[QUOTE]Originally posted by AATees
[B] Anyway, somewhere around 55 mph is the optimum fuel efficiency for a car.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by greencj

Quote:

personally I feel that the biggest contributor to the 'smog' is the refineries... and I agree that all this lowering of speed limits will do is provide revenue for police/city in form of speeding tickets.

Its about 50:50 cars and industry. Refineries are being forced to reduce NOx emissions by 90% by 2007. I work in a refinery which is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to do this (ahead of schedule as well).

Refineries have taken the brunt of the clean-up flak in Houston for last 20+ years, and in my opinion totally unfairly. Based on the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (TNRCC), the major industrial polluters only account for 10% of the total greenhouse emissions in the Houston/Harris County area. 80% of the emissions are from automobiles, and the balance (= to all of the refineries) is from "Other" including bakeries (NOx from combustion and yeast) and dry cleaners (naphtha).

When they lowered the reporting limit from 100,000 lb/year to 10,000 lb/year, they "discovered" all sorts of smaller, de-centralize emitters. When they start demanding that bakeries put catalytic converters on their ovens, I'll know they are really serious about pollution and not just the deep pockets of the refineries.

By the way, the oil industry in Texas alone has lost 500,000 jobs in the last 20 years! If you drive, stop blaiming others. I once sat through a diatribe from a tree-hugger in Colorado who railed against me, told me I was "sinning", and also called me a "whore of the oil industry". Of course, he drove his SUV to the mountain, wore his Gore-Tex boots and jacket, and slept in a hollow-fill sleeping bag in a nylon tent. I have done more personnaly to clean up the environment in the last 20 years than everyone currently working at TNRCC.

Thanks for allowing me to vent.

Al

 

Got a ticket for going 75 going to the gunshow on Sunday!

If the speed limit was still 70 mph (instead of 55), I would not have been issued the ticket!

 

I've received an email similar to John David's, with the following link to vote on the speed change...

http://www.texasmotorists.org/speed_limits/default.asp

 

"Its about 50:50 cars and industry. Refineries are being forced to reduce NOx emissions by 90% by 2007. I work in a refinery which is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to do this (ahead of schedule as well)."

I must have missed that "forced requirement" for the refineries to reduce emissions by 90% by 2007. Everything I have read has made those reductions voluntary and your company must be one of the few volunteering. I noticed that the requirement for the auto industry to increase gas mileage has also been dropped. Seems like the 50:50 is all impacted by lobbyists. Are both arguements not impacted by the same industry? No doubt cleanup will cost the refineries, but they have pretty much ignored making any efforts to clean up on their own in the past and will pay the price now if they start. I am sure there are exceptions, but would guess they are few. Don't know about the bakeries, but I am sure they have their lobbyist keeping them out of the limelight also. And of course we consumers will all pay the price in the end in the gas line or the bread line. Personally don't care if there are candle makers out there polluting, I am totally unbiased and think they should all be required to clean up their acts.

I also have lots of friends in the energy industry and know this is a hot button with them and my view is considered "liberal". I support an energy giant at work who has been sued for environment issues myself. Tough to work in Houston and not be associated with the energy industry. Guess Honda is liberal because they seemed to meet omission standards on a car that seems to have plenty of performance that our American counterparts either can't or choose not to implement. Hard to believe they "can't" though. Money talks and influence sells on any regulations forcing air cleanup efforts that could impact big business profits. Always has and probably always will. Guess we will just have to get used to not shifting past 2nd gear with the new speed limits. Just my opinion.

 

[QUOTE][i]No doubt cleanup will cost the refineries, but they have pretty much ignored making any efforts to clean up on their own in the past and will pay the price now if they start.

 

Green license plates for "green" (enviro-friendly) cars with a 75mph limit... Black license plates for polluters with a 55mph in the right lane only license plate...

Gotta encourage people to change!!!

 

What a perfect solution!

 

I should run for office... Guess I need a US work visa first huh?