Obama Administration Can’t See the Forest for the Trees Giant Forest Fire
A decades-old program allowing fire departments to purchase surplus military vehicles appears to be no more.
An agreement between the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, aimed at reducing emissions, will stop the sale of defense vehicles that don’t meet the EPA’s emission standards, the state forestry service reports.
“This action will ultimately result in increased exposure of communities to loss of life and property associated with wildfire, as well as increased fire suppression costs,” said George Geissler, state forester and director for Oklahoma Forestry Services. “The greenhouse gas emissions associated with the vehicles are marginal at best compared to emissions of an uncontrolled wildfire.”
Good point.
Not good enough for our federal government.
Ding.
Patterico (9c670f) — 7/2/2014 @ 9:47 pmYou mean that Obama is implementing policies that will reduce the ability of the US to fight fires?
What’s he planning?!
scrubone (4383d0) — 7/2/2014 @ 10:09 pmHmmm… are all these military vehicles being bought by law enforcement agencies eco-friendly?
malclave (4f3ec1) — 7/2/2014 @ 10:13 pmHave you ever SEEN the EPA mileage numbers of a fire truck?!
Kevin M (b357ee) — 7/3/2014 @ 12:09 amYou want scorched-earth policy? I’ll give you scorched-earth policy.
felipe (960c75) — 7/3/2014 @ 2:21 amBurn the rat infested d.c. now.
mg (31009b) — 7/3/2014 @ 2:43 amAll leftists are stupid and dishonest.
Sorry, it’s just a fact.
Estragon (ada867) — 7/3/2014 @ 4:29 amWhy doesn’t the same (admittedly skewed) logic apply to MRAPs and M-113s given to police departments?
phlyarologist (0b612c) — 7/3/2014 @ 5:22 amDemonstrate a willingness to accept the lesser of two evils and the mechanism for establishing tyranny devolves into the Hobson’s choice of juxtaposing an obviously unacceptable boogeyman against a grinning oppressor. The deed is done and the oppressed voluntarily shackled themselves. Ain’t the two party system grand?
ropelight (558c42) — 7/3/2014 @ 5:41 amThe program (purchase of the surplus military vehicles) has enhanced the abilities of rural volunteer fire companies to fight their local fires (many of which are grass fires … “off-road”). So besides exercising the power of the EPA, this is a poke in the eye to people who choose not to live in urban areas.
Feature, not bug. (gah!)
TG (151b93) — 7/3/2014 @ 6:06 amThe very idea that our elected representatives have created these huge, expanding, self perpetuating bureaucracies then let them create rules and regulations which have the effect of law is revolting. Releasing upon the public armies of nameless, faceless and apparently blameless bureaucrats who afflict unneeded burden on business, government and the people at large is not what this republic was supposed to be. People will die while these clowns in the agencies collect their large salaries, benefits, perks and retirement from the very citizens they destroy. Unreal!
Hoagie (4dfb34) — 7/3/2014 @ 6:37 amThey’ll try to use emission standards to ban bullets I bet.
DejectedHead (06f486) — 7/3/2014 @ 6:45 amThis concern over EPA rules isn’t evident in the free distribution of MRAP vehicles to police departments like the crew at Ohio State University, or their use by Homeland Security in their acquistion of 2717 Navistar MaxxPro MRAPs. The latter have been/are being retrofitted after deployment in Afganistan by Navistar under contract to DHS. These DHS vehicles weigh 37,850 pounds and are being re-powered with a six cyliner, inline diesel engine that is capable of providing 425 HP. The DHS is apparently claiming operation of just 16 of these vehicles, but Navistar has a contract to retrofit 2717. The FBI also uses these vehicles. The “carbon footprint” of these personnel carriers must be quite similar to fire engines like the Cal Model 34 which weighs in at 35,000 pounds and is similarly powered by a Navistar diesel.
I guess it’s all about priorities.
bobathome (5ccbd8) — 7/3/2014 @ 10:35 amWasn’t there a junior diplomat after the Iraq invasion who, in the interests of “sustainability”, ordered bio-degradable sandbags to protect the green zone?
Jeff Hall (0c9255) — 7/3/2014 @ 11:06 amHmmm … After reading thru the very extensive comments in my modernsurvivalblog link above, it’s not clear what vehicle the DHS is using for their MRAP. It may be a PVI Golan and not a Navistar MaxxPro. If so the large order (2717 vehicles) may be for the Marines. That would be comforting, since there aren’t very many Golans. But I expect their carbon footprints are similar. And there hasn’t been any word of the EPA prohibiting their distribution. So it’s still about priorities.
bobathome (5ccbd8) — 7/3/2014 @ 11:18 amWhen you have an idiot for a president, an idiot for a vice president, an idiot for the secretary of state, you can’t expect to find any intelligence in any agency. obama will not have someone in his regime showing him up.
Jim (dc5067) — 7/3/2014 @ 4:20 pmHow much green house gases are emitted ferrying illegal aliens around the country? Why doesn’t the epa put a stop to that?
Jim (dc5067) — 7/3/2014 @ 4:22 pmYes, the Sierra Club is against immigration because they’ll get richer here and total greenhouse gas consumption will go up.
Sammy Finkelman (d22d64) — 7/3/2014 @ 4:43 pm