Republican Debate

[thekid65]

The problem I have with the EPA (regional headquarters is Atlanta so I know a few longtime employees) is regulation to the point of economic disaster for this country and billions of wasteful spendinng on useless projects like Superfund sites. Have they actually cleaned any Superfund sites?

Being in the metal finishing business the last 25 years, I've dealt with the EPA/DEQ on numerous occasions. They've over-regulated shit constantly. I'm not saying we should revert back to the days previous to the 70's where waste was allowed to be dumped into rivers, etc....but regulations they arbitrarily impose are ridiculous, along with the paperwork/record keeping they require. It's a huge expense on businesses such as mine, and more so for much larger companies.

How many of you have dumped leftover Coke/soda pop down the drain over the years....I'd hazard a guess all of you have...to the tune of 100's of gallons all totaled. For me, at work? If I were to dump something down the drain with the same pH as most sodas (around a pH 3 or less, my limit is 5), I'd be subject to fines.

Ladies..those old bottles of nail polish, and remover you chuck in the trash? Me? fines. That little bit of paint leftover in the can? Fined. Your household cleaners you dump down the drain? Me? Fined. Clean you clogged trap out with Draino? Me? fined. Your lightbulbs you throw away? Me? Fined. The list goes on, and on, and on. And of course, I'm also subjected to the possibility of jail time for doing the same thing the public does every day.

And the thing is, I have to keep detailed records of all of the stuff that I have to pay an exorbitant amount of money to legally dispose of for a period of 3 years...the same fucking things that Joe Q. Public chucks in the trash every day.

We are getting our asses kicked by other countries that don't have such regulations...it's almost impossible to compete..along with the fact that other countries don't pay the same wages as we do, in the USA.

The EPA and DEQ need to be railed in a little bit..they make it very hard to do business. Again, I don't want to do any harm to the environment..but I'm damned tired of the knee-jerk reactions/regulations that I have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

As to your Superfund question...yes, many sites have been cleaned up, thanks to the CERCLA program (funded also, by all the chemicals that my company buys). Here's a list, if you're interested. Of course, there's still a long way to go.