Nick Oliva - Environment

<< Nick Oliva

Topics

Opinions

Polar bears should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. If there's even a possibility that they ought to be... then, they ought to be. Waiting for a species to become endangered to put them on a list until they are no longer endangered is pretty stupid.

The U.S. government should not provide incentives for manufacturers to build fuel-efficient cars. There are already enough market incentives to do so.

Air pollution laws have a positive effect on the economy. [Assuming here that we are NOT referring to Bush Administration air pollution laws which benefited polluters...] What happens is that industries create environmentally friendly stuff which costs more money and sometimes requires people to replace old stuff... and the economy overall benefits.

Expanded ethanol production will have a negative effect on the economy. With the amount of water it takes to grow "biofuels" and the amount of people that would be better fed if cars didn't burn these, it makes no sense....

The U.S. should not expand oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. shouldn't encourage or support new efforts in fossil fuels. Particularly if it's true that companies have a backlog of years before they can begin to operator those sites already authorized.

The U.S. cannot meet all of its energy demands within 10 years through carbon-free sources. Not a chance... much longer than ten years.

Congress should not lift the ban on offshore oil drilling. Setting up new offshore drilling will take a very long time. New investment is better directed to alternative forms of energy. There's no reason to encourage oil companies to continue NOT spending money on research into other energy forms.

The federal government should not release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Not an emergency.

There is a link between global warming and the rising intensity of natural disasters. I think there's an eventual link that is clearly to be expected. I don't know that you can say that the intensity of damage to Louisiana is due to global warming since it's mostly due to having a dunce as President.

The U.S. government should increase the national gas mileage standard. Absolutely! There's already been huge growth in the sale of small cars. There should be the equivalent of a luxury tax on gas guzzlers... on top of the already oppressive cost of gasoline.

Expanded ethanol production will have a negative overall impact on the environment. Redirecting any natural resources to transportation fuel is bound to be a dumb thing in hindsight.

The benefits of recycling do not outweigh the costs. Recycling isn't viable in the long term. I just saw a magazine industry ad telling people to remove plastic inserts before trying to recycle. In NY, we're supposed to rinse out cans before recycling them! All ridiculously futile do-gooder "feel-good" effo

Plastic grocery bags should not be banned. I'll jump on this train when reasonable alternatives are universally available.

The U.S. should not permit commercial logging in national forests. It's not really nature if its exploited for commercial purposes.

The carbon tax system would be more effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. From what little I know of this, taxing makes more sense. Cap and trade always sounds to me like it has too much possibility of encouraging free-riders.

Climate change will have a negative effect on the economy.

Al Gore should not win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Global warming can be stopped.

The government should regulate greenhouse-gas emissions.

The U.S. should have signed the Kyoto Treaty.

Socioeconomic factors are improperly influencing the response to Hurricane Katrina.

Racism may have affected the government response to Katrina, but if it was a factor, it was a tangential one.

We can expect a loss of political points from the administration's planning and response.

The government was not well-prepared to respond to Katrina.

Prior to Katrina, local and federal authorities knew the breaching of the levees was possible.

Available resources are not being used wisely under the circumstances.

The deployment of National Guard members overseas has significantly affected the ability of the government to respond to Katrina.

The U.S. should not allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (ANWR).

Global warming is a problem that humans must take actions to address.

Global warming is a problem primarily caused by humans; higher average temperatures are partly or entirely the result of human actions.

UNKNOWN: Does the EPA effectively protect the environment?

UNKNOWN: Should states be allowed to adopt tougher fuel efficiency regulations than the federal standard?

UNKNOWN: Should governments create mandatory recycling programs?

UNKNOWN: Is reducing meat consumption an effective way to combat global warming?

UNKNOWN: Should landfills be privatized?

UNKNOWN: Should current air pollution laws be changed?

UNKNOWN: Should government regulate mercury levels in the environment?

UNKNOWN: Should Congress raise the gas tax?

UNKNOWN: Should the U.S. Bureau of Land Management euthanize wild horses to curb overpopulation?

UNKNOWN: Is buying a used conventional engine car more environmentally friendly than buying a new hybrid?