RE: Presidential Politics

[Fred Stoss <fstoss@acsu.buffalo.edu>]

If the goals was to have clean air, why then don't the industries,
agencies, public interest and special interest groups see that by
cleaning the air you achieve

reduced mercury and lead contamination
reduced PCB and dioxin contamination
reduced SO2 and NOx pollution
reduced CO2 pollution
etc.

These effects can be achieved by technological fixes that may 
require billions of dollars to implement.

But these same goals can be achieved by reducing the total
amounts of fossil fuels we burn, energy we consume, efficiencies
with which we consume it. Making choices about how we live can be
very effective means to reduce pollutant loads.

It is tragically sad that while we hear of persons screaming for
the Secretary of Energy to release our strategic oil reserves, we 
have FAR TOO MANY SUVs on the road that are consuming incredible
amounts of fuel for what purpose? Safety? No. Security, maybe.
Status, definitely! I watched a young upwardly mobile young lady
drive her brand new Lincoln SUV right of the road and into a 
ditch last winter because she knew absolutely NOTHING about 
driving a four-wheel drive vehicle in foul weather. Not did she 
know her vehicle's center of gravity was much higher than 
ANYTHING she'd ever driven before. But in her mind she sure did 
look good behind the wheel.

Does the EPA have a campaign to tell folks about SUVs and how 
they are adversely impacting our economy as well as the 
environment?

What doesn't the automotive industry in the U.S. have a steady
production of energy efficient and environmentally friendly
motor vehicles? Other auto mkaers in Japan seem to have found the
R&D key to produce extremely fuel efficient vehicles. 

I cannot suport the release of our strategic oil reserves until 
someone takes away the keys of SUV drivers that cannot 
substantiate a health or safety need to keep that vehicle on the
road.

Fred Stoss