Utah House of Representatives passes bill disputing global warming, declares emissions are harmless

[chasmj]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/12/utah-climate-alarmists

Utah delivers vote of no confidence for 'climate alarmists'
The US's most Republican state passes bill disputing science of climate change, claiming emissions are 'essentially harmless'
Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Friday 12 February 2010

Carbon dioxide is "essentially harmless" to human beings and good for plants. So now will you stop worrying about global warming?

Utah's House of Representatives apparently has at least. Officially the most Republican state in America, its political masters have adopted a resolution condemning "climate alarmists", and disputing any scientific basis for global warming.

The measure, which passed by 56-17, has no legal force, though it was predictably claimed by climate change sceptics as a great victory in the wake of the controversy caused by a mistake over Himalayan glaciers in the UN's landmark report on global warming. But it does offer a view of state politicians' concerns in Utah which is a major oil and coal producing state.

The original version of the bill dismissed climate science as a "well organised and ongoing effort to manipulate and incorporate "tricks" related to global temperature data in order to produce a global warming outcome". It accused those seeking action on climate change of riding a "gravy train" and their efforts would "ultimately lock billions of human beings into long-term poverty". In the heat of the debate, the representative Mike Noel said environmentalists were part of a vast conspiracy to destroy the American way of life and control world population through forced sterilisation and abortion.

By the time the final version of the bill came to a vote, cooler heats apparently prevailed. The bill dropped the word "conspiracy", and described climate science as "questionable" rather than "flawed". However, it insisted – against all evidence – that the hockey stick graph of changing temperatures was discredited. It also called on the federal government's Environmental Protection Agency to order an immediate halt in its moves to regulate greenhouse gas emissions "until a full and independent investigation of climate data and global warming science can be substantiated". As Noel explained: "Sometimes ... we need to have the courage to do nothing."

[Flaneur]

1. Maybe next they can vote to repeal the law of gravity.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. Yes, and math would be much easier if they would just vote to round pi off to

an even 3.

[farmout rightarm]

2. Haha...an amusing Freudian typo in the story

"By the time the final version of the bill came to a vote, cooler heats apparently prevailed."
;-)

[-wulf-]

3. CO2 and warming aside

I don't agree with the idea that CO2 is harmful to human health, and it is good for plants.

I think the EPA's declaration of CO2 as harmful to human health is further example of a scientific issue being politicized beyond recognition.

[Better Believe It]

8. You're right. In fact, if you're ever hospitalized, turn down the oxygen and ask for a tank of CO2

You'll be up and dancing in no time!

And at home you can suck on this!

[-wulf-]

18. uhm

that's carbon oxide, which is different from carbon dioxide.


The breathing CO2 thing doesn't work anyway. Hydrogen isn't listed as being harmful to human health, and we can't breath that either.


Cute though.

[Turbineguy]

4. Utah House of Representatives passes bill declaring themselves idiots

The measure, which passed by 56-17, has no legal force because there's no law against being stupid.

[jkshaw]

5. Ah, my wonderful, godforsaken state

in which I and my family have lived and suffered for 44 freaking years.

[LiberalFighter]

6. Is there some way we can send all emissions to Utah?

Maybe place the Mormons in charge of collecting the emissions and storing them in their temple?

[Better Believe It]

9. How about shipping the worlds nuclear waste to Utah! Store it in the capital building

[KT2000]

7. polluting industries

call Utah home. Guess they want to protect their friends.

[BlueJazz]

10. Sometimes the majority of People don't deserve the kind of Government they have,,,

...and sometimes they DO. :)

[jkshaw]

14. There are actual Democrats in Utah,

who vote Democratic year after year, to no avail, and who don't deserve extra pollution or nuclear waste. That said, we have plenty of pollution. Our small valley in very northern Utah is one of the most polluted in the United States, simply from cars, trucks, and cows. Some few ranchers are engaging in methane reducing practices on their places. They get written up in the local paper, lots of praise and awards, but they're pretty much alone.

Cars and (especially) trucks? They're "encouraged" to try to keep it down, but so far, the county has managed to sidestep being forced to adopt pollution-cutting laws targeting the traffic.

We have a daughter with asthma who suffers during the red days, of which we have more than our share. We write letters to the editor. Does anyone read them?

[randr]

12. Not the only thing Mormons got wrong

[hatrack]

13. After all, "there is mounting evidence that humans can't influence their environment . . . "

Humans certainly can't alter air quality over Salt Lake City - we've all seen that in the past month, now haven't we?

:eyes:

The House adopted a sternly worded resolution declaring the body's deep skepticism over current climate science and called for the federal government to halt carbon dioxide reduction programs.

Rep. Kerry Gibson said that by pursuing cap-and-trade policies, Washington is engaging on a path that could destroy Utah's way of life. "I'm afraid of what could happen to our economy, to our rural life, to our agriculture, if such a detrimental policy continues to be pursued for political reasons," said the Ogden Republican. He said there is mounting evidence that humans can't influence their environment and the costs of enacting climate change policies could be staggering.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x229742

[jkshaw]

17. Gad -- "our way of life" is it?

Preserve me and my family from their way of life. In more ways than one.

[conscious evolution]

15. Next on their agenda: Pi = 3.0

[NoPasaran]

16. Thank dog the Texas Legislature isn't in session

I shudder to think what they would do to reclaim Craziest In The Union status for the Lone Star State.

[FiveGoodMen]

19. ...and certain underwear is magic.

Fuck them and the ignorance they rode in on.

[sakabatou]

20. Hey, Utah House of Representatives...

If we lock you in a room only supplied with CO2, you should be fine, right, since it's harmless and all...

:sarcasm:

[dysfunctional press]

21. fuckin' mormons....

what do you expect...?