Has the EPA Sold Us Out? In it for a healthier society, or healthier pockets?

WHAT REALLY BURNS ME!

1. A Promise Broken

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was founded in 1970 for a reason: we were in the middle of environmental disasters. We saw millions of gallons of oil spill off the coast of California, killing wildlife of all kinds and covering beaches for years to come. Then, over 1,800 miles away on the Cuyahoga River in Ohio, pollution was so bad the waterway was clogged with chemicals that it actually spontaneously burst into flames and burned. That’s a hell of a sight! The EPA’s job was to stop this by setting rules on the amount of toxins—the “allowable amounts”—that companies could put into the air and water. But somewhere along the line, that mission got twisted. Now, the EPA seems less interested in protecting us and more interested in getting paid. They need cash for their contractors, chemical experts, and testers, and they get it from fines and fees that are now just a part of everyday life. You pay an “environmental charge” on your invoice just to change your tires. We’re paying for a service that, frankly, I don’t think we’re getting anymore.

2. The Shocking “License to Pollute”

Here’s where it gets outrageous. The EPA realized that if its rules were too strict, many large companies, like landfills, would shut down. That meant the EPA would lose all the profits they were making from their fees and fines. So, they came up with a new way to keep the cash flowing and the companies open: the permit system. This is a giant loophole! It means the national safety standards set by the EPA no longer apply to the local branches. Instead, a company—say, a landfill—can go to the local EPA and say, “We want to bring in more out-of-state trash, which means we’ll put out more bad stuff like \text{SO}_2 (Sulfur Dioxide) into the air.” The EPA then says, “Sure, pay us, and we’ll give you a permit to pollute more than the safe limit we already set.” Basically, the permit system is a way for companies to boost their profits off the health and well-being of people and animals in the area.

3. If the Price is Right—It’s a Bribe

The price for these permits shows exactly what’s going on. The EPA claims they use a specific, complex formula to calculate the cost, but that is a farce! It’s well known that landfills in different states pay totally different amounts for a permit to increase the same amount of pollution. The process to receive a permit is nothing more than a joke. They hold public meetings, but they are only for show, because the EPA passes almost every single permit applied for due to the sheer amount of money paid for it. When I tried to ask a clear question at one of these meetings—”What is the cost of a permit to raise the level of \text{SO}_2 in the air?”—I got nothing but stuttering and vague answers, saying it’s “different for each instance or each requested expansion.”

4. Our Health for Their Profit

The truth is, the EPA has become a way to drain the taxpayer of more money while giving these landfills the ability to increase pollution that will eventually cause you harm or death. The fee they charge for these permits is nothing more than a money grab, because the permits are worthless if the EPA were to follow its own rules. The bigger the company, the more pollution they put in the air and water, and the bigger the cost of the permit, allowing them to slowly choke off animal and human life—all at the hands of the almighty dollar. This organization has too much power, makes up its own rules, and then goes against those same rules for what you could basically call a bribe. It is my opinion that they do not do their job as intended, nor do they actually give a damn about human life in general.

As always this is my opinion, and

“This is what really Burns me!”

Thomas Domich                       #pissedoffredneckveteran