UP IN SMOKE AND THROUGH THE PIPES, (Washington Post)
So here we are at the end of another glorious week in American, land of the free and the home of the brave, the birthplace of Pampers, hot dogs and tailgating, can you dig it. In my daily search for eye catching material for my loyal readers, I, as your editor and chief have come across a couple of jewels, hope you enjoy, I know I am.
Smoking is an American issue, brought on the smoking coalitions throughout the United States, which are armed with statistical information until it comes out of your---. I have pretty much always excepted as gospel the argument laid out by the opponents of smoking. Smoking is bad for your health, can cause cancer, heart attack, respiratory problems, high blood pressure and give you bad breath.
All of this is true and then some. When I smoked cigarettes, was in an enclosed area, whether it was outside, or indoors, I always asked if anybody minded if I lit up and if somebody voiced displeasure, I put my Kool Lites back in my pocket and waited for the jerk to leave.
Afghanistan, Iraq and now Libya also cause death and second hand war can also be fatal, yet there isn't a coalition against war making by the United States. War injuries do cost tax payers, the extended care that some returning soldiers need is astronomical and can be a lengthy process, yet.....no coalitions denouncing war.
I do not advocate for smokers rights, I don't think that they have any. There is no way that a smoker can make any sort of credible argument for the right to smoke. I do however have a problem with not being able to smoke in a tavern or in an open air athletic stadium. Smoking sections need to be used for this highly athletic pastime and non-smoking sections need to be obeyed, but smoking and drinking are as American as apple pie and Chevrolet trucks.
I go into taverns for three reasons, not any any particular order, to drink, to smoke and to watch the women. I feel that I do have these three rights as a red blooded American red neck, as long as I respect others and observe the rules of the tavern. Without rules we descend into the pit of public discord and I want nothing to do with discord.
I think that those states that have enacted non-smoking regulations in public places start down the proverbial slippery slope of more governmental control. I understand all of those concerns of second hand smoke and the cost to medical insurance companies and how we are all effected by increased rates. But where are the smoke cops going to stop, in our cars, in our houses, or in the very air that we breath?
I can answer all of these questions with one simply answer, YES. It is the goal of smoke free coalitions to stamp out smoking of any kind in America, I know this because I have attended meetings sponsored by some of these people and there single minded goal is to abolish all kinds of tobacco use, cigars, cigarettes, pipes, chewing tobacco, snuff and any other derivative of the leafy plant grown basically in the southern states of America. Marijuana is not specifically mentioned, but is illegal in most states.
There still seems to be one bastion for smokers left in American, and we here at Chronicle headquarters can only say one thing, "way to go you southern and western states that have bucked the trend." You are trend setters, undoubtedly there will be a cloud of smoke over your states as more and more smokers are drawn to your principalities for the right to smoke where ever you please.
Tobacco companies are rejoicing in your decision, road taxes will continue to roll in, making politicians happy and you will have some of the best roads in the United States. The only problem that I can see for these forward looking states is that they will become the land of the wheeze. Coughing and spitting up phlegm will become common place, but could be taken advantage of with luge spitting contests. Could you imagine luge spitting on ESPN or Wide World of Luge on ABC, I can.
Seriously if we want to allow people to smoke in certain areas roped off areas, those that smoke would not be eligible to health care access for smoke related illnesses. When smoke related illnesses struck a smoker, he/she would simply be carried to a dark dry place and allowed to expire in a peaceful atmosphere. That, my smoking friend would be the ultimate price of your right to smoke.
THROUGH THE PIPES, (San Francisco Chronicle)
PG&E is at it again, or maybe never have quite. In an article dated 4-22-11, in the San Francisco Chronicle, California regulators were told by the power company that they will never find documents for some of it's older gas pipelines, and if the state doesn't except assumptions about some pipes, the company would have to spend 5 years shutting them down and testing them with high-pressure water to acess their integrity.
In a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E could not satisfy a state order to come up with complete traceable, verifiable records on more then a third of 1800 miles of it's pipelines in and around urban California areas.
The Utilities Commission issued the order (which seems reasonable to me) after it was revealed that Pacific Gas & Electric Company's records incorrectly described as seamless, the San Bruno pipeline that exploded in a fiery blast on September 9, 2010, that took the lives of 8 people and destroyed 38 homes.
Federal metallurgists concluded that the pipe failed at a seam weld and that PG&E never conducted inspections that might have detected the problem weld. Of the transmission line records that are still missing after a March 15th. deadline, they have proposed to pay a $3 million dollar fine and will continue their search by another deadline in August.
In it's filing on April 21st. Pacific Gas & Electric called the request for complete records unprecedented, saying that full documentation would be very difficult if not impossible to achieve. Before missing the March 15th. deadline, the company enlisted hundreds of employees to search through more then a million boxed documents to back up PG&E's stated safety condition on the pipelines. Instead of the search, the company would like the commission to accept what amounts to an educated guess about the 600 miles of missing pipeline records.
PG&E proposed analysis by the company about all sorts of components, material specifications at the time of those material procurement, sound engineering judgement, and conducting excavation and field testing of pipeline systems as appropriate by company officials. There never was a defined set of requirements that the California Public Utilities Commission gave to Pacific Gas & Electric. There is further, questions that PG&E has with regards to whether the commission would except documentation, as opposed to actual high-pressure water tests to satisfy them.
PG&E stated that the only alternative to it's above stated plan was to either pressure-test or replace more then 700 miles of pipe. The company has resisted the pressure tests, citing cost, inconveniencing customers because of the shut-down of parts of the system and because the actual pressure test might weaken the pipelines.
Thank God I don't live in California, not only is some of the state sitting on an earthquake fault, other parts seem to be sitting on a natural gas pipeline that is suspect and in fact exploded, killing people and destroying people's property. Guess what you guys, some of you might be sitting on a time bomb and the clock is probably ticking.
For Pacific Gas & Electric to be trusted by California customers would be a leap of faith, given the power companies background with regards to track record in safety procedures. As stark evidence, one need only to watch the 2000 movie, Erin Brockovick. I don't usually cite movies as part of any research that I do when I write about a subject matter, but in this case, I make an exception.
Hinkley, California is a Small community in the south of the state near Barstow. The United States does not define a census designated place called Hinkley, but it does have have a Zip Code of 92347. In that way, through the Zip Code, it is possible to establish the population at 1,915 as of the 2000 census.
The biggest employer in the area was PG&E and a compressor station for the companies massive natural gas transmission pipeline. The station was used to re-compress the gas as part of the process of servicing it's customers with these types of facilities, located approximately 350 miles apart.
Large cooling towers were used to cool the compressors and the water used in these towers, when not in use was stored in unlined water ponds next to the towers. The water contained an ingredient to present rust in the machinery called hexavalent chromium, which ultimately severely contaminated the groundwater that the little community used for drinking, bathing and cooking.
Also located west of Hinkley was the Hawes Radio Tower that was used for military communication in the LF-range. The use lasted from the 1960's to the 1980's before it was dismantled and use was discontinued. Whether the tower had any effect on the health of the citizens of Hinkley is unknown, as I can find no information that any studies were ever conducted.
However the contaminated water table of Hinkley brought a class action lawsuit and hundreds of people received parts of a $333 million dollar settlement that arrived at in 1994, to that point, the largest award in the history of the United States. As recently as 2008 an additional tort suit decision found in favor of more then 100 additional plaintiffs in the amount of $24.3 million.
During the course of these two suits, it was found that PG&E knew about the contamination as far back as 1950 and tried to delay any settlement until a gas rate hike was in place so that shareholders wouldn't feel the bite of the payments.
All told, PG&E has paid more then $600 million dollars in settlements related to four separate lawsuits filed by Hinkley residents the saddest collection of millionaires in the United States. In a study released in 2010 by the California Cancer Registry, it was stated that "despite the contamination, cancer rates in Hinkley remained unremarkable from 1988 to 2008.
An epidemiologist involved with the study said that the 196 cases of cancer reported between 1996 and 2008 was "less then what would be expected," based on demographics and the regional rate of cancer, another reason I'm glad I only visit California. To minimize 196 cases of reported cancer in a 12 year period, in a community of less then 2000 people is, in my way of think heartless at least, and bone headed at the most, when one considers that in 2010 the estimate of cancer infected stood at around 11 million, or less then 4%. I guess for the demographics of Hinkley, 10% is acceptable, there must be a hell of alot of cancer causing agents in and around the area, I'd move.
The rub on this entire scenario is the fact that PG&E won't pay a penny, the citizens of California will pay for the misdeeds of the power company through their monthly utility bills. A penny here, a penny there, a service charge, an installation fee, it might take years, but the stockholders will never pay, the good old American system at it's corrupt best.
In a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission, PG&E could not satisfy a state order to come up with complete traceable, verifiable records on more then a third of 1800 miles of it's pipelines in and around urban California areas.
The Utilities Commission issued the order (which seems reasonable to me) after it was revealed that Pacific Gas & Electric Company's records incorrectly described as seamless, the San Bruno pipeline that exploded in a fiery blast on September 9, 2010, that took the lives of 8 people and destroyed 38 homes.
Federal metallurgists concluded that the pipe failed at a seam weld and that PG&E never conducted inspections that might have detected the problem weld. Of the transmission line records that are still missing after a March 15th. deadline, they have proposed to pay a $3 million dollar fine and will continue their search by another deadline in August.
In it's filing on April 21st. Pacific Gas & Electric called the request for complete records unprecedented, saying that full documentation would be very difficult if not impossible to achieve. Before missing the March 15th. deadline, the company enlisted hundreds of employees to search through more then a million boxed documents to back up PG&E's stated safety condition on the pipelines. Instead of the search, the company would like the commission to accept what amounts to an educated guess about the 600 miles of missing pipeline records.
PG&E proposed analysis by the company about all sorts of components, material specifications at the time of those material procurement, sound engineering judgement, and conducting excavation and field testing of pipeline systems as appropriate by company officials. There never was a defined set of requirements that the California Public Utilities Commission gave to Pacific Gas & Electric. There is further, questions that PG&E has with regards to whether the commission would except documentation, as opposed to actual high-pressure water tests to satisfy them.
PG&E stated that the only alternative to it's above stated plan was to either pressure-test or replace more then 700 miles of pipe. The company has resisted the pressure tests, citing cost, inconveniencing customers because of the shut-down of parts of the system and because the actual pressure test might weaken the pipelines.
Thank God I don't live in California, not only is some of the state sitting on an earthquake fault, other parts seem to be sitting on a natural gas pipeline that is suspect and in fact exploded, killing people and destroying people's property. Guess what you guys, some of you might be sitting on a time bomb and the clock is probably ticking.
For Pacific Gas & Electric to be trusted by California customers would be a leap of faith, given the power companies background with regards to track record in safety procedures. As stark evidence, one need only to watch the 2000 movie, Erin Brockovick. I don't usually cite movies as part of any research that I do when I write about a subject matter, but in this case, I make an exception.
Hinkley, California is a Small community in the south of the state near Barstow. The United States does not define a census designated place called Hinkley, but it does have have a Zip Code of 92347. In that way, through the Zip Code, it is possible to establish the population at 1,915 as of the 2000 census.
The biggest employer in the area was PG&E and a compressor station for the companies massive natural gas transmission pipeline. The station was used to re-compress the gas as part of the process of servicing it's customers with these types of facilities, located approximately 350 miles apart.
Large cooling towers were used to cool the compressors and the water used in these towers, when not in use was stored in unlined water ponds next to the towers. The water contained an ingredient to present rust in the machinery called hexavalent chromium, which ultimately severely contaminated the groundwater that the little community used for drinking, bathing and cooking.
Also located west of Hinkley was the Hawes Radio Tower that was used for military communication in the LF-range. The use lasted from the 1960's to the 1980's before it was dismantled and use was discontinued. Whether the tower had any effect on the health of the citizens of Hinkley is unknown, as I can find no information that any studies were ever conducted.
However the contaminated water table of Hinkley brought a class action lawsuit and hundreds of people received parts of a $333 million dollar settlement that arrived at in 1994, to that point, the largest award in the history of the United States. As recently as 2008 an additional tort suit decision found in favor of more then 100 additional plaintiffs in the amount of $24.3 million.
During the course of these two suits, it was found that PG&E knew about the contamination as far back as 1950 and tried to delay any settlement until a gas rate hike was in place so that shareholders wouldn't feel the bite of the payments.
All told, PG&E has paid more then $600 million dollars in settlements related to four separate lawsuits filed by Hinkley residents the saddest collection of millionaires in the United States. In a study released in 2010 by the California Cancer Registry, it was stated that "despite the contamination, cancer rates in Hinkley remained unremarkable from 1988 to 2008.
An epidemiologist involved with the study said that the 196 cases of cancer reported between 1996 and 2008 was "less then what would be expected," based on demographics and the regional rate of cancer, another reason I'm glad I only visit California. To minimize 196 cases of reported cancer in a 12 year period, in a community of less then 2000 people is, in my way of think heartless at least, and bone headed at the most, when one considers that in 2010 the estimate of cancer infected stood at around 11 million, or less then 4%. I guess for the demographics of Hinkley, 10% is acceptable, there must be a hell of alot of cancer causing agents in and around the area, I'd move.
The rub on this entire scenario is the fact that PG&E won't pay a penny, the citizens of California will pay for the misdeeds of the power company through their monthly utility bills. A penny here, a penny there, a service charge, an installation fee, it might take years, but the stockholders will never pay, the good old American system at it's corrupt best.
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