by Michael Smith
Clean air campaigners, and other environmentalists, are fuming after the revelation that the Governor of Alaska and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has made an attempt to block a piece of legislation to cut air pollution.
A letter from Ms Palin, the Governor of Alaska, to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has surfaced in which she urges him not to sign the Ports Investment Bill.
It is a little beyond my understanding why the Governor of Alaska has to interfere with the affairs of another federal State of the Union?
The Ports Investment Bill would tax container ships arriving at Californian ports and would put the money thus raised towards projects to reduce congestion and air pollution in the state, including the toxic fumes produced by shipping.
Ms Palin, however, says that this move would damage the economy of her state, Alaska, and she argues that most goods arriving in Alaska come by container ship.
The letter, dated August 28, has been seized on by environmentalists and by Democrats. The latter because Governor Palin has been announced as John McCain's running partner in the Presidential elections.
She writes that for Alaskans, a very large percentage of goods (90% or more) shipped to Alaska arrive as marine cargo in a container.
"Many communities", she writes, "lack road access and depend entirely on the shipment of goods by container.
"Shipping costs have increased significantly with the rising price of fuel and these higher costs are quickly passed onto Alaskans. This tax makes the situation worse."
David Pettit, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Southern California Air Programme, said Governor Palin should be "ashamed" of the pollution her state causes in California.
"Right now, ships going to Alaska and Hawaii contribute to this pollution every time they leave California docks, and the citizens of Alaska and Hawaii are getting a free ride because they pay nothing for the California pollution that these ships cause," he said.
I think that we all can but echo the sentiments of the director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Southern California Air Programme quoted above and Ms Palin should indeed be "ashamed" of her interference in the affairs of another state of the Union. If she has something to say on that issue she should have used a different and public forum rather than using a more or less personal letter to her opposite number in the State of California.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said urged Governor Schwarzenegger not to give into other states' fears and sign the Bill.
He added: "I am disappointed that Governor Sarah Palin has chosen to put private interests ahead of the people's interest."
While Governor Sarah Palin may not have, actually, for that would be going too far maybe, as insinuated by the Mayor of LA, chosen to put private interests before the interests of the people as she put the interests, so at least it would appear, of Alaskans, before that of the residents of other states and indeed the world. However, this still is not a way that business can be conducted. Also, she has put the interests of the shipping businesses before that of the people of California, the USA and even the world. Questions may have to be asked as to where he interests lie in this latter issue.
The Bill was approved by the Senate earlier this month and now requires Governor Schwarzenegger's signature to become law.
The Coalition for Clean Air - which is now running a campaign urging people to write to the Governor asking him to sign the Bill - described it is "the best funding option on the table to deal with the crises of port pollution and cargo congestion".
Why is the transportation of those goods to the states such as Alaska and Hawaii switched over to the same kind of ships that are now carrying wine from France to the Irish Republic, namely sailing vessels of the three or four mast variety? Thus there would be virtually no harmful emissions bar those from the diesel generators for electricity – unless one would want to rely on solar and wind power for the running of the communications equipment and such like.
The world as a whole, and especially when we are talking, basically, coastal shipping traffic, needs to go back-to-the-future in some aspects here and sailing vessels are the answer, as has been shown in the transportation of the wine previously mentioned.
While this takes a little longer and while containers probably cannot be carried on such sailing vessels of the clipper and other variety this is a way of shipping that will reduce harmful emission, whether we believe in global warming/climate change from CO2 or not, for the harmful emissions are not just CO2, and also will cut fuel costs.
Oh, but, alas, we no longer have trained seamen, have we now. All we nowadays have is just button operators of completely automated ships. Steering is done by hydraulics and by means of thrusters and the old wheel is gone altogether. Most of those so-called seamen of today would not know how to steer a ship manually by means of a wheel and especially not one that is powered by the wind by means of sails. I guess we need to get some training going again.
Back-to-the-future is, in many aspects, the only answer to the current problems as regards to the environment and our home planet – well, heck, we have got no other planet – and even our economy.
© M Smith (Veshengro), September 2008
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Letter from Alaskan Governor sparks fury
