http://www.globalwarming.org/2011/12/14/fitzgerald-mugged-for-the-environment/ Climate Change News & Analysis Thu, 07 Feb 2013 05:41:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= http://www.globalwarming.org/2011/12/14/fitzgerald-mugged-for-the-environment/comment-page-1/#comment-66414 Ben of Houston Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:27:13 +0000 http://www.globalwarming.org/?p=11800#comment-66414 Hanousek's case, while certainly extreme, isn't as clear cut as you make it seem. The first 300 feet of pipeline was protected by a railroad tie and sand barrier during work. Hanousek was convicted because when he took over the project, he stopped the practice of covering and protecting the pipeline. That is the decision that led to the spill. While I definitely question the wisdom of this prosecution, it does have precedent. If by your actions you recklessly cause someone to get killed, you can be charged with negligent manslaughter. This isn't as absurd as you present it. Hanousek’s case, while certainly extreme, isn’t as clear cut as you make it seem. The first 300 feet of pipeline was protected by a railroad tie and sand barrier during work. Hanousek was convicted because when he took over the project, he stopped the practice of covering and protecting the pipeline. That is the decision that led to the spill. While I definitely question the wisdom of this prosecution, it does have precedent. If by your actions you recklessly cause someone to get killed, you can be charged with negligent manslaughter. This isn’t as absurd as you present it.

]]> http://www.globalwarming.org/2011/12/14/fitzgerald-mugged-for-the-environment/comment-page-1/#comment-66396 Fitzgerald: Mugged for the Environment | JunkScience.com Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:44:47 +0000 http://www.globalwarming.org/?p=11800#comment-66396 [...] Fitzgerald: Mugged for the Environment – Most people find the idea of healthy ecosystems and a clean environment to be desirable social goals. After all, the pollution of our collective air, water, or soil resources can potentially affect both our personal health and our individual property values. The broader social question is how do we measure and define environmental harm, and what benchmarks do we use to certify the point at which damage has occurred that adversely affects others. Examples from the regulation of private lands, public lands, endangered species, wetlands, and the record of the Environmental Protection Agency enforcement tactics illustrate how inflexible or misguided policies, relying on warped incentives and enforced by overzealous regulators, can often do more harm than good…. [...] [...] Fitzgerald: Mugged for the Environment – Most people find the idea of healthy ecosystems and a clean environment to be desirable social goals. After all, the pollution of our collective air, water, or soil resources can potentially affect both our personal health and our individual property values. The broader social question is how do we measure and define environmental harm, and what benchmarks do we use to certify the point at which damage has occurred that adversely affects others. Examples from the regulation of private lands, public lands, endangered species, wetlands, and the record of the Environmental Protection Agency enforcement tactics illustrate how inflexible or misguided policies, relying on warped incentives and enforced by overzealous regulators, can often do more harm than good…. [...]

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