On June 16, Northampton County Council voted to table a request for $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to set up air pollution stations at numerous points within the county Although Council members seemed to agree with the idea, they wanted more detail on the project management fee. Those details were provided, and last night, County Council actually approved $2,000 more than what was originally requested. But it was a divided vote. All Democrats and Republican John Cusick supported the grant, but Republicans John Goffredo, John Brown and Tom Giovanni were opposed.
Goffredo played Devil's Advocate for the trio of naysayers. He indicated that the monitors will definitely show air pollution but wondered, "What are we going to do about it? ... Are we going to tell people to drive less? Go to work less? ... What is the end game?"
Andrea Wittchen, founder of the Lehigh Valley Sustainability Network, along with Lehigh University's Dr. Breena Holland, were on hand to respond to Goffredo. Witchen said that the air monitors would show where truck traffic, particularly diesel, have a detrimental impact on air quality. The data collected could then be used by municipalities to amend zoning and planning ordinances to make air quality part of a required traffic impact study for proposed warehouses, leading to a possible reduction in size of of truck numbers.
"I understand the big, hot topic is warehousing and truck traffic," said Goffredo. "If you're not somebody who relies on that - if you're not a truck driver or operator and you don't work in those warehouses - these might seem like inconveniences to a lot of people.
"A lot of people depend on these jobs. As somebody who does depend on these jobs and has a lot of people work for me who do depend on those jobs, it's getting to a point where we're starting to feel like second class citizens just for driving a diesel truck."
He noted people are driving diesel trucks because people are buying things from these warehouses. He noted there is high demand for products from warehouses, and "we are handcuffing what the market is already demanding."
Council member Tara Zrinski said that nobody is taking any jobs away, and the intent here is to make the community safer for the many people who already suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems. She added that the data from these monitors would give municipalities, if they so desired, the data from which to adopt ordinances to stop warehouse saturation.
18 comments:
This is complete nonsense and a waste of money that might be spent helping our needy. New diesel engines emit cleaner exhaust than their intake air. Visit a truck repair shop and look for the old exhaust snakes that are no longer needed. New trucks smell a lot nicer than Tara or Bernie on one of their good days. We're fighting a battle that's already been fought and won at the federal emissions standards level. There's just no depth to the stupidity of zealots selling their cruel climate bullshit religion. With a 1.6 per family replacement rate, humanity is going extinct by suicide while morons like this are yapping about a planet that farts in Tara's general direction. Gaia has gas alright.
The people need to have the facts so they can make competent decisions about our so called economic development. We are clearly being abused by corporate entities that have no idea what truck traffic does to the air and roadways of the county. Their greed is all that matters and the few jobs created is no longer a viable alibi. We've had enough!
"New diesel engines emit cleaner exhaust than their intake air."
If this is true, which is certainly not the case in older diesel, you have no reason to worry. I suspect it's not true. Goffredo certainly said as much himself when he condemned this plan. He justifies the pollution caused by truck traffic because of the demand we consumers have for what warehouses provide.
When I was in the Army reserve, I had a friend who was going to NYC every week to buy heroin and sell it here. He justified it to me on the basis of the demand here. When I told him about the people who would be negatively affected, he responded they are already the walking dead.
So Goffredo, just like my drug dealer friend, thinks demand trumps people's health. It's our fault is in essence his argument. I think people's health matters a bit more. By the way, my drug dealer friend eventually relented when I suggested that eventually, this would seep into his own family. Maybe Goffredo will relent when he understands that loved ones in his family and community could contract asthma or worse.
It's a people problem, not and air problem. We cannot base our expectations for a clean environment on what it would look like with zero people. We all pollute just by existing in our current standard of living. Even you Tara. What level of pollution are we willing to accept and what modern conveniences are we really willing to give up?
The nerve of this total asshat to pretend diesel truck drivers are treated as 2nd class citizens...in THIS anti-choice hellscape where millions of woman just lost their rights to bodily autonomy. I hate it here.
Diesel fleets have average lifespans of 13 to 15 years. We're in year 15 of the emissions ratcheting-down. The last dirty trucks are nearly gone. Most new diesel engines serve to CLEAN ambient air by exhausting cleaner than the dirty intake air. You're fighting the last battle that ended in victory in 2007, although it resulted in a 500% increase in engine cost - which was simply passed to consumers in the form of higher costs of goods. Gas, grass, or ass - nobody rides for free, right? This is a stupid waste of taxpayer money by a birdbrain who thinks plastic straws are coming to kill us. Environmentalism, like all isms, is an obnoxious religion based upon fantasy.
https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/can-diesel-engines-clean-urban-air/
Diesel exhaust? Think about tire dust! Let that sink in....One would think that as our tires wear out, the finely ground rubber particulates would pile up on roadsides! See any piles?
Maybe they want to monitor the air incase McClure farts.
If you really believe that today's diesel engines are so clean and green, filtering the air and leaving the atmosphere even less polluted then when they found it, you shouldn't have any objections. Go ahead and prove it to us tree -hugging libs!
It’s a little late to blow 50k lol the warehouses aren’t going anywhere. Oh the trucks are polluting and affecting our air. Shit I could have told you that for free.
Then move to China. Let's see how much you like it there.
Maybe if Tara Zirinski would shut up for once and top preaching and stop sucking all th air out of the room people would be able to breath.
It's been proven. One may lead religious environmentalist anti-science zealots to emissions studies, and direct them to visit a truck repair or building shop. But one cannot make said zealots drink from any fountain of knowledge that challenges their strongly held religious beliefs. They are zombies who have settled on the science that makes them comfortable. Gaia appreciates your unscientific faith. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and wipe with one square for the children. We got this. Let's just waste the money. Everyone knows there's tons of it and all the needy are currently provided for.
This has nothing to do with "science zealots," geez. What these air monitors will do is provide the data from which reasoned decisions can be made about where warehouses belong.If the data shows that there is no pollution in a given area, that will be an argument that a warehouse developer can make in support of his proposal. Goffredo argues that diesel truck drivers and warehouse workers have been relegated to second class status. My view is that it is actually those of us who breathe dirty air and sit in congestion who are second class citizens. We become third class citizens when we are forced top subsidize warehouses with tax breaks. I have nothing against warehouses so long as they are next to highways, and I would not make the mistake of giving any warehouse developer a tax break. So I would have nothing against turning the empty Dixie plant into a warehouse bc it is close to Rte 22, but would never support a tax break to do so. Just as warehouse developers should be forced to pay for the roads destroyed by their trucks, they should also be forced to take measures to prevent the dirty air that makes us sick. There is no zealotry involved such a simple idea. Air monitors will provide the data from which such decisions can be made fairly.
Notice the anti-intellectual emphasis here, rejecting science and calling it zealotry. This is one of the warning signs of fascism that I wrote about earlier this week. I understand the Republican argument of laissez faire. There is merit in the argument that we should interfere as little as possible in business. That is solid conservative thinking, and I respect it. I do not understand the outright rejection of science unless it comes from the Leader. That is fascism.
Dumb waste of money to salve to idiocy of religious extremists who complain about the truly needy with their next sentence. The idiocy has no end and can't be cured by the crowd that judges things "nice" or not. This is why government runs like shit. Bernie defends the shit. Nothing new.
There is nothing idiotic about monitoring the air quality here in the LV unless you are happy with all the respiratory illnesses that afflict our children. I believe these data points will reveal where air quality is a problem and where it is not. It will also reveal the extent of the problem. If there is no problem, then there is no need for concern, If there is, affected municipalities can take action. They already require traffic impact studies, and have even formed consortiums so that traffic impact can be measured in more than one municipality. My guess is that the air monitors will link traffic impact and air quality, enabling affected municipalities to assess impact fees on prospective developers to mitigate pollution. Incidentally, most of these municipalities are governed by Republicans who have been at the forefront of these planning consortiums. You see, true conservatives really do wish to conserve our air quality and open space. It is only Fascists who will oppose this bc they think the Leader would be opposed to protections (not regulations) designed to save lives. They;d rather inject themselves with bleach.
I am by no means a religious or environmental zealot. I acknowledge they exist. I opposed and still oppose a plastic straw ban bc it is ineffective. I do think we all drive too much but we are not yet at the point where electric vehicles are the answer. I completely support science-based studies providing data from which suggestions can be made to improve our environment and quality of life. There is little disagreement on this point between both parties. Your Trumpian fear of science is getting a tad ridiculous.
Anonymous at 2:51:
Thanks for the link. You make a good point about the relevance of an upgraded diesel fleet. However, the article you reference is far more measured in its conclusions than your stated claims. For instance, the article states that research showing that newer models help remove particulate from extremely dirty air (which is a highly contrived research context) was conducted on the newer models of diesel trucks that have the particulate filters on them. The article states “many of the diesels still on the road are pre-DFP models.” I once talked to someone who owned a company who cleaned diesel particulate filters and learned that it’s pretty easy to damage these
things if you don’t want them to do their job on the vehicle because it diminishes fuel efficiency. Maybe the newer models of filters are different, but after reflecting on Volkswagon’s success in circumventing intended emissions controls, one can easily see why emissions monitoring is an important check on emissions that we expect to be lower because of the filters. Additionally, in the article you sent the link to, there are links to studies showing tires as an additional source of particulate that could be just as bad as the diesel tailpipe emissions. Sixteen- and eighteen-wheel tractor trailers have a lot of tires, so this is another good reason to monitor the air. Perhaps your desire to criticize people who disagree with you and your own fantasies about environmentalists as brainless zealots has diminished your capacity for reasoned judgment about the relevance of studying air pollution?
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