Comments riverguy has made

  • Put him RFK Jr in charge of enforcement

    Robert Kennedy Jr. is a committed environmentalist and the type of person we want at EPA. That said, I don't think he would be a good manager of the agency.  I would love to see him in charge of enforcement at EPA.  Many of our environmental laws have been thrown out the window in the past 8 years, and having him begin to hold polluters accountable again seems like a great fit with his skills.    On Obama considers RFK Jr. for EPA posted 1 year ago 34 Responses

  • Question

    Now that Clorox has this natural product line, are they going to stop selling their traditional products that contain synthetic chemicals?  Seventh Generation and many other companies have sold natural cleaning products for years.  I agree that Clorox should be praised if they are eliminating harmful chemicals from their cleaning products, but I don't see what the buzz is if they are simply rolling out a new product line while still manufacturing all the same old stuff.On The latest green partnership posted 1 year, 10 months ago 7 Responses

  • Please stick to what you do best

    David,

    I generally enjoy reading your posts and think you are an excellent writer.  However, I don't subscribe to the Grist blog to follow the presidential race.  Yes, I think Grist readers should follow and be involved in presidential politics, and we need to make sure the candidates are talking about the important environmental issues of our time.  Just try to make your posts at least somewhat relevant to the environment and not just straight-up political news.  On McCain and Clinton win posted 1 year, 10 months ago 10 Responses

  • Please do some research before posting.

    Practically speaking, a tax is far different than a cap and trade system.  They work quite differently and can produce quite different results.  

    Cap and trade requires a whole system set up with transparency, accounting, and verification.  It requires markets and those markets can be volatile.

    A carbon tax would address all sources of carbon from all sectors, while most cap and trade schemes often apply only to electricity generation.  On A carbon tax isn't the only solution posted 1 year, 11 months ago 6 Responses

  • I agree

    Your point that it is more expensive to deal with the problem now than before Katrina is definitely true.  Almost everything is more expensive in a hurricane zone afterward.  The larger issue is that  most of the money for the Katrina response has focused on dealing with the problems caused by Katrina, not in preventing another Katrina.  Of course we need money to help people who have been affected, but in general, it seems that when we do have disasters that are at least partly human-caused, we tend to focus on responding to the disaster, not the cause of the disaster.
    On Investments are needed to stave off climate-induced water crisis posted 2 years, 1 month ago 13 Responses

  • That's not exactly right

    The author's depiction that New Orleans knew it was in trouble, but was unwilling to spend the money to protect itself isn't accurate.  The author is right on the point that many people in New Orleans did know the city was vulnerable.  Unfortunately, making the city safe required and still does much more than what New Orleans, or event the state of Louisiana could do alone.  First, the levees in New Orleans were built by the federal government, not the City. Most importantly, however, the reason New Orleans is so vulnerable to hurricanes is that much of its surrounding coastal wetlands have disappeared.  Those wetlands act as a buffer for hurricane storm surge.  People have long recognized that the vanishing coast in Louisiana could have massive repercussions when a hurricane struck.  However, the solution is to restore the coast, which requires billions of dollars.  Not exactly an easy fix for the poor City of New Orleans.  

    The author should stick to his great point that communities in the southeast haven't been planning well when it comes to water supply and he shouldn't say uninformed things like, "they look pretty stupid now."  Yes, it might have been possible to prevent the disaster that was Katrina, but it wasn't some simple fix that New Orleans could have accomplished alone.  It would have required foresight within all levels of government, which didn't exist and continues to be a problem.  On Investments are needed to stave off climate-induced water crisis posted 2 years, 1 month ago 13 Responses

  • caption

    Joe, do I get a kiss for helping on this climate change bill?On Winner to receive unimaginable riches, fame posted 2 years, 1 month ago 9 Responses

  • biostitutes

    It is pleasing to hear that some people still have morals.  Too many "environmental consultants" these days get rich off of helping developers fill wetlands.  We need more folks to tell the developers to find a better location or get lost. On Temptation posted 2 years, 3 months ago 17 Responses

  • Don't divide us

    I think David Roberts makes a good point that enviros do not always do a good job building alliances and dividing enemies.  With that said, he seems to lump all environmentalists as progressives, thereby excluding many possible allies.On Good ideas, those posted 2 years, 3 months ago 9 Responses

  • center for american progress

    At the Kos conference, someone should ask the center for american progress why they are so heavily promoting flex fuel and corn ethanol.  Doesn't seem much like progress to me.  On Come catch the hotness! posted 2 years, 4 months ago 5 Responses