Comments on: Is EPA Action on CO2 Coming? http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/ Where science collides with life, slams into culture, crashes with politics, and gets totaled. Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:28:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: MadScientist http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15726 MadScientist Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:44:59 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15726 @Michael: How about "sulphur dioxide is *NOT* a pollutant; it is a natural gas emitted in large quantities by volcanoes and fumaroles around the world"? I don't agree that CO2 should be branded as a 'pollutant' but "it's natural" is not a good reason to say something isn't a pollutant. What concerns me the most is what do people think needs to be done? The usual bureaucratic approach is to pile on the taxes and not care about actually encouraging the development of alternatives. The regulators also need to be extremely careful about what they label CO2; even "pollutant" could have dire consequences for later legislation and management. If CO2 becomes known as a pollutant, hazardous waste, or industrial waste, then semi-permanent storage of CO2 in deep geological formations (as is currently done with some 'acid gas' mixtures) could become a problem. Rather than 'storing' an 'inert gas' which is hazardous only beyond a certain concentration in air, companies will suddenly find themselves classified as engaging in 'hazardous waste disposal'. This will also have effects on the use of CO2 in "enhanced oil recovery" operations; so much so that the enhanced recovery techniques may be rendered commercially unviable. @Michael:

How about “sulphur dioxide is *NOT* a pollutant; it is a natural gas emitted in large quantities by volcanoes and fumaroles around the world”? I don’t agree that CO2 should be branded as a ‘pollutant’ but “it’s natural” is not a good reason to say something isn’t a pollutant.

What concerns me the most is what do people think needs to be done? The usual bureaucratic approach is to pile on the taxes and not care about actually encouraging the development of alternatives.

The regulators also need to be extremely careful about what they label CO2; even “pollutant” could have dire consequences for later legislation and management. If CO2 becomes known as a pollutant, hazardous waste, or industrial waste, then semi-permanent storage of CO2 in deep geological formations (as is currently done with some ‘acid gas’ mixtures) could become a problem. Rather than ‘storing’ an ‘inert gas’ which is hazardous only beyond a certain concentration in air, companies will suddenly find themselves classified as engaging in ‘hazardous waste disposal’. This will also have effects on the use of CO2 in “enhanced oil recovery” operations; so much so that the enhanced recovery techniques may be rendered commercially unviable.

]]> By: Ashutosh http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15701 Ashutosh Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:39:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15701 I am waiting for the time when any positive action that Obama takes will be so predictable that it won't be a big deal anymore. I am waiting for the time when any positive action that Obama takes will be so predictable that it won’t be a big deal anymore.

]]> By: thingsbreak http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15690 thingsbreak Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:23:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15690 Michael huffs: <i>CO2 is NOT a pollutant–it’s a natural gas produced by a myrid [sic] of natural processes. </i> Lead is a natural element occurring in many natural minerals. Pollutant or not? Mercury is a natural element occurring in many natural minerals. Pollutant or not? Carbon monoxide is a naturally occurring gas. Pollutant or not? Sulfur dioxide is a naturally occurring gas. Pollutant or not? Ozone is a naturally occurring gas. Pollutant or not? Radon is a naturally occurring gas. Pollutant or not? And on and on and on... Michael huffs: CO2 is NOT a pollutant–it’s a natural gas produced by a myrid [sic] of natural processes.

Lead is a natural element occurring in many natural minerals. Pollutant or not?

Mercury is a natural element occurring in many natural minerals. Pollutant or not?

Carbon monoxide is a naturally occurring gas. Pollutant or not?

Sulfur dioxide is a naturally occurring gas. Pollutant or not?

Ozone is a naturally occurring gas. Pollutant or not?

Radon is a naturally occurring gas. Pollutant or not?

And on and on and on…

]]> By: Uncle Al http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15687 Uncle Al Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:21:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15687 Dr. Schund has diagnosed the horrors of a much more pervasive infrared absorber, a volatile substance with a huge permanent dipole moment suited to converting the Earth into a whopping convection oven, present in tremendous and tremendously growing atmospheric concentration, http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/humid.htm and its cure! Dr. Schund has diagnosed the horrors of a much more pervasive infrared absorber, a volatile substance with a huge permanent dipole moment suited to converting the Earth into a whopping convection oven, present in tremendous and tremendously growing atmospheric concentration,

http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/humid.htm

and its cure!

]]> By: Jon Winsor http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15685 Jon Winsor Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:07:32 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15685 "CO2 is NOT a pollutant" That argument IS a semantic one. “CO2 is NOT a pollutant”

That argument IS a semantic one.

]]> By: Michael http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15684 Michael Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:03:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/intersection/2009/04/14/is-epa-action-on-co2-coming/#comment-15684 This is the acme of bureaucratic insanity. CO2 is NOT a pollutant--it's a natural gas produced by a myrid of natural processes. The American people are just about fed up with this silly business, and I expect a severe political backlash. And about time. This is the acme of bureaucratic insanity. CO2 is NOT a pollutant–it’s a natural gas produced by a myrid of natural processes. The American people are just about fed up with this silly business, and I expect a severe political backlash. And about time.

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