Forget Spitzer, Here's Some Real News

As the political career of the sanctimonious and self-righteous Eliot Spitzer unravels, there is real news going on out there. Under the radar yesterday, the EPA issued its annual report on greenhouse gases (GHG), finding that GHG emissions in the US decreased by almost 112 million metric tons. These numbers are for 2006, the most recent data available. It should be noted that 2006 was a record year for manufacturing output, bested ultimately by 2007. This new report shows that the efforts of manufacturers and utilities are paying off.

Of course, no sooner do we start making significant improvements that the goal line gets moved. This story in yesterday's WaPo says carbon output needs to be at zero. Crikey. That could mean bye-bye economy. Oh, well. We can get a new one.

The decrease in GHG in the EPA report is due in part to the increased use of natural gas. Problem is, the United States Government has put some 85% of the reserves of natural gas in the Outer Continental Shelf off limits. They might want to re-think that decision so American manufacturers can continue to compete while at the same time driving down the amount of GHG emissions. That's a good thing, right?

Here's a link to the full report, and here's a link to the Executive Summary.