Environmental regulations go too far. That’s what I get out of this article. Basically, the gist is this: North Dakota has been using oil well saltwater for (you ready for this?) fifty years to de-ice the highways. During that time, North Dakota was (again, you ready?)  not destroyed environmentally!
Indeed, we read: “Transportation Department officials say they have not seen any ill effects caused by the saltwater, such as dead vegetation along highways or rustier-than-normal vehicles.”
Sounds like this isn’t doing much damage. But leave it to the Sierra Club to find something bad:
“I can’t imagine anybody would sign off on this,” said Wayde Schafer, a North Dakota spokesman for the Sierra Club.
“When it leaves the well site and is in an oil company truck it’s considered toxic material,” Schafer said. “If they have just one drip from the truck, they’re fined. But when it’s transferred to a state truck, it’s spread wholesale along the interstate. It definitely makes one wonder.”
Yes, it makes one wonder what the point of such a stupid regulation is? Why fine a company over one drop when “tens of thousands of gallons” of it have been dumped on the highways with no ill effects?
Indeed, one must ask…are these environmental whacky regulations part of the reason gas prices are “so high”? Would it not make more sense to let science (not the Sierra Club) determine whether this is a bad thing? Does this not demonstrate the utter stupidity of letting liberal sentiment regulate the environment?
