Obama Caps Global Warming

Plenty of environmental clean-up is on the horizon for new President Barack Obama who is stepping into the toxic waste left behind by the Bush administration.

Bold strokes were taken by Obama, one of which is the capping of large giveaways of tax payer dough afforded to monolithic oil and gas companies.  Obama’s new budget suggests a limit for greenhouse emissions restricting some of the offenders from the free reign they have been rewarded with over the past decades.

Furthermore, Obama’s budget invades the Yucca Mountain territory where the Bush administration turned a blind eye to loosely applied regulations and restrictions regarding the dumping of toxic and nuclear waste in Nevada.  A number of issues regarding the transport, aging and disposal of nuclear waste remain unresolved in addition to the rights of Shoshone natives who are potential victims of radioactive waste the DOE plans to dump on their land.

To date, no one has specified how tons of nuclear waste is to be transported without leaving a trail of radioactive fumes throughout American air, or has anyone explained how the same toxic entrails will be permanently sealed and rendered harmless throughout the ages of relative peace or earthshaking quakes.

New Funding for Transportation Options
On a more positive note, Obama has proposed to increase the funds for lower-carbon emitting transportation options based on sustainable energy sources such as the Dallas plan to reform their entire city fleet over to electricity-based fuel alternatives.

While some are critical of Obama’s proposals and condemn his administration for omitting to address international issues that contribute to global warming, he should be commended for addressing the Americans’ own responsibility for contributions at home.  The United States is one of the foremost industrialized nations, yet it has some of more lax environmental policies for allowing greenhouse gas emissions in the world.  American deposits into the World Bank help to finance fossil fuel projects in developing countries because the US is reliant for 65 percent of its energy consumption on foreign oil.  Focusing on advancing our own technology to increase self-reliance on sustainable energy sources will go a long way toward capping global warming.

Let’s clean up our own backyard.  The neighborhood will benefit.

Tagged as: Dallas, sustainable, texas, Yucca Mountain