You’ll Be Fine. Just Don’t Breathe.
Me and Ole Bubba like to get away to the mountains every now and then. We were out in the Ozarks recently sitting on a mountain top looking out over the whole damn earth. I commented that you could see forever and a block. Ole Bubba said, “I dunno. I’m from Texas. I don’t trust air that you can’t see.”
Which appears to be the way it’s gonna stay in Texas.
Let me start by showing you a smog map of Houston from yesterday afternoon. Green is good. Orange is bad. Click the little one to get the big one.
I live in Richmond, which is on the lower left hand edge.
And here’s the week’s air forecast. Same deal – green is good, orange is bad.
Okay, so here’s where the story gets crazy.
The state agency responsible for protecting Texans against harmful chemicals said on Tuesday that it opposed federal efforts to lower smog levels because most people had air conditioners and spent “90 percent of their time indoors.”
We’re like moles here in Texas. You know, living in post-apocalypse world where you can’t go outdoors because the damn air will kill you. But the boys over at Slick Clyde’s Coal Burning Solar Panel Disposal are making a tanker load of money so what’s a few more hours indoors for your kids?
Now let me see if I have this straight. The problem is emissions. The State of Texas wants me to stay inside and run an air conditioner full blast to clean the air that got dirty because people ran their air conditioners full blast in the first place.
Honeycutt wrote, adding that people who were “near death” and more susceptible to ozone spent even more time indoors.
Who told you that crap? When my times comes I’m spending it on the banks of the Brazos River that has carried the tears and joys of Texans out to sea since the beginning of time. Oh hell, maybe not because Slick Clyde has polluted the damn river, too.
It is 69 degrees and sunny this fine morning and I am sitting outside on the deck with my laptop just finishing my second cup of coffee. I have to go indoors now because I’m starting to see the air.
Thanks to Deb for the heads up.
Damn it. I suffer through summer waiting for those first cooler days when I can sleep with the windows open and go for a walk mid-day without melting. And then the minute the good weather shows up, the air quality goes all to hell.
I check that stupid chart every morning and I always assume the actual air quality is a little worse than they say.
1When I moved to Texas from Vermont, the locals said I should appreciate the longer summers and what a shame about the “Cabin Fever” I got from Vermont.
2Well, having lived in both places, let me point out the “Cabin Fever” was worse in Texas, for one trying to escape from the heat (windows closed , AC on) and being in Austin, opening a window in the “winter’ was only an option if you could ignore the car alarms going off all the time.
Based on that, I assure you the “Cabin Fever” is worse in Austin.
Indoor air can be as polluted as outdoor air, even with air conditioning, so refusing to do anything to ameliorate outdoor pollution is non-sensical. I’m guessing Republicans.
3Just remember, folks… the Texas Department of Environmental Quality is an oxymoron. Everyone knows there is no quality environment here, and the DEQ’s sole reason for existing is to ensure that there won’t be a quality environment.
4Ah Yes!
I Love that “See Air”……
(long inhale…………)
5Cough, Cough, Cough, Gasp
Ever see photos from China where the pollution is so bad you can barely see the end of the block, and the particulates being sucked into your lungs exceed WHO’s safe levels by about 20 times? Republican pols want America to look like that.
Hey, it boosts the economy. Think of all the hospitals and respirator makers and funeral homes that benefit!
If you want to see your GOP future, look up Donora PA.
6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Donora_smog
The asshats are just following what the Republican Party of Texas 2014 Platform dictates:
“We strongly oppose all efforts of the extreme environmental groups that stymie legitimate business interests and private property use. We believe the Environmental Protection Agency should be abolished.”
http://www.texasgop.org/wp-con…
7Rhea, the air quality in China is what made me happy about retiring Senator Max Baucus being appointed as United States Ambassador to China. That Blue Dog needs to breath deep.
8As usual, old Clyde is “lazy thinking.” But for him I guess thats a career choice.
9Air conditioners do little to filter the air. High-efficiency particulate air or HEPA filters do a lot better, but it costs a bit to filter an entire house.
This is in keeping with the right-wing philosophy of just letting problems happen and then dealing *usually inadequately) with the fallout. Hey, it works for gun violence and ebola–unless, of course, you’re on the receiving end of gun violence of ebola.
10To misquote Tom Lehrer:
“When you visit a Texas city
11You will find it very pretty
Just two things of which you must beware
Don’t drink the water and don’t breathe the air.”
Do air conditioners actually filter/clean the air?
12So why was Amarillo not on the list?
13Years ago a comedian said of the polluted Houston Ship Channel of the time, “As water goes, the water in the Ship Channel is in a middle stage. Too thick to drink. Too thin to plow.” By that measure Texas air seems to have entered a middle stage. It is definitely starting to be too thick to breath. Next thing you know it’ll be too thick to walk through.
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