Kentucky has issued a substanial grant of $200,000+ for clean diesel programs. These programs would come from agriculture, trucking, and other industries. There is a priority for companies in areas that are not up to date with their air quality. This grant is being pushed from the Department of Air Quality. The articule also says that previous bills were attempted but went without any takers.
I believe that we as a society should go green and that we should push for cleaner and more sustaniable resources. Considering this I believe that this is just not enough. I don't believe this will work for several reasons. One reason is that while this amount of money seems a lot to us common folk, I don't think that this is a lot of money for large companies. Second, is the term "clean diesel." While it is good that diesel is clean, clean diesel is like clean coal; its an oxymoron. This should be considered when thinking in the long term. Therefore because this is too little amount of money and that it won't do much good for the environment, I don't believe this will have any takes like the last one. This is unfortunate because as being students of environmental science we should be able to understand how the environment is working and what we should do in order to make our environment better for all of us. Yet these types of grants and hand-outs are not going to make Kentucky more environmentally friendly in the long run, won't drastically change the conditions for the long-term future. This money is basically being given away for programs that will not produce result. Programs like these will only increase our state debt (1 billion).
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I totally agree with you that this action won't be enough to have any serious action. But, I think it is a good sign that our local government is getting involved and is aware of the environmental damage caused by diesel fuel. I think that we are on the right path and with more time and more money we can improve our air quality
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you Michael. Ideas like "clean-diesel" and "clean coal" give green energy a bad name. This is just the latest example of greenwashing by companies. Instead of seeking real change, companies put clean in front of an existing resource and act like its a real breakthrough. Unfortunately, I think many people fall for it.
ReplyDeleteAwarness is first in seeking "GREEN" . But the fact (like John said) is that there is no such thing a clean coal. They need to be realistic and tell the truth. They are really not going green. They just want the label.
ReplyDelete$200,000+ for clean diesel programs is a start. Agriculture is a large industry in Kentucky, and cleaner diesel fuel will have a huge impact on creating greener farming and trucking in Kentucky. It is obvious however that more funding is necessary for alternative fuel resources and aid in creating an environmental friendly identity for Kentucky.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I definitely agree with your views that going green must be a priority. The two hundred thousand dollar grant is a great start to improving our environment locally. Hopefully a sustainable method of transportation can be found through this money. Although some believe that there is no reason for this upheaval of the system, we need to act smart. This public recognition of the problem will be very beneficial to finding the solution. Farming is a local pollutant that may be able to be fixed through the grant. We need to create more funds like this one in the future in order to keep our energy system sustainable.
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