Environmental Protection Agency: "Lisa Jackson Leaving EPA In January."  (Commentary on Government Waste, By Dave Harbour)

We received an email about Jackson’s upcoming departure with this message: "This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."  

We boldfaced two words above to demonstrate the abysmal lack of business and economics knowledge possessed by this federal agency and Administration.  Of course, our readers know that the Taxpayers paid for the agency to spread its propaganda throughout the country via a sophisticated mass delivery program known as, "GovDelivery".   Every federal email should proclaim: "Funded at taxpayer expense."  

We get similar EPA mailings regularly, announcing "settlements" between the agency, would-be developers, environmental groups and others.  From what we have seen, every settlement restricts free enterprise, increases America’s cost of living and puts the opposition in a "No Win" situation whether the entity is guilty or not of anything requiring the payment of huge extortion fees.  Massive millions are flowing from the private sector to government or environmental causes and no one seems to care.

P.S.  Tuesday, we received the ‘free’ email, described above.  Below, is the ‘free’ email we received yesterday.  Note that EPA didn’t fine the company $62,985 for hurting someone with ‘hazardous chemicals’, but that the punishment "settlement" is extracted for failure to tell the government entities about what chemicals the company was using.  For a small company, an unexpected loss of $60k could mean the loss of an employee, failure to pay rent, inability to fund optional employee benefits, bonuses, etc.  It will likely increase the company’s risk profile along with liability expenses.  For sure, it will increase operating costs that will be borne by the consumer.  Multiply that by hundreds of EPA penalties and harrassing techniques employed throughout the country — whether or not any actual enviornmental damage has occurred — and one wonders, "Why are prices going up so fast?".

YESTERDAY’S:

(Seattle – December 26, 2012) General Biodiesel, in south Seattle, will pay a penalty for failing to report their hazardous chemicals in violation of federal emergency planning laws, according to a consent agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

General Biodiesel converts used cooking oils, fish oil, vegetable oil, and animal fats into biodiesel fuel and glycerol in a process that uses hazardous chemicals including methanol, sodium methoxide, and sulfuric acid. In 2009 and 2010, General Biodiesel failed to submit Emergency and Hazardous Chemical Inventory forms to the Seattle fire department, King County … and Washington’s … Commission.

"When a company fails to report their hazardous chemicals to emergency planners and responders, they put their employees and the community at risk," said Kelly McFadden, EPA’s Pesticides and Toxics Unit Manager in Seattle. "This information is critical to alert federal, state, and local officials to prevent injuries or deaths to emergency responders, workers, and the local community."

Failure to report large amounts of hazardous chemicals to appropriate agencies is a violation of the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

General Biodiesel agreed to pay a $62,985 penalty and fully comply with federal emergency planning rules to protect their workers, emergency responders, and the local community.

For information on the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, visit: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/epcra/epcraenfstatreq.html

More information on the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act in Washington is available at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/epcra/index.html


EPA Seal

You can view or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems e-mail support@govdelivery.com for assistance. 

This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

 

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