the economy in turn. We can roughly say nearly half of the electricity used in the US is generated by burning coal (Keahey, 2012). The government can only formulate rules to clean the air pollutants though various methods. Classifying coal residues as totally hazardous and controlling its usage will only result in serious power problems. Several tons of coal ash is recycled every year to produce cement, cabinets etc. Preventing their use will result in severe shortage of several household items too. This is a plan which will do more harm than good. Conclusion Taking steps to reform the environment is no easy task. President Obama’s stand in the issue should be highly appreciated as he acts with foresight and vision, rather than concentrating on serving another term. But, the past failures regarding the greener America should be considered as a lesson and any step taken towards new environment reform should be analyzed well before implementing it. The government should take into account the general public welfare too along with the environmentalists concern. Unemployment and disinvestment should be avoided at any cost while implementing the green plans. Controlling the emission of green house gasses is a must at the moment. Implementation of the first two plans is inevitable at the moment. But, restructuring certain moves like the Coal Combustion Residue act will help in satisfying the general public as well as the environmentalists. It is up to the EPA and the government to act leniently and ensure public welfare as well as environmental welfare. References 1. Biello, David. "EPA Plans Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards for Power Plants and Refineries”. Scientific American.com. 4th December 2012. 2. Keahey. "Energy and the Future". StudyMode.com. 30 April 2012. 4th December 2012. . 3. Sackett, D. "Why we must act now to reduce green house gas emissions". ABC.net.au. 25 November 2009. 4th December 2012. Read More