Environmentalism and Climate Change

[popeyespappy]

Love canal is actually something I've heard of. I was under the impression that they were using it as a waste disposal site (though government had dumped waste there as well), and didn't want to sell it to the government in the first place. The government then builds schools/ allows schools and homes to be built on it's new land, for which it took responsibility. This is from memory though, I could be 100% wrong on this one.

Really kichi? They are refunding the biggest polluters? But that would defeat the entire fucking purpose of the new fucking tax, and the only effect would be more bureaucracy as you said... fucking hell.

Yes Love Canal was a massive failure of government. Hooker chemical disclosed that the site was used as a toxic waste dump when they sold the property to the school board for $1, and the school board went ahead and built an elementary school on it anyway. However, Hooker Chemical knew what they were doing when they used the site for a dump. They knew the waste they were burying there was dangerous. They had other more expensive means of safely disposing of their waste available but went ahead and buried it onsite based on an economic decision. They were held liable for that decision, but that didn't really help the dozens of children born with birth defects due to exposure to the chemicals Hooker buried. This is what I am talking about when I say industry can't be trusted to make decisions based on anything but the bottom line.